Practicality vs. Sentimentality - Does it Bring You Joy?
A lot of us have attachments to items we own that don't make financial sense. I'm not a sentimental person, by and large. I have a few objects that I hold near and dear to me, but in the case of the house catching fire, my wife and I will grab the cats and the wedding album and that's about it.
I bring up the idea of bonds and sentimentality and how it pertains to bicycles. We get a lot of folks coming to us to help keep their older bikes going. We've got the various bottom brackets and headsets to keep those older Peugeot UO8s and Schwinn Le Tours rolling along, handlebars to replace the going-on-40-year-old original bars, and all the fixings to make them unique to the rider. I'm curious as to whether folks are keeping them going in their original shape, setting them up as a commuter bike with newer components, or something in the middle like changing the bars and consumables for a spiffy and novel weekend rider.
The larger question of whether or not a bike should be restored to its shiny and new glory, simply spruced up and ridden, or hung on the wall? The answer is a resounding...."it depends"....
There are so many factors that goes into a decision like this. Does the bike have sentimental value, significant historical value, or is it just a fun project to work on? These decisions aren't easy especially when it comes to a budget.
There is no question that certain bikes hold more or less value to us as individuals - for example, Adrian and Igor have matching Campeurs that they used for their Denmark wedding tour. You can read about his and her Forever Bikes here.
A Peugeot UO8 is perhaps the best bike to use as an example here, as it is a re-occurring character at VO HQ. Peugeot made thousands and thousands of these bikes during the bike boom of the 60s and 70s. They were mid to low end of the range with Simplex shifting, Mafac brakes, and cottered cranks. They weren't anything special, but they were affordable, had cool graphics and Aztec lugs, and it got people on bikes - and that's what made it an icon of the era.
Would a UO8 be my first choice for a restoration? Probably not. But if a particular UO8 had significance in my life, like it was a beloved family member's, a first bike, or something of that nature, well that is a whole different story. Now that specific bike has significant sentimental value and that doesn't necessarily have the same price tag as a random UO8. I would absolutely argue that it deserves either a full restoration or moderate refurbishment to make it safe to ride - budget allowing. Replacing consumables like chains, brake pads, handlebar tape, and tires goes a long way.
I see outrageous pricing for original Simplex derailleurs and hear stories online of collectors paying huge amounts of money for period-correct parts. Is it to recreate this bike from 1973 and then display it or is someone actually riding this bike? For a lot of people, it's a totally worthwhile exercise to go and take an older frame, fix it up, put a new saddle on it, new brake pads and cables and then go out and use it. But I think one has to admit that, like many things, bikes have improved over the last 50 years and to just blindly restore a bike back to its original condition may not be the best decision.
Do you restore old bikes for sentimental reasons? Do you restore them to stock condition or do you make them more modern? Let us know in the comments!
I’ve been wrenching on bicycles since the late sixties, but have recently taken it up again. It started with a couple of abandoned bikes from the neighborhood, then I found a white Peugeot mixte like the one my wife rode on a summer ride in the mid 70s down the west coast. Replaced the crank with a little bit later Peugeot cotterless crank, put on some nice vintage pedals, and replaced the tires, chain, Simplex derailleurs, and cables and covers. Gave it to my daughter who rides it around town when out with her kids. Shortly thereafter I picked up a Gitane like I rode in college before an accident mangled the frame. Stripped it down, painted it pearl white, cleaned up all the components and replaced tires, chain, cables, brake pads, bar tape and seat. It was a beauty when finished, but like my original a bit too large for me. So I sold it to a fellow who’d wanted for decades to replace the white Gitane of his youth. Now I pick up a mixte whenever I can, replace the drop bars with a VO porteur bar (sometimes inverted, sometimes not), add new VO brake grips, new tires and whatever else it may need, and end up with delightful bikes for city riding that I’ve passed on to several happy customers. I myself ride a Linus roadster that needs nothing more done to it, but I love bringing old bikes back to riding condition to keep them on the road.
A few years ago, I did a resto-mod on the first bike I bought as an adult, a Bridgestone 400. This was after 3 bike shop owners told me I was wasting my money because it was “nothing special”. It is now completely priceless to me!
I still have my first fancy bike and allegro from 1980 but it probably dates from the mid 70s. Everything but one Diacom break has been replaced by somewhat appropriate components but the bike is unrecognizable from when I bought it. I have collected numerous steel bikes since then, most recently a gorgeous Peter Weigle from the early 90s. I replaced the wheels the seat the handlebar all aesthetically in tune with the bike but what’s original anyway? I love steel bikes. They are the best
The first bike I ever bought with my own money was a 19" Taiwanese made 1986 Kuwahara Impulse.
Last year I found a yellow 18" 1985 Japanese made Kuwahara Aries in the alley next to someones trash.
Rebuilt it with Shimano Deore 2×10 drive train, Avid levers shimano V brakes and it is my commuter bike now.
Got a 1" – 1-1/8" threaded conversion stem from VO and a new yellow 1" fork from an industrial trike / bike supplier. Definitely nostalgia over came sensibility as far as far a s value is concerned, but I have been stopped and complimented by complete strangers about this bike, who appreciate what it is.
We do lots of 90s mtbs at my house because the market in my area is flooded with them so frames are cheap. With the right cockpit, we can get a great fit, and they take all standard components. We do 1x or 3x drivetrains of various set ups. Often I’ll use a modern disc fork. Financially I come out a couple hundred dollars less than a new, similar quality, bike, but with the custom character we like.
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