have you ever had a dream bike that you finally find and spend an entire winter putting the finishing touches on?waiting for that first day you get to take it out and let the wind fly? you know..greased all the bearings and oiled all the springs,new tires and all the accesories that turn your bike into that "one of a kind" piece of rolling art..only to realize on the first downstroke of the first pedal of spring it rides like a 20 ton drunk elephant? this for some reason annoys me more often than not. i know,i know, its an old bike..its got "character"..no, what its got is a horrible riding experience lined up for you ..haha, i love my old bikes and would never sell or get rid of one but i just get bummed when your dreams of a silver bullet are replaced with the realization of s*** bucket..so...has this happened to you?? if so what is your solution? do you set it up in your house and let people look at it? or do you grin and bear it and beef up your calves year in and year out? or dare i say..sell it or use it in some sick frankenstein parts trade? lets discuss :wink:
does this ever happen to you?
- Thread starter schwinner
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I hear you I take my old bikes out for a ride and somtimes its more of a workout than I get at the gym. I think the thing to remember with these old bikes is that short trips are always better and don't try to win any races.
Chris
Chris
You might try swapping sprockets to give yourself a lower gear ratio. I enjoy riding my rat with a 44-22 set up over my all original 55 Schwinn with a 48-18. And if that doesn't fix the issues you have with it sell the bike and put the money towards building another one. Chalk this bike up to building experience.
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what udallcustombikes said..GEAR' Em! or an internal hub or derailleur and wheel. Re-gearing any way you do it can make that heavy bike come alive and be a pleasure to ride. I just put the original parts on a shelf if I decide to change it back and sell it.
Gears, and alignment. It might surprise you what a little filing, spacing, and maybe a little leverage can do to improve an old and/or cheap ride. Less effort spent keeping straight leaves more energy and attention for locomoting. Reduces saddle fatigue too. ZOOM, baby. :wink:
Riding like a Drunken Elephant is usually not caused by a bike's age or weight. It's caused by it being out of balance with the Universe. I've got an old Schwinn Racer that weighs 32 lbs..... and it rides like a dream machine. Throught the years, I've discovered that 's the ERG's that make a bike a masterpiece. If your ERGS (ie... ergonomics) are out of balance, you will not ride well.... you and the bike must become one with each other to conquer the road, Grasshopper.
Like UdalCB said.... gear ratio is very important. If you try to overgear a heavy bike, it's not going to ride right. Gear it down a little.... like maybe a 46/19, or even Udall's 44/22 and life will get better. It'll also be a little slower... which in today's world might be a good thing. It'll add some ZEN to your life.
The next biggie is your Yoga. Yeah.... I know that low is cool, and laid back is cool, or maybe with your hind end up higher than your head is cool..... but that doesn't make a bike ride well. Ape hangers are also cool to look at, but will tire you out rather quickly. Your body was built with certain body part lengths ( I mean LEGS and ARMS!) and these parts work best at certain angles and loads. The bike builders of ancient times (like the 1930's) pretty well figured out what works. If you stick within their wisdom, you will achieve riding bliss. If you stray from the path, you'll get a crick in your neck.
Third... and big in my book are the tires: Monster wide tires, and hyper skinny tires can be very nice to look at, but a nice middle-sized street tire is hard to beat for comfort. Yeah, I know they can look dorky.... but dorky can be cool in it's own right, if embraced properly.
Forth... be true to your hiney: get a comfy seat. My old Schwinn Continental is a BEAUTY to look at, but it's original seat feels like it was more intended to extract pennance than to ride. I've got a cool ol Brooks that also makes me walk like a cowboy after riding for more than a few miles. Riding on such a seat will not get you into heaven. Forgive yourself of all your sins, and give yourself an indulgence: buy a comfy saddle.... or swipe one off of your little brother's bike. He never rides it anyway.
finally.... think about your purpose in life. Or more correctly, your bike's purpose.
Sometimes to ride nicely, you have to sacrifice some of your artistic vison and stick with what actually works.... OR ride the cool bike and accept it for it's artisitc beauty, but be perpared for a crappy ride. OR accept the wisdom of the ages, and do like I do: have a cool bike to show off, and a comfy one to ride.
Now... go forth and transform that Drunken Elephant into a street Nirvanna. Ride in Harmony. Aaahhhhhhh Mmmmmmmm..... *ding*
Like UdalCB said.... gear ratio is very important. If you try to overgear a heavy bike, it's not going to ride right. Gear it down a little.... like maybe a 46/19, or even Udall's 44/22 and life will get better. It'll also be a little slower... which in today's world might be a good thing. It'll add some ZEN to your life.
The next biggie is your Yoga. Yeah.... I know that low is cool, and laid back is cool, or maybe with your hind end up higher than your head is cool..... but that doesn't make a bike ride well. Ape hangers are also cool to look at, but will tire you out rather quickly. Your body was built with certain body part lengths ( I mean LEGS and ARMS!) and these parts work best at certain angles and loads. The bike builders of ancient times (like the 1930's) pretty well figured out what works. If you stick within their wisdom, you will achieve riding bliss. If you stray from the path, you'll get a crick in your neck.
