What's the oldest equipment you'll happily use?

[Freddie]

Is anyone regularly riding a machine from the 1930s or 1940s? I don't just mean a frame of that age with more modern bits, but an entire, period correct bicycle (sans consumables, like tyres and tubes).

With regards to components, where do you draw the line regarding efficiency and safety? I imagine there are people here still using Mafac centre pull brakes, but how many would be happy using Resilion cantilevers or CLB sidepulls on today's roads. There are likely a few people still running 5 speed freewheels, but is anyone using 3 or 4 speed freewheels.

There are plenty of nice, old frames around, as good (and better?) than many modern ones, in certain ways, but components are without doubt, much better than they were in times of yore.

Should we feel bad that there are so many nice, old frames going unloved, because period parts aren't good/safe enough (even when available) for regular riding or should will feel bad by spreading the rear dropouts from say 116mm to 126mm or even 130mm, because we want new(er) parts on an old frame, whatever the cost to correctness/aesthetics.

A bicycle is made to be ridden and perhaps such sentiment is silly, but there does come a time when an old bike becomes something worth preserving in and of itself, yet somehow a bicycle museum of 'artifacts' never again to be ridden strikes me as almost as odd in concept as a hammer museum.

Is there a happy medium to be found?

[Jamesh]

8-9speed!!!!

Cheers James

[John Holiday]

Still regularly ride my 1914 Swift 'Cheylesmore ' Gents 3 speed roadster.
A bit high geared,but great ride & upright position gives good view & comfortable ride.
Guess our Grandparents' generation were fitter than us! Often find myself walking on steeper hills!

[Tompsk]

Me!

[mattsccm]

I wouldn't consider ditching anything that still worked. If it was OK when it was made I fail to see why it isn't now.

[Tompsk]

I wouldn't consider ditching anything that still worked. If it was OK when it was made I fail to see why it isn't now.

For steel yes but I'm a bit wary of aluminium alloys. I've some old Reynolds hideum(?) bars and not sure (without crack testing) if I'd trust them on a steep hill (up or down).

[irc]

Going the other way I have no bike bits older than my 2008 Surly Trucker frame.

Happy to use modern components compared to my first tourer, a 70s Peugeot 10 speed or my Raleigh Wayfarer before that.
The Wayfarer handled well and could go anywhere but the 3 speed gears left much to be desired and with the steel rims it barely stopped in the wet.

[Ugly]

1918 Royal Enfield Duplex Girder, all original with a SA A series three speed, this has medium gear with a slack wire pull the lever back for low, and further back for high.

[foxyrider]

My Eroica bike is actually my 1978 race bike with all the post '86 kit replaced by if not the actual parts, at least the same parts that it ran in the late '70's. A few bits are of earlier but still seventies vintage and whilst good in their day, compared to modern brakes, the single pivot Galli's need a bit more road for stopping!

The daily ride which has covered almost 7000km in 2020 (as i can't access my other steeds under Covid restrictions, they are 200 miles away) is a 531c frame from the '90's which until recently had the original drivetrain, bars, seatpost, d/t levers, brake levers, front mech, saddle, stem and headset, the brakes were upgraded in @ 2002 to DP and the chainset replaced from the worn out Shimano EX to Campag Veloce about the same time. The rear mech and saddle were replaced @ Easter as they were worn out. So there are still quite a few bits of 20 plus year vintage which will only go out of use when or if they fail and that includes the frame.

[millimole]

My 1946 Hetchins has the original frame, brakes, bar stem, crankset and pedals.
The only thing that really concerned me during the last refurb was the state of the bars which looked in danger of breaking apart.
I still have the original hub gear (SA AWC) and Dynohub but they aren't built into wheels - I'd happily use them and I think they are still in good shape.

[Marcus Aurelius]

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[fausto99]

My Dad's bike; a 1937 Mercier. Made in France using Reynolds 531 butted tubing. All original except for the tubs and the rear sprint rim. It was splitting at a spoke hole but I managed to rebuild it using the original hub, spokes and nipples! I also had to change the seatpost which had been cut short to save on weight; my Dad used to race and was shorter than me.

I've been using it regularly recently for lockdown exercise, riding circuits around the village. I can't do fixed wheel unless it's flat-ish these days. I also don't want to have to deal with tubular tyre incidents when far from home. Please excuse the spd pedals but I can't be bothered struggling with toe clips and straps when starting up on fixed. I have the original pedals, split rim and seatpost at home.



p.s. in it's present form it feels about the same weight as my CF Pinarello. I must get around to weighing them some time...

[simonineaston]

Anyone enjoying a diamond-framed bicycle is at least using a machine designed before the first world war.

[mig]

The daily ride which has covered almost 7000km in 2020 (as i can't access my other steeds under Covid restrictions, they are 200 miles away) is a 531c frame from the '90's which until recently had the original drivetrain, bars, seatpost, d/t levers, brake levers, front mech, saddle, stem and headset, the brakes were upgraded in @ 2002 to DP and the chainset replaced from the worn out Shimano EX to Campag Veloce about the same time. The rear mech and saddle were replaced @ Easter as they were worn out. So there are still quite a few bits of 20 plus year vintage which will only go out of use when or if they fail and that includes the frame.

how do you find that it compares to the more modern bikes?

[The utility cyclist]

I had not that long back a Simplex long arm shifter from the 50s fitted to a 60s 'club' type bike, the rear was the JUY51 as far as I could tell, the shifting (from the top tube) was okay but I wouldn't want to have it as a day to day machine or anything that I wanted to do general riding, pottering around as part of a specific event or to show old stuff off sure, but that isn't real world use.

Compromise in terms of how far back and feel comfortable to give it the absolute beans.

Any DT friction shifters and Suntour grand Prix RD, you can forget using the post WWII Campag RDs
Chainsets are much of a muchness tbh, if it spins round okay without coming loose then it works but the earliest one I've used is a 1958 Williams that fitted to a Helical BB that worked just great.
Brakes wise, well I can't remember what I had as a kid on my cheap lower end Raleigh Winner but they seemed to be fine, however one of my favourite retro brakesets in terms of function is the Shimano 600EX from mid 80s, fantastic stoppers, I'd happily have these on a bike and descend in the alps.