How much do you trust an old bike

[Nabeaquam]

Old steel is safer than old anything else. The industry recommendations: replace your carbon handlebars every year, aluminum and titanium bars are supposed to be replaced every two years and steel bars when they bend. Crack a steel frame and weld it back together with 2-3 car batteries connected in parallel with house wiring scraps and vice grips, use jumper cables for leads and 6011 rods or a coat hanger for a welding rod. Anyone can fix that. If your steel frame