Originally Posted by well biked
+1000.........Taking an old "basket case" bike, that you feel like is worth working on, and getting it on the road or trail again is very, very satisfying, moreso than I feel from riding a brand new bike out of a bike shop. Doing something funky with an old bike and making it road or trailworthy can sometimes be even more satisfying. That's my attitude about it, and that's not to say I don't lust after a new bike occasionally (and buy one). But if you're really into bicycling, the "cost" is often trivial when you think about the amount of satisfaction you get from your bikes.
That is so true. Taking something that someone else gave up on, neglected, left to die--and then giving it a productive new life. That's a wonderful thing. And the payback is phenomenal, when you ride that machine that you made, and it rewards you with a sweet ride. You can't buy that.
Thank you for the compliment on my bike!
The other point in doing all the work of renovating, is to learn. My two basket cases--this Univega, and my Italian-made Bianchi, both given to me in a sadly broken down state--have been my teachers. I've enjoyed every moment of restoring them, and the cost has been minimal because I've used mainly parts that I already had, when I couldn't repair their existing parts. None of that learning and adapting is going to happen when you buy a brand new bike.