show us your vintage road bikes

[thegravestoneman]

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A large part of the retro bike scene is middle-aged people trying to capture something they had or coveted when they were a teenager. That means looking for the model you had, or possibly the one that the cool/spoilt kid down the road had- which is usually entry or near-entry level bikes. In most cases they will serve the purpose just fine- family outings or ambling around the countryside trying to pretend the last 30 years didn't happen (that's not just me, right?). Now, as then, the basic bikes are good enough, but if you find you want more from a bike you have to raise your sights a bit (I'm talking retro kit here, modern cheap bikes aren't remotely up to the job). If that happens you won't lose much on the bike you bought, unless you paid well over the odds for it. £100 will buy you the best 1980s schoolboy bike (as will £50 if you wait for the right opportunity), which is pretty cheap as midlife crisis purchases go.

I agree with you and thought about putting that point in, but I have a tendency to ramble so left it out. Recapturing your youth is a fine thing and I do not have a problem with that at all. My first proper bike was a Raleigh Arena but I do not have fond memories of it at all but hey ho! I do still admire Choppers which I also had and it was a dangerous contraption that I loved. There are a lot of folk about though who did not live in that age and are buying the entry level stuff and judging all older bikes on that and then decide all old bikes are cr*p which they most certainly are not. It is harder to ascertain the quality of a bike by it badge or builder unlike say buying period cars (we all know the difference between a Granada and a Fiesta or a Westminster and an A30 but it is much harder with bikes). I still ride a bike I had built bespoke for me in 83 and a carbon framed modern fancy I love them both, but I also have a basic Raleigh of 83 vintage I do not like at all. It took me two years of constant fettling and changing and a trip to a frame fettlers to get my Raleigh Record Ace to a configuration I liked and could ride every day but had a much more basic Holdsworth I loved. There are also plenty of people riding retro bikes of completely the wrong frame size and this too makes me cringe no matter what quality the bike I don't know if this is because of availability or ignorance. I obviously ride a butchers bike too and this is a dreadful thing I love too more memories then I can recall in that.
So I agree with you and all I am trying to say is if you are unaware or unknowledgable of bikes from the past please do not judge them all by one purchase or one ride, there is every conceivable old bike out there just as there is with new bikes now now and finding the right one is not as easy as buying new.

See rambling again.

all the best Gaz.

 

[LimeBurn]

Completely agree - I had an old Raleigh Team Banana when I was a teenager, and although it was not a lightweight machine with an italian pedigree I did have some good times on it. I'd looked to see what they were going for on ebay and the small ads and noticed they were fetching decent money for what they were. Last month was my birthday and lo and behold my wife had managed to pick one up, a really good original one I might add, and so now it'll become my winter project. Not because of its worth or merit but just because I can, and if that helps keep the retro scene alive and well then all the better in my view. Anything that promotes the bike scene in general is all good to me, when I'm out on my modern bikes I very rarely get any comments or chat unless its from another bikie, but when out on the Dawes Galaxy I get far more comments and questions from all walks of life.

 

[love2pedal.com]

Condor Baracchi lugless from about 1973. Bought used from Monty at the Condor shop at 90 Grays Inn Rd in January of 1975. It was purple when I got it and had the name of the Welsh TT champ on the top tube-John Pritchard. Foolishly repainted it in 1984 (smacking head with palm).

 

[thegravestoneman]

Condor Baracchi lugless from about 1973. Bought used from Monty at the Condor shop at 90 Grays Inn Rd in January of 1975. It was purple when I got it and had the name of the Welsh TT champ on the top tube-John Pritchard. Foolishly repainted it in 1984 (smacking head with palm).

Now that is a thing of beauty, even in its pajamas (interesting paintjob) right size for you too. thanks for posting the pic a pleasure to see it.

 

[Bobtoo]

My Raleigh Royal and some Shetland scenery. Quite a long way to go for the shakedown ride. Verdict: Steep hills + single track roads = not the best place to find your brakes don't really work.

 

[Joseph Jessop]

 

[Joseph Jessop]

Hi all, this is my new (yet old) bike that I bought off a neighbour for just three bottles of ale! Not a bad deal at all. However, neither I nor the seller knows what model of Falcon it is, and I would appreciate it if someone can give me a hand as to what it might be before I begin my restoration. If anymore images are needed, feel free to ask.
http://instagram.com/p/iZQ13fAmVh/

 

[OldCanal]

As an elderly 'newbie' I'm still trying to weave my way through the nuances of forum navigation. So, this is my first attempt at uploading a pic. Fingers x'ed.

Me, aged 16 in 1959 with my newly acquired and treasured "Jim Soens", hand built by Jim himself (Mr Soens or 'Sir' to me then). Sorry about the quality of the pic but 'Box Brownies' had limited capabilities in those days.

