gaucho777 

+1 to a UO-8 (or a UE-8 in this case) with upgraded parts and a nice set of tubulars.



I won't bring home a junky box-store bike. Life's too short for that. But there are many excellent entry-level bikes which serve their own purpose. I wouldn't want to do a century on a stock Varsity or Schwinn 3-speed. However, there are plenty of such entry-level bikes which, after a nice refurbish, are a joy to ride, if only at moderate pace and distance.

minispdrcr

I use my old beat-up Volkscycle a lot here. Would post a picture, but still a bit new

Grand Bois

Where did you find bamboo fenders?

DQRider 

My friend Cody Davis builds them up in Bend, OR.

https://www.woodysfenders.com/default.asp

(Er, I see his prices have gone up a bit since I bought these... )

Lascauxcaveman 

Woody Cody does beautiful work. If I wasn't a woodworker myself, I'd probably get a pair from him

martl

i politely disagree. I don't have fun on a too-heavy or badly functioning bike. Which is why i got rid of a few of my gaspipe-Campy Valentino "Club Racers". I do own a few pre-war C&V bikes that would fit the description, but they are a different kind of fun to ride. Also are possibly more expensive than a quite nice newer C&V bike.

Sir_Name 

Yeah, you're right in that there's a lower threshold, though that'll vary person to person. I certainly have different thresholds on what I'll actually take in for myself versus what I can enjoy on a simple ride.

Vintage Raleigh

Personally I get more of a workout hammering the all steel bicycle. In the process I get to shave average speed and maximise overall time.

DQRider 

I think this is a tougher question for the racing/performance oriented cyclist than it is for leisure/transportation riders like myself. The concept of "settling" is anathema to the whole ethos of the Hunchbacked Speed-Demon ®

At the other end of the scale, we have those who are just happy to be riding at all:


(Paid professional model, for about 5 minutes.)


So I think it really depends on your own personal circumstances, and what your budget will support. At the end of the day, I would much rather ride than walk.

Sir_Name 

Well said, @DQRider!

Japanamount

What's the "least" I would be happy with?


The 1991 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5 I've been riding the last few years.


I have to say, though, that I am pretty shockingly happy when I ride it. It might just be my top of the rung, too, as well as the bottom.

uncle uncle

Hmm..., probably a bicycle shop, entry level, 70's to 80's frame, that fit me well. Chromoly or Manganese blend tubing, though other tubing would probably be okay, even hi-ten, depending on other qualities. 27" rims, Mavic MA2's, spoked to Suzue or Sunshine hubs. Panaracer tires. 5 speed (minimum). Suntour ratchet shifters. 70's-80's Suntour derailleurs. Sufficient brakes, like Mafac Racers or Wiemann centerpulls w good shoes, like Coolstops . Pork Chop brake housing. MKS Pedals. A Blackburn knockoff rear rack. I would need the bike to have a story, like being a Puch Pathfinder AD (my first bike), or U0-8 (the bike of 70's proletariat), or a bike I saved from near destruction... but, every bike usually takes on a history and personal story eventually. I think a bike like this would fill a majority of my riding efforts these days, or, if I had the lifestyle that allowed me to bike commute to work and town. I think the right bike like this would end up being worth more in sentimental value (to me) than probably anyone else could visualize it ever being worth. In a way, there is a bit of magic in bike that's a better ride than it's apparent worth... I know, because I read so many stories about them from people on this forum.

Rcrxjlb

Really enjoying my newest acquisition, 1993 Trek 1200. Aluminum frame, Cromoly fork. Probably the best equipped bike i've ever owned, and if it was the only bike I could own from now on I would be happy...

Rcrxjlb

...but on the other hand, my 1977 unknown model Raleigh has served me well, and I enjoy riding it...

dweenk 

A few years ago, I was reading some of the journals on "crazyguyonabike". At least a few of the people had encountered homeless and poor migrant riders along their journeys who were riding what we would derisively call BSO's. Apparently those folks settled for something that got them where they needed to go. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/

tarwheel 

Until I recently sold two bikes, I had 6 of them, all nice. Two classified as vintage/classic, but they were the ones I sold. I soon plan to sell my classic Bob Jackson touring bike, which will leave me without a quill stem bike for the first time ever. I wanted to thin the herd and these bikes were least ridden and needed.

If I had to keep only one bike, it would be my Waterford sport tourer, which is classic in build and truly an all arounder. It is light weight for a steel bike, but has mounts for fenders and racks and clearance format least 40 mm tires. It is capable for touring with light loads. I could get by fine with just this bike, but would go crazy when it was in the shop.

OldsCOOL

I'm most grateful to have the 3 bikes that 5 years ago I only dreamed about. I am happy to own/keep/ride any of them. The least? Probably any mid-range valued bike such as was my Trek 460 I sold 3 years ago. It must have a racing geo, however.

79pmooney

About a dozen years ago I went to a local shops "As Is" sale. Used junkers they could not rebuild and donate or resell but that someone might be interested in. Prices were $20, $30 or $40. No test riders allowed. No bringing it back.

I went looking for a fun, fast fix gear. I have always had one fix gear, but it always had fenders, rack and bracket for a lock plus city worthy wheels. Brought a tape measure. There was one bike of interest; a sport Peugeot, roughly 1990, Reynolds 501 tubing, internally lugged with fastback stays. It had been hit by probably a SUV, hard. Dent in the TT. Fork trashed. (Later I learned both chainstays were about to break.) But it had good measurements. I paid the $20.

