pepperbelly

I have some old bikes that I got from my father years ago. I rode a couple of them but mainly just one. After I bought my Roubaix they all just sat in my garage. I asked my brother if he wanted them and he said sure. The problem is that he never did anything with them and left them outside in the weather.
One is a vintage Olmo, possibly from the ‘50s. Nothing is original-not even the paint. It does have Shimano 600 components.
Another is a mid ‘80s Raleigh Gran Prix. It has Shimano 105 components.
Both of those are showing some rust on the frames, chains are trash, etc.
The last is ok I think. It’s a mid ‘80s Raleigh Technium Tri Lite. I rode this one before I got my Roubaix and it’s in good condition- chain, var tape, etc. all good. Tires hold air. I will use this in some vintage rides sometimes.

Is the Olmo or Gran Prix worth messing with? They both need a lot of work.

P!N20

Yes

pepperbelly

I see projects in my future.
Long ago I rode the Olmo a little. I remember it being fast-but I was also younger too.

abdon 

You have no idea the ****astic stuff I have messed with just for the joy of messing with it. ****, not long ago I spend 3 days dissolving a stuck seat post in lye just so I could donate the frame to the local co-op.

The question is not if you should, the question is if you wanna. Every project improves your skill.

pepperbelly

I do need the experience. I grew up working on Honda motorcycles-dad was a Honda mechanic beginning in about ‘65. I never really worked on bicycles. They should be simpler but they are pretty technical.
One big prohect is a seat clamp for the Olmo. Dad was short and this is a fairly tall bike. I think he cut it. I know he made a seat clamp but that one is cracked.

Murray Missile 

I can't give you a logical answer but I recently did this just for the pure satisfaction of it. I just cleaned it up and made it mechanically sound which was still quite a bit of work but I loved every second of it. I basically gave it away when I was finished. If I did it for a financial return I would have given up years ago.

Before.....



and 6 weeks later....

pepperbelly

Nice job!

Jeff Wills

Never.
Always.
Somewhere in between.

I plan on spending some of my retirement in the garage revisiting my misspent youth. It won’t make money but at least I’ll be out of my wife’s hair.

jdawginsc 

Not that I am amassing any more projects, but my philosophy is other than cheap steel bikes (Huffy, Murray, etc...), if it is not rusted through, it is worth saving.

Once there are rust holes, even I am not stupid enough to go further (mostly...sometimes I am stupid enough...)





Dave

BTinNYC 

If you would enjoy the work, then yes. If it's going to be a chore; nope.

Mountain Mitch

All of my vintage bikes have required some degree of work. Riding a vintage bike you have worked on has its own pleasure. The Roubaix can still be your ‘go to’ for daily rides. The things you describe: chains, bar tape, tubes and tires are just maintenance items. You also mention some ‘surface rust’. Depending on how severe it is, that can present a more serious issue.

i am currently up to my ears in my Condor which has a pretty major ding in the frame. Even if I fix it well, the bike will still require a repaint which is the part I dread the most.

If you decide not to repair the bikes it sounds like you have a rich source of parts to use or sell.

shuru421

In my opinion..when it costs less or the same to get a better bike in better shape.

Manny66 

My suggestion,, get a piece of paper and make a list of Everything the the bike needs and add up the cost in Parts ( Chain, tires, tubes, rim tape , brake hoods , new cables, bar tape etc.) Chroming, grease and Paint ,chrome/Aluminum polish , degreasers etc.

Estimate how many hours you will need to do a complete rehab , and Also the Time involved on the Internet and driving around town to hunt down the parts , and (conservative ) charge $5 an hour, and then Quadruple that as everything takes longer than you think.. TOOLS, you need cone wrenches ,bottom bracket tools , chain tools etc.. $$

If the cost of a buying a similar bicycle is less than the Math you just did , trash the bike and go buy another already rideable running bike and enjoy your time cycling around town .

AdventureManCO 

C'mon man!

merziac

One of the big things for me and to keep in mind IMO,

Consider the end goal and realistic feasibility, when truly warranted for what ever reason then it can be spendy, arduous and rewarding.

I have several that for one or more reasons succumbed to "sympathetic" builds, resto mods, etc, often to great affect and often plenty of fun along the way.

jdawginsc 

Just wanted to know if you were still following me!

Pompiere

I didn't see anyone mention sentimental value. If one of them is a bike that evokes good memories of riding with or seeing your father ride, then all the practical considerations go out the window. And then, you have to decide if you want to keep it the way you remember it, warts and all, or if you want to return it to like new condition. I'm having this debate over an old tractor I inherited from my dad. It is completely covered in rust, with just enough original paint to read the decals. I would love to see it with new paint, but then it wouldn't be the way it was when my dad had it, which is how it was when he got it from his uncle several years ago. The good thing is it starts right up and purrs like kitten, so it's not just taking up space.

sunnyone

Spoken like a rider, not a wrencher.

Eyes Roll

When it costs more to repair than the purchase price you pay for an used bike (that gives a similar or greater bike-riding pleasure) on craigslist or facebook.

Unless, you have a sentimental value, such as you want to keep the bike in the memory of your grandfather.

pepperbelly

Not really sentimental. Dad didn’t ride much.
The Olmo was given to him by a friend who had a bike shop. It had been hanging on the wall as decoration. It had sewn tires and the story was that it had been used in a Tour de France sometime in the ‘50s. I picked it y
up for dad and I want to say it was a shade of green. Somewhere along the way dad had the paint stripped and repainted. He also removed the old groupset and installed the Shimano parts.

Manny66 

Hilarious ... I've been A Professional Mechanic for almost 30 years now,, from Helicopters, to Commercial Aircraft to 200 Ton Cranes. Building a Bike or Frame repair is a piece of cake for me. Heres some of the Bikes I built up...

btw, what do you do for a living ?

non-fixie 

I'm afraid that wasn't the point. We don't do the math. If we did, this forum wouldn't exist.

SurferRosa

There was a time (for years!) when we could do the math, rebuild the bike, flip, and come out well ahead with enough funds to put toward the next project. Now, "coming out ahead" pretty much means buying low and parting-out.

John E

Or maybe it would. I personally prefer the look and feel of a classic steel-framed road bike with lugs, a horizontal top tube, and a Brooks tensioned leather saddle. The only place I deviate from C&V is in the brakes, where I use modern cables and housings, dual-pivot sidepull calipers, and often, for increased leverage, aero brake levers.

My automotive analog is my beloved B5 generation 2001 VW Passat wagon, which suits my needs absolutely perfectly, providing practicality with comfort and a great driving experience. I do much of my own work, deferring the (literally) heavy lifting to a friendly local independent VW/Audi shop. Even if repair costs approached or slightly exceeded the Blue Book value of the car, I would opt to fix rather than replace, because anything I like as well, like a late model Audi wagon, would cost $$$.

SurferRosa

Any interesting backstory on this one, Manny?