After working at Stevie's, with its corral of used bikes old and new, I am amazed at the number of old Schwinns from the '70s that are still around, still rideable (at least with just minimal cleaning, lubing, adjustment) -- many after having sat outside at Stevie's for months (dust, not much rain).
I cleaned up an old 5 speed Schwinn Collegiate last week, hub dated 1971, with only one or two cables that were not original. I spent a couple of hours on it, much of that wiping it down and installing slimed, thorn-proof tubes and new cables and housing, but otherwise it was ready to ride -- even the gears (mighty, chromed, forged stem shifter pulling mint Alvit!) worked perfectly and the wheels didn't need truing. And there is that mint N*sh*k*! Now I agree that a novice mechanic choosing a used bike from a private party is inviting trouble, but old bikes as such, particularly if sold by a shop -- common here in ABQ -- seem to me to be an excellent bargain. Patrick Moore, who is very much enjoying his used Ram with its '80s drivetrain and '90s brakes that are giving him not a whit of trouble. On Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 4:28 AM, Matt Beebe <matthiasbe...@gmail.com> wrote: > > On Friday, April 12, 2013 11:53:28 PM UTC-4, Jimmy Hutch wrote: > >> A reliable bike will get ridden way more than an old artfully crafted > lugged beauty that needs constant TLC. > > I don't get why people think older bikes need constant TLC. If anything, > a good bike from the 70's, 80's or 90's is going to be *more* reliable > for the price, than a new bike at that same price. And if a person > rides a bike, purchased brand-new or not- actually rides it- he or she > will eventually need to replace things on it. Tires, chain/cogs, brakes, > etc. They haven't invented wear-proof parts yet (though steel > chainrings will get you farther than buttery soft Aluminum :) > > I'm not trying to be a wise ass here- the beauty of vintage bikes is > that they tend to be simpler in design, so unless you buy something that > only takes French threading or something else oddball, anybody experienced > with pre-techno lego blocks can probably figure them out. Rivendell has > managed to similarly keep unnecessary complication out of their bikes, and > that's one of the many draws to them. But really, that's the beauty of > bicycles in general- most of them are simple and cheap to fix, compared > to say, a car. > > I understand the desire not to buy something that *immediately* needs > TLC. But on the other hand, there are so many "pre-owned" bikes out > there that have barely been ridden, and furthermore there are bikes shops > that sell older bikes that they have refurbished/made sure everything is in > order. Bikes Not Bombs or Cambridge Antique Market around here, for > example. > > Matt > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- http://resumespecialties.com/index.html patrickmo...@resumespecialties.com __________________________________________________________________________ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
