Trigger's broom

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rogerzilla

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
I collected my refinished Merckx frame from Argos today. Gary (the framebuilder) mentioned that he has another Merckx in for repair, a Leader MX, and by the time he's finished replacing rusted-out tubes, there won't be many original ones left! I've seen some of the bikes that get dropped off there and they can be unbelievably far gone - I once saw a Peugeot with barely a trace of paint left among the rust, and it wasn't a valuable frame to start with.

How far would you go to rescue a favourite frame? At what point does it cease to be the original frame?
 
Chris S

Chris S

Legendary Member
Location
Birmingham
I've replaced just about everything on my bike apart from the stem. It was done gradually over several years so I guess it's still the same bike.
 
D

Darius_Jedburgh

Veteran
Chris S said:
I've replaced just about everything on my bike apart from the stem. It was done gradually over several years so I guess it's still the same bike.
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Same here. I work on the same principle that they use when restoring shot down WW2 Spitfires. As long as there is one piece from the original equipment then the job is called a repair. Same with my bike.
 
fossyant

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
My Ribble 653 frame is how I bought it 30 years ago. I've resprayed it myself as I was getting surface rust - it's been sat on the turbo for 5 years since I had my spine broken.

I stripped the components off as they were 35-30 years old and repainted the bike. Cost me over £100 in paint, plus lots of time.

Thing is, I knew the frame was sound. On buying it, I waxoiled and WD40'd the inside of the tubes, like I did with my rather special Columbus SLX.

My Columbus SLX still smells like fresh oil if I take out the BB, ot the seat post.

I'm back out on the road now with the Ribble. My Columbus SLX is a bit special, and I only take it out rarely as it was made for me, and has a totally custom paint scheme. It's older brother is in the Science Museum in Manchester..
 
CanucksTraveller

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
I don't think I've owned any bike for more than about 12 years, all of them have been moved on at probably 80% original, just with tyres and the usual other consumables changed... I upgraded to Mavic wheel rims on one Peugeot in the 80s when the originals cracked. I don't change much and I've tended to sell on bikes to finance the next N+1.
I might keep my current steel Genesis for life now, can't see why I'd need to move that one on, if I shift anything it'll be my carbon road bike.
 
S

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I wouldn't spend loads getting a favourite standard production frame repaired. It's cheaper just to look for another identical frame/bike and swap parts over. I don't ride super-rare or custom-built frames though, and almost all were bought used so don't have the sentimental value of something you may have had from new many years ago.
If one of mine suffers damage or corrosion, I'll either relegate it to hack use (say if a frame tube gets dented and looks unsightly but is still safe to ride) or if unsafe I'll scrap it after salvaging anything fit for further use like forks, headset, BB unit - then replace like-for-like secondhand.

The Triggers Broom question is one every old vehicle or bike owner may have to wrestle with. If you replace a major part, is it still the same vehicle? For me it depends on what else is still original, apart from the frame/chassis. if the mechanicals are a mish-mash of replacements on an original frame/chassis then you change that as well, all you've got is a bitsa. It might ride/drive perfectly ok but there's no direct historic connection back to when it left the factory.
It comes down to how much ownership enjoyment derives from the history of the thing, and how much derives from the way it handles and feels to use. If mostly the latter, then a replacement clone is just as good. If history matters most then you need to salvage as much originality as you can.
 
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biggs682

biggs682

Itching to get back on my bike's
Location
Northamptonshire
Must admit never thought about re tubing any of the bikes i have owned and in all honesty i am not sure i would , as there are loads of other bikes out there .

Unless it had a real emotional attachment to me then i can't see me ever doing it .
 
Ian H

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
My first fixed was a old Claud Butler track frame, old enough that the crown was drilled for a brake. Fillet-brazed and sleeved, with pencil stays and proper track blades, it was a lovely bike to ride.

I rode it into the side of an oncoming minicab that turned right across my path.

Pete Tansley looked at it for me (I remember he was repairing an Orbit frame at the time and showed me how badly built it was). He reckoned it would be pretty much a complete rebuild, and as expensive as a new frame. So, sadly, I scrapped it.

That would have been around 1987, and the only time I have come close to a major frame repair.
 
S

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Paulus said:
It's a bit like the famous locomotive, the Flying Scotsman. the only original bit is the cab. The frames, boiler, motion was all changed over it's working life, but it is still the Flying Scotsman.
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So what's the most important feature of an old bit of machinery to you? Is it the provenance of one particular individual example of a type, in this case because it set records for speed, or the worthiness of the Gresley Pacifics class design?
 
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Paulus

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
SkipdiverJohn said:
So what's the most important feature of an old bit of machinery to you? Is it the provenance of one particular individual example of a type, in this case because it set records for speed, or the worthiness of the Gresley Pacifics class design?
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The worthiness, definitely. Gresley designed locomotives just looked right.
 
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