How usable are vintage parts?

[wired99]

Being an enthusiastic newbie when it comes to retro road biking (I got a late 70s Carlton and it's changed my whole perception!) I was wondering how safe a lot of these vintage parts are? I never really thought about it before I guess, but as I am looking for a few old Campag bolts I came across a couple of sites that reiterate the point that a lot of this vintage gear is for show only.

As I am just about to start riding my late 70s Holdsworth complete with original Grand Nuevo bits, am I now in imminent danger?

What are your experiences?

Wired99

 

[tintin40]

vintage parts like that i would say are OK. The trouble with vintage is finding replacements. So i use new running gear

 

[john]

vintage parts like that i would say are OK. The trouble with vintage is finding replacements. So i use new running gear

Yeah, nobody want to see a hollowtech II setup on anything retro or vintage :twisted:

 

[tintin40]

vintage parts like that i would say are OK. The trouble with vintage is finding replacements. So i use new running gear

Yeah, nobody want to see a hollowtech II setup on anything retro or vintage :twisted:

vintage Bullseye would look better. But i could never get the non drive side tight to stop the play. :|

 

[hamster]

Personally I wouldn't worry too much - like anything you need to look carefully for cracks when servicing safety critical parts. Alu bars and stems would be top of my list for concern.


However a lot of the old stuff is steel and frankly that will go on forever.

 

[Panza]

The old brake calipers doen't work as the new ones do, but I wouldn't worry too much about them breaking.
In my experience parts break mostly from manufacturing defects. And that can happen just as well on new parts as on old parts.

 

[wired99]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I have stripped everything down, regreased, and it all looks pukka! Gonna get new cables for brakes and see how they go.

Thanks again, feedback is appreciated

Wired99

 

[barry2017]

Actually, I'd argue that a lot of vintage parts are more reliable than modern ones.

Enjoy your new bike.