10 TRADE SECRETS to buying a VINTAGE BIKE frame (vintage frame buying guide)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- If you have a classic steel frame which needs repairs or respray, click below-
www.ellisbriggscycles.co.uk/r...
Are you thinking about doing a vintage bike restoration? Are you looking for a vintage bike frame to buy?
Well, don't buy a classic steel bike frame before watching this video!
In our workshop we've seen thousands of frames which customers have bought secondhand and got more than they bargained for. Although we have generally been able to fix the frame or alter it to suit their purpose, it has required extra costs and time. So in order to save you money and hassle and to make your rebuild process go more smoothly, here are 10 things to watch out for to make sure you don't end up with a lemon!
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Tip 1
01:18 Tip 2
01:47 Tip 3
02:37 Tip 4
03:03 Like & Subscribe
03:13 Tip 5
04:09 Tip 6
04:37 Tip 7
05:06 Tip 8
05:47 Tip 9
06:08 Tip 10!
06:35 Next Video
I'm Paul Gibson, head framebuilder here at Ellis Briggs.
Here at Ellis Briggs we love working on classic and vintage bicycles. After all, we've been working on them now since 1936!
We also have a blog post on this subject which has a few extra things to look for, so check that out too.
www.ellisbriggscycles.co.uk/b...
If you have already and want to know more about our frame restoration services click here-
www.ellisbriggscycles.co.uk/c...
If you like this kind of content please click here to subscribe
/ @ellisbriggsbikes - กีฬา
Thanks. This is outstanding advice. One small point - it doesn't tell you what a nightmare stuck seatposts and stems can be to remove !
dont forget to check the headset size , a 30.0 cup will fall into a 30.2 headtube , like wise crown race 26.4 vs 27.0 , a few uk builders did continental models which spec'ed italian headsets .😉
You covered everything Ive ever found in 30 years. Nice work !!
Well those are the ones I come across regularly.thanks for watching!
I have dabbled with pedal cycles for over 60 years and thought I knew quite a bit. This video has chastened me somewhat. Excellent. Very informative. Love the presenter's style, too.
Well i'm glad you enjoyed it and found it useful. Thanks for watching!
stolen goods???
Yes its always a good idea to be mindful of that too. I built a lovely bike for a friend a few years ago, which was stolen from his garage. Ive been on the lookout for it ever since but not come across it :-(
@@ellisbriggsbikes - God, losing some generic mass-produced velocipede to light-fingered scum is bad enough, but when you have personally built the thing, clearly with love (as it's for a friend) the loss must be, for you both, truly heartbreaking. Stealing someones bike, really is low, I know lots of people for whom it's their ONLY means of transport, and with that it's a given that they are not wealthy ..... sorry, I'm rambling, I really thing hanging is too good for bike thieves, there, rant over. Loved the vid BTW.
Don't worry about ranting, I'm sure all the cyclists reading these comments will have similar opinions regarding bike thieves. It was quite a while ago now, but it still stings!
What I love is that the thread issues, and the head tube fit issue, the dent issues, and the seat binder issue are all fixed affordably with silver :)
Discovered the channel by chance but knew of ELLIS BRIGGS. Bloke in cap, wielding a blow torch, talking loads of sense and measuring things. Thanks Paul susbscribed immediately. Good stuff 👍
Thanks for subscribing. I'll try to keep talking sense!
Thanks for the great tips. They should help me avoid a “flipping heck” the next time I purchase a frame.
Glad it helped!
To add !
•Rear dropout adjusters seized.
•Top of rear stay at seat clamp cracked or cracked and bent at the brake bridge from too bigger an axle. Usually gearside only!
•Top tube cable guides rotted from rain or sweat esp pre 84 ish? (Guides on top).
•Bottle cage bosses loose and spinning…with a bolt seized in.
•thanks eBay•
Yeah, those are some regualr ones also. Perhaps I'll do a part 2! Rivnut bottle bosses on a steel frame is really awful. Dawes did that a lot on the later Galaxys.
@@ellisbriggsbikes ah when you just think you’re home free and there it is!!! Ooh Dawes yes they leave a legacy wherever possible !!😂
A ripple in the tubing underneath the top tube head lug or underneath the down to head lug suggest a crash. Usually this area bends in a Reynolds 531 frame whereas in a carbon steel frame the fork is more likely to bend. Also just cracking in the paint like a herringbone pattern running perpendicular to the direction of the tube also suggests stress from a front end collision. These problems can be fixed with a VAR frame straightening tool, BUT ONLY ONCE.