Equipped with - h/bar controlled Campagnolo 10 speed Gran Sport front and rear mechs, TA rings/adaptor on Stronglight 3 arm 'Competition' cottered cranks, 27x1 1/4 Weinmann rims on Campagnolo lf qr hubs shod with Michelin amber walls, Mafac Racer brakeset, GB Maes on GB stem, Brooks B15 narrow, etc. Note the trend (compared with today) to larger frames with lower seat posts and stems.

It took 2 years of 7 day am and pm paper rounds and a Saturday job to save up for it, but boy, was it worth it. The week after this was taken my mate and I set off on our fondly remembered Liverpool to Lands End and back YH tour. About 900 miles in 10 days, not bad for a 16yr old. My mate emigrated to NZ a couple of years later and eventually became one of the head honchos in their national team. Years later, both of our sons went on to represent their respective countries at World Championships and Olympics, but never raced against each other.

As posted on another thread, due to spinal problems my cycling days were curtailed many years ago I regret to say but I'm currently in the process of a restoration/rebuild of a beautiful 1947 Hobbs of Barbican. It's intended to be ridden by my grandson in due course. If this first attempt at posting with pics works I'll start that shortly.

 

[pubrunner]

My Raleigh Royal and some Shetland scenery. Quite a long way to go for the shakedown ride. Verdict: Steep hills + single track roads = not the best place to find your brakes don't really work.

Where in Shetland (one of my favourite places), were the pics taken ?

 

[Tony Raynor]

Hi all, this is my new (yet old) bike that I bought off a neighbour for just three bottles of ale! Not a bad deal at all. However, neither I nor the seller knows what model of Falcon it is, and I would appreciate it if someone can give me a hand as to what it might be before I begin my restoration. If anymore images are needed, feel free to ask.
http://instagram.com/p/iZQ13fAmVh/

Joseph, this looks similar to one I picked up in September. It's a Falcon phantom, hers the link to my post. When I took the chequered sticker off on the top tube it had phantom underneath. Still to get it cleaned, oiled and regressed.

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/falcon-bicycle.140789/

 

[Bobtoo]

Where in Shetland (one of my favourite places), were the pics taken ?

The first one was taken on the A971 overlooking the Loch of Brunatwatt, during a short circuit from Walls (where they make the best oatcakes available to mankind) http://goo.gl/maps/gV0XF . I'll have to have a think about the other one and get back to you.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

As an elderly 'newbie' I'm still trying to weave my way through the nuances of forum navigation. So, this is my first attempt at uploading a pic. Fingers x'ed.

Me, aged 16 in 1959 with my newly acquired and treasured "Jim Soens", hand built by Jim himself (Mr Soens or 'Sir' to me then). Sorry about the quality of the pic but 'Box Brownies' had limited capabilities in those days.

View attachment 35159

Equipped with - h/bar controlled Campagnolo 10 speed Gran Sport front and rear mechs, TA rings/adaptor on Stronglight 3 arm 'Competition' cottered cranks, 27x1 1/4 Weinmann rims on Campagnolo lf qr hubs shod with Michelin amber walls, Mafac Racer brakeset, GB Maes on GB stem, Brooks B15 narrow, etc. Note the trend (compared with today) to larger frames with lower seat posts and stems.

It took 2 years of 7 day am and pm paper rounds and a Saturday job to save up for it, but boy, was it worth it. The week after this was taken my mate and I set off on our fondly remembered Liverpool to Lands End and back YH tour. About 900 miles in 10 days, not bad for a 16yr old. My mate emigrated to NZ a couple of years later and eventually became one of the head honchos in their national team. Years later, both of our sons went on to represent their respective countries at World Championships and Olympics, but never raced against each other.

As posted on another thread, due to spinal problems my cycling days were curtailed many years ago I regret to say but I'm currently in the process of a restoration/rebuild of a beautiful 1947 Hobbs of Barbican. It's intended to be ridden by my grandson in due course. If this first attempt at posting with pics works I'll start that shortly.

this link might be of interest oldcanal…
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/jim-soens-builder.html

 

[OldCanal]

this link might be of interest oldcanal…
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/jim-soens-builder.html

Thank you. It's got quite a lot of background about the family and references to many other of the quality Liverpool framebuilders of the day. Jim's frames very rarely come on the market these days, the same being true of messrs Fothergill and Hurlen. If there's anyone out there who knows of a frame that's available, built by any of these master craftsmen, I'd be pleased to hear from them.

I spent more time than enough here in my youth.

 

[flippin3speeds]

1979 Raleigh Royal Roadster, sold as seen off ebay, £21.00
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/537918_506233602754970_104192559_n.jpg
c1940 BSA "The Vicar's Bike"

 

[biggs682]

i think a few ex Liverpool area members will enjoy this bike , not a true vintage bike but still might jog some memory's