Third... and big in my book are the tires: Monster wide tires, and hyper skinny tires can be very nice to look at, but a nice middle-sized street tire is hard to beat for comfort. Yeah, I know they can look dorky.... but dorky can be cool in it's own right, if embraced properly.
Forth... be true to your hiney: get a comfy seat. My old Schwinn Continental is a BEAUTY to look at, but it's original seat feels like it was more intended to extract pennance than to ride. I've got a cool ol Brooks that also makes me walk like a cowboy after riding for more than a few miles. Riding on such a seat will not get you into heaven. Forgive yourself of all your sins, and give yourself an indulgence: buy a comfy saddle.... or swipe one off of your little brother's bike. He never rides it anyway.
finally.... think about your purpose in life. Or more correctly, your bike's purpose.
Sometimes to ride nicely, you have to sacrifice some of your artistic vison and stick with what actually works.... OR ride the cool bike and accept it for it's artisitc beauty, but be perpared for a crappy ride. OR accept the wisdom of the ages, and do like I do: have a cool bike to show off, and a comfy one to ride.
Now... go forth and transform that Drunken Elephant into a street Nirvanna. Ride in Harmony. Aaahhhhhhh Mmmmmmmm..... *ding*
Yes. Sometimes I think I sould have just bought a vintage motorcycle and put peddles on it. Once you are used to a road bike these things just seem like work. I am suprized that these things were meant for children. I also feel dumb riding them as well. One thing that does help quite a bit is to look for some ching shin tires. They're cheap and look vintage and can handle 65 psi.
MW.... bonntrager Road Warrior tires are perfect. They take up to 90 psi, and can turn an old clunker into a nice ride.
Now... about feeling dumb riding them: the idea here is to be cool, and have fun... so if riding a particular bike doesn't do it for you, then it's time to find / build one that does. If you are a roadie, then perhaps an old, classic road bike is what you need. (just an idea....)
Now... about feeling dumb riding them: the idea here is to be cool, and have fun... so if riding a particular bike doesn't do it for you, then it's time to find / build one that does. If you are a roadie, then perhaps an old, classic road bike is what you need. (just an idea....)
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I normally tinker with it till I like it. I always ride my bikes (Most daily) so If I notice something I want different I tinker with it before I put it away.
heck mine wasnt even vintage, and i hadnt really built it. finally got a sidehack after looking and waiting for a year or two, thing handles like a three wheeled tank, when you see a hill you cry if there is a passenger with you, and the brake. .well there aint any really. and on top of that the forks are bent to the left. lucky for me the old owner bought the extended warranty so im planning on returning it to get a new one that doesnt have bent forks, and does have brakes that work.
Now, we may be talking about 2 different things here, but I feel certain that we've all picked out a "dream" bike, built it up high on a pedestal in our minds, and set ourselves up for disappointment once we got it built in real life. huge expectations can lead to that sort of situation.
Other times, things just don't turn out as we'd intended them. Not a vintage bike by any stretch, but a guy I know researched some scheme for an off-road touring bike (salsa fargo), figured out his perfect size, built it up with top-shelf parts, rode it half a dozen times, and realized he hated the way it rode. Sold the frame and half the parts, and put the rest to another build. that happens, too.
But, in terms of building a vintage dreambike and being disappointed by the reality of antiquated performance: I think you've gotten some great advice from ppl here already. UDall and Tornado pretty much hit the main points; here's some more specifics: For 26" ballooners with a relaxed riding position/mission, i like to go with something between 65 and 70 gear inches, fast-rolling tires (fat franks are hard to beat!), and I put my saddle up higher than most folks on here do.. Not high like on my mountain bike, but a little too high to look cool. Feels a lot better to ride it that way, though.
Of course, we all have our own preferences, but if we just wanted high-performance bicycles, we'd be on carbon-fiber cutting-edge bikes and probably on a different forum. Some of us might have bikes like that, and be on those forums, but they come on here as well--- because we all have an appreciation for the old n crusty things, too.
-rob
Other times, things just don't turn out as we'd intended them. Not a vintage bike by any stretch, but a guy I know researched some scheme for an off-road touring bike (salsa fargo), figured out his perfect size, built it up with top-shelf parts, rode it half a dozen times, and realized he hated the way it rode. Sold the frame and half the parts, and put the rest to another build. that happens, too.
But, in terms of building a vintage dreambike and being disappointed by the reality of antiquated performance: I think you've gotten some great advice from ppl here already. UDall and Tornado pretty much hit the main points; here's some more specifics: For 26" ballooners with a relaxed riding position/mission, i like to go with something between 65 and 70 gear inches, fast-rolling tires (fat franks are hard to beat!), and I put my saddle up higher than most folks on here do.. Not high like on my mountain bike, but a little too high to look cool. Feels a lot better to ride it that way, though.
