Vintage Road Bikes

[Antique Hoosier]

I'm beginning a search for a vintage road bike and wanted to know what names might be coveted among the collective bike knowledge here. I want a classic but don't know where to start. My budget is up to $1000.

[mattface]

What vintage are we talking about? A thousand bucks is not a lot for a vintage road bike, the exotics will be worth quite a lot more than that.

For a thousand bucks though a Raleigh Professional, or International, Schwinn Paramount, or a nice Bianchi from the 70s or early 80s would be nice if you can find them. Also Treks from the late 70s through Early 80s were very nice.

[orchestrion]

Bianchis probably have the most vintage fanboys. Like mattface said, Schwinn and Raleigh both make good road bikes as well. Don't forget about the Japanese bikes--a Nishiki would serve you well too. I read a piece of "advice" on a bike forum long ago that I found both funny and helpful: "If the brand name ends in a vowel, it's probably a fairly good quality bike."

My local bike shop sells vintage road bikes that they fixed up/restored. I don't know about prices around your neck of the woods, but you should easily be able to find something good under a thousand bucks.

[Antique Hoosier]

What vintage are we talking about?

I was hoping 1970's era. Is that considered "vintage". I remember a rather boutique bike shop near my families business in the mid 70's that really had some awesome bikes. I'd like to try to stick to that era.

[Antique Hoosier]

Does this one look like a true "Money Pit" or would $300 or so make it a real gem?

http://lakeland.craigslist.org/bik/2396895126.html

[mattface]

Raleigh Grand Prix was a nice(ish) bike, but nothing special. A step below the Supercourse which was Raleigh's sort of entry level nice bike. I wouldn't go anywhere below the Supercourse if you're looking for a nice 70s era Raleigh. The Raleigh Professional was the one folks tended to Covet, the Supercourse was the one they tended to buy. My impression is that you're looking for the bike folks tended to covet.

[cbird]

You can get great vintage frames for a couple of hundred or so. Determine what size works for you and read more about the bikes and you will know when you are coming across a good deal. 1970's bikes are great because the components are very functional and simple (you can't go wrong with Campagnolo Nuovo Record, Suntour Superbe is also fine). You can save money by buying mainly frames and just swapping parts around. Italian bikes are mainly racers, while British and French bikes are often more sport-touring or touring, and Schwinn Paramounts can be any of these. A great brand to look for is Bates of England. These are great bikes with head tube badges with a bat with outstretched wings.

[Antique Hoosier]

My impression is that you're looking for the bike folks tended to covet.

You nailed it! I hope this doesn't come off as snobbish but I really want to make a ultimate choice that will satisfy my desire to own something special. It took me close to 5 years and lots of discovery to find what I really like as to our shaving "hobby"... I was just hoping to slice through that lead time when it came to a very special bike. I hope to not own hundreds of them as I have with the tools of shaving.

GREAT advice on this particular craigslist bike... It looks to be like a user "FatBoy" Gillette when I'm really seeking a 6/8 Dovo Fritz Bracht!

Help me find the equivalent of THIS in a vintage road bike!

[Antique Hoosier]

You can get great vintage frames for a couple of hundred or so. Determine what size works for you and read more about the bikes and you will know when you are coming across a good deal. 1970's bikes are great because the components are very functional and simple (you can't go wrong with Campagnolo Nuovo Record, Suntour Superbe is also fine). You can save money by buying mainly frames and just swapping parts around. Italian bikes are mainly racers, while British and French bikes are often more sport-touring or touring, and Schwinn Paramounts can be any of these. A great brand to look for is Bates of England. These are great bikes with head tube badges with a bat with outstretched wings.

NICE! I would imagine these would be very very desirable!

[mattface]

You nailed it! I hope this doesn't come off as snobbish but I really want to make a ultimate choice that will satisfy my desire to own something special. It took me close to 5 years and lots of discovery to find what I really like as to our shaving "hobby"... I was just hoping to slice through that lead time when it came to a very special bike. I hope to not own hundreds of them as I have with the tools of shaving.

GREAT advice on this particular craigslist bike... It looks to be like a user "FatBoy" Gillette when I'm really seeking a 6/8 Dovo Fritz Bracht!

Help me find the equivalent of THIS in a vintage road bike!

The Grand Prix is a Super Speed. Old reliable, will get the job done, but nothing special. The Supercourse would be a Fatboy. Professional? Closer to the Aristocrat I guess.

http://old_school_cycles.tripod.com/...mhetchins1.jpg

It sounds like you're looking for a Hetchins with curly stays. http://old_school_cycles.tripod.com/id24.html

[Antique Hoosier]

Omg....

