How to buy a vintage road bicycle. What to look for!

In this video I go over all the ways you can discover if the bicycle is worth purchasing starting with the frame and fork. I touch on the components of the bicycle briefly as well. Watch this video and let me know in the comment section what you can ad. I don't talk much about the adjustments of the brakes and derailleurs. I talk mostly about the things that cant be adjusted.
Thanks for watching.

#bicyclerepair #howtobuy #schwinnbicycles #campagnolo #bentframe #how to #schwinnsuperior #bicyclecollection #mancave #classicbicycle #roadbikes

[Paramount]

The less work you are capable of doing yourself, the more cautious you should be when buying a vintage bike. Also, if you have to use the services of a shop, be advised that many shops want nothing to do with vintage bikes, or selling any parts for them. Find a vintage bike friendly shop before you go shopping. I went in a shop to buy some pads for my vintage Campy brakes, the guy very rudely informed me that they were obsolete and were not available. I went home and found reproductions online, and from that point on I pretty much avoided any of them. I had worked in a shop back in the 70s and do 99% of my own work so I can avoid the bike shop problem. I like to buy ones that need some repairs or cleaning for below market price.

[bertdaniel]

Thanks for the beautiful eye candy. I haven’t seen any of those classic bikes for many years but none of them matches the beauty of my 1987 DeRosa which I still ride every day. Working on your own bike may eventually become a lost art as technology becomes more complex. Classic bikes were simple to understand. Like a Volkswagen Beetle.

[sandspurpatch]

Building your bike from the frame up is not just fun, and it is, it is how to get EXACTLY what you want. You can refer to these videos if you're in a spot. Easy peezy.
Then you ride with pride. My latest opaque blue 1972 #826frame is now complete. Everything is redone. Total price $562. The Schwinn Super Sports have hand brazed chrome moly. And yes a gooseneck stuck in the steering tube is the biggest pain.

[peterlewis]

Here are a few more tips - especially if it's a "fixer-upper" that you are planning to ride rather than display.
Chromed Steel wheel rims - avoid, or plan the $ /£/$ to replace.
Wheel size: anything other than 700c can be a PITA to replace.
27" is OK but can have implications for brake choice if you change to 700c
The old "English" sizes: 26"x1-1/4" is a different diameter from 26" x 1-3/8" and both are different dia /incompatible with 26" MTB.
Understand the different types of brakes and their relative performance:
Entry level single pivot and "center-pull" don't really give adequate performance by today's standards
Cantilever brakes can give good performance but are a PITA to set up.
Dual-pivots with vintage "nut-fitting" (as opposed to hex socket nuts) are available in different drops up to 73mm maximum and are a worthwhile upgrade.
Does frame have a derailleur hanger at all? Older bikes with derailleur on a hook that goes over the axle are OK with a 5 speed freewheel, or downtube (DT) levers with a friction (un-indexed) mode but move around too much for indexing systems with more cogs.
Look at how the DT shifters are attached to the frame.
Are they band-on? Adapters to fit cable stops (necessary if you are planning to change to bar end or brifters) are now very difficult to find.
Braze-on fittings (little internally threaded studs on side of downtube) - adapters still available, so much simpler to change to brifters.
If you are planning to convert to SS/Fixed then cleaner look can be obtained on frame without the braze-on studs and even without the derailleur hanger.
Frame material. Steel can (usually) be cold-set to resize the rear axle spacing. Many vintage bikes are 126mm and be reset to accommodate modern 130mm or 135mm hubs, or even 120mm for track hubs. Do not try this with aluminum or any other frame material.
As well as cracks in paint around seatpost bolt (6:00 in video) look at the slot in the frame above the bolt. The top part of the slot should have parallel sides. If not, the frame has been squeezed around a seatpost of the wrong (too small) diameter. Take a digital caliper with you. If the seatpost is correct size, movable in frame, and is 27.2mm then chances are it is quite good quality.

[polyrhythmia]

Quite the collection. I always love to see vintage bicycles, like what was available in my younger days. Steel frame, threaded fork, lugs, downtube shifters, straight block freewheel...

[JanBanJoovi-olqv]

Im a young lad but I like vintage bicycles. It’s like they have a soul. And it gives you a glimpse of the past. My friends usually tease me of being a grandpa for liking very old bicycles.

[brrrt]

After inspecting the wheels for trueness, I'd recommend feeling for spoke tension. Its possible to force a deformed rim back into shape with highly uneven spoke tension.

[daveharper]

I’ve got a collection of roughly 15 vintage road bikes. I bought a lot of them online. I have some really good deals and some not so good ones. I usually find a problem or two after I’ve received the bike and thoroughly looked it over, but not always. I have absolutely no regrets, I love vintage road bikes. These tips will be helpful. Thanks for posting this video.

[vintagebikes]

Your prejudice against sew up tubular tires is surprising, given the considerable extent of your bike knowledge. Sew ups are not lousy tires, nor are they a poor choice. They are much faster and lighter than clinchers, and at 150psi provide Ferrari like handling. I've restored perhaps 80 bikes, and yes, only one, a race Guerciotti, has clinchers. But I cherish and enjoy it FOR WHAT IT IS immensely. Sew ups are still in use today by pro racers, and I'll bet some of your high end bikes actually came with sew ups, until the previous owner swapped to clinchers for ease of tire repair and perhaps durability. Of course, modern tubulars and greatly improved over 1960's kit. You don't have to glue them anymore, use two sided tape.

[davidschaadt]

Real nice video. I have sew-ups on my old bike, i don't ride anymore but I wouldn't buy a new one with them. An old classic, of course.

[orpheus]

Classic bikes are so beautiful! I’d buy one if I could!

[bikenraider]

Good video. These are good tips for buying any used bike these days.

[hoser]

Omg that is my dream garage. True Nirvana! Your collection looks so impressive!

[MalkyMcMillan]

Vintage bikes are engineering works of art.

[event]

Thanks for your tips!
One more from me - check if crank ends have same distance to chainstays on both sides. And both pedals are perpendikular to axis going through front and rear wheels.

[lihtan]

These are some great tips. I ended with a really mint 1984 Bianchi that ended up being an impulse buy that I found at a garage sale last summer. The frame is way too big for me, but the bike was just too nice to pass up.

[the.mermaid.scientist]

A few months ago I saw a Panasonic DX-2000 for $150 at the thrift store -the only reason I didn't buy it was the frame was too large for me 😅 I hadn't even considered most of what was discussed here! Hopefully it found a forever home =)

[Nerdsplayingcards]

I picked up a Schwinn super le tour and I love it, it's super light weight quick nimble

[solitaryrefinement]

I scored a vintage Tommasini Super Prestige. I thought the drivetrain was rusted shut and was expecting to begin to replace the Dura-Ace bits, but I hit with some WD40 and broke it free. Then I hit it with some citrus degreaser and it came to life shifting quieter and smoother than my new Dura-Ace 9100 & 105! I had a Cheshire Cat grin on my face after that. It's just amazing how older stuff just holds up better. I can't believe that a modern groupset with all it's carbon & plastic parts would hold up to being encrusted in rust without suffering permanent damage.

[pascalbruyere]

That’s a lot of nice bikes that should be on the market and then on the road.