Got out my dad's old road bike, gonna take it to school..

[Excelsior]

He isn't sure how old it is, he knows it is at least 25 years old. Took it down, cleaned it off, got some Kenda (don't know how good they are) tired and tubes. It has Suntour derailleurs and Shimano sprockets.

Shot of the whole bike.

Shot of handlebars.

 

[notfred]

well, it definitely looks old. Look at the shifters and the crank...

 

[Pliablemoose]

Is it chromed or painted?

 

[cyclistca]

Dont plan to ride it in the rain or don't plan on stopping anyway if you do. Looks like it has steel rims which have zero braking when wet.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Is it chromed or painted?

Painted silver.


And thanks for the advice Cyclistca.

 

[thomsbrain]

road bikes are sooooo much easier to ride on pavement. your butt gets sore faster though.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

Originally posted by: cyclistca
Dont plan to ride it in the rain or don't plan on stopping anyway if you do. Looks like it has steel rims which have zero braking when wet.

:roll:

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I'm a little surprised it's that old. This is a very inexpensive, department store bike (a la Huffy or Murray). Enjoy riding it, but don't hold it against ALL road bikes if you aren't pleased with it, because this bike is so low on the cycling totem pole that it's subterranean. The steel wheels will inhibit acceleration and ensure really, really crappy braking (the 25-year-old brake pads won't help a whole lot in this regard either), but do yourself a favor and don't spend any money upgrading it.

 

[Excelsior]

Yeah, my dad got it for cheap back then, from a dept store. I definitely like riding it on the pavement as opposed to riding my cheapo mt bike on pavement. It is much smoother and more fun. I do realize that it is very, very low on the totem pole. I could buy a $200(or more expensive) bike that would be MUCH better, and I probably will one day.

We have another set of pads (that are also 20 years old, but unopened). I guess I could buy some new ones (if they would help). I won't spend any money upgrading it, thats for sure. I do like the fact that it isnt flashy, so I guess it has less chance of being stolen at school.

Thanks.

 

[C'DaleRider]

Before you pakc up this bike and head off to school, realize the limitations of a road bike on a crowded campus full of pedestrians and other bikes vs. a mountain bike.

The road bike's geometry, the way the bike is set up and laid out in its frame angles, and the riding position of the bike is geared toward riding fast down a road in a straight line. Slow speed handling and maneuvering is NOT its forte, to say the least. At very low speeds, road bikes are not the most forgiving machines in quick accident maneuvers.

A mountain bike, with its more upright riding position and slacker frame angles, is much easier to handle at verly low speeds, like below 10mph, and has a more forgiving ride. The mtn. bike, with its larger tires that hold more air at lower pressures vs. road bikes, give a more comfortable ride, although sacrifices speed and acceleration as a consequence, along with the gearing a mtn. bike has.

Another point already raised.....steel wheels are not good for stopping power at all, esp. when ANY moisture is added to the equation. If youtake this bike, go to a local bike shop and buy a set of NEW pads......they'll be very cheap, probably around $4 a wheel. Put them on and pray you don't have to do any quick stops, such as a pedestrian suddenly setting out in front of you, or a car door opening unexpetedly.....you're going to eat either or both with that bike.

My suggestion is: look into WalMart's Schwinn's........not the Huffy or Roadmasters or anythign else.....just the Schwinn. I know....WalMart. Blech!!!! But if an 18" mtn. bike is the proper size for you, then those Schwinns are the proper size, and believe it or not, the Schwinn frames are still made in the same Chinese factories that made them before Schwinn went bankrupt and Pacific Bicycles bought the name out..........and they're the same Chinese frame factories that Giant and Trek source their cheapest bike frames from. (I was a bike shop mechanic and salesman for 7 years and I put hundreds of Schwinns, Giants, and Treks together. The bikes, while box each had the name of the company emblazoned all over them, came from the same factory group in China.)

The only difference I've been able to tell about the "new" Schwinn bikes in WalMart vs. the "old" Schwinns we used to buy from Schwinn is the rear wheel........bolt-ons now vs. quick release wheels before. Same mostly Shimano, albeit lowend stuff, components, same aluminum frames, etc. You'd be better off with on eof these instead of that old road bike death machine...........and the Schwinn will only set youback around $150.

 

[DrPizza]

they're not *that* unmaneuverable as DaleRider says... also, the stopping isn't that bad when they're dry. To test the stopping power with the pads you have on now, before wasting money, do this simple test: Ride your bike at a decent speed and see if you can lock up the rear wheel. If you can skid, then your pads are already giving you plenty of stopping friction.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
they're not *that* unmaneuverable as DaleRider says... also, the stopping isn't that bad when they're dry. To test the stopping power with the pads you have on now, before wasting money, do this simple test: Ride your bike at a decent speed and see if you can lock up the rear wheel. If you can skid, then your pads are already giving you plenty of stopping friction.

As another old-bike rider (mine has alloy wheels though and stops okay in the rain) I would suggest just buying the pads rght away. I was lucky enough to get an oldish Gardin racing bike for the cost of pads, tubes and tires, and I'm pretty happy with it, but it's not going to have much money spent on it before I just go buy a new much lighter bike.

It probably needs tubes and tires pretty soon as well; which is a good reason to just ride it for a bit, decide if you like road bikes, and then start saving to buy a new one.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I can't really agree a road bike is unsafe or hard to maneuver at low speeds. So long as it holds together (and it will unless the roads are terrible where you live), it will likely be a quicker way of getting around than an inexpensive MTB. I tend to agree with the OP that its non-trendiness will substantially prevent it from being stolen. I would certainly consider getting some new brake pads - the cheap Scott/Matthauser pads (I don't think they're made anymore, but many local shops will still have large numbers of them) would be excellent, and aesthetically consistent with an inexpensive '70s bike. OTOH, if through some miracle of rubber-lurgy the original pads are able to lock the rear wheel (not generally desirable, but a good test of ultimate braking power), then you may be fine.