8bitevolution

I'm hoping this is the right place for this post.

I'm interested in getting a used road bike, most likely from a thrift store, to wrench on and maybe eventually build into a daily commuter. I haven't been riding too long or done much of any mechanical work on a bike so I thought this would be a good way to learn more.

So what should I look for in a frame and forks? What are some bad signs? I'm not expecting world class quality by any means but I don't want to end up getting something that's absolutely horrible.

TallRider

You can find old steel road bikes in good shape at thrift stores or garage sales, but there are some dangers. Look for bikes whose paint is in relatively good shape, as this is one indicator of whehter the bike has been left out in the rain. Also, check the lug joints etc. for crimping, as evidence of whether the bike has been crashed. Also check the rear derailler and the end-caps on the handlebars for scrapes indicating whether the frame has been crashed. Finally, be careful when testing the bike. I bought one from a thrift store, and it turns out that the fork had rusted out internally, and when I first rode the bike after tuning it up, and braked on a downhill, the fork bent backwards so my wheel contacted the frame's downtube, locked up, and put me over the bars, requiring stitches in my chin.

If you can find a frame with a built-in derailler hanger, that's nice too. But it doesn't sound like you're looking for anything too special, so I mainly advised you on safety. Look for wheel, bottom bracket and especially headset bearings that turn okay. I assume you will be repacking the bearings, but you want a bike that doesn't have pitting on the bearing races.

jamiewilson3

You may want to consider buying a frame off of ebay, which is only a few years old or sometimes even brand new. You can get generic frames like this for as low as $30 if you are patient, plus shipping of course.

TallRider

Yeah, eBay wouldn't be bad, except shipping for a full bike is usually $40-60. Depends on how nice of a bike you want, or to be confident that you'll be able to find a nice bike. Another option is to check Craig's List for your area - something you can pick up.

CBolt

just look for this-

sch

Steel rims are a bad idea also. Wet steel is a very low friction braking surface: the brakes don't work at all. Most wheels will be aluminum, but cheaper, older (>25-30yrs) bikes might have steel rims. Commuter bike should not be rain sensitive.
Steve

DonPenguino

Things to look for:

The right fit, THE most important thing you need.
Reynolds 531/Raleigh 555/Columbus tubing, if available
Aluminum rims
Named components (i.e. Sugino, Sakae, Dia Compe, Shimano, Weinmann, Alex, Araya)
10 or more speeds
Also make sure you like the look of the bike. Little touches, like the position/type of seatpost bolt, paint scheme, fork design, brake lever intricacies.

Have fun!

MichaelW

There are many perfectly ridable steel frames but if you want a bit of quality in a used frame there are a few indicators:
Known brand sticker (only useful if you know your brands and builders).
The tubeset manufacturers sticker (reynolds, columbus etc) on the seat-tube. Various grades but a named brand of tube is always better than a no-name tubeset.
The style of the dropouts (where the rear wheels slots into the frame). Quality dropouts are moulded, not stamped and the thicker moulded form is clearly visible.
Quality lugs. Cheap lugs are stamped and have straight-cut ends, quality lugs have more ornate or have slightly curved ends (to distribute stress) and thinner transitions to the tube.

rmfnla

Glad someone remembered this detail.

8bitevolution

Ouch! Any suggestions for how to find out if there's internal rusting? I mean, other than it giving out while riding?

Old School

If you can remove the seat post you can see down most of the seat tube with a flashlight. If you cannot remove the seat post, it may be corroded in place (not good). For an older frame with quill stem, you can remove the stem easily and take a peek down the headtube. Most quality frames have small drain holes near the inside bottom of the forks, inside end of the chainstays, and the inside top of the seat stays -- look for rust streaks coming from these.

Little Darwin

Good points in your post Michael, but it does bring up some questions I am wondering if anyone else can address.

