I bought a 40 year old cycle, it’s hilarious

Join Date: Oct 2014

Location: Germany

Posts: 352

Thanked: 3,274 Times

A fewer weeks agone my bony started hurting. It wasn't excessively painful, but it was the benignant of achy that makes you judge it's truly gonna get achy soon, similar it's connected the borderline of explosion. I tried to spot a dentist present successful Germany, but cipher had an appointment, for weeks.

While I waited successful symptom to beryllium seen by a doctor, a symptom that could've been fixed wrong hours successful India, I noticed that distracting myself helped easiness the pain. If I sat down, the thoughts spiraled towards the pain, and the anticipation of it getting worse made maine much anxious, which accrued the sensation of pain. If I kept myself busy, the symptom went away, almost.

So people I bought a 2nd manus bicycle from 40 years ago. Say hullo to my 1982 Bertin C220.

Why?
A batch of radical person asked maine wherefore I'm not taking vantage of my clip present successful Europe by driving cars and riding motorcycles connected immoderate of the champion roads successful the world, wherefore I'm wasting it connected cycling. There are a fig of reasons for this, successful a erstwhile nonfiction I mentioned the astir evident one, that it's precise costly to get a licence here, and truthful are the security costs.

But that's not all. I erstwhile drove a car astir Scotland, and though the views were bully the thrust was alternatively boring. Being connected the roadworthy successful India is simply a precise aggravated experience, you ne'er cognize what the adjacent crook is going to crook up. Without that changeless fearfulness of imminent death, successful a spot wherever everyone is pursuing the rules of the road, wherever you don't person to dodge cows and dogs and humans, it feels similar a job, and I already person a mates of those.

More importantly, I privation to bash things successful Europe that I can't bash successful India. I can't rhythm successful India for hundreds of kilometers without crossing paths with a azygous car. I can't rhythm successful India down a pistillate successful a sundress who is carrying a babe successful a handbasket successful beforehand of her motorcycle and 2 dogs successful the handbasket behind. I can't rhythm successful India connected a vintage French instrumentality that's older than I am.

Why not new?
I already person a Decathlon RC500 rhythm that I bought new, and if I wanted to distract myself immoderate much I could've bought thing caller from Decathlon oregon anyplace else. But I person travel to hatred the unnecessary overcomplication and consumerism of the cycling culture, and I didn't privation to substance the dumpster fire.

Cycling is expected to beryllium the simplest signifier of transport, 2 wheels with a spot of metallic successful betwixt and a mode to enactment vigor from the nutrient you ate past nighttime into the tires. However, implicit the past fewer months I've explored the satellite of cycling arsenic it exists connected the internet, and I find it to beryllium disfigured and stupid.

Maybe it's a earthy portion of immoderate online assemblage wherever radical instrumentality their hobbies excessively seriously, but cycling to maine seems similar the worst of the bunch, adjacent worse than car oregon motorcycle internet. People spending thousands of Euros to shave disconnected a fewer grams, idiotic obsession based connected an incorrect knowing of aerodynamics, and astir annoying of each this inclination to travel trends with nary rhyme oregon reason.

This cognition is truthful communal that if you hunt for thing bicycle adjacent connected Youtube, your full timeline volition beryllium taken implicit by gravel racers, nutrition experts, and GCN. Over clip you find yourself dilatory being absorbed by this bubble of FTP and c and Zwift, a beingness wherever radical speech astir the watts they enactment retired contiguous arsenic if they're toasters, and you really perceive to them alternatively than laughing successful their face.

I recovered myself being funny successful bikes that outgo much than my Interceptor, bikes with physics shifting, bikes with powerfulness meters, bikes that are much machine than bike. I recovered myself browsing the Canyon website 1 time and realized I was genuinely considering buying a bicycle that outgo 3500 Euros, and that's erstwhile it deed me. I was astir to articulation the cult, it was clip to tally away.

How?
There's a immense civilization successful Europe astir buying 2nd manus things, acold bigger than it is successful India. Ebay died years agone there, but present it's live and thriving. My friends introduced maine to thing called Kleinanzeigen in Germany, and I was successful love.

I started looking for utilized bicycles online, and the archetypal occupation was, arsenic successful beingness successful general, deciding what the hellhole I wanted. Again I followed the aforesaid principle, I tin bargain applicable bicycles successful India too, bikes that'll instrumentality maine from constituent A to B successful astir comfort, truthful I should get thing impractical and anserine here. I unrecorded successful an flat truthful I wanted thing airy that I could transportation up and down easily. I've already experienced MTBs, and I already person a modern roadworthy bike, truthful the lone existent disposable enactment was a vintage.

The much I looked astatine vintage roadworthy bikes, the much I fell successful love. That signifier with the wholly horizontal apical conduit felt truthful close to me, truthful beautiful. These things look similar the explanation of a cycle, the signifier anybody would usage connected a roadworthy sign.

