How often do you build a bike? Why?
#26
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I haven't been at this for long but I do a bike or 2 a year. Since the end of the world, I still haven't had any signifigant shop time, but I have spent an inordinate amount of time on the internet, and have stocked up every little bit needed for the the next half dozen projects. I'm also coming to terms with being at N-30 with maybe 30 years left to work with, so the urge to take every stray home is cooling.
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So you made me look.
2006 - 3 bikes
2009 - 2 bikes
2010 - 1 bike
2011 - 1 bike
2013 - 1 bike
2015 - 3 bikes
2016 - 1 bike
2018 - 1 bike
2021 - 2 bikes but there will be a deal for a third by the end on the month
I spend way too much, and it seems to get worse as time moves on. For why, it is pretty much I get a bug in my head and go with it. A few years later I liquidate to finance a new bug. The only one I sort wish I still had was that Viscontea pista, but in reality I don't get much opportunity to ride it. One of the 2021 bikes is too small and won't be long in the collection but it is such a unique bike I just wanted the challenge. I will be bringing much of the collection to Mike Kone's shindig in 2022.
2006 - 3 bikes
2009 - 2 bikes
2010 - 1 bike
2011 - 1 bike
2013 - 1 bike
2015 - 3 bikes
2016 - 1 bike
2018 - 1 bike
2021 - 2 bikes but there will be a deal for a third by the end on the month
I spend way too much, and it seems to get worse as time moves on. For why, it is pretty much I get a bug in my head and go with it. A few years later I liquidate to finance a new bug. The only one I sort wish I still had was that Viscontea pista, but in reality I don't get much opportunity to ride it. One of the 2021 bikes is too small and won't be long in the collection but it is such a unique bike I just wanted the challenge. I will be bringing much of the collection to Mike Kone's shindig in 2022.
#28
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#29
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Since October of last year I've done four. They are all survivors and have been taken down, overhauled with consumables being replaced as needed. None of them are restorations or anything worth painting. I do it because it gives me something constructive to do and I enjoy the results.
Some day I hope to find something classic or collectible and make a long term project taking my time to do a meticulous restoration. But for the time being, I'm happy just wrenching on them and riding them.
Some day I hope to find something classic or collectible and make a long term project taking my time to do a meticulous restoration. But for the time being, I'm happy just wrenching on them and riding them.
#30
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#31
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...a few years back (maybe 5-6 years ago), I got into repainting frames, mostly because it was the only way I could find nicer bikes like Colnago's and Raleigh Pro's in my exact size, that I thought were affordable. It turned out to have the added advantage of making projects take much longer to accomplish. So I end up buying fewer bicycles, As a bonus, I get to play around sometimes with customizing the paint and graphics, to get something I think looks good. I can only paint here in the drier, hotter weather, because I paint outdoors in the back yard. By the time I buy stickers, paint, stripper, etc,, I think on average it costs about $100-$150 per frame. So "affordable" turns out to be a relative term.
Last winter I collected four project bikes that were mostly there, in terms of components, but had some paint issues, (Follis 172, Cinelli SC, an 80's PX-10E, and a Guerciotti). I stripped them down of parts over the winter and early spring. I just put the 2 part urethane clear coat on the fourth one, which is more or less the last step in my 2 and 3 stage painting process. Another candidate, a Moto Le Champion , popped up about four weeks ago, so that one got disassembled, stripped, primed, color coated, and stickered (finally) just yesterday. It really is a slow process, so it helps to control impulse buys. What's nice about it is there are built in stops along the way, where you have to wait for a coat to dry a couple of days, before you can do more work on it.
That's probably about it for this year. I get burned out on painting. Need to do some detailing, like lug lining, on the Moto, but I might do that post clear coat, so it's easier to repair If I slip.
...a few years back (maybe 5-6 years ago), I got into repainting frames, mostly because it was the only way I could find nicer bikes like Colnago's and Raleigh Pro's in my exact size, that I thought were affordable. It turned out to have the added advantage of making projects take much longer to accomplish. So I end up buying fewer bicycles, As a bonus, I get to play around sometimes with customizing the paint and graphics, to get something I think looks good. I can only paint here in the drier, hotter weather, because I paint outdoors in the back yard. By the time I buy stickers, paint, stripper, etc,, I think on average it costs about $100-$150 per frame. So "affordable" turns out to be a relative term.
Last winter I collected four project bikes that were mostly there, in terms of components, but had some paint issues, (Follis 172, Cinelli SC, an 80's PX-10E, and a Guerciotti). I stripped them down of parts over the winter and early spring. I just put the 2 part urethane clear coat on the fourth one, which is more or less the last step in my 2 and 3 stage painting process. Another candidate, a Moto Le Champion , popped up about four weeks ago, so that one got disassembled, stripped, primed, color coated, and stickered (finally) just yesterday. It really is a slow process, so it helps to control impulse buys. What's nice about it is there are built in stops along the way, where you have to wait for a coat to dry a couple of days, before you can do more work on it.
