Pretty Messy or Neary Mint..?
 

One of my joys in the vintage bike world is "finding". I always get a rush, at the moment of finding. As this thought materialized in my mind, I started to wonder if others feel the same way that I do?

Which would you prefer, to find a near mint 100% original bike that needs nothing more than a good greasing and cleaning, as is/was the case with this Trek I purchased for the price of a big box or beer...
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3c002186ae.jpg

or a messy bike that needs a LOT of TLC (tender loving care) and CASH (money - duh)...
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cb84fbb40e.jpg

to make it pretty...
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5c3fe444f5.jpg

To be honest, I am not really sure which I would prefer but I do know one thing for sure. I do enjoy investing BST( blood, sweat and sometimes tears) bringing a bike back to its former glory. Both the minty Trek and messy Torpado are, pretty much, entry level steeds. Which one rewards me the most? The one that will set me back under a hundred bucks or the free bike that set me back a few hundred dollars to get it close to nearly mint again. I should add that there is no need for a second picture of the 100% original and near mint Trek. The after pic will look pretty much like the "as found" picture.

Anyway, just wondering how others might feel about what is most fun to find and/or own.

I think you might have meant this for the CV forum, and not the sales?

All are pretty cool though Randy!

Dave

Good Morning,
Over the last year I have been working on lots of other peoples bikes. Specifically those in need and people who just need transportation. Most of these bike I receive are ok to really bad and un safe to ride shape. I find I am really enjoying bringing those bikes back to life to be used by someone for transportation. The recipient's of the refurbished bikes are very appreciative and very happy, which in turn brings me joy.

One the other hand after working on a broken down wallmart bike that has me banging my head on the wall. It is sooo nice to just through a good bike on the work stand and run through a tune up in an hour and done.
So I would say I enjoy working on both.

Great topic by the way. That is one beautiful Torpado by the way it shows all the love and effort that went into it, nice.
Thanks

Is that the trek I messaged you with the kijiji link some time ago?

For my inner peace I am a sucker for an old high quality bike that desperately needs my assistance. From a cost-benefit ratio the original bike with standard threading and components in near mint condition that just needs freshening of consumables is superior.

It depends on the bike. Odd/old/rare bikes I prefer crusty and original but more modern machines I would rather find something nice. My recently acquired MTB has only needed a drivetrain cleaning and some other lubing here and there. The only expense has been some time and ~1/3 can of Tri-Flow. It needs brake pads but seems fine otherwise.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e2d3d5e725.jpg
I just sold a Trek 1000 exactly like yours here! I had rescued it from abandonment (it had sat wheel-less, in a bike rack, for all of the pandemic). I spruced it up with parts-bin stuff. Was a nice bike for sure, and will make someone a great commuter I think!

Needless to say, I started this topic in the wrong place. It has no business in the For Sale forum. Old age, the so called "golden years" are anything but. My apology. Anyhoo....

Yes, I picked the Trek up last Fall shortly after the snow fell, and fell, and fell (never saw a year here with so much snow. Anyhoo, the bike goes up for sale in a couple of weeks, cleaned waxed and re-greased. It is completely original and in incredible shape. I was/am even thinking of taking it to Jamaica with me next Fall, before the snow falls, Wishfull thinking to say the least. I will try and find a new home for the bike, here on the forums or locally to some lucky person.

Thread moved from C&V Sales to C&V.

I don't have a preference. If it is NOS, I'd be tickled. If it needs wrenching, I'm happy to fix it up.

I prefer to find a bike with most of its paint, even if it is dirty and neglected. I have painted bikes, and they came out well, but it is a lot of work. Missing parts can be replaced and I'm not too picky about having a perfect catalog restoration. I like tearing into a new purchase, so a nearly mint bike takes away that pleasure.

I had the good fortune to buy an essentially NIB 1974 Raleigh International about 20 years ago. It's hard to imagine that I'd be happier by taking an abused International and finding a shop to recreate the candy paint job and fix the chrome, etc. My impression has been that the work to paint and chrome the frame would be a significant fraction of what I paid for the bike.

Of course, I truly love the copper paint scheme, so this bike makes me very happy! If I had different goals, the DIY approach might be preferred.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5573/1...10314e_c_d.jpg

Steve in Peoria

Either way, they're always fully overhauled with new consumables and stem, bars, saddle and pedals that work for me.

So ... really messy or really nice? Uhh ... lemme think... :foo:

Yeah, I guess I like 'em messy, but that's because I know I'm going to be messing with them!
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...708215f6ac.jpg

If I had steelbikeguy's International, I'd feel guilty burning off all the beautiful original paint to make it the way I like it, with canti posts, suicide derailleur, braze-ons everywhere, and a new head tube - so I rarely let myself fall into that sort of situation! Better to start with an old wreck Trek!!

About the same time that I found the International, I also had a semi-local frame builder put together a nice touring/commuting/travel frame for me. It had the various braze-ons I was wanting, S&S couplers, etc. It's served me very well over the years, and has a bit over 50,000 miles on it. No complaints!

https://live.staticflickr.com/5585/3...e57f44_c_d.jpg

I won't argue about the fun of doing stuff yourself. However, I'm an electrical engineer, so I make all sorts of 'tronics that other folks would just go to a store for. Naturally, I've been making my own bike lights too. :)

Steve in Peoria

What i really enjoy quite often is when i spot a bike on the net i am interested in that is advertised with really bad pics. If i want it i roll the dice and etransfer and it is a mystery until i get the bike. More often than not i am pleasantly surprised and find a jewel covered in dirt.Pictures i find often make a bike look worse,that is unless they are my pics fixed up in Lightroom!

Nearly mint bikes are such a joy. Agree wholeheartedly with john903 , I help run a community bike shop and you never quite feel good about working on bikes that come to you in downright scary condition and you know you can only do so much to it. So when a nice bike in good condition comes in, it's just a treat. You know you're not going to be wrestling with it, for the most part, and you begin to realize the validity of the argument in support of higher quality bikes and parts. It's hard to articulate why sometimes (materials? precision mfg? assembled with enough grease?), but they're just easier to work on.

Old messy bikes, on the other hand, are fun because the transformation is part of the enjoyment. Bringing some shine back to the paint, getting the rust off, breaking loose an old bottom bracket to find it's not in half bad shape. It's part restoration exercise, part detective work, too---sometimes I can tell what side a bike was leaned against a house.

I would also argue that those two bikes actually are not that far off from each other, despite coming from different decades. Bikes with downtube shifters are incredibly simple and easy to work on. About a foot of housing to cut, and even indexed ones don't have too many moving parts, so no gumming up and the requisite WD-40 flushes, etc. No handlebar cable routing, no nothing.

That said, two nice bikes there, in different ways. Always a good problem to have.

I don’t have a good place to really serous deep scrubbing so I like them just grimy enough that I can haggle $100+/- off the price for all work I need to do cleaning and overhauling it.

I like them messy, or at least some 30+yr patina. There are several bikes in my collection, that I can't ride because they're too nice. Most of my rides are either for errands or my PT rides that usually have me taking a shortcut through the woods. I *can* ride 23s through, but it's kind of stupid. That being said, it is funny to swoop on some weekend-warrior types on the mtb trails. They're all decked out in armor and helmets and I cruise through in a cycling cap and sweatshirt, while riding road bike with skinny tires and DT shifting.