What floats your boat??

[gerryattrick]

Assuming that the most enjoyable bit about bikes is the riding of them, what else about them gives retrobikers the most satisfaction.

In my case it's definitely the turning of old, usually neglected, bikes into something that I or somebody else can enjoy and use – not necessarily being strictly tied to the original era when it comes to kit/decals etc. There's a lot of satisfaction in looking for bits and pieces to complete a build – preferably at little or no cost.

For me the satisfaction is in almost inverse proportion to the cost of the finished bike. It's certainly not in the ownership, as other than keeping two bikes I enjoy for my own use the others are for getting rid of. My two current users are a 1994 Merlin Malt that cost around £120 in total and a 93 Eldridge Grade that has cost around £90. Once the 92/93 Marin Team Issue is finished (at less than £80) the EG is going to have to go.

I know there are others who spend many hundreds, if not thousands, on their bikes, and I'm not knocking them because they do have some brilliant machines, but it just doesn't do it for me, and possibly they would get little enjoyment out of rebuilding say an old mid-range Claud Butler or Trek.

I don't mean this in any anti “elitist” way as I fully understand there are great bikes and crap bikes, and a huge range in between, and one day I might be lucky enough to get a great bike for next to nothing – but it will have to be for next to nothing!

So what is it about retrobiking that floats your boat?

 

[highlandsflyer]

I don't really do retrobikes, but I like to look at them.

 

[cce]

i'm not retrobiking, i'm just riding my bike, which happens to be old.

 

[Rod_Saetan]

So what is it about retrobiking that floats your boat?

I like getting a ridiculous bargain, setting out to build it in a specific (period correct and mainly understated with a slight twist usually) way and then enjoying the finished article, both riding and looking at/appreciating the design. I'm also a collector, which means I have many useless and random things.

 

[Rich Aitch]

If I knew what it was then maybe I could control it better. It is certainly about riding and exploring- the urge to see what is over the next hill has never quite faded away with me, even when I know what is over there- it is also about the pride of ownership of something that is functional and usually quite beautiful. Maintaining a skill as well, which would fade away if I stopped riding or switched to modern bikes.

 

[Rumble]

I like the chase, hunting out the next part you need for a build. I also get almost as much pleasure from building as I do from riding, and retro builds are a lot less expensive!

 

[shogun]

I like the building more than the riding when it comes to retro stuff.

 

[peguinpower]

For me, its a treasure hunt.

Ive been in the hobby of metal detecting and collecting old watches from swap meets. I think finding and rebuilding old mountain bikes lies in the same line.

 

[totti]

So what is it about retrobiking that floats your boat?

Nostalgia.... It brings back that feeling of when I was an early teen, riding on what my parents could have afforded at the time or on whatever my paper round money could afford... hours spent caning trails in the woods, miles upon miles of training for local and national races... hot summer evenings, cold, dark, wet nights in winter, etc, etc.

The world was a much better place without bills, careers and mortgages!

 

[JeRkY]

The treasure hunt here too. Nothing like the feeling of that final finishing touch that has taken you an age to source.

I have built bikes for thousands and likewise others for virtually pocket money. The longer I've been around this site the more I have spent per build, but it's not about the cost just how my tastes have developed since looking into the bling window of retrobike.co.uk.

My first build, and possibly one of my most rewarding from a satisfaction point of veiw was an orange O2 frame rescued from a collection of scrap being sold on the bay. I built it with black563 LX and the total price was a little over £100.

My RC500 was the other end of the spectrum, requiring a good amount of research over a year to collect the parts and costing multiple thousands all told.

Still I like to think if I needed to I could sell up and come out level on the accounts.