Just to throw a curveball.... I have an old (early 80's) Univega with heavy no name tubes, but it does have relatively ornate lugs... I thought the benefit of shaped lugs was purely cosmetic, so I have decided that I will probably dump this frame due to weight and a perception of low quality because of the non-butted tubes... do the ornate lugs really matter to the integrity of the frame?

How should a frame be judged if the tube set is plain ans assumed carbon steel, but it has nice lugs?

If I were to find a frame with a sticker set for some name brand, but lower end (non-butted) tube set would it necessarily be better than one without stickers? I know in this thread we were being presented with what would be nice to find, but I am curious in a more generic way.

Also, with the large number of people selling duplicates of tubing decals (eBay always has several sets of Columbus and 531 stickers available for purchase), I don't know that I would necessarily give the sticker much value (unless found on a bike where the owner/thrift store didn't know what they had)... If someone is pushing the high end tubes, don't believe them unless the low bicycle weight proves that it is likely. I suspect there are now some bikes labeled as 531 that are straight gauge gas-pipe. If the old bike has new stickers, they do not necessarily represent reality, even though I would think that they usually do.

And on a tangential issue, frame strength... is the primary benefit of the higher end tubes related mostly to weight? Is a carbon steel frame just as strong as 531, and it just weighs more?

Grand Bois

I always look for forged dropouts. If they're stamped, I don't give it a second look.

Little Darwin

It would be too late to save your purchase money, but I would sugggest repacking all bearings on an old bike before you ride it, including the headset. When you have the forks out, any significant issues should be pretty obvious. The same for the bottom bracket and wheels.

Look for rust and/or any place where it looks different from the rest (cracks, bubbles, bumps, wrinkles etc)

Surface rust is usually not a problem unless it is in contact with the bearings, but deeper rust should be taken seriously. For my personal definition, surface rust is mostly discoloration, without much other impact to the appearance of the part... and definitely no flakes of rust can be chipped off...

jazzy_cyclist

I started off like you and anguished over all these questions for a while, although the "not absolutely horrible" mandate quickly morphed into a "hey, I want a nice bike" mantra (I ended up buying a Look frame off ebay). The important thing is that you're going to learn a lot no matter what happens.

A decent fit was my first concern, so I spent a while just trying to learn more about bike geometry and fit.

Materials (steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium) are easy to talk about in theory, but in the real world, it's not uncommon for bikes to *not* fit the general perceptions (e.g., there can be harsh-riding carbon fiber frames and smooth riding aluminum frames). All frames, regardless of materials, can have defects (steel rusts, CF cracks, aluminum gets stressed) so I'd try to be careful about the condition of the frame. In my case, the frame was new old stock (had been used for display), but that obviously won't be the case with thrift shop bikes. Although a flaw may be difficult to detect, you can perhaps limit the risk a bit by trying to find a bike through a less commercial route than a thrift shop:

• Definitely check out the CraigsList listings in your area since I think you're much more likely to find someone who just has a bike that they don't ride anymore that has been sitting in a garage and wants to reclaim the space rather than make a killing. I saw several good possibilities in my area, and the fact that you can check it out (as opposed to an ebay transaction) is a plus as far as conditions go.
• Another idea is to find a local club which may have members who want to sell/swap. Because they're cyclists who probably want to further their sport, they might even give you a hand.
• There's a bike shop around here that does have a big "used sale" event in Spring which tries to connect buyers and sellers; that would be another possibility.

MichaelW

Cheap stamped lugs may appear ornate but can be quite thick. Investment cast lugs have a better gradation onto the bar metal. The purpose of ornamentation is to diffuse stress and avoid stress raisers.
High end steel has a higher tensile strength (but the same density) as low end. Manufacturers can build tubes using high end steel with thinner walls which are both lighter and stronger . Butting adds the strength of the join without adding weight to the main tube.
A low end un-butted tubeset fromReynolds (eg 501) is still quite good although not lightweight. People who treat their bikes harshly (industrial or heavy touring use) often use 501 to prevent denting. I have seen famous name bikes made of this material.