I once threw my chain into the spokes at 30 miles an hour and locked up the rear wheel - I bounced four times side to side and came to a stop unharmed. My rear drive side seat stay was bent inwards towards the seat tube about 5mm. That problem was fixed with a wire puller tool.
Still riding my '79 Dave Moulton!
That's great to hear 😊 thanks for watching
Very good quality video wow!Can’t wait for more!❤❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Enjoyed your video. Good information presented in a clear and concise manner.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. There is more to come
Something tells me this man loves to share his craft and is not "that" temperamental technician everyone loathes. 😊
Bike mechanics are often a breed of their own :-)
Ha, the old Peugeot I mentioned on your last post ticked a few boxes
Ripple underside of downtube
Sold without a fork
Ovalized headtube lower race was a very loose fit
Great videos by the way, lots of info for viewers, thanks for putting together this resource
Glad to be of hel and hopefully others will avoid issues, or at least be aware of what they are buying. Most of these issues are repairable if the frame is worth it to you.
I'm sold on your Fred Dibnah northern industrial look...
Nice discovery this evening and I've just subscribed and given you a big, fat thumbs up!
You can't beat a piece of well-crafted steel - what a joy it is.
thanks, Fred Dibnah was a legend, even for a Lancastrian! Thanks for watching!
Just wanted to say I've discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago, when you had around 200 subscribers or so. And I was instantly hooked. I love the conciseness of your content and the lack of "flash" that other creators seem to adhere to, especially as they grow their subscriber base. And then there's all the knowledge and experience you impart, sprinkling all sorts of morsels inbetween.
I, rather shamefully, admit that I hadn't heard of the Ellis Briggs workshop before, especially seeing how I'm not from the UK, but now I see they're a true heritage name trying to stay true to its essence in an everchanging world. And they've also made a wise choice starting this channel, especially with you as its current face.
P.S.: I do hope I'll one day join one of the frame-building classes you have to offer. Cheers and best of luck.
P.S.2: In the meantime, I'm building up a retro italian frame with modern Campagnolo components (as modern as Centaur can be, at least).
Thanks for your kind comments! We've always been a smaller builder as we never wanted to sacrifice quality for quantity. However we've been at it a long time now and as long as people still want to ride steel frames, we can help.
I can't guarantee the videos won't become a bit more polished, but the aim is to share our knowledge with a wider audience. As we don't want to become a huge business but we do want to keep doing what we love.
Get in touch if you would ever lie to come do a course!
And the build your doing is what this whole channel is about, so if you have any questions, let us know and if we think it will help others we'll do a video on it.
Thanks for watching!
Increíble!
Loving this channel...
Thanks that's great to hear! Thanks for watching
Needs more viewers...
In the workshop we live and breath steel frames, so if we can bring value to you just doing what we love then we'll keep doing it. And hopefully more people will enjoy riding classic and modern steel frames :-)
Amzing
Had a stem stuck in my old Trek. Really stuck. Left the frame in my car on a sunny hot day middle eastern day.. nearly burned my fingers but the stem came right out.
It's funny how some things work out because in theory aluminium expands more than steel.
Thanks for watching!
I am glad I found your vids with thanks to TH-cam for displaying them with the latest offerings from long-time favorites such as GCN. Great content, great conversational style. And I'm here in the States and that's a funny term, 'a cowboy fix.' And I have to wonder if it goes back to the Yanks in England during WWII. I'd imagine those guys were good at cowboy fixes. "Now just hold your horses, one more cowboy fix and your Spitfire will run like new!" :)
Haha. I have no idea where that comes from exactly but my mentor used to say it to me if i did something the easy way rather than the right way. Language can be really funny. I have a friend in Michigan who I have often discussed British/American colloquialisms with.
Thanks for watching!
@@ellisbriggsbikes Thanks for your reply and I agree, colloquialisms can be so much fun. And it probably didn't help your perception of us that they made ALL those cowboy movies. 😀
Yeah, that probably didn't help!
Referring to someone as a cowboy in the UK is a derogatory term. Eg a cowboy builder cuts corners, bodges the job but still charges a top price.
True, but any idea where that idea comes from? Until the other day i never really thought about it. My mentor used to use it along with "bodge it and scarper".
