I want a retro road bike, want to help?

[Joe B]

Typical first post i guess, basically i've been cycling over the last 4 years, not a lot, just 5 miles 3-5 times a week (although i haven't missed many days)

The mountain bike i was riding basically died and naturally got me interested in a new bike.

I've been thinking of increasing my mileage up to 20-30 mile runs and for some reason i started thinking of how cool the 80's/90's racers were when i was growing up and now i really want one.(modern road bikes don't look as good to me)

Thats how i came to register here and create this post.
So, if anyone can help me i'd be very grateful.
I'd like a bike that weighs around 10kg or less, is easy to find spares for and is not mega expensive.
I know that my budget will probably determine what i end up with so i'll set the limit at £150.
Also, i don't know what size of frame i should look for, i'm around 6 foot.

One other question, is it just me or are modern gears/chains inferior to older bikes, i never remember anyone replacing cassettes, chains etc when i was younger.

Thanks,
Joe B.

 

[BobToo]

The best thing to do is keep doing a "nearest first" search on eBay with a maximum of £150. Just stick with the entire Bikes category and sift through the crap. Obviously you should be keeping an eye on local rags, supermarket noticeboards etc.

If you are able to collect a bike from the arse end of nowhere you'll have fewer competing bidders on eBay. I was watching a few in Edinburgh and they all went over my (admittedly very small) budget. Then a perfect one came up where I live and I was the only bidder.

£150 should buy you a reasonably lightweight machine from the '80s or '90s or, if you can live with a standard tubing frame you should get something well under £100. Even a fairly run of the mill "racer" from the '80s will be much quicker and easier to ride than a knobbly-tyred low end MTB. There are plenty of spares available still, though not necessarily at Halfords.

I think they do make components like they used to, and better, but the entry level for derailleur gears has dropped considerably. I wore out chains and clusters back in the day, and I hear of people managing thousands of miles on one set nowadays.

 

[Lazarus]

Hi Joe Bob makes a reasonable point, but perhaps he overlooks the issue of "roadworthy". I've been around road bikes since I was 8 (1970) and have also been around long enough to have watched this current ebay boom. Yes there are bargains, but 90% of what's on there needs work doing of 1 kind or another. The other 10% needs lots of work doing.

There are no major bargains to be had anymore, 18months ago, the answer was yes, but I haven't bought much from there the last 6 months. I have bought only 4 bikes from 5,000 watches, so unless you have a very keen eye, are a dab hand at fixing bikes, and have lots of time to wait, then bid, then get sniped, then lose out, then start again, then have the auction pulled with seconds to go because the seller doesn't like the price, then eventually win and wait & wait for it to be delivered, I'd think twice.

Here is by far the better option for buying. Everyone I've met or read about to date is a solid cycling guy, knows his own bikes, and no-one sells crap. You'll get an honest buy from someone in here

I've sold 2 bikes in here since I joined, the second 1 goes out Tomorrow. Like I said above, "I like to think I know my way around bikes". I'm no expert, just been around them a long time. The 1 going out has been re-sprayed & lacquered £30, new cables & bar tape £20, has been fitted with excellent condition top brand Shimano / Campagnolo refurbed parts, painstakingly rebuild, and looking like new, all for just £175. Knock the postage & packaging off (£25). All in all that's a lot of bike for just £100.

I do this because the chap I'm selling to wants a bike he can rely on, from someone he can trust, with comebacks if necessary, not an "oooh look what I've found in the shed ... my granddads sit up and beg ready to ride my ass bike".

Buy off ebay and expect work to do ... fullstop. Don't go buying because its cheap. It'll be cheap for a reason

As a final pointer my friend, this 10kg limit or under, is for my mind a tadge too expectant. I ride top end early 80's bikes, and they all come in around the 11kg-12kg mark. I think thats light Yeah sure, I did have 1 that came in at 8.5kg, but that cost me £600+ to build on a 753frame with super light tubs on. 10kg is a tall order buddy.

Hope some of this helps. I could write paragraphs more, but hopefully this will guide you best in what to do, buy off someone you trust and pay the differences for reliability, or take your chances on scam-bay. I recommend the latter only if you know your stuff Later my friend, yours Laz.

 

[roadking]

Excellent advice from Laz.

Roadking.

 

[Gracie]

Hi Joe,

I am a relative newbie to this world of RetroBike and bike renovation but I am fast learning some valuable lessons the hard way but am getting some great advice and encouragement here which keep me going.

