Identifying good vintage bikes

[ahleyjohn38]

Hi everyone I need help identifying some good brands a https://9apps.ooo/nd models of vintage bikes to keep an eye out for. I always see people post Puegeot restorations so I am guessing they were good. But we're they all high quality? I'd like to know what else is worth searching for. I am looking for some steel maybe titanium tubular frames that would have a more classic look to them and be fun to restore and casually ride around on. I'd love to hear your input.

 

[novocaine]

doesn't really matter, they are all old, rusty and a pig to work on.

sorry, bit harsh. really it isn't the make you should look for but what the bike was made from. Reynolds (typical 531) tubing is better than high tensile for example. almost all manufacturers had top end and bottom end models, quite often almost identical in looks and geometry (spit on the floor) but with different tubing.
vintage titanium doesn't exist, by bike standards it's still a modern material, you'll find something in the late 80s at the oldest, litespeed being considered the best of the era.

 

[sjcprojects]

I remember reading something online which said "If it's got someone's name on it (Chas Roberts, Holdsworth, Bob Jackson, etc, etc), it's probably a decent bike", which to my mind is a very good rule of thumb. In terms of British makers, Classic Lightweights is a good resource.

As a rule the smaller makers (which tended to just be a maker's name, as above) made only higher quality frames as they made less of them, whereas the bigger makers (like Peugeot or indeed Raleigh) made everything from the cheap 'gas pipe' clunkers to the highest specced real 'racing' bikes. Like @novocaine says - you need to look at the tubing and/or parts to tell the difference.

There are so many Raleighs around, for example, it's easier to pick up an actually really good quality Raleigh bike for a low price than to go for a make with more 'cachet'. Or, if you get lucky you'll find an obscure make which not many people know about, and so get a bargain that way - but that's getting harder with places like this forum around!

 

[Nob]

Carlton’s also worth a punt

 

[FiveAlpha]

Lugs, dropouts and brake bridges are a good way to see how good a frame is. Something with Campagnolo dropouts, a slotted bottom bracket shell, or nice fork crown is likely to be mid- to high- end.

Same for chrome- it was expensive to do, so usually the sign of something half-decent. And pantographing.

I don’t put a lot of stock in tubing - you can’t feel the difference and it is too easy for someone to put a Columbus Cromer or Reynolds 531 sticker on a piece of junk. You can’t fake frame components very easily.

 

[Peachy!]

The really good stuff is invariably 531 “double butted” this was usually reserved for the higher end models… as for Peugeot’s ? I couldn’t tell a good one from a bad but that’s more about personal taste..

 

[Woz]

I will probably get a dose of abuse for this. If the brand is named after a racer, stay well clear.

There is so much crap out there where the marketing men tried to flog nasty shit based on a (retired) household racer name of the day. This is marketing strategy from ages ago, and still even today the marketing men like to dust off the idea.

Go for smaller frame builders if you can, or reputable bike brands with some heritage if you are dipping a toe in this retrobike malarky.

 

[KermitGKona88]

I can pretty much sum up the whole thing in 2 images....

 

[sjcprojects]

If the brand is named after a racer, stay well clear.

Well, as we know there's an Eddy Merckx bike, and then there's an 'Eddy Merckx' bike - just to take one example of how confusing this can get!

So yeah, like @KermitGKona88 says

 

[Woz]

Yeah. Some of the bikes are more like an insult to the great riders legacy.

http://www.thevelocollective.com/1980s-jacques-anquetil-worth-it/