A few questions on vintage road bikes

[JhnBssll]

I'm considering buying and renovating a vintage road bike as my next project. This is completely new to me and I will likely have lots of questions so thought I would try and keep them in one place - so here goes!

- Sizing and geometry. I am a 57cm on modern road bikes and tend to use a 100mm stem. What would this roughly equate to on a vintage frameset?

- Tubing. I would like a decent frameset and know of Reynolds tubing being sought after. I have also seen Columbus tubing mentioned, how does this compare? Are there any others I should look for?

There will be lots more questions as I research more Thanks in advance!

 

[carpenter]

Others may disagree, but I think that it is too easy to get wrapped up in tubing material - I have a Columbus Aelle (Dancelli) - which I love, I also have several Reynolds 531 - some (like Raleigh Competition) are lovely/as good/better? Others, not as responsive or as much fun but still excellent rides.
I think that once a decent frame material is used, the feel of the bike is much more down to the geometry of the frame, the fit, the skill of the builder and the ancillaries.

Must admit to not knowing anything about comparing fit of modern to old bikes though

 

[mjr]

Sizing. Rule of thumb for a starting point for road bikes used to be inside leg in inches less nine.

Tubing. There are lots of Reynolds tubing, the various 531s being the most famous sought after. There are also lots of Columbus tubing, named IIRC. Some are as good as 531 but not as famous, while some are merely one step up from gas pipe aka straight plain steel IIRC. That's better than Peugeot tubing, which included gas pipe among its range (was that Carbolite?). I'm sure there are lists online but I don't have them bookmarked.

 

[mjr]

Answering myself about carbolite: yes, gas pipe, see https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/carbolite-103.8937/

 

[biggs682]

Loads of answers
Reynolds , columbus , Tange , ishiwata , deda and good old cro mo i wouldn't say any are better than others so go and test as many as you can find and then decide
Pop along the a14 to my garage and try a few by all means @JhnBssll
If 57 on a modern bike i would guess around the 6ft mark ?
So 22 1/2 " to 24" are worth looking at depending upon how supple you are
What are you going to use it for ?
But best of all have fun

 

[Illaveago]

23 1/2 seems a good average guess .
Reynolds 501 frames feel nice as well. Truwel is supposed to be a similar material to Reynolds 531 but made by an electrical seam welding process.

 

[raleighnut]

What level of 'Vintage' are you going for 80s, 70s, 60s or earlier.

As for sizing it depends how much seatpost you want sticking up, my old Carlton is a very small (for me) frame but has an ar5e up head down riding position similar to modern bikes, I used to be comfortable on it when I was younger (had it since 76) but nowadays it gives me a sore neck so I seldom ride it (not to mention the silly gearing 42-21 lowest gear)

 

[nonowt]

As @raleighnut says, what sort of era are you after? And are you after something race-y or more of an audax/touring set up? Either way, you've picked a good time because, with patience, you can get a lot of vintage bike for very little money at the moment. A quick look on the Ebay and Auction Watch thread will reveal some amazing bargains.

 

[JhnBssll]

I'm not really sure as to which era. I presume the more modern you get, the more closely ride would resemble that of my modern bikes, but I need to work out what I actually want from the bike. To be honest a large amount of it will be in the rebuild itself - I would probably want something nice without being rare or expensive so I can repaint it without the worry of defacing a piece of history

I'm 6ft, or 183cm, so seems something slightly larger than a 57cm might be in order. I'll keep my eyes peeled

I have seen a few frames that dont appear to have derailleur hangers - are these single speeds, or did some vintage derailleur attach differently?

 

[Kempstonian]

I'm not really sure as to which era. I presume the more modern you get, the more closely ride would resemble that of my modern bikes, but I need to work out what I actually want from the bike. To be honest a large amount of it will be in the rebuild itself - I would probably want something nice without being rare or expensive so I can repaint it without the worry of defacing a piece of history

I'm 6ft, or 183cm, so seems something slightly larger than a 57cm might be in order. I'll keep my eyes peeled

I have seen a few frames that dont appear to have derailleur hangers - are these single speeds, or did some vintage derailleur attach differently?

