What to do with an old race bicycle

[Mr Nuttington]

I know there are some keen cyclists around the forum, so thought I would ask some advice from those in the know.

Years ago I was a road cyclist - time trials mainly with the odd road race thrown in and we are talking late 80's and early 90's. I still have my race bike from that era in the shed looking rather forgotten and sorry for itself with signs of rust peeking through the paint. The frame is Reynolds 653 steel btw. The question is, could it be safely ridden or is it likely that the thinness of the tube walls makes using it again a risk too far?

If it's not usable is there any market demand for decent quality vintage components or has the world moved on and left old bits to history?

[magirus]

Retrobike will give you some idea of what the frame is worth if you were to sell it, and also an idea of what the components are worth, you might get a surprise. However I would guess it's still rideable. I rescued this 531 frame well over 20 years ago, hand painted black and covered in stickers and filth, and had it renovated, still take it out for the occasional Sunday spin, even though I normally ride a Rose with 11speed Ultegra . . .

[Mr Nuttington]

Thanks Magirus,

Wow, looking at Retrobike takes me back - I think I may be surfing around on there for a while, just for old times sake.

Did you have your ride refurbed professionally or was it a diy job? Looks mighty fine either way.

[TimeThoughts]

Like you I have an old bike similar to that description, mine is a Motobecane lugged & brazed frame; Columbus tubing from about 1984 I think. 12 speed Shimano; down tube shifters.

I use it as a beer bike in the summer; its probably worth a couple of hundred quid so if I'm meeting the brother for a couple of pints I'll take that and lock it up outside. If it got pinched I'd be upset, but not wounded.

[magirus]

Thanks Magirus,

Wow, looking at Retrobike takes me back - I think I may be surfing around on there for a while, just for old times sake.

Did you have your ride refurbed professionally or was it a diy job? Looks mighty fine either way.

Thanks Mr. N. I had it done professionally. The shop I found the frame in was Avanti Cycles at Bishop Auckland (long gone), hence the logos on the frame. They did an excellent job and added the braze-ons needed to fit the 8speed Campag group and did the painting as well. I also had a frame done years before that at Dave Yates' workshop, via Denton Cycles when they were still open in Newcastle and Dave was still in the north east. That was a Carlton Clubman that I bought from Dentons in the mid 1970s. It began life as 10 speed and Dave widened the back end, added braze-ons and painted the frame, another cracking job. After the work I built it as a 7 speed, then later with much the same kit that's on the Avanti now. The Carlton was always a tad big for me, which is why I got the Avanti. The Carlton is still hanging in the garage. Here's the old iron in 1977, still 10 speed (Stronglight, Weinmann, Suntour) and parked at Lands End after a 5 day spin down there from Durham on A roads, staying with the YHA along the way. Probably suicidal to ride that route now! There's still plenty of frame builders around who can do this work, Dave Yates is in Lincolnshire now.

[MrSmith]

I wouldn't worry about the thinness of the tubes as they were thicker then than they are now. My current steel frames are .38mm in the middle of the butting, you can squeeze them with the fingers and see them slightly ovalise.
Just give it a close once over for any serious rust or cracks, water around the BB area means frames of that vintage can go where the chain stays meet if not looked after.

[Andrzej]

I also had a frame done years before that at Dave Yates' workshop, via Denton Cycles when they were still open in Newcastle and Dave was still in the north east. T There's still plenty of frame builders around who can do this work, Dave Yates is in Lincolnshire now.

In the 1980s I used a Dave Yates Lo-pro for Time Trials and an occasional triathlon. Using radial wheels with very few spokes, and Wolber 18 tubs meant I had the weight down to below 17 lbs in the days before titanium. Recently I tried to give a fellow club member some old Campag Super Record for a vintage bike he was building, and he refused to accept it, saying it was too valuable. Sold it on ebay, and the pedals, toe clips and straps alone got over £300. Drilled out brake levers also got a nice figure.