pinch1967

hey Guys
I need to know what you look for when purchasing a vintage road bike, other than steel used in the frame. when choosing to purchase a higher end road bike .
thanks for all your info !

ham

Components
Tubing stickers
Forged dropouts
Dropout maker

pinch1967

I see collectors also like certain makers /brands of vintage road bikes .

due ruote 

This site (a BF member's) is excellent: https://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/

Pretty big subject with lots of exceptions, but in general, I would look for:

Quality frame eg. Columbus, Reynolds, Tange, Champion, etc. in the correct size of course!

Cotterless crankset with removable rings, unless you're looking at something pre-1970-ish

Alloy rims

No turkey lever brakes (yes, there are exceptions, eg. some high end Schwinns)

Downtube or bar end shifters

Alloy bars and stem

As far as components, Campy of course; Suntour is usually a good sign; Shimano can be anything from junk to top end. Study a bunch of bikes - everything from low end garbage to top flight. If you have a decent eye, the differences are pretty apparent in terms of elegance of design, quality of forging and finish, etc. Also look at Velobase and Disraeli Gears for more insight on components.

[edit] I'm pretty sure ham meant forged dropouts, ie. not stamped, which is a good suggestion, although again there are exceptions.

pinch1967

i have also notices certain high end bike have fancier lugs and more chrome . is that just for high end bikes? For me I prefer no eyelets on the dropouts .

SJX426 

Those frames for racing typically did not have eyelets. Eyelets are an indication of frames built with enough clearence for fenders. Some exceptions do apply. Early 1970's Motobecane Le Champion was the top of the line in the US with Campy, Stronglight and Universal brakes and sew ups (tubulars), all top of the line stuff for the time. The frame was Reynolds 531 double butted too. It had eyelets, relaxed frame angles and longer chain stays. I remembe admiring a 1972 year with beautiful paint and detail and it was $315 in the LBS. A year later I bought a used one for $200 which was damaged in 2009.

There are significan variations over the decades/time periods due to technology develeopment and constant exploration of improvements for improved performance. It is a steep learning curve to start to feel somewhat comfortable knowing what you are looking at. That is part of the fun!

auchencrow

Holes/cutouts in the bottom of the bb shell is a good indicator of a high-end frame.
- Certainly not every high-end bike has them, but I have never seen a low/mid-level bike that did.

SJX426 

Number plate hanger is a great indicator!

repechage

This inquiry would be a decent premise for a book.

RubberLegs

bradtx

There is likely a dozen exceptions to any "rule" used to determine a bicycle's placement in the pecking order. I generally buy frame sets so tubing stickers and in particular the dropouts are my indicators.

Brad

jet sanchEz

The more elaborate the paint job the more likely that the bike was expensive when new.

RubberLegs

FIT is HIGH on my list....buying a bike that is TOO big or TOO small just because it is a good deal, may or may NOT be a good deal. Beware repainted FAKES...look for bent forks, dings, cracks, and rust....Is the seat post or quill stem STUCK? Do research into what you are looking at, there are some really cheap bikes out there with fancy sounding Italian Names....Nice, clean lugwork and frame in good condition is a key bit, quality components are nice, but easily changed or replaced.

pinch1967

Rubberlegs looks like you have a best seller there !!! where can i buy one LOL

RubberLegs

I could just list my mistakes and you can do the opposite to get a NICE bike! ;-)

big chainring 

Along with what has been brought up I research a lot on Google images.
Good grief, the number of images are amazing. I recently bought a Dawes Galaxy. Googled it and could visually research through many years of Dawes Galaxys. Not to mention countless Bike Forum topics that popped up as well. And links to blogs and websites as well. And with a smart phone you can do research right while you are looking at point of purchase if need be.
I also look at recent ebay sales to see what a particular bike has sold for, not new listings! I frequently hear "theres one right now on ebay for $xxx.00." Listing and actual sold prices vary tremendously.

Kactus

Fancy lugs are more common on French and British bikes (earlier Schwinn Paramounts also) while most Italian bikes have plainer lugs so you can't go strictly by that. Also the amount of chrome can be related to the styles favored when the bike was produced; chrome seemed to be used less as the 1980's progressed (there are exceptions to every rule however).

Frame steel and components as due route noted will give you the best indication as to quality.

RubberLegs

Throw into the mix that many good, old classic names have been bought up and have been made in China for some time now...just makes it that much harder to search through to get to those classic machines...and folks on Craigslist or eBay that have NO clue....YOU have to do the research, and it does NOT help when there are poor pictures. A few good pictures of critical frame/lug areas are key to an ID of a bike that has lost it's way...Sometimes the best buy is something that got repainted along the way and isn't readily identifiable...The HUNT is ON!

pinch1967

thanks again guys for the great info and hunting tips !!!!

Road Fan

Just a few suggested expansions and edits:

Through the '60s, racing tech changed from elegant, slim, narrow chromed steel cranksets (Magistroni, Stronglight, FB, even Campagnolo) to cotterless designs. By 1970 I agree all the high-end bikes visible on the market were aluminum with cotter less BBs: Stronglight, TA, Campagnolo, and the Campy imitators. It took time for the newer, lighter aluminum products to become respected by racers. Anyone looking for speed wants the lighter parts, but anyone depending on winning races knows that in order to win races you must first finish races - aluminum was unproven, a risk. Right after 1970 or so Japanese aluminum swaged cranksets (arm held to spider by a swaging or crimping method - simpler casting!) started to appear in the midrange bikes like the Super Course. Since Campy, TA, and Stronglight were already established in the market, Japan was behind at this point.

There's nothing wrong with a '50s-60s steel cottered crankset. They could host a wide-ish range half-step gearing, had VERY low Q, and if you find a proper BB in good condition, should offer another 50 years of use with care. They are usually heavier than Campy Record of the Nuovo and Super eras, and the overlapping early Dura-Ace.

In the alloy rims, it's a practical and safety measure to look for vintage rims with hooked beads - you'll have a better time finding appropriate modern tires. With vintage tubular rims, the tire seating bed hasn't changed in any significant way since the wooden rims of the '30s, I'd guess. There was more variety in tubular rim width - compare if you can a Mavic rim (Montlhery?) from a PX-10 to a more massive Nisi rim of the '50s. I want a set of vintage Nisis to install my 27 mm Parigi-Roubaix tubulars on.

Chombi

I dunno,..... but I noticed the most of the bikes we spot bent forks on are high end bikes.......

eschlwc

- on frame derailleur hanger
- cotterless crank
- downtube or bar-end shifters
- aluminum rims
- straight frame/fork
- unstuck seatpost and stem
- pedals with removable dust caps
- brake levers without turkey/auxiliary levers
- in my size as measured along the seat tube, c-c
- a frame color that can be touched up easily

blamester

Depending on what you're looking for the weight would be a good indicator of quality.

Grand Bois

I don't know about that one.

Kactus

Come on... Schwinn told us the Varsity was a "light weight".