They are single speeds - maybe fixed wheel even. Fixed wheel bikes often have 'track ends' on them, where the wheel goes in from the back rather than the normal drop outs.

Check out the thread on here for items found on Ebay and elsewhere (like Gumtree). Your local Gumtree area could well turn up a bargain (it has for me). Maybe get a real cheapie to 'practice' on, before spending more on a classic bike? If you have a local scrap merchant, go and see if they have any old bikes, or get them to hold any they might have in the future. People often clear their garages out and throw away bikes that can (with a little effort) be put back on the road.

 

[nonowt]

up until the late(?) '60s it wasn't unusual for quality frames to have a separate mech hanger like this (pic from classic lightweights):

vintage bikes shouldn't have too much seat post showing (although, I'm 6'6" so there's no way around it for me) so I'd say closer to 60cm would be a good size.
In terms of the age i'd say late 60s-late 80s is probably the most practical era to restore as the parts are more readily available and more standardised. Buying a frame and building it up is fun but alas, it's also money pit. Better to buy a complete bike and change what you need. I'd also go for a UK builder as they tend to be cheaper and there's no worry about obsolete threading which there can be with pre-80s French and Italian bikes.

 

[Poacher]

I have seen a few frames that dont appear to have derailleur hangers - are these single speeds, or did some vintage derailleur attach differently?

They are single speeds - maybe fixed wheel even. Fixed wheel bikes often have 'track ends' on them, where the wheel goes in from the back rather than the normal drop outs.

As always, Sheldon Brown's site is a mine of information. Many frames from the 70s, 60s and earlier didn't have integrated derailleur hangers. They were versatile in that they could be used for fixie/SS, hub gears, or with an adaptor claw, as seen here. Rear changers were often sold with these adaptors. Another very useful site is Disraeli Gears, dedicated to rear derailleurs; here's one from the 80s, sold with the adaptor.

Edit: cross-posted with @nonowt

 

[carpenter]

I'm 6ft, or 183cm, so seems something slightly larger than a 57cm might be in order. I'll keep my eyes peeled

I think inside leg measurement may be more useful ( suits you sir )


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmwQD1Y2k6g


I have 32" measurement and 21 1/2/ 22" feel good to me.

 

[Cycleops]

How about these John, not too far from you and your size.
This MBK is decent enough for modest money and should provide a gentle introduction into vintage;
https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/mens-vintage-mbk-road-racer-bike-235-inch-frame/1338455738

This is a bit more but is a real corker, says its Italian but i suspect its UK made. Colombus tubing, needs less work and parts for a very reasonable price;

https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/vintage-super-light-weight-8090s-road-bike/1335773716

 

[raleighnut]

up until the late(?) '60s it wasn't unusual for quality frames to have a separate mech hanger like this (pic from classic lightweights):
View attachment 464790

vintage bikes shouldn't have too much seat post showing (although, I'm 6'6" so there's no way around it for me) so I'd say closer to 60cm would be a good size.
In terms of the age i'd say late 60s-late 80s is probably the most practical era to restore as the parts are more readily available and more standardised. Buying a frame and building it up is fun but alas, it's also money pit. Better to buy a complete bike and change what you need. I'd also go for a UK builder as they tend to be cheaper and there's no worry about obsolete threading which there can be with pre-80s French and Italian bikes.

The 2 extremes of my fleet,

67 Carlton Clubman, modernised in the mid 80s(after it got run over by a lorry) it was my only bike from 76 to the end of the century

531 Raleigh 'Road Ace from 83, I acquired the frame in about 2004 and built it up with 2 different wheelsets but the front from one and the rear from the other is the best set up and yes I've got standover height on this (just)