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!
THANK YOU for that blog! I have a beautiful blue Peugeot UO8 purchased new in 1973 at college, and still in great shape. When I bought it, the shop swapped out the Simplex Prestige rear derailleur for a Suntour GT for better shifting in the mountains and valleys of State College. Within 3 months I had the Rigida chrome rims replaced by Weinmann alloy rims. That was the best upgrade. I later added an Avocet saddle to replace the Ideale 39 leather saddle that must have been made from a petrified cow. The only other ‘upgrade’ was to a Sugino cotterless crank. I rode that bike daily for about 3 years until I bought a used Fuji S10S, which I rode for 40 years. When my future wife began riding the Peugeot was her first bike for 5 years. I still take the Peugeot out for short rides as it has great Mafac brakes and the classic silky ride.
I’ve restored a few 90’s MTB and hybrids, mostly Giants and Treks that were originally 7-speed triples. I started on my own bike just to upgrade the close-to-bottom of the range components they came stock with some nicer stuff I began accumulating off ebay when I could find bargains on NOS or barely used parts. Then some family and friends asked me to work on their 90’s bikes too in the same way. Mostly I kept things as close to original specs as I could unless there was a need for different kind of handlebar or saddle or if someone wanted to ditch the old cup/cone BB for a cartridge one, but things were rarely for sentimental reasons rather ergonomic or practical reasons or just to put on fancier components than they originally started with. I don’t think anyone is sentimental about made in Taiwan stuff anyway, but what do i know. I still have a 31 year old Giant in the garage as a beater bike that now has all Deore XT stuff. Still rides like butter.
My first decent bicycle was a much-too-big 1971 Gitane Tour de France (frankenbike), made up with a combination of Campy and early Dura Ace components…it was the bike that started my love of old French bicycles. Since then, I’ve built up three more Gitane TdF’s that came to me as unloved, bare frame sets: a 1972 TdF restomod randonneuse conversion in 700c with Campy 10 speed running gear in a “modern fit” size; a 1974 TdF “French fit” 650b randonneuse conversion with period running gear; and my latest, another 1972 TdF “French fit” in 700c, I rebuilt with period components, just to take me back to the original experience my first TdF gave me (except this time in a better size). All of them have VO to thank for being given a new lease on life. I love each of their ride qualities, and don’t hesitate to choose them over my modern bike for long rides.
I appreciate the range of products Velo Orange makes available for use on vintage bikes. I have or care for about 10 vintage bikes, most are hand-built British, French, and Austrian 531 frames, two are high-quality Tange Japanese frames. One is a period correct racing bike and the rest are purpose-built for the type of riding I do on them and my aesthetic choices. That ranges from fast road riding to all-road adventures plus one urban commuter. I like modern drivetrains and pedal systems and prefer silver components when possible for vintage bikes.
I appreciate the range of products Velo Orange makes available for use on vintage bikes. I have or care for about 10 vintage bikes, most are hand-built British, French, and Austrian 531 frames, two are high-quality Tange Japanese frames. One is a period correct racing bike and the rest are purpose-built for the type of riding I do on them and my aesthetic choices. That ranges from fast road riding to all-road adventures plus one urban commuter. I like modern drivetrains and pedal systems and prefer silver components when possible for vintage bikes.
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