mrmooks

Hi all first time poster here!

I love the stripped down aesthetic of vintage road racers, but I have only ever ridden MTB's and hybrids before. I have been looking to get a racer for my commutes to University (post grad student), and was wondering if anyone would be willing to share what the realities are of riding these on a daily basis, comfort and speed wise versus a traditional urban commuter?

Also, as I live in a smaller city in Scotland the amount of vintage bikes coming on the market is limited (people dont like to post, obviously!) A lovely puch has popped up, but its a 53.5 cm frame, I'm 5.10 with 30cm inseam, will it definately be to small for me? (its so gorgeous!)

Thanks for any help and advice offered

javal

I suppose most of us riding vintage/older bikes does it it for a variety of reasons. Comfort may very well be one of them. Riding positions are as multiple as on new bikes/adjustable seat and bar. Some will say comfort is less on older bikes due to gear shifters on the frame (you need to be a bit more focused than with brifters or other bar-on shifters). When riding on daily basis you might want to have other tires than slicks, more durable to enhance riding on different surfaces.

You really dont have much to worry about. And yes, Puch´s can be really awesome!

wahoonc

I am vintage and my bikes match my age?

I actually find the vintage bike sizing, geometries and fit more to my liking. But that is me. The only way to find out is to try it...you might like it.

Aaron

wrk101

Be sure to google bike sizing, and bike inseam. Its not your pant inseam. 53.5 would usually be too small for someone your size.

Nakedbabytoes

I rode bikes for a period of 10 years without a vehicle between graduation from high school until I had kids.
Get a bike that is comfy for you. More upright, less upright, more gears, less gears, right size frame, etc. I will tell you that slicker tires are easier to pedal on concrete BUT in rain or snow, you will need knobby tires with more traction. Fenders are nice for keeping your clothes less stained and a waterproof bag to keep your nicer shoes or clothes in if it is raining is a must.
A vintage bike can be a great way to get a decent bike for cheap and if you like the look of them, bonus! Just make sure you lock it up!

mrmooks

Thanks for the replies guys, the positivity is fueling my retro bike lust, and scaring my bank account! Follow up question if i may: How feasible would it be to build my own from parts bought from ebay etc? And is there any good information anyone is aware of that could get one started? Big on enthusiasm, low on experience!

norskagent

Much cheaper to buy complete bike. Even if it's to supply parts for a frame you want to build up, rather than buy all the parts seperately.

iab

I find using a bike for recreation to be different from using a bike for transportation. Not to say you can't use a bike for both, I prefer to specialize between the two.

For recreation, I tend to be on the road in the countryside for 2-4 hours. That means comfort is king. I like to be in the drops when heading into the wind. I like sitting up on hills and on the hoods when cruising. I don't carry a lot of crap. Just water and a small tool kit. I'll stop at the quicky mart for food if necessary. A road bike fits the bill.

For commuting, I need to carry clothes, food, sometimes a computer, groceries and other day to day stuff. Flat bars to be upright while I navigate traffic. Over a hour on that bike tends to start being uncomfortable. But for basic transportation, I really don't need it for much more than an hour.

not_me

Wow! 30cm inseam! That's less than 12"! You must be all torso!

All kidding aside, rider's inseam is not pant leg inseam. I'm also 5'10", and my riders inseam (pubic bone press) is 34". I feel most comfortable on a taller frame (56-58) with a 55 or 56cm top tube.

Nakedbabytoes

My advice would be to buy a complete bike that "mostly" fits the bill & needs. Part by part builds are way more expensive.
Put it this way:
I bought my tri bike(carbon fiber everything) used for $400 complete. Only changed the seat post purchase.

I bought an old 1974 bike to convert to fixed gear-
Bike: $30
Mustache handlebars:$25
New rear flip flop hub wheel: $80
New tire: $20
Fixed 17T cog: $25
Lockring: $10
Seatpost(bike had no seatpost but did have a seat): $20
New chain: $10

It adds up quickly. I wouldn't trade the learning experience or bike knowledge I gained by building it, plus knowing I can fix it myself is cool. But cost wise and practicality wise, complete is the way to go.

wrk101

+1,487,623 Very feasible, VERY EXPENSIVE!!! Building up from the frame only makes sense if you already have a hefty stash of parts. Even then, a complete bike is a better deal (financially).

