22year old bike oppinions please

[roadrash]

just realised that my current steed is 22yrs old this week ,having only just returned to cycling after a break of many years ,i find myself wondering(only out of curiosity ,im more than happy with it) what any one else thinks of it and are any of these parts still widely used. it is as follows.
frame LEADER... with stickers that say ..tocnotrat made in italy cuneo ,reynolds tubing.
BRAKES....dia-compe dc 700
HEADSET...shimano 105
WHEELS..shimano 105
GEAR LEVERS..shimano 105
FRONT DERAILIER...shimano 600
REAR.........shimano 105
SEAT ........fizik sport cx wingflex
only just started using computers so dont know how to put a photo up yet ... i would value your oppinions though, thanks

 

[guitarpete247]

Your bike is a lot younger than mine. By 8 years. And your components much more up to date. I still enjoy tinkering with and riding it but would like to update wheels sometime this year to 700c from current 27" but this will mean new brakes too.

To add picture go to the "Use Full Editor" at the bottom of your post. Then "Click To Attach Files". Select your file from your pictures and Save. You can see what you have if you "Preview Post".

Look forward to seeing some pics. By the way each picture file has a max. file size of 2MB

(Edit) You might want to re-size your photo first in something like Microsoft Office Picture Manager as I realise my photo is quite large.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

I recently bought an Ian May of a similar vintage and it's as sweet as a nut! I cleaned it up, lubed it up and rode off into the sunset. I've since replaced the electricians tape with some proper handlebar tape (red) and my boss's girlfriend had a brand new pair of 23mm slicks, which she sold to me for a song (also red). I also got a pair of Ultegra SPD-SL pedals off Ebay for £25!

I intend to replace the wheels in the near future: the spokes are corroded and the bearings need replacing. They could be rebuilt, but I want the convenience of QR skewers (one less spanner to carry).

Also the cassette is removed with an out-dated two-pin (rather than the current hexagonal) tool, although my LBS managed to get it on and off when replacing a broken spoke this weekend.

Do check the distance between the rear drop-outs before buying new wheels: it may be 126mm rather than the modern 130mm. Even that isn't a problem with lovely steel: cold setting.

Other than that, although the technology has moved on, you shouldn't have any troubling fitting more modern components if you wish; you can even buy a converter to to swap the Quill stem for a modern set-up. Otherwise there is a thriving market in "vintage" parts if you wish to keep it original (although the prices can be far from vintage).

Just one last thing: be prepared for all the attention you'll get from complete strangers, overwhelmed by the grace and beauty of your steel steed

 

[Bobtoo]

IMO if it all still works and you're happy with it there's no reason to change.

 

[dellzeqq]

I know somebody who rescues and restores vintage bikes - and he's now started to have his own steel frames made.

What I say to him is 'I rode those things for decades, and there is absolutely no way on this earth I'd ever go back'. If you can find some unhappy hipster to give you money for it, fine - but even if you can't I'd set yourself a budget and hie thee down to your LBS. Even a Boardman is a better ride than steel. Modern gears operate almost before you think the thought. Modern wheels are on a different planet to the Mavics I rode in the 80s. Modern saddles are like riding on air. It should be every cyclist's right to have a carbon seatpost.

There - now you've got the opposite view

 

[Hilldodger]

It's almost brand new!

I also restore old bikes. Nothing made after 1914, though.

 

[chillyuk]

I know somebody who rescues and restores vintage bikes - and he's now started to have his own steel frames made.

What I say to him is 'I rode those things for decades, and there is absolutely no way on this earth I'd ever go back'. If you can find some unhappy hipster to give you money for it, fine - but even if you can't I'd set yourself a budget and hie thee down to your LBS. Even a Boardman is a better ride than steel. Modern gears operate almost before you think the thought. Modern wheels are on a different planet to the Mavics I rode in the 80s. Modern saddles are like riding on air. It should be every cyclist's right to have a carbon seatpost.

There - now you've got the opposite view

Any fool can ride a good one but it takes a good one to ride an old one.

 

[youngoldbloke]

My 'winter bike' is well on its way to it's 20th birthday. Reynolds 525 (lugless) steel. Otherwise similar spec to the OP's. Have changed the saddle, chainrings and cassette, and the chain of course. New brake levers too after the original Shimano hoods fell apart. Oh - changed the tyres too! Everything else totally original, runs like clockwork, and it is a joy to ride. It is about a pound heavier than my 'best' bike, and still attracts interest and compliments. I have fitted Crud road racers - as my other bike hasn't got the clearance for even those, this one has become the wet weather ride. Down tube shifters work fine - the front changer is crisper and faster than the Campag on the newer bike, and I find 14 gears are perfectly adequate most of the time. So give it a clean and some TLC, and enjoy it!

PS - photos of bike are much more interesting if taken from the offside, so as to show the drivetrain ........

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Any fool can ride a good one but it takes a good one to ride an old one.

Thumbs up to that!

I'd never argue that modern bikes aren't technically light-years ahead of twenty year old steelers; but where's the soul, where's the emotion?

PS I'd not thought of myself as a "hipster", but I rather like it!

 

[Fiona N]

I've only just retired (due to turbo abuse mainly) a Chas Roberts steel frame built as a copy of a previous custom steel frame. The original (which I still have) was built in 1985 and the Roberts copy in 1991. Both were delightful to ride although I had upgraded the Roberts from the original Shimano 600/Deore with downtube shifters to modern Shimano 105. This gear has now gone onto an off-the-shelf Ribble Al-carbon frame which is quick and sharp handling but harsh to ride.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'd never argue that modern bikes aren't technically light-years ahead of twenty year old steelers; but where's the soul, where's the emotion?

it's a bike. It does the motion, you do the emotion. As in, 'thank heavens for carbon fibre'.

It's not a question of weight, but of ride quality. I'm a stone heavier than I was forty years ago, but I'm quicker up hills

 

[Hilldodger]

it's a bike. It does the motion, you do the emotion. As in, 'thank heavens for carbon fibre'.

It's not a question of weight, but of ride quality. I'm a stone heavier than I was forty years ago, but I'm quicker up hills

Yeah, because being fat you'll roll down the previous hill faster.

 

[roadrash]

the bike itself is in lovely condition ,rides really well.its as new apart from one tiny scuff on the frame. ive no intention of changing it or getting rid, will try to post a photo soon

 

[chillyuk]

the bike itself is in lovely condition ,rides really well.its as new apart from one tiny scuff on the frame. ive no intention of changing it or getting rid, will try to post a photo soon

Well said. Ride and enjoy it until it no longer meets YOUR needs and don't fall for the hype.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

it's a bike. It does the motion, you do the emotion. As in, 'thank heavens for carbon fibre'.

It's not a question of weight, but of ride quality. I'm a stone heavier than I was forty years ago, but I'm quicker up hills

Oh Dellzegg! Perhaps it is because you have a heart of stone that you weigh more?

But you're right: it is about ride quality not weight, which is why my joints love steel!

Walking back from town just now I spotted a Koga-Miyata in a bike rack: dripping with Dura-Ace from its downtube shifters to its toe-clips!

Whilst I'm dribbling over it, an OAP stops to see what has caught my attention. Turns out he was a club racer in his day. While I'm listening to his tales of yore, the owner turns up and we spend the next twenty minutes discussing this and that.

Only when I leave, do I spot a carpet-fibre something or other: was it my imagination or were its bloated over-sized tubes sagging a little due to the lack of attention...