am i going mad…?

[alecstilleyedye]

i was thinking about buying a new bike (budget around 1k), but i'm coming around to thinking that i'd rather spend the money on the bikes currently in the stable.

this bike

has a fairly ordinary but very comfy 531 steel frame (especially with the brooks b17 that she's had since that photo was taken), and i'm thinking of having her re-enammelled, the fork tips and rear dropouts chromed and the modest spearpoint lugs lined. i'll probably put the full tiagra triple groupset from my 6061-t6 alu bike on it and get an ultegra (or even 105 or something campag) double groupset for that. she'll probably get some new wheels too (or the 105 wheels off the other one if it goes campag).

i know that the bike is worth less than the cost of the repainting, but i enjoy riding her and i think she deserves a new coat of paint and some new bits, even if i'm not adding a penny onto her value, and the same's true to a lesser extent with the alu bike. it's not like she's a classic old vintage lightweight either, but then i've got one of those anyway.

somehow giving my bikes an upgrade seems a more attractive option than n+1 which would probably make one of them redundant anyway.

if someone asked me if that was a good idea 6 months ago i'd have said they were bonkers… am i?

the rationale, such as it is, is that the above bike will become a good sports tourer, perfect for 100 milers over any terrain. the other bike would then be good for the flat club runs in the summer.

 

[dan_bo]

Sounds like a plan to me!

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Mad? Sounds very wise to me.

 

[Moodyman]

Doing an old one is always more satisfying than buying a new one.

You can 'I did that' instead of 'Taiwan did that'

 

[jpembroke]

How about doing this one up and buying a second bike for £500???

 

[ASC1951]

this bike ...has a fairly ordinary but very comfy 531 steel frame (especially with the brooks b17 that she's had since that photo was taken)

+1 for the upgrade if you like the bike. Personally I find that carbon forks make riding far more pleasant, so I would add that to your list.

Did the B17 go on at a different angle? Riding with a saddle like the photo would cripple most people's wrists.

 

[eddiemee]

If you've got the technical know-how to do up your existing bike (and it sounds like you do) then I'd go for it. As others have said you'll have the sense of satisfaction and very importantly you've already got a frame that you like. Surely that's safer than buying a new bike and finding out a few months later that you don't like the feel of it? Also the eco-warrior/penny-pincher in me hates resigning any old equipment that is still in good working order.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

+1 for the upgrade if you like the bike. Personally I find that carbon forks make riding far more pleasant, so I would add that to your list.

Did the B17 go on at a different angle? Riding with a saddle like the photo would cripple most people's wrists.

the b17 is much better angled; that other saddle was just used when the bike was doing a daily 4.5 mile commute, when it wouldn't have mattered.

don't think i really need carbon forks on this bike, although they did make a difference to the ride comfort on the alu bike.

 

[HelenD123]

The best bike to have is one that fits you and you enjoy. I'd do up the ones you have. I also agree with eddiemee that it's the eco friendly thing to do. It's a shame to consign a perfectly good bike to the scrap heap.

 

[GrasB]

The hardest thing to get right is the frame so if you have something that works for you then why not use it?