Hi folks,
I am planning on buying a cheapish vintage road bike to use for training and potentially touring. I currently ride a steel frame LeMond Zurich and used to have a Lemond Nevada City and an old welded frame Trek. I have always wanted a decent lugged frame with a bit of chrome--here are my thoughts on some of the frames I have considered.
late 70s Peugeot: Exactly the style I am looking for but I am not a fan of the cottered cranks and funny sized BB.
Late 70s Raleigh: Probably my first choice stylewise although I would rather have a European frame vs a Euro branded frame built in Taiwan.
70s-80s Bianchi: Another one that is high on the list but most of the bikes I have found are a little plain.
7s0-80s Centurion: Not exactly what I am looking for as they are Japanese frames, but a solid contender.
70s Steyr/Puch: Ideal stylewise but really heavy low end bikes are all I am finding so far.
Nishiki and Fuji: Great bikes, meet all the pre-requisites, but just not my cup of tea.
Trek: Also good bikes, but boring/plain.
Dawes: Hard to find, especially in my size 60-64 cm
70s-80s Motobecane: Would be perfect if I could find one.
Schwinn: I know they used to make good bikes, I just can't get over their current Walmart connection.
Various other italian brands: Mostly too expensive--looking to spend under 400 for a rideable bike.
Older LeMond: This would be my first choice but they are rare and expensive.
I am pretty handy with a spoke wrench so I am not worried about being able to maintain them, I would just like the parts to be relatively easy to come by and be compatible with a significant number of other bikes.
Any suggestions/thoughts?
I am planning on buying a cheapish vintage road bike to use for training and potentially touring. I currently ride a steel frame LeMond Zurich and used to have a Lemond Nevada City and an old welded frame Trek. I have always wanted a decent lugged frame with a bit of chrome--here are my thoughts on some of the frames I have considered.
late 70s Peugeot: Exactly the style I am looking for but I am not a fan of the cottered cranks and funny sized BB.
Late 70s Raleigh: Probably my first choice stylewise although I would rather have a European frame vs a Euro branded frame built in Taiwan.
70s-80s Bianchi: Another one that is high on the list but most of the bikes I have found are a little plain.
7s0-80s Centurion: Not exactly what I am looking for as they are Japanese frames, but a solid contender.
70s Steyr/Puch: Ideal stylewise but really heavy low end bikes are all I am finding so far.
Nishiki and Fuji: Great bikes, meet all the pre-requisites, but just not my cup of tea.
Trek: Also good bikes, but boring/plain.
Dawes: Hard to find, especially in my size 60-64 cm
70s-80s Motobecane: Would be perfect if I could find one.
Schwinn: I know they used to make good bikes, I just can't get over their current Walmart connection.
Various other italian brands: Mostly too expensive--looking to spend under 400 for a rideable bike.
Older LeMond: This would be my first choice but they are rare and expensive.
I am pretty handy with a spoke wrench so I am not worried about being able to maintain them, I would just like the parts to be relatively easy to come by and be compatible with a significant number of other bikes.
Any suggestions/thoughts?