right now ive got my crappy mountain bike hybrid thing that i use to commute, and an old bike i just brought up from my parent's house. its one of my dad's old race bikes, and he was really into it back then, but it was about 25 years ago. i dont really know much about bikes so ill tell you what i do know. it has sew up tires, which i just replaced, and it weighs about 24 pounds, give or take 2 or so. the bearings are pretty bad. i oiled em from the outside but they still spin like crap. i would post a pic but i dont have a way of hosting it right now...

so is this bike any good or what? i still need to clean out the bearings before i can really ride it. oh ya, and its a 12 speed.

Not that I know much about old bikes, but in general, I would say that there is no such thing as a bad bike unless it is dangerous to ride (broken frame, etc.). There are some bikes that are better for some situations, but this old bike sounds like a great project.

I am sure that if you can post the make and model, you can get better advice from people who know. And if it has horizontal drop-outs you will hear people telling you to convert it to a fixie.

BTW, oiling bearings from the outside don't do much except make a mess. Get them off and repack/replace them. Hopefully, the cups are not toasted.

Sounds like fun. Wish I had something like this to work on right now...

- Jeff

Yes! Convert it into a fixie!

There are crappy bikes. Ones where the frame is not properly aligned, the steering wobbles, the frame is not just heavy, but cast in lead, and the wheels are weak. Crappy bikes will always be crappy, and good bikes will remain good (if slightly worn) for many decades.
You may want to consider replacing the sew-up rims with modern clincher ones for everyday use.

Old bikes can be great. We need more info. Brand, model, color, components...

Just kidding about the color!

well the brakes say 'Weinmann 600' on em, and the wheels say'Mavic'. the frame is all red with no markings, so i have no idea on that one. both deraileurs say 'Simplex' on em. btw what are horizontal dropouts and fixies? sorry for the noob questions.

Sheldon Brown has all your answers. You can shed that "noob" complex that you have in no time!

Dropouts are parts on the frame where the wheel fits. Great link with pics.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_d.html#dropout

Fixies is a reference to "fixed gear" bikes. Mr. Brown gives you all the info you need to make your own.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html

If you had not seen this site before, enjoy!

And unless you really need this bike up and running soon, you should consider doing much of the work on it yourself. Considering the tools and things you may need to get, it may not necessarily be cheaper, but you will learn a tremendous amount from the experience and you will make up the costs down the road by continuing to do your own work.

- Jeff

I ride old bikes exclusively (see tagline). Have all of the bearings repacked, replace the chain and brake pads, and replace the tyres. If the bike fits you well and you enjoy the ride, do consider buying a second set of wheels, with clincher tyres, for everyday use.

Simplex dropouts/derailleurs would tend to indicate an older european, probably french, bike. There are some unique threading and sizing problems with older french bikes-- replacing certain components can be a bit of an adventure-- but (I think) they ride very well. I'm just guessing here. Follow John E's advice about repacking the bearings (I would replace all the bearings when repacking; I do this on my bikes on a regular basis). Given the age of the bike, I'd also replace the cables in addition to the brake pads and chain. The Sheldon Brown site is chock full of helpful info; go there.

Weinmann 600 brakes and Simplex deraileurs! This bike is gonna be at least early 70's vintage, but more probably 60's vintage. Can you see a name on the cranks and hubs? That would also help. If its a French bike they will probably be Stronglight or T.A. cranks and Maillard or Mafac Hubs. You'll need to strip 'er down completly. Hubs, bottom bracket, everything! Inspect all bearing surfaces. If they are not pitted you can clean and rebuild. New balls for the bearing would be good too. If any bearings are pitted you will have to replace. Harris Cyclery is a good on-line place to get new replacement parts for vintage bikes. What they don't have they'll help you to get by pointing you in the right direction. Take your time with this project. If you do it right you will have a beautiful vintage bike. If you can determine the make there are re-finishers that can replicate the decals too. Enjoy the journey!

This Peugoet hung in my garage attic for most of the past 18 years. I took it down this summer when my ATB (can't call it a mountain bike since it's never seen a mountain) was laid up and I was having a snite not being able to get my 30 mile daily ride in.

I washed off the bat guano (garage is really just a barn with an overhead door) and threw on some new tires. Sucker gave me some 1000+ miles of service and convinced me I needed to get a roadie. After picking up a '99 Lemond Alpe ( never ridden, sweet deal ) I turned the Peugoet into a singlespeed. Except for the new rims/hubs/rear cog and tape, its stock. The tube in the rear wheel is even the original.

An absolute hoot to ride. I've probably ridden this one more than either the ATB or Lemond. I'm waiting for my pop to give his old Raleigh Competition (which has hung in his garage for some 25 years) to me, I've got a jones to go fixed.

With 12 speed I dont think it will be older than early 80s

They had 12 spds when I was in high school in the early 70's. Even without knowing what kind of bike it is the weight and components that you have listed points to it being a very good bike in its time. Your question are old bikes worth it with the exception of my new MTB (it has seen mountains, and even rode on one or two) the newest of my 3 other bikes is about 10 years old (not being the original owner I can only guess it's age but what the original owner told me), I also have an '89 Specialized Sequoia, which I still use as my commuter bike, and an '83 Bianchi San Remo that I took out for its first spin in a year yesterday (I neglected it all summer while ridding my new MTB and new (used) Softride that I acquired at the beginning of the summer) Old bikes that are properly taken care of can be such a dream. A lot of features on older bikes have disappeared in the sake of weight. I am not knocking newer bikes they are very good, I just don't see why you have to junk a perfectly good bike just because it's "old". So do what John E says and re pack those bearings (oiling them doesn't work) and check out the bottom bracket. True the wheels and take her out for the ride of her life(not to be sexist but I refuse to ride a male ). Give the bike The respect it deserves after collectin dust for all those years.

"Weinmann 600 brakes and Simplex deraileurs! This bike is gonna be at least early 70's vintage, but more probably 60's vintage."

With twelve speeds, it's closer to the eighties than sixties. Both my PKN and PFN had Weinmann brakes and simplex derailleurs (The PFN now only has the rear simplex, the PKN is almost all stock except for drilled stronglight rings and simplex retrofriction shifters), so those parts were standard on some bikes until the end of the seventies.

Dobbler - crazy coincidence; I have the exact same Peugeot that I received for free. It was sitting on the curb, so I asked the owner if I could have it. Nice machine - made in France in, I guess, the early 1980's. The only problem was that the rear wheel was bent. That was a quick, easy, and cheap fix.

The guy had purchased a new bike for around $400 and he showed it to me. I told him that the Peugeot was a better bike and offered to replace the wheel for him. He declined and I ended up with a nice bike.

Got mine in '85. One of these days I've got to dig out the cancelled check and see just how much I actully paid for it ( at the local Bicycle/Vacuum/Locksmith shop...hows that for a combo ). I just found the owners manual the other day, useless but funny. This winter I'm gonna break it down, regrease the headset and crank. Replace the cables and boots, but I can't decide whether to stay with the white ones (and go back to white bar tape) or just go with black cables and brake hoods.

I have been pleasantly suprised by the seat. Hence the quandry.

Former Typhoon Driver?? As in a '92-'93 turbocharged 4.3L out accelaerate a Porsche Cayenne.....
GMC Typhoon?

No, as in Schwinn

Any former race bike that was good enough back in "the day" that it was equipped with sew-ups is good enough for you to ride ...especially as a first bike!! ..Hell Yea!

My first road bike (3 seasons ago) was a freebie Bianchi with downtube shifters and Biopace chainrings (of all things!). It got me out there riding.

Regards,
Bikesick