Thanks for watching!
Hi Paul, just found your channel, I ride on steel and have for years. Always enjoy content from the skilled and knowledgeable like yourself. My current frame is bespoke and about 14 years old now. Would you recommend spraying a light grease or WD40 through the cage bottle holes? I’ve ridden it through the winter for the first time this year and would hate for it to of suffered internally and me not know as it can’t be seen. Look forward to more videos and subscribed. 👍🏼🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️
Thanks for this question. Any questions like this, I will answer in a video. I'll tag you in the answer next week. Thanks for subscribing!
@@ellisbriggsbikes Great Paul, thank you.
If I change the fram on my bike, is it a different bike?
I don't need to buy one. I own one from the 80's. A Repco Supralite chrome molly frame. My hassle is finding somewhere to get it re-kitted.
I have a Schwinn Paramount (the hand built line) from the early 80s, I had it professionally painted in 1992, and upgraded to full Dura Ace components in 2003. It’s in near perfect condition. I’m 75 now and only ride my mountain bike. The Paramount is Prestige tubing. What is the best method to sell such a bike?
Paramounts have a bit of a following. Perhaps they have an owners club? Either that or a classic bike forum or eBay really. Someone would definitely like that bike!
Tops
I'm still riding my 1959? Capo Sieger and 2000 Marinoni squadra.
Great to hear! Thanks for watching
Been keeping my 531 Cross frame on the road using one of those quick fix bottom brackets that screw into each other as the right hand thread is shot.. Its for the old square taper type chainset. Is there a modern version that can be obtained for hollow tech cranks that work on knackered stripped brackets ?
Not that I know of. But depending on how much you like the bike (only you know the answer to that), it can be fixed with a complete new bottom bracket shell. Basically the old one is cut, the braze melted, the remnants are removed and then a new bottom bracket lug is silver brazed in its place.
Obviously it is a quite a major operation, so it would usually require a respray afterwards.
This is something to look out for in one of my upcoming workshop videos as I do it quite reguarly.
Thanks for watching!
Some frame builders will repair the sloppy bottom bracket shell by melting brass into it and then tapping threads. It's a smaller repair but will still add enough heat to cook the paint off of decent portion of the frame around the bottom bracket shell.
@@mikekrasovec6390 we wouldn't usually do that as brass would only be a temporary fix. But we would sometimes slit the bottom bracket lengthways, close it up and gas weld back together and then retap. Personally though I prefer a new cast shell
My dad has left me his 1950 Claud Butler. It's a lovely bike, with a 531 steel frame, still with the original 27" wheels, and seems to be in pretty good condition, though unused for 15-20 years. He had the components upgraded with Shimano 600 all round circa 1978. Is this bike suitable for a modern groupset? Would I need the frame professionally adjusted for a modern cassette? Or should I just service it and stick with the Shimano 600? Thanks.
Well if it has already had some modification to accept Shimano 600 then it may not be too much of a stretch. Send me some pics to paul@ellisbriggscycles.co.uk and I can give you a better answer :-)
@@ellisbriggsbikes Thank you. I'm away from home at the moment but will ask my daughter to take some pictures to send you. Your help will be greatly appreciated. My dad loved this bike, it was well used, but also well cared for.
@@st4331 you must keep the rear hub spacing correct 120? 126mm? Keep this the 5 speed or 6speed and still use a 6 or 7 speed index shifter. (Limit the mech) Any shimano are good pre 90’s ( sl 434 are great to match up to any thing and are cheap! Ultrgra and Santé Sl 6400/5000 I find are incredibly precise and smooth action. Modern looking grey or nice stylish retro modern white for the sante . Any nice derailleur that you have will fit! You could go 700c with a long drop single pivot caliper such as shimano 6207 ( man pull, big springs!) or newer ultrgra 6400 do a long drop, and that kit is all precise and serviceable. Slr makes them like air brakes after the older 600 kit.
Have fun only way to test is to try;)
How many of those are deal-breakers? Personally, I don't mind a little dent in a steel frame or a bit of paint worn away. But I've ridden a frame bent from a head-on collision... pretty sketchy.
Dents can be a good bargaining point though! None are deal breakers, if you know what you are getting into. Everything can be repaired. Even a head on collision. But you wouldn't want to buy a frame without having been aware of any of these.
I find many customers come to me with these issues.