I don't know about Scotland, around here, a great place to start is a bicycle co-op. These co-ops provide tools, knowledge, and often, parts and bikes too.

One thing about vintage bikes versus modern bikes. The bottom end new bike shop brand bike is pretty good, and they go up from there. Vintage bikes in comparison, started at rock bottom (crap), and went up to really, really, nice bikes. And of course, most bikes sold back then were the cheap ones, and cheap, old bikes can be mediocre. So its a little work to find a better, vintage bike, at a reasonable (low) price. For every really good vintage bike I find, I see 20 crappy ones.

The bicycle market is very inefficient. So knowledgeable buyers can do quite well. You will see examples in the "catch of the day" thread. So be that person, spend some time getting educated, and then when you see a deal, POUNCE!!

OldsCOOL

I ride 2 of the 3 bikes on my sig line on a regular basis. The '85 Trek 460 is maintained as my dedicated racer (though I'm not a "cat" racer and dont ride races....yet). The Trek is light and built to race. I'll take it out once a week for a good thrashing on personal courses in the community when speed and hills really come into play.

The '89 Raleigh is my basic rider. It too is light and a good racer for it's weight (22lb class) but is more stretched out in geometry to be considered a racer. This bike has your typical aluminum "buzz" feel to it, though the steel forks and stays help this.

Both bikes are ridden like they were back in the day when it was just you, the bike and the road.

If you like old bikes you can ride them right alongside the new ones if you are well trained and familiar with the bike.

jon c. 

Vintage bikes are as quick and efficient as new models, sometimes offer a smoother ride due to better materials, and are just more fun.

Lenton58 

If you want to ride a vintage road racer for transportation you will need to consider these things — and these are embellishments on things already said here:

* With the exception of some British "clubman" types, real racers can be a pain on which to fit fenders. Be prepared to get wet, which means a change of clothes.

* Bontrager is making saddles that can be very comfortable for commutes. They look racy, but are a bit heavier than a true racing saddle. Very affordable.

* Be sure to get a backpack that is especially designed for cycling. I bought one from Mountain Co-Op in Vancouver, and it is without a doubt one of the wiser things I've ever done in regards to cycling.

* Personally, for commutes I'd go for straps and clips — not clipless.

* Unless you are in snow, I don't think tire treads matter the slightest — as long as you are on pavement. Unless you are commuting across meadows, any tire that goes with your rims will work. I've commuted on both clinchers and tubulars. If I don't carry spares and tools, then I DO carry a cell phone and taxi money!!!

* I get through Japanese traffic with drop bars — no problem. I use modern brakes. And two of my three rides are set up with Nitto Technomic stems. This sits me up so I'm not craning my neck all the time to see who is trying to kill me.

* On commutes I like to use slightly lower tire pressures than when I am out huffing and puffing for exercise.

I used to use a Trek MTB that I turned into a hybrid. I gotta say that it was great for commutes. Maybe better than the road racers. But I adore the racers so much that I just wanna get on them. You will find some racers more stable and less nervous than others — in traffic. That means something when a laden cement truck passes you down hill within inches of your drops! Believe me! Racers may be something you get used to. Hybrid, hard tail MTB's may be ideal if you don't want the curve it takes to acclimatize. But once you do ....

Another deal is the touring bike, but I am not up on those.

element-82

I think sizing is the most important thing. E.g. I am tall (6'5") and long in the torso, which is hard to fit on modern bikes. I recently bought a late sixties 25" bike with long top tube a very long stem. It is the first bike that has ever fit me properly. I would think that 53cm is too small for you give 5'10" height, but that is just a guess because I have no idea of your proportions.

