600km on a free bike

[Morzedec]

Some of you may remember that I posted earlier this year about finding an old bike on a skip. It looked rideable, just had been left behind by people who had moved house - and, needing a 'hack' down at my French home, perhaps stupidly decided to ride it the 600km to there. It proved to be a heavy beast - about 30kg, - and I found out that these bikes were make in their millions about 30years ago, then bought and 'branded' by all sorts of companies - from Raleigh to Claude Butler, and so on.
No matter - apart from the padded saddle which proved to be bum sore rubbish, with air in the tyres it rode quite well, the gear changer and brakes worked, and if rather a pig uphill when fully loaded (suggest it was built as a short range shopper!) eight days later I was in Deux-Sevres and putting it into the shed, where it can stay for now (I normally ride there and back in the summer months on something far more suitable, but use an engined (ie non electric) vehicle in the colder months - camping when It's icy is no fun at my advanced age). Non-electric? - there are no charging points for many kilometres in my rural area.

The moral of this saga is, "why pay a fortune for a bike when you don't have to?" Just being out riding is the most important thing, unless you are determinedly ego and lycra clad - look at me, look at me - so go hop onto an old steel framed and aged something for your next End to End, and just have fun!

(ps: I Rode back to the UK on the 45 year old Raleigh!)

Happy Days!

[Euro-Paul]

Hi - Glad there's someone else who doesn't mind using old but serviceable bikes that have been donated, found on skips, or usually in my case, bought for 30 quid on Gumtree or similar!

It all started when I was doing the Camino to Santiago, from Vezelay in France, but had to break it up into three annual chunks, due to lack of holiday days. I started off (year 1) flying my old hybrid over in a bike bag, posting the bag on to Bordeaux P.O. then cycling to Bordeaux (off-route), then catching the European Bike Express (old Atlantic route) back to Leeds. Second and third years I couldn't work out an easy and cost effective way of managing this, so I decided to use "disposable bikes", flying them out in cardboard boxes (from my LBS), doing the next stage of the route, then leaving the bike leaning up against a cathedral wall with a note saying "this was my bike - it's now yours", and flying back with my modest panniers lashed down as cabin luggage! I did do the usual safety checks, and tweaked the gear-shifts and brakes etc. before I set off, but what great fun, getting to Santiago (see pic) on an old bike that was subsequently (I hope) found and used by a local youth.

Last time I did it was 2022, Cherbourg to Narbonne, then gave bike away and flew back from Beziers.

I don't like to fly these days, and use trains/Ferries and/or EBE to and from France, with my "proper" Dawes Galaxy fully assembled, But The "disposable" (or rather donatable) bike method got me through a few awkward bike transport quandaries without any hitches!

(Example "disposable bike" pics: Near Garonne 2022, Santiago 2014)

Paul.

[attac

[Ferrij]

Totally agree. There will always be some who crave the latest gadgets but it’s not about what we ride but the enjoyment it gives us, and more often than not, simpler is better.

[LittleGreyCat]

Nice looking bikes.

This makes me wonder if there could be a more formal approach to this.
Places near major railway stations and airports where you could pick up and drop off bikes which could then be reused by others.

A bit like hire bikes but without the formality and liability.

Pick up a bike at East Midlands and drop it off at Leeds, for example?

[Morzedec]

I'm glad to find that I am not alone in using aged equipment.

When the age of my Raleigh is added to my own age, the total comes to 125 years - and whilst neither of us is in the 'first flush', both of us will stay on the road whilst we can - albeit with a little more fettling as the years go by.

At our small French home we have neither a vehicle, a TV, a telephone, not a computer - free foraged wood for the fire - and wine at 2 Euros a bottle from 'under the counter' at the nearest bar. Milk, not that I use it but if we have guests camping in the garden means a 24 kilometre ride to the shop, there and back. Our own veg, apples, pears and peaches from the garden, all free.

Ego and fancy free, who really cares who we are or what we do? Happy days!

[AndyB1]

When I rode my 1990s Giant MTB in India a couple of years back I decided to leave it out there. It was a steel framed rigid bike with 3x7 gears, 26 inch wheels and V brakes so spares were available locally. My panniers, rack etc came back with me for use on my next bike. What I had not realised was that cycles in India are very cheap. So a thirty year old Mountain bike was perhaps not the prized item I thought it might be!
Last winter when I cycled that way again I met up with the people I had left it with and it was good to see that it had been cleaned up and was running well. It had been used by a few different people so had got some use and they said they found it faster than the heavier local bikes.
The purple bike is the Giant, the other is the Thorn Sherpa that I toured on last year (and brought back to UK).

[TrevA]

Is that a Raleigh Clubman? I had the exact same model in the 1980’s, down to the maroon colour and gold ESGE mudguards. Sadly, mine got stolen, never to be seen again.

[Morzedec]

TrevA, correct, it's a Clubman - I bought it about twenty tears ago off a well-known racing cyclist who was using it as a 'trainer', and converted it to be my 'fast tourer' - ie, two bags but no panniers or trailer.

It is now, all this time later, still a fast bike when unladen - a bit scary at times, when I am used to travelling with a full load - I spend half my time trying to keep up with it!

Happy Days.

[simonhill]

Perhaps we should call these old bikes 'classic tourers'.

My first tourer in the '80s was a 6 speed MTB which did me for 17 years. Next a new GT MTB bought when they were selling cheap after going bust (£250).

Now riding a 2012 Surly LHT - 26", flat bar and very similar to your skip bike (£1300).

All these bikes are very similar and have done me well in all manner of touring in multiple countries. Relatively small 'technical improvements' over the years would be vee brakes and now on 9 speed and Tubus rack.

Skips and garages have plenty to offer if you want a solid tourer (or shopper) and you're not worried about the latest (and probably a bit better) fad.

[Bmblbzzz]

Nice looking bikes.

This makes me wonder if there could be a more formal approach to this.
Places near major railway stations and airports where you could pick up and drop off bikes which could then be reused by others.

A bit like hire bikes but without the formality and liability.

Pick up a bike at East Midlands and drop it off at Leeds, for example?

Makes me think of the phone boxes converted into libraries.

[Bice]

I so agree with this approach. I don't like fancy cycling gear when touring, and I want to leave a bike when visiting museums etc. Mine is a 3x7 steel Marin MTB that got me from Normandy to Provence with no trouble. It cost £80, plus I made some Sputnik wheels and put butterfly bars and ergo grips on it, and a nice Brooks saddle. I would not want to just give it away, but it would not be tragic if it got stolen.

It was never fast, but with all that stuff on it, no bike would be.

Pic is on the 'Dolce Via' in the Ardeche, going down a 140km old railway to the Rhone:

[scottg]

I so agree with this approach. I don't like fancy cycling gear when touring, and I want to leave a bike when visiting museums etc. Mine is a 3x7 steel Marin MTB that got me from Normandy to Provence with no trouble. It cost £80[snip]

3X7 is quite posh, your ancestors toured on 3 speed floating chain bicycles,
no fancy foreign derailleurs for them, harumphhh.

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