looking for a Project for me and the boy.

[lewisfoto]

Here in the States the "deals" come from sellers, mostly on eBay, who will not ship internationally. This mainly applies to the most desired makes like Colnago, Masi, Hetchins etc. that are desired by Asian buyers. Oh and by "deal" I mean picking up a $2k bike for $1500 or so.

Also some bikes are misidentified by the seller, but honestly it takes years of studying the subtile differences between one lug "signature" or another to spot a gem among the sea of stones.


Steven

 

[supermario]

cheers lewisfoto

 

[TGR]

Supermario,

This is easy - really easy.
1. Set yourself a budget - total cost
2. Decide whether you want a bike to restore or a frame to build up
3. Re. 2 a bike is easier and should be cheaper
4. Post in the Wanted Section here
5. Look in the two For Sale sections here
6. Check ebay and gumtree (locally for you)
7. Look at other sites
8. buy something which you can afford to restore - remember that some bits are expensive
9. Do not set your sights too high - this is not for money and i think you should ride it once you have done or your son

There are plenty more pointers but the above are the basics - buy a Raleigh or something which parts are plentiful for. Do not expect it to be done over night. if you buy a frame - Have an idea what parts you want to put on it and have an idea of price before you buy the frame.

There are more pointers but here is a last one - try your local LBS for either a second hand bike or an old stock one - you may hit lucky with that.

I really cannot stress how important RB is if you are buying stuff, i have yet to be disappointed - post in the Wanted Section and see what appears - you really MUST do this before you go elsewhere.

Good luck with your quest,

Richard

 

[lewisfoto]

Supermario,

This is easy - really easy.
1. Set yourself a budget - total cost
2. Decide whether you want a bike to restore or a frame to build up
3. Re. 2 a bike is easier and should be cheaper
4. Post in the Wanted Section here
5. Look in the two For Sale sections here
6. Check ebay and gumtree (locally for you)
7. Look at other sites
8. buy something which you can afford to restore - remember that some bits are expensive
9. Do not set your sights too high - this is not for money and i think you should ride it once you have done or your son

These are really good pointer Richard!

 

[Midlife]

Find something local that you can look at and stick in the back of the car.

Cuts down on postage and the likely hood of something hopeless arriving damaged in a bit of bubblewrap and tissue paper.

Shaun

 

[FINNEY1973]

Certainly not saying this is a perfect or indeed correct restoration - viewtopic.php?f=12&t=250275 - I just fancied a cheap & cheerful job for a bit of fun. If I'd of gone full out on an exact re-build to original spec, it'd still be sat as a pile of parts - as it's not worth a great deal (it's probably worth £80 and i've spent £125) I thought i'd get the best I could for nominal outlay. Enjoyed doing it so i'd follow the advice that's been given already - gumtree, local ads, car-boot even - find something that's cosmetically ok, spend cash on easily sourced parts, clean them up and job done - doesn't cost a great deal as long as the bike / frame isn't big money in the first place.

Best of luck, there's a lot of bikes out there that need some TLC...

 

[TGR]

LOL

Finney - i was looking for your thread for Supermario, i knew that is was a reasonably inexpensive build. Good stuff!!!

BTW - i saw a Record Sprint this week - still with the OE gold bits and it looked impressive, but it was not for sale.

Richard

 

[FINNEY1973]

Haha, cheers Richard. Bit gutted I had to get new wheels to be honest - pushed the cost up by £40!! I now have a new love in my life (thread on here once i've sussed exactly what the craic is) so the Raleigh sort of got rushed through - it's a funky ride but too heavy for my liking. There's one on ebay at the moment and it looks mint - the earlier ones are far nicer and classy looking - mines a bit of runt, but a shiny runt and in fairness I could of spent an easy £180 on it when it's worth less than half that - note to OP on that point!

 

[TGR]

Good to see you can spell craic!!!! LOL

I think the best point to the OP was made regarding painting - don't buy a cheap frame and get it repainted - paint 'special' frames. That is a very good tip to all. Unless, of course, you are a bike painter and the cost is nothing to you (< important codicil).

Richard

 

[supermario]

cheers guys .