That's probably about it for this year. I get burned out on painting. Need to do some detailing, like lug lining, on the Moto, but I might do that post clear coat, so it's easier to repair If I slip.
I haven't bought anything with major paint issues other than a 1979 Trek TX 900 that I had repainted professionally. I'm sitting on a Witcomb that needs some brazing work on the fork as there is a gap between the fork blade and the crown. There is a local frame builder, Jeff Bock, who can do this.
I'll need to decide whether to have it painted or whether I just get out a can of rustoleum. The bike is black so spraying the parts on the fork is a real possibility. I may just do that to keep the costs down.
#32
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I bought my custom 5 years ago and that was supposed to end my urge to buy and rebuild then ride different bikes. It didn't. I still do one or two a year just because I like to try different bikes and the process keeps my mind busy. I do try to limit the stable to a maximum of 5 or 6, so if it's not for me it gets sold.
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#33
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I prefer to ride with the time I have, rather than tinker or build (though I do enjoy building a bike up from a frame and puzzling out how to outfit it from all of the crap I’ve seem to have accumulated). And I’d rather work on my own bikes rather than ones I’d just sell. Still, I have a lot of bikes, and am quite satisfied with what I ride regularly. I really don’t like the feeling of building up something new and then realizing it doesn’t ride as well as something already in the fleet. I’ve sold off lots of bikes as a result, some likely quite desirable to others. Perhaps the one exception is that each year I seem to build up a winter commuter or two, in search of the right level of crappiness for a bike that’ll get harshly treated in a Boston winter. And once winter is over, I sell them off.
#34
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I prefer to ride with the time I have, rather than tinker or build (though I do enjoy building a bike up from a frame and puzzling out how to outfit it from all of the crap I’ve seem to have accumulated). And I’d rather work on my own bikes rather than ones I’d just sell. Still, I have a lot of bikes, and am quite satisfied with what I ride regularly. I really don’t like the feeling of building up something new and then realizing it doesn’t ride as well as something already in the fleet. I’ve sold off lots of bikes as a result, some likely quite desirable to others. Perhaps the one exception is that each year I seem to build up a winter commuter or two, in search of the right level of crappiness for a bike that’ll get harshly treated in a Boston winter. And once winter is over, I sell them off.
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I loved living in Boston but in terms of buying and selling old bikes, I'm glad I moved. There's too much great inventory there. I'll bet there's a real market for your winter commuters. I picked up my winter bike, a Bridgestone CB 1, in Boston for around $15 as a frame and headset. It's still going strong but I need to do something about the rust.
#36
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No, I bought it north of Boston and you live pretty deep in the city right? Plus I bought it from someone who really didn't know much about bikes.
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Brent
#38
Death fork? Naaaah!!
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#39
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Thanks! Jeff Lyon is a builder in Oregon, who I think is now pretty much retired. This frame has a lightweight top tube 7/4/7 and light weight down tube. Clearance for 35mm tires w/ fenders and a provision for internal wiring in the front fork.
Here is an older YouTube interview with Jeff:
https://youtu.be/Iu0s8UkRkyc
Here is an older YouTube interview with Jeff:
Spoiler
Spoiler
https://youtu.be/Iu0s8UkRkyc
#40
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Changing priorities has me building less this year than previous years. A soft market means fewer of the C&V bikes will be leaving; no sense in taking a loss unless I decide I want to. I'll finish the projects I do have, and let go of the ones that no longer inspire. Same with "spare parts".
I get enough wrenching time at the shop, and have less desire to do it at home.
Emerging health issues, work priorities, and looking ahead at retirement have changed my perspective. I may do even less wrenching in the near future than I do now.
This years grand total thus far comes to 2 complete bikes; '85 Trek 760 and a 2000ish Serotta CSI, and two partial projects; '91 Bridgestone RB1 and a '93 Bridgestone RB2. The modern side amounts to a 2021 Trek Checkpoint project I picked up about two months ago.
I get enough wrenching time at the shop, and have less desire to do it at home.
Emerging health issues, work priorities, and looking ahead at retirement have changed my perspective. I may do even less wrenching in the near future than I do now.
This years grand total thus far comes to 2 complete bikes; '85 Trek 760 and a 2000ish Serotta CSI, and two partial projects; '91 Bridgestone RB1 and a '93 Bridgestone RB2. The modern side amounts to a 2021 Trek Checkpoint project I picked up about two months ago.
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#41
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1-2 per year for the last 4 years. Its a mix of bikes for me or wife/kids.
That includes some examples where I already have the bike, dont use it, and convert it- so geared road frame to single speed, for example.
The next couple builds will be for my kids due to growing- find frames and swap all components from the current bikes.
At this point for me though, I have held out for a quality 64cm road frame from 1981 as my next project. Havent found anything yet though. Its shaping up to be a long wait.
That includes some examples where I already have the bike, dont use it, and convert it- so geared road frame to single speed, for example.
The next couple builds will be for my kids due to growing- find frames and swap all components from the current bikes.
