Is it worth the effort? To me of course it is!

[Lackluster]

Good stuff Lackluster.... H, Lloyds sorting you out with the stripes?

Yes I am sending the peeled off originals to H Lloyds in the New Year, after the Christmas rush has finished, not a good time to send mail just at the moment, anyway not in any rush. No full decal sets appear to be available, maybe because its a low end bike, or just that not many have lasted this long, or even that nobody but me is doing a full refurb job. :facepalm:

 

[Peachy!]

Good stuff Lackluster.... H, Lloyds sorting you out with the stripes?

Yes I am sending the peeled off originals to H Lloyds in the New Year, after the Christmas rush has finished, not a good time to send mail just at the moment, anyway not in any rush. No full decal sets appear to be available, maybe because its a low end bike, or just that not many have lasted this long, or even that nobody but me is doing a full refurb job. :facepalm:

My money’s on the later! :xmas-wink:
Like me and my ‘77 Cavalier..... :facepalm:

 

[Lackluster]

Freewheel off with a grunt!

 

[Peachy!]

Right tool for the job...always a winner :xmas-cool:

 

[Psimpson]

If it's worth it to you that's all that matters, they are all worth saving.

 

[Cavalier65]

I think it's great that people are restoring the lower end steel bikes. They are part of cycling culture and have their place. These bikes created a lot of memories (most of us had these type of bikes rather than the top end stuff) and that has to be worth something. Maybe an ironic twist will occur too because a MK2 Ford Escort (a humble car in its day) can now be worth more than a Lotus Esprit, which was exotica when new.
I'm new to the vintage bike scene but I plan on buying some ratty old bikes to practice my restoration skills upon and also because I like to see neglected things given a new lease of life.

 

[allenh]

I think it's great that people are restoring the lower end steel bikes. They are part of cycling culture and have their place. These bikes created a lot of memories (most of us had these type of bikes rather than the top end stuff) and that has to be worth something. Maybe an ironic twist will occur too because a MK2 Ford Escort (a humble car in its day) can now be worth more than a Lotus Esprit, which was exotica when new.
I'm new to the vintage bike scene but I plan on buying some ratty old bikes to practice my restoration skills upon and also because I like to see neglected things given a new lease of life.

Definitely, and in your quest try local boot fairs, second hand shops and classifieds as these things are still out there untouched and at more normal prices. I normally do middle and upperish range bikes because they are what I lusted after as a child but I'm not immune to doing lower end models because its the enjoyment of doing the work for me, I have a humble BSA Tour de France in my to do list that I picked up at a boot fair at the end of the summer for 25 quid which was pretty much all original but scruffy and one I lusted after in my Mums catalogue as a child.

As to the Escort thing the same applies, people either want to have the things they remember as a child (and in the case of the Fords quite often the top models that their Dad wanted when he bought the basic one) or the exotica that they lusted after as a child and what drives the prices up is the people who can't or won't do the work and just buy, the same is true of bikes

 

[roadking]

Maybe an ironic twist will occur too because a MK2 Ford Escort (a humble car in its day) can now be worth more than a Lotus Esprit, which was exotica when new.

An unfortunate analogy, it very much depends of the Mk2 Escort: it is the Mexico's and RSs which are the valuable cars and they were neither humble nor commonplace when new: the grey porridge Populars, 1.3GLs and their ilk are often as expensive to restore as the more desirable models - likewise the low end factory bicycles made in their many thousands.

Maybe I was lucky, and most of my friends who rode to school had bicycle makes such as Holdsworths (I had a Mistral), the less enthusiastic rode roadsters - I never enjoyed an affair with a Chopper - won't say why !

Rk.

 

[Cavalier65]

Maybe an ironic twist will occur too because a MK2 Ford Escort (a humble car in its day) can now be worth more than a Lotus Esprit, which was exotica when new.

An unfortunate analogy, it very much depends of the Mk2 Escort: it is the Mexico's and RSs which are the valuable cars and they were neither humble nor commonplace when new: the grey porridge Populars, 1.3GLs and their ilk are often as expensive to restore as the more desirable models - likewise the low end factory bicycles made in their many thousands.

Maybe I was lucky, and most of my friends who rode to school had bicycle makes such as Holdsworths (I had a Mistral), the less enthusiastic rode roadsters - I never enjoyed an affair with a Chopper - won't say why !

Rk.

An Escort was always a working man's car in its day no matter what guise it came in, whereas a Lotus Esprit was entering the rich man's world. Rarity is also a factor when it comes to value in the collector's world. I'm a collector (not of bikes) and often mundane items that were once common are more desirable than the more exclusive versions simply because everyone hung onto and cherished the valuable versions but the low end versions were all used, abused and thrown away. The result - they are now rare and therefore command a high price.

All I'm saying is that (in my opinion) these bikes are worth restoring now. I'm not saying they will be worth more than high end bikes but I've seen stranger things happen in the collecting world.

 

[roadking]

An Escort was always a working man's car in its day no matter what guise it came in, whereas a Lotus Esprit was entering the rich man's world. Rarity is also a factor when it comes to value in the collector's world. I'm a collector (not of bikes) and often mundane items that were once common are more desirable than the more exclusive versions simply because everyone hung onto and cherished the valuable versions but the low end versions were all used, abused and thrown away. The result - they are now rare and therefore command a high price.

All I'm saying is that (in my opinion) these bikes are worth restoring now. I'm not saying they will be worth more than high end bikes but I've seen stranger things happen in the collecting world.

Monetary value doesn't always follow rarity, and it depends what you consider a working man to be ? I have several classic cars and a number of bicycles but I don't consider myself a collector.

You mentioned Escorts, one man's high price is not another man's high price and I stay by my remark about Mexico's and RSs as they weren't common when new, whereas the grey porridge versions were - you seem to be suggesting a mundane Escort is more valuable than a Mexico or RS: the market doesn't agree with you, and early Esprits (esp' Series 1s) have become very sought after.

Grey porridge bicycles hold no interest for me, they weren't on my radar when they were new. However, like the classic car world there's enough space (here) for all kinds of interests and if you think they are wroth restoring, I'm sure others will agree.

Rk.