[cbird]

"Classic Rendezvous" is a great online resource for info on vintage lightweights.
Hetchins is the most ornate of vintage bikes. Another great name for an ultimate level collectible is Rene Herse. Mr. Herse not only made the frame, but also the crank sets, brakes, stems, and racks, usually designing the parts to fit an individual rider and bike. They sell often for many thousands for a complete bicycle. They were often touring bikes.
One issue you will find is that you do not need an ultimate bike to get an ultimate ride. There are many makes that are less prestigious than a Hetchins or Herse, yet still have as good a ride. Jack Taylors are known for great rides and can be found in your price range, for example. You won't know how good a bike is until you ride it.

[mattface]

"Classic Rendezvous" is a great online resource for info on vintage lightweights.
Hetchins is the most ornate of vintage bikes. Another great name for an ultimate level collectible is Rene Herse. Mr. Herse not only made the frame, but also the crank sets, brakes, stems, and racks, usually designing the parts to fit an individual rider and bike. They sell often for many thousands for a complete bicycle. They were often touring bikes.
One issue you will find is that you do not need an ultimate bike to get an ultimate ride. There are many makes that are less prestigious than a Hetchins or Herse, yet still have as good a ride. Jack Taylors are known for great rides and can be found in your price range, for example. You won't know how good a bike is until you ride it.

True enough, but then the same could clearly be said for razors. My Razesa (An obscure Spanish brand) which I got for next to nothing rides better than anything else I've ever owned, and my $10 Wade & Butcher also shaves as well as much more expensive razors, but the OP is clearly looking for something very ornate. I also love the French Constructeur bikes by the way.

That said I'm thinking the OP will be very lucky to get a complete Hetchins or Herse for $1000. actually I'm not really familiar with what those are going for, but I'm thinking he might have trouble getting even a frame for that price.

With that in mind, there are some very nice old bikes out there not demanding those kinds of prices. The 70s were sort of a Golden Age for road bikes. It's a period known as the "bike boom" and while a lot of junk bikes were cranked out during that time, so also were a lot of really really nice bikes and the brands that made very nice bikes are really to numerous to mention. Given the age range, I'm thinking you're probably looking for something made with Reynolds 531, or Columbus tubing, and ornate lugwork. Those were expensive tubing sets, and were not used on junk bikes. Going back to the Raleigh's and Schwinns, a lot of the Raleigh Internationals, and Schwinn Paramouns came with Nervex lugs which were fairly ornate. There were numerous great English and Italian Makes, and the French made great bikes then too, but stay away from the French bikes, because they used their own sizing for parts, and the French Standard "lost" making it a headache to source parts for older French bikes. The Japanese made some really incredibly good bikes from seventies right up through today, but that doesn't strike me as what you're looking for.

Nervex headtube Lugs on a Schwinn Paramount


Now I may have I've whetted your appetite, but I've barely scratched the surface. So I'm gonna turn you loose on the Classic and Vintage forums at bikeforums.net. Threre you'll find bike geeks every bit as geeky about vintage bikes as the razor geeks here are about razors. Have fun! Poor bastard...

[Legion]

I owned a very nice French Gitane road bike from the early 70's. It was sweet, and the wheels had embossing like the rolls razor case.

I sold it not long ago, when I moved to where I am living now. Hopefully the new owner will have time to restore it the way I always intended to. Ill find a picture, when I am not typing on my phone.

[The Nid Hog]

So is my '86 Bianchi Sport SX a vintage bike now?

[mattface]

So is my '86 Bianchi Sport SX a vintage bike now?

Yes. 25 years is generally considered the starting point for appending the word "vintage" to a bike.

[Antique Hoosier]

My recent trip to Seattle afforded me a pleasant trip via Ferry to Bainbridge Island, WA to visit Classic Cycle Bike Shop/Museum with a rotating 200 piece bike museum.

Worth the trip.... If you go, visit Cafe Nola and have the Barbeque Shrimp and Grits w truffle fries!

[damooshki]

Check out Mercian bikes. They have been hand made in Derby England since the 40s. Great classic lugged bikes. I'll have to get a pic of mine and post it.

[Antique Hoosier]

Check out Mercian bikes. They have been hand made in Derby England since the 40s. Great classic lugged bikes. I'll have to get a pic of mine and post it.

I saw a gallery of Mercian bikes online... Looks like there might be a couple dozen brands I might be interested in

[Bayamontate]

I have 1988 Trek 1200, not exactly vintage but an oldie but goodie. You can get one for around $450. This was their original aluminum bike.