A Cycling & bikes forum. CycleBanter.com

Go Back   Home » CycleBanter.com forum » rec.bicycles » General
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Old Bike still OKAY?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old August 28th 11, 06:34 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
John Homan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Old Bike still OKAY?

I am thinking of getting back into biking. nothing too serious, maybe
25-50 miles on country roads in the relative flatlands of Chicago's
Northern Suburbs and the rolling hills of Wisconsin. I have a 39 yr
old Gitane Interclub that is in good shape. I think it weighs 27 lbs.
Is this bike still viable for my needs or should I get something newer?
Ads
  #2  
Old August 28th 11, 09:40 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Jack McCue[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Old Bike still OKAY?

John Homan wrote:
snip
old Gitane Interclub that is in good shape. I think it weighs 27 lbs.
Is this bike still viable for my needs or should I get something newer?


I would say yes, google search turned up this

http://www.gitaneusa.com/models_4.asp

Jack
  #3  
Old August 29th 11, 02:55 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Peter Cole[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,572
Default Old Bike still OKAY?

On 8/28/2011 1:34 PM, John Homan wrote:
I am thinking of getting back into biking. nothing too serious, maybe
25-50 miles on country roads in the relative flatlands of Chicago's
Northern Suburbs and the rolling hills of Wisconsin. I have a 39 yr
old Gitane Interclub that is in good shape. I think it weighs 27 lbs.
Is this bike still viable for my needs or should I get something newer?


The big thing is probably the wheels. Often older wheels aren't up to
today's standards. The problem is mostly the spokes, assuming the rims
are aluminum and have hooks for tire beads. If the wheels stay true and
don't break spokes, then you're probably fine, otherwise you may want to
tune them up or replace them.

People's preferred posture on the bike can change over time. You may
want the handlebars higher, for instance. Also bars were typically much
narrower in those days, most prefer wider bars today. Rear sprocket
clusters have gone from 5-6 to 10-11 today, and freewheels have been
replaced by freehubs. Once you start down that upgrade path you may
eventually have nothing original left but the frame and fork. That's not
bad if you like the old ones, but it's probably more economical to buy a
new bike at that point. Good quality old frames and forks often have
surprisingly high resale value. Riding the bike you have for a while can
help decide what you want to buy.
  #4  
Old September 2nd 11, 02:22 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Old Bike still OKAY?

It depends on the weather. The brakes for the last 7 years or so will stop the bike in wet weather where the older ones will not. I have a bike made of aluminum that cuts 10 minutes off a 1 hour trip, but I prefer the older steel bike if it is not going to rain, because I am more comfortable on it..
  #5  
Old September 6th 11, 01:22 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
TFM®
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6
Default Old Bike still OKAY?

On Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:55:21 -0400, Peter Cole wrote:

On 8/28/2011 1:34 PM, John Homan wrote:
I am thinking of getting back into biking. nothing too serious, maybe
25-50 miles on country roads in the relative flatlands of Chicago's
Northern Suburbs and the rolling hills of Wisconsin. I have a 39 yr
old Gitane Interclub that is in good shape. I think it weighs 27 lbs.
Is this bike still viable for my needs or should I get something newer?


The big thing is probably the wheels. Often older wheels aren't up to
today's standards. The problem is mostly the spokes, assuming the rims
are aluminum and have hooks for tire beads. If the wheels stay true and
don't break spokes, then you're probably fine, otherwise you may want to
tune them up or replace them.

People's preferred posture on the bike can change over time. You may
want the handlebars higher, for instance. Also bars were typically much
narrower in those days, most prefer wider bars today. Rear sprocket
clusters have gone from 5-6 to 10-11 today, and freewheels have been
replaced by freehubs. Once you start down that upgrade path you may
eventually have nothing original left but the frame and fork. That's not
bad if you like the old ones, but it's probably more economical to buy a
new bike at that point. Good quality old frames and forks often have
surprisingly high resale value. Riding the bike you have for a while can
help decide what you want to buy.


My Schwinn is 23 years old and serves me just fine. It weighs 24 pounds.

The wheels are an issue. I replaced mine a few months ago.
Newer wheels will have a groove where the brake pads contact to indicate
the wear level.
My 23 year old wheels didn't have such an indicator and were dangerously
thin at the time of replacement.
It wouldn't be good to have a wheel failure during a panic stop.

TFM®
  #6  
Old September 17th 11, 04:24 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Frank Krygowski[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,365
Default Old Bike still OKAY?

John Homan wrote:
I am thinking of getting back into biking. nothing too serious, maybe
25-50 miles on country roads in the relative flatlands of Chicago's
Northern Suburbs and the rolling hills of Wisconsin. I have a 39 yr
old Gitane Interclub that is in good shape. I think it weighs 27 lbs.
Is this bike still viable for my needs or should I get something newer?


If it's in good shape, it's probably fine for a little while. But there
are several things to check before proclaiming it to be in good shape.

Is the bike really low mileage (i.e. stored indoors most of the time)?
If it's been either left out in the weather or ridden a lot, it may not
be worth much.

If it's clean and rust free, I'd still want to do a lot of overhaul and
tuning. I'd replace tires, inner tubes and brake blocks. I'd pull all
cables out and at least lube them, if not replace them. I'd check the
chain for wear. (Measuring pin to pin, 12" of chain should not be more
than 1/16" "stretched.") If the rims are steel, not aluminum (check with
a magnet) I'd not ride in the rain, since steel rims have almost no
braking friction when wet. Make sure rims are true, without wobbles.
If they need truing, it may be very difficult, because spoke nipples may
be frozen on the spokes. And really, all bearings (cranks, hubs,
pedals, headset) need taken apart and lubricated, because the grease
will have turned to wax. The chain will need cleaned and lubricated too.

If you do all this on your own, it will probably take you several solid
days of work. If you take it to a bike shop, the cost will probably be
more than the bike is worth.

Part of the problem is that the bike will have many French-measurement
parts. Those are very non-standard, very hard to find, and make
rehabilitating the bike much more difficult than it would otherwise be.
In particular, if even the chain is worn, then the rear cogs will be
worn, you won't be able to find a French threaded freewheel, and you'd
have to get a new rear wheel. Unless you cannibalize some other old
bike, that alone justifies the move to something more modern.

That's my opinion, anyway. And I like old bikes!
See http://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html for more information.



--
- Frank Krygowski
  #7  
Old September 19th 11, 09:20 AM
Aqua Aqua is offline
Junior Member
 
First recorded activity by CycleBanter: Sep 2011
Posts: 4
Default

I don't know if I would do so much tuning if I just wanted to ride a bit on country roads... Of course, safety comes first, so you should definitely check the wheels and the brakes.
Where did you find the old bike? Was it yours? A family heirloom? 39yrs is pretty much :-)
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
For Sale: Bike, Bike, Bike, Bike, Frame, and wheels. gplama[_137_] Australia 53 July 3rd 07 09:37 AM
road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one Maurice Wibblington UK 44 September 27th 06 10:53 PM
road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - CHOSEN AND BOUGHT Maurice Wibblington UK 26 September 27th 06 11:56 AM
We've had the row bike, kick bike, treadmill bike (yes really) now the..... PiledHigher Australia 0 August 4th 06 07:03 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:02 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CycleBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.