At this point for me though, I have held out for a quality 64cm road frame from 1981 as my next project. Havent found anything yet though. Its shaping up to be a long wait.
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Here's comes the blasphemy. Never. I'll wrench on bikes for required maintenance purposes, but never to build/rebuild an entire bike at once. Maybe some day.
#43
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I was doing SO good on the downsizing too but then all Hell broke loose on the local classifieds and it's been a C & V tall project bike smorgasbord lately. The problem is I'm apparently the only tall person buying so after a few weeks the sellers get desperate and slash their prices to a number I can't refuse. Unfortunately everything I have left to sell is a 25" frame which means I would have to slash MY prices eventually and then I'd probably buy it myself because it was too cheap so it's cheaper to just keep them. It's a vicious circle.
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#44
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1-2 per year for the last 4 years. Its a mix of bikes for me or wife/kids.
That includes some examples where I already have the bike, dont use it, and convert it- so geared road frame to single speed, for example.
The next couple builds will be for my kids due to growing- find frames and swap all components from the current bikes.
At this point for me though, I have held out for a quality 64cm road frame from 1981 as my next project. Havent found anything yet though. Its shaping up to be a long wait.
That includes some examples where I already have the bike, dont use it, and convert it- so geared road frame to single speed, for example.
The next couple builds will be for my kids due to growing- find frames and swap all components from the current bikes.
At this point for me though, I have held out for a quality 64cm road frame from 1981 as my next project. Havent found anything yet though. Its shaping up to be a long wait.
#45
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Regular Maintenance happens, and fixiits on a as needed basis, and trying new things to me like tubies and upgrades (miyata 1400 upgraded to ultegera 9 speed triple and then to 105 5800 11 speed)
but other beyond that there is no specific cadence, rhyme or reason I typically do a full build/take everything apart on new bikes
I do try to limit my self to 3 bikes (nice road, cino/eroica road, and jump on and run short errands bike)
times appropriate
15 years ago completely redid my 82 nishki, this is when I discovered bike forums and brooks saddles
10 years ago I rebuilt a univega into a fixie for my son (was his grand mothers bike)
8 years back son grew so univega gifted to a friend of his and built another fixie/SS that he still uses based on a soma smoothie frame
7 or so years ago, was given an torpado super strada so redid that, (would still add a torpado superlight if to the pack if I found one in 56 to 58)
3 years ago my Miyata 1400 got a crack so it got replaced with a de rosa
3 years ago neighbor gave me 84 Team Miyata kept this Cino ready
3 years ago loved the ride of the 84 so I got a 85 team miyata and moved the 105 5800 group from the de rosa, De rosa slightly too big so it went to another forum member
now, my nishki was getting long in the tooth, cracked rear rim, and I was looking for a build and something to do a little different style, ended up with SR Semi Pro for my go get a beer bike
but other beyond that there is no specific cadence, rhyme or reason I typically do a full build/take everything apart on new bikes
I do try to limit my self to 3 bikes (nice road, cino/eroica road, and jump on and run short errands bike)
times appropriate
15 years ago completely redid my 82 nishki, this is when I discovered bike forums and brooks saddles
10 years ago I rebuilt a univega into a fixie for my son (was his grand mothers bike)
8 years back son grew so univega gifted to a friend of his and built another fixie/SS that he still uses based on a soma smoothie frame
7 or so years ago, was given an torpado super strada so redid that, (would still add a torpado superlight if to the pack if I found one in 56 to 58)
3 years ago my Miyata 1400 got a crack so it got replaced with a de rosa
3 years ago neighbor gave me 84 Team Miyata kept this Cino ready
3 years ago loved the ride of the 84 so I got a 85 team miyata and moved the 105 5800 group from the de rosa, De rosa slightly too big so it went to another forum member
now, my nishki was getting long in the tooth, cracked rear rim, and I was looking for a build and something to do a little different style, ended up with SR Semi Pro for my go get a beer bike
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#46
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...haven't owned a peugeot before.
#47
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It is a very good bike but it also very basic. I think you're looking for something fancier. I'll shoot you a pic via email.
#48
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This is me as well, except mine is due to lack of patience, mechanical skills, and necessary tools. I greatly admire the folks that can take 'em apart and build 'em back up again, picking out the right parts to do it, but I'm having to face the reality that this is just not me. This really doesn't bode well for someone who leans towards 70s French bikes.
#49
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You should do more build threads. I think I've seen one from you. Your bikes are really interesting and unusual. I wouldn't have the patience (or the knowledge base) to track down the parts for the bikes you build. The oldest bike I have so far is a 1950s era Claud Butler jubilee. Looking at your posts though has me thinking of picking up something really old and preferably French. That's a rabbit hole I've managed to resist so far but I must just fall down it.
My first restoration
I bought it for the dropouts
I don't recall if I did the other bikes or not. I think I did threads on most of them, but maybe not. I am pretty lazy sometimes. On the other hand, my projects tend to briefly titillate, but so unknown there is little deep interest. My threads come and go like the wind.
#50
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Is it clear or neutral in color?
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