Re: parts or full bike. E.g. The bike I bought was full campy, I just had to replace the seat. If I had built that up from ebay parts, it would have easily been $ 1000 or more. I paid less than half that for the full bike.
I often commute on it or on a '85 fixie (50kms). For fast club rides I have a bike for that :-)

If you like the look of a retro ride, then go for it. It is a lot of fun and very satisfying.

Pb

due ruote 

Vintage road bikes are elegant, strong, dependable, exhilarating to ride and quite easy to maintain by anyone with a modest array of tools and decent mechanical aptitude. Go for it.

Unfortunately, that Puch sounds like it's too small.

brianinc-ville

How long is your commute?

If you're out for less than an hour at a time, and you're in city traffic, you may find that you prefer upright handlebars (North Road, Moustache, Albatross, etc.), as well as shifters on the handlebars (bar-end shifters are good; stem shifters are fine). At any rate, for a daily commuter in Scotland, you will certainly want mudguards. An old touring bike (or a road bike that's not really a racer, with more relaxed geometry and more tire clearance), plus new bars, shifters, and mudguards would be just the thing, and not too expensive/difficult, provided that everything else works well.

If you can, try to get aluminum ("alloy") wheels, not steel -- steel rims don't brake well in the rain, which I think you've got a lot of, up there. If you're not sure about the material, bring a magnet with you when you check out the bike.

Get yourself a rear rack, and possibly baskets/panniers. Backpacks get uncomfortable really fast, and if you're carrying heavy stuff, they put your center of gravity way too high.

If you're feeling confused about terminology, sizes, etc., the late Sheldon Brown's website will teach you what you need to know: www.sheldonbrown.com .

I think you'll find that a good vintage steel-frame road bike makes a better commuter than any modern road bike.

Savagewolf

I'd say go for it. I'm new to the Classic & Vintage scene, but I'm very happy so far. My bike progress (after I got back into cycling..hadn't road much since my childhood) for the past 7-8 years has been : stock Wal-Mart Roadmaster bike off the shelf ---> 2007 Trek 1000 (aluminum/Sora-Tiagra components)---> 2008 Trek Madone 5.5 (carbon/Dura-Ace components) ---> 1985 Raleigh Team USA.

Just imaging the things I want to do to the bike to clean it up and mold it in my image of a perfect bike is fun, let alone getting out in the garage and tinkering with it. I just rode the Raleigh last night for the first time and it feels amazing. Completely different feel than my other bikes. The bike seems to really soak up all the bumps, and I'm not sure if it's more of the 27" wheels or the steel frame. It's a bit heavy, especially compared to the all carbon Madone, but once I get it up to speed seems to cruise right along.

puchfinnland

the cheapest thing is a good education-
try to find a local classic bike freak to show you what to look for-but be aware and respect his tastes.

Buying a bike on a whim could be an expensive lesson.

Feel free to send us a link to that puch!

it was mentioned vintage crap to really nice-
Puch had some excellent bikes and some not very valuable stuff.

If the PUCH says 2500 steel its the starting point of their good bikes
Reynolds 531 and Columbus are nice words to learn about.

-If you do your homework correctly dont worry about plunking down 400-600 euros on a good investment,
Unlike a brandnew carbon bike , Classic Bikes have an established value and they do not depreciate anymore-so think of it as an enjoyable investment that you will be able to cash in one day if you wish to.

I found for a friend a sweet french bike with all original parts-531 tubing, 240 euros.
he decided on a bad investment for 150 euros that he will never get his money back on

All hobbies this general rule is true.

I am currently unloading my Vespa hobby- and easily breaking even if not on the plus side!

zukahn1 

I have to agree that getting a bike with the right size frame is a must. You can change repair fix up or upgrade pretty much anything else on the bike but you just can't change the frame size. I would look for a bike that is complete with a better grade frame that is your size to start with and go from there.

Wildwood 

Different bikes for different purposes. Define the purpose before starting to look for a type of bike.

In a wet, hilly area - Seattle (maybe like your Scotland) - my old commuter had a bit wider tire, fenders, rack(s), lights, etc.
For a go-fast, "keep up with the group" type of bike I prefer more gears, integrated brakes/shifting and light stiff wheels.