To support things spicy, I did nary existent research, conscionable dove caput archetypal into the disposable vintage bikes adjacent me. As with buying thing 2nd manus the process is achy and annoying, you gotta beryllium quick, you gotta negotiate, and you gotta beryllium alert against scams. It was hard enactment filtering options for hours everyday, hounding radical successful my unspeakable German, and watching the bikes I liked being sold away.

But 1 good time this Bertin showed up connected my timeline, it was the close size and it looked gorgeous. It was priced alternatively modestly astatine 170 Euros, it looked successful large condition, and it was walking region distant from me. I had ne'er heard of the Bertin marque before, but the classical signifier was what I wanted, and that's each I cared for.

As with each different things, there's a full overpriced marketplace for vintage bicycles made by fancy Italian companies. There's Bianchi, Colnago, Cinelli, and thing from them outgo good implicit 500 Euros, thousands successful immoderate cases. I didn't privation to bargain immoderate of these, not conscionable due to the fact that of the archetypal outgo but the outgo of parts if thing went wrong. Italian worldly successful wide looks great, but I wanted to thrust the damn happening too.

So I offered 140 to the guy, helium said 160, and I bought it for 150. Did I overpay? Almost certainly. I truly liked the motorcycle truthful I didn't negociate excessively hard, but for a implicit noob similar maine it's precise hard to justice the outgo of a vintage bike. I looked astatine immoderate of the parts connected it, and if I stripped the motorcycle and sold them separately they'll spell for possibly 200 Euros total, truthful I don't recognize however the implicit motorcycle sold for less, but I'm not complaining.

I walked implicit and picked it up the adjacent morning, the feline was bully and didn't caput my unspeakable German. Back location I enactment it up connected the basal and inspected it, not excessively shabby overall! The tires were successful atrocious shape, the rear instrumentality bearings made a clicking noise, but the framework was consecutive arsenic an arrow and it came with this exquisite Shimano 105 Golden Arrow groupset, with this beauteous golden signifier connected each the components, front/rear mech and brakes. Even the spot looks fantastic, idiosyncratic took existent bully attraction of this thing, and due to the fact that I had nary inheritance communicative to the motorcycle astatine all, the enigma added to the charm.

The friction hilarity
Even though the tires had a disposable gash successful them, I couldn't halt myself from taking it for a spin. I was instantly amazed astatine however airy it felt compared to my 650 Euro RC500, and truthful overmuch much comfortable. The Bertin weights astir 9 kgs, a kilo little than my modern roadworthy bike. I had heard that alloy frames were much compliant than aluminum, but I hadn't expected the quality to beryllium this much, particularly with its little weight.

And past determination are the friction shifters, I had heard of their beingness but of people had ne'er utilized them before. All bikes travel with indexed shifters nowadays, conscionable similar your car with a cogwheel knob that has 1 done 5 connected it, and each cogwheel has a circumstantial spot that you slot into. Friction shifters are this perfectly hilarious "technology" wherever there's nary indexing, you displacement by feel.

Think of it similar if your car had a woody rod successful spot of the cogwheel knob and nary clutch, and this rod tin beryllium moved guardant to get to a higher gear, and backmost for lower. When you privation to alteration gears, you determination the rod and perceive for the horrible crunching noises arsenic the motor and the transmission mesh together, erstwhile the noises are astatine their minimum, you are successful the close gear. But due to the fact that it's each by feel, you're ne'er truly successful the cleanable position, and it's ever noisy.

Friction shifters alteration the full dynamic of riding a bike. First disconnected they're mounted connected the downtube betwixt your legs, truthful you person to instrumentality a manus disconnected from the bars to alteration gears. Second, it takes a portion to slot into a gear, it's not similar the click of a mean bike, truthful you person to program your cogwheel changes good successful advance.

What this translates to is simply a precise aggravated riding experience, you person to absorption a batch much connected what you're going to do, and you situation not spell excessively fast, which is kinda bully due to the fact that it gives you clip to grin backmost astatine radical who look astatine your aged alloy and grin astatine you.

The tubular hilarity
Most mean radical cognize that 2 types of tires exist, tubeless and those with tubes. I was besides mean earlier I bought this thing, present I cognize that tubular tires exist. Tubular tires are this past happening wherever the tubes are attached straight into the tire, they are 1 azygous unit. This means that the wheels that judge tubular tires tin beryllium highly simple, fundamentally conscionable a circular portion of metallic with a tiny slump successful the middle. Unlike modern wheels there's nary crook connected the broadside to hook onto the bead of the tire.

But of people this simplicity comes astatine a cost, you request to connect the tubular tyre to the wheel, arsenic successful with glue and stuff. If you don't, the tyre tin conscionable gaffe disconnected the instrumentality during crisp turns etc. That's thing I noticed erstwhile I came backmost from my archetypal thrust connected the Bertin, the rear tyre was not centered anymore connected the wheel. Turns retired the motorcycle had immoderate precise aged tires connected it, and each the glue holding it to the instrumentality had degraded. With the gashes and the deficiency of glue it was alternatively unsafe to thrust this thing, I didn't privation different brushwood with the German healthcare system.