Of course, we all have our own preferences, but if we just wanted high-performance bicycles, we'd be on carbon-fiber cutting-edge bikes and probably on a different forum. Some of us might have bikes like that, and be on those forums, but they come on here as well--- because we all have an appreciation for the old n crusty things, too.
-rob
Been there and experienced that...I built up a 48 Hornet with all original parts and I thought it looks so cool...took it for a ride and I swear it was pulling a freakin trailer! I have several prewar bikes that ride fine and are a pleasure to put in miles but this thing was a tank. Measured the crank arms, 6-1/2" so went to 7" and it helped, then swapped out the rear 10-tooth skip for an 11-tooth and that helped. Put on a set of new repop tires with 45lbs of air and again, that helped but it just never felt as good as my other bikes so off it went...schwinner said:
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I am interested in different types of bikes for different riding experiences. I have a Dyno Roadster (single speed) that puts your legs out in front of you rather than beneath you. It's definitely a different style of pedaling but for me I like it the best. When I want power to climb a hill instead of getting up on the pedals I reach forward and grab the bars either side of the stem - no energy lost in handlebar flex. I can see where a recumbent would work for me too - with my back supported I could put pressure between the seat back and the pedals. I don't know if it has something to do with working construction all my life but exerting power using this method seems natural and the most efficient to be. I bring this up because the Roadster is heavier than any of my classics. I did tinker with the gears for awhile - I run 26 x 9 on my RRBBO5 bike with 65 lb tires and it doesn't seem that difficult to get rolling and with the 65 lb tires and the gear ratio she flies. We don't have a lot of hills here so I can get away with that gearing and keep it at speed. It's a '49 CWC but for actual riding I raise the seat - doesn't look as cool but I have to be able to extend my legs. Moving the seat back on a Lucky 7 post also helps there. But with the Roadster I finally ended up with 44 x 20 so i could get all that weight rolling quicker.
For super casual riding in our local cruiser club anything works. Lately I've been riding a Dyno Moto Glide w/ a Nexis 4 - most the time I'm in 2nd and very rarely see 4th. When the annual "Nite Ride" comes around and we're doing 50 miles I don't pretend to be cool w/ a classic - out comes the road bike. Essentially I can't get away with just one bike in one configuration. So style of riding or of "the ride" itself determine as much as weight, gears and tire pressure. First time I rode the Fat Franks I was amazed at how little rolling resistence they have - that 2.35 tire rolled easier than any 2.125 I have ever had. There's a lot of difference with 30-40 lbs pressure and 65 lbs pressure on a classic. Fine tuning everything is going to be icing on the cake but I mentally prepare for a given ride with a particular bike. And let's not forget Parades! I have a "Parade Bike" dressed to the hilt and looks purty and at walking speeds the only thing that matters is how she looks.
I always feel comfortable on any bike of mine that I ride. My bikes look like me and I don't look out of place on my classics - I am that old. The first bike I bought was a Roadmaster w/ the bumper style springer and I still ride that same style bike today, along with a handful of others. I guess if you can only afford or have room for one bike that would be a tough choice. Like most of us I enjoy riding all kinds of bikes so to pick one would be difficult at best. Something as simple as adding a 3 speed w/ coaster brake can turn that frown upside down. Just keep juggling parts around until you find what you like - or it finds you. My motto is Have Fun! Robert
For super casual riding in our local cruiser club anything works. Lately I've been riding a Dyno Moto Glide w/ a Nexis 4 - most the time I'm in 2nd and very rarely see 4th. When the annual "Nite Ride" comes around and we're doing 50 miles I don't pretend to be cool w/ a classic - out comes the road bike. Essentially I can't get away with just one bike in one configuration. So style of riding or of "the ride" itself determine as much as weight, gears and tire pressure. First time I rode the Fat Franks I was amazed at how little rolling resistence they have - that 2.35 tire rolled easier than any 2.125 I have ever had. There's a lot of difference with 30-40 lbs pressure and 65 lbs pressure on a classic. Fine tuning everything is going to be icing on the cake but I mentally prepare for a given ride with a particular bike. And let's not forget Parades! I have a "Parade Bike" dressed to the hilt and looks purty and at walking speeds the only thing that matters is how she looks.
I always feel comfortable on any bike of mine that I ride. My bikes look like me and I don't look out of place on my classics - I am that old. The first bike I bought was a Roadmaster w/ the bumper style springer and I still ride that same style bike today, along with a handful of others. I guess if you can only afford or have room for one bike that would be a tough choice. Like most of us I enjoy riding all kinds of bikes so to pick one would be difficult at best. Something as simple as adding a 3 speed w/ coaster brake can turn that frown upside down. Just keep juggling parts around until you find what you like - or it finds you. My motto is Have Fun! Robert