When I ride my classic bikes I shift less and ride with a more varied cadence; I tend to pay more attention to terrain changes. I can't help but appreciate the ride qualities of vintage tubing, vintage saddles, tubular wheelsets, 30+ year old craftsmanship. Friction shifting comes naturally to me. ......but then I am 60 and also dig the vibe of vintage, like comfy wool jerseys.

jyl

I ride my '82 Peugeot to work every day in Portland Oregon, which probably has weather not unlike Scotland's. Here's my thoughts.

Vintage racers perform just fine. In 1982 or 1967 racers were flogging these things far harder than you or I will ever do. Just make sure brakes, etc are in good condition and properly adjusted, which goes for any bike really.

Fenders are important. In the US there are "Raceblade" fenders which clamp on to the stays, are very slim, and don't pass under the fork crown or between the seat stays. People use them a lot in Portland, they are not as good as "real" fenders but they do work.

In anything wetter than the merest sprinkle, you will want to be wearing rain gear anyway. Light weight rain pants and rain jacket, gloves, and nylon booties, will roll up and fit in whatever you are carrying the rest of your stuff in. It takes maybe a minute to put it on.

I initially rode this bike in traffic with downtube shifters, it was okay, but I liked it better after I moved shifting to the handlebars. Barend shifters work well.

After commuting on a road bike and on a mountain bike, I prefer the road bike, simply because it is fast. If your commute is on city streets, speed is useful, to get you quickly through narrow parts of the road where cars would squeeze you off, to get you through an intersection before the light changes, to help you catch the synchronized traffic lights.

Be patient in your bike search. It will really help if you know, or learn, something about bike maintenance and repair, and geta few basic tools. Then you can buy a bike that needs a bit of help, and has been passed over by others for that reason.

RobbieTunes

I say yes. Vintage bikes can be for everyone. They are a lot more fun than other bikes, but other bikes are fun, too.

auchencrow

I say you should have different bikes for different porpoises.

randyjawa 

What I have learned, over the years and bikes built, ridden and appraised, is that the newer the technology, the more "user friendly" the bicycle is, assuming that we are talking about quality built bicycles and not the $99.99 POS department store offerings, assembled by poorly trained technicians.

By more "user friendly" I mean the newer bicycles stop better, offer more easily accessed gear ranges and tend to be easier to repair, when sourcing replacement parts is the issue.

To that add this - vintage racing bicycles are pretty fragile, meaning that one must ride them more carefully, or risk damaging hard to source parts, such as the diminishing supply of vintage rims. Of course, after market "retro" items are beginning to surface and I am not sure that they, in my mind at least, qualify as vintage, but that is outside of this thread.

Also, as the interest in vintage bicycles increases, the OP being an example of that phenomenon, so too will the attractiveness of vintage bicycle to the dreaded bike thief.

I try to live with honor but I poop you not that, were I to see my grail bike, locked up but unattended, jealously would raise its ugly head. If I were a bike thief, opportunity would be the head in question. I would never steal but the thought to do so does invade, like when I saw the titanium Miyata, leaning unlocked outside the A&P one afternoon - good grief:-( Now, consider the individual who might practice life with a different set of ethics. You get the point? Tying your vintage beauty to the hitch-in post, day after day, is not a good idea.

This can go on, with other examples, but the real question you need to ask - yourself - is do you like vintage bikes? If so, then you, should choose to ride a vintage bike, and build one. Build one? You bet, since riding one and staying with-in just about any kind of budget, means that you better know how to effect repairs and/or upgrades.

Remember, the question presented by the OP is - "Are vintage bikes for me?" Here is my idea of an answer...

Start with a cheap bike, one that sports a definite "patina of age" and build/ride that one. It will get you from here to there, feeling vintage all the while, but without attracting the wrong kind of attention. And, if you like the feel, then take the time learn about, and go get yourself, a nice vintage ride.

That's how I started, and I managed to screw everything up, with my first restoration attempt - honestly! In fact, take a peek as how many mistakes this university graduate can make on an old Sekine, when given the chance to do so:-( But I am still here:-)