The satisfying fixes
Ordered a full clump of tools and parts, stole my wife's room apron, and started fixing the fewer things that were incorrect with this bike. First up were the rear instrumentality bearings, and fixing them was the archetypal clip successful my beingness that I had a satisfying mechanical experience. Some of you whitethorn person work my nightmare trying to "restore (How NOT to reconstruct your aged motorcycle)" my Pulsar 150, this was the implicit other of that. I person ever believed that I person nary mechanical consciousness astatine each and indispensable person been a stripper successful a erstwhile life, but this acquisition made maine consciousness amended astir my tinkering abilities.

The full drivetrain of the motorcycle was smeared with grease, it was aged grease but it was what had kept the motorcycle live for truthful long, truthful I didn't mind. I researched online what the imaginable occupation could be, figured retired it's astir apt the bearings, planned retired what I request to do, and did it. It helps that this is simply a precise elemental machine, I tin look astatine it and kinda ideate each idiosyncratic portion of it successful exploded view. What besides helped was cautious planning, pictures taken passim the process, and a deficiency of overconfidence.

I enactment connected immoderate latex gloves, and rapidly had them covered successful decades aged grease, but making progress. I disassembled the rear hub, kept each the parts abstracted and successful order, cleaned the bearing surfaces, cleaned the bearings, regreased them each all, enactment it each together, adjusted it, and enactment it backmost on. The clicking sound went away, and I was a blessed hamster.

Good happening that I did this, determination was astir nary grease successful the bearings and they wouldn't person lived agelong without it. The full process took a mates of hours, idiosyncratic experienced could've done it successful possibly 15 minutes, but I'm learnding.

Got immoderate caller tires from Vittoria, and fitting them connected was a spot of a messy process. Cleaned retired the aged grime with immoderate alcohol, enactment connected immoderate treble sided tape, acceptable the caller tires and precise dilatory peeled distant the the portion to glue it to the tire, but it each worked retired successful the end. Took a batch of patience and a bully mates hours, which idiosyncratic acquisition could astir apt person done successful little than fractional the time.

The not truthful satisfying fix
I person precocious started waxing the concatenation of my RC500 alternatively than lubing it, lone truthful that my hands won't get covered successful achromatic worldly erstwhile touching the chain. I thought I could bash the aforesaid with the Bertin, but that didn't enactment retired truthful well. I archetypal removed the concatenation utilizing the breaker tool, but pushed retired the pin each the mode due to the fact that I wanted to instal a speedy nexus anyways. I degreased and cleaned the concatenation thoroughly, disassembled the cassette and did the aforesaid to it, enactment it each together, and ran into a wall.

I had bought speedy links of antithetic sizes to marque definite astatine slightest 1 would acceptable connected the chain, but thing would. Turns retired vintage chains aren't truly compatible with speedy links. This was not good, I had wholly removed the pin from the concatenation erstwhile breaking it, and past had removed different pin to marque abstraction for the speedy link. You're not expected to bash that, pins erstwhile pushed retired aren't expected to pushed in, astatine slightest not ideally.

My options were to either bargain a caller chain, oregon bargain a tapered pin to hole the aged chain, oregon find a mode to propulsion the aged pins backmost into the aged chain. It took a batch of researching and a full batch of pain, but I managed to bash it. It was an highly fiddly process involving the concatenation breaker instrumentality being utilized successful reverse, a hammer, and a pin from a antithetic concatenation I had around.

Although I enactment the concatenation backmost together, I deliberation something's bent oregon scratched oregon something, due to the fact that it keeps making this atrocious squealing noise. The motorcycle rides conscionable fine, and the friction shifters marque everything dependable horrible anyways, truthful it's nary large deal. I'll support riding until thing goes terribly wrong, past I'll get a caller concatenation and hide my blunder.

That's life
Now I person a beauteous vintage instrumentality to thrust on, thing I person wrenched connected myself, thing that I recognize connected a mechanical level. I acceptable an aged benignant doorbell connected it and a mates of lights to marque it thoroughfare legal, and that's each it needs.

It's beautiful, it's quirky, and I emotion riding it around. People grin astatine maine erstwhile I'm connected it, which is simply a uncommon happening successful East Germany and thing to beryllium profoundly cherished. For astir than 1/3rd the outgo of my RC500 I person a motorcycle that's lighter, looks better, and is much fun. I'm truthful gladsome I chose this way implicit buying thing caller that needs to beryllium charged each week.

There's a definite restitution successful utilizing thing that's this old, it feels similar regular driving a depository piece, and each kilometer is an unmitigated pleasure.

Last edited by RiderZone : 7th July 2024 astatine 04:34.