To make it a whole bike, I bought: a $25 Bridgestone fork. a $20 seatpost (this was a French bike), a TTT 1/8" chainring (it had a decent Sugino crankest), cables and bar tape. $45 for brakes (mostly for new Tectro levers). The rest came from my stash. $105 (including frame). First ride - wow! Most fun bike I had ridden since my racing bike 30 years earlier. Two weeks later I saw the cracks on the chainstays totaling a full circumference. (So that is why narrowing down the dropout spacing to 120 was so easy!) Well, I used to build boats. I have boatbuilding epoxy and skills. Someone gave me a scrap of carbon fiber I had had for years. This was the time to put it in use. Pulled off a very strong repair that while highly visible, looked quite professional.

In a couple of months, I doubled my investment with a good seat. The bike was fully worth it! A year later I ordered a custom from a local builder and paid $250 to have it painted at the same tome as the custom and with one of its colors.

My now $500 bike rolled on for 8000 miles, exercising my cheek muscles as much as my legs. I retired it after it was hit again by a car (this time with me on it and doing far worse than the bike). I knew from day one that frame wasn't long for this world. I wanted to replace it before it broke while I was riding it AND I wanted to take a fix gear that much fun into the hills, something I would never do on that frame. The seed for the ti fix gear of my logo was planted.

Oh, that $105 bike - named Jessica. The ti replacement - Jessica J. (J being both my last initial and signifying two or the second.) Jessica was the single biggest fun upgrade in my cycling since my first two "good" bikes of the late '60s and early '70s and my race bike 4 years later. The fun and grin live on in Jessica J. And it is growing. I am now setting my my Peter Mooney to be a fix gear that can conquer gravel! (The fun's a little different. The Jessicas are/were race quick steering. Pay attention! The Mooney is absolutely predictable with the fine, fine steering Peter Mooneys are known for. As elegant as it gets.

Ben

Bradleykd

I mostly enjoy working on bicycles that I deem as beautiful. The least I would be happy with is a nice hand built double butted cro-mo frame with good paint and beautiful components that operate flawlessly. Some may think I'm silly, but while I enjoy riding just for the sake of riding, what makes me get out there and ride is when I go to the garage and see a beautiful bike sitting there and it looks like a fun time. I get to enjoy all of the work I did to make it beautiful and to ride smoothly and silently. That is what makes the sport fun for me.

noglider 

Funny you should mention that, Ben, because a friend once brought his Peter Mooney to me so I could convert it to fixed gear for him, which I did. I have pictures of it somewhere.

echo victor 

I think a good fit is pretty critical, and mechanical soundness is probably just as important. Beyond that, some bikes just have a surprisingly nice ride quality, and I suspect my "settle" bike would be a 1980s Japanese mid-tier. Peugeots seem to sell for a premium around here, so I've never ridden a UO8, but I feel like the Japanese mid-tier is sort of the mid-'80s equivalent in terms of being surprisingly nice-riding and usually not that expensive or difficult to find. Here's mine, a 1985 Univega Nuovo Sport (photo as found, not current) - and it does have a really nice ride quality.

RobbieTunes 

'88 or '89 Ironman Master. OEM is fine.
Will take the '89 Expert w/GPX if push came to shove.

noglider 

A neighbor once brought me her Huffy for a tuneup. I was able to do it without the expected annoyances. The bike was cheaply made, but the fit and geometry were perfectly good. I took it for a little test ride, and it was pleasant. I suspect the tires helped. Not that the tires were high end, more like a lucky thing the sidewalls weren't made of concrete. If I had been riding blindfolded (and not crashed) I might have thought it was a more expensive bike.

higgins617

So I've been testing my thoughts. Been commuting on a baaadly neglected Fuji Espree that I've been trying to get sorted out. Bolt on rear wheel, AR derailleurs, stem shifters, steel bars and post.

It's been great, even with the few issues it has. Responsive, comfortable, no nonsense. Doesn't feel overly heavy either. I think I could definitely be happy on this level of bike without many complaints

Senior Ryder 00 

Dang! That’s a tough decision. Fortunately, at this point in my life, I don’t have to settle. However, I find this is a very worthwhile mental exercise.

If I was limited to one bike, which may be a future reality, my choice would depend on my health and locale. First, a baseline; I’m in my early 70s, in good health and have been cycling regularly since I was 9 or 10. I’ve never competed or toured. I just like to ride. Until a few years ago, centuries were my passion. And now, on to my thought/decision process. For the most part, I like my bikes simple and utilitarian. If I was living in a relatively flat area like Phoenix, AZ, a single speed would suffice. Add in some small hills, overpasses and a few years, I’d move to a three speed. More hills, long grades and years would necessitate more gears, i.e. a 1X wide ratio 9 or 10 speed or maybe an 8 speed IGH. What ever I chose would be light, hopefully less than less than 25 lbs or at most, less than 30 lbs.

Currently, three bikes are my primary rides. A 1 X 8 city/utility bike built on a Fuji Nevada frame with ridged fork and front disc. It’s 23 lbs with narrow tires, sans racks. Ready to go shopping, it’s 26 lbs. Next is a 2014 carbon/aluminum Ridley CX with Shimano 105 drive train. At 22 lbs it’s my “go fast” ride where I can focus on speed and not worry about the nuances shifting and braking. Lastly, a 1965 Eddie Soens with Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport DT, Weinmann brakes and GB cockpit. It’s a surprising light, 22.5 lbs, 12 speed. This is my favorite, as it brings back memories of earlier days and the freedom of my first 10 speed. The Fuji gets 40 to 50% of my ride time because of its practicality and our weather. The other two split the remainder.

Having only one bike would be tough decision that I may have to make, but for now I’ll ride what I like.

Cheers,

Van