For the last couple of months I have been trawling, watching, bidding and losing bikes on Ebay. There is a definite boom at the moment! I eventually agreed a private purchase (further details on my blog - link below) with an Ebay seller on one of his listings, I am not recommending you do this as Ebay does offer a buyer elements of protection should you be unhappy with your purchase. I felt and still feel that I got myself a bargain at £120 so no complaints there, the seller was a nice friendly fella so no complaints there either, even the nearly 5hr round trip to collect was enjoyable. However................

If you want a cycle/bicycle/bike in the traditional sense of the word meaning that you can actually get from A to B or even from A to A via scenic countryside in a safe efficient manner immediately after collecting/receiving your purchase then the Ebay lottery may not be for you. I am only 4 days in to my project but have at least another 7 days before I can get on the road with my Pug and that is at a few compromises too! So if you are cool about getting your hands dirty and expending some elbow grease to get you on the road it is a good option.

I feel that you are in the right place to find either a good bike or sound advice here, perhaps have some flexibility in your budget (my £120 bike is fast turning in to a £250 project) if it means instead of an Ebay lottery bike you get a decent runner probably with very good after sales service.

Just do what feels right for you mate and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[Joe B]

Hey, thanks for all the great advice.

I'm a little surprised to hear theres such a boom in older bikes.
Do you think its because people are getting nostalgic or is it the price of new bikes making 2nd hand prices rise?

I've just started working on the mountain bike i mentioned, replaced the front cranks and chain first but the gears were still slipping so had to replace the rear cassette as well.
I've now got it working but i still want a retro roadie
At least now i have a little confidence on the workings of a bike, i knew absolutely nothing before and i've had bikes on and off most of my life.

I'm going to trawl through the forum and try to create a list of bikes i like which should give me something to aim for.
I've taken note Lazarus that 10kg is probably over optimistic, haha i guess the memory i have of my Puch racer from my teens was youth rather than lightness, it never felt very heavy.
Will also watch what forum members are selling and maybe get a bike from here.

I'll also watch gumtree and see what comes up, i have access to a van so that should help because as mentioned its most likely any bike i get will need at least some work to get it road worthy.

Would i be right in saying that the 90's bikes, say 7 speed are easier to find parts for than 5&6 speeds?
It would be much easier if some of the current spares you can buy would fit.
As i said i have no idea if current brakes, derailleur's etc will work on older bikes

Gracie, going to check out your blog, looking forward to seeing what you've done.

One last thing that comes to mind, if i go to view a bike what are the obvious defects/wear&tear traits i should look for.

Thanks again guys, you've already helped me a lot.

Joe.

 

[law]

I you're looking for a cheapish runabout, then the advice you've had so far is sound. If you're looking to ultimately get an awesome retro ride, then I'd advise you to splash out a wee bit more, and get a bike with a really nice frame to build on. It can still be cheap, but perhaps a bit more than £150 that way you can repaint, replace, and upgrade as and when you want too.
And I'm sure you will!
I did
Not the best advise, but it's my take on this, so worth considering.

 

[roadking]

The old advice is always the best...and it used to be buy the best frame and wheels you can afford; and the rest can be upgraded over time.

Unless of couse you have a large budget to begin with, which you have not.

Beware of people when buying a frame, they'll often sell a frame as a 531 frame when in reality it'll only be 531 maintubes - and just because it has a 531 sticker...well you can put a nice sticker on any old junk.

Caveat Emptor is what I am saying.

Most the guys on here are sound.

Roadking.

 

[swos]

I wanted s nice starter road bike that required little work an i only had a budget of £100 - £150. It took me about 3 or 4 weeks to find a bike I could afford on EBay. Road bikes seem to go for big money at the moment. I think the success of Mark Cavendish and the British riders is causing more people to be interested in owning a road bike. Give It a few months and there will be a lot of unused and unwanted road bikes on EBay as the craze dies down.

I missed out on a lovely Raleigh Criterium when it jumped from £75 to £105 in the last 90 seconds. I was winning it at £75 but only had my maximum bid at £100 I suppose it serves me right thinking I had won the auction at that stage :x I was gutted as the Criterium was in great condition and needed hardly any work.

After missing out on a lot of expensive bikes I eventually managed to win a Carerra Virtuoso for £99.99 in a 24hr auction that had a BIN of £150 and a starting bid of £99.99. Luckily for me the bike is in great condition and appears to have been hardly used and everything works fine and the tyres even have most of the bobbles on them which show they've hardly been used. Apart from cable marks on the frame there are no scratches or anything. See my signature for a picture of the Carerra.

There are plenty of retro bikes about such as Raleigh Team Banannas that can be found for less than £80 but usually need a lot of work.

 

[hamster]

If you want nice stuff for sensible money, try bike jumbles. There are usually plenty of quality frames in scruffy condition. They tend to be sold by knowledgeable people and you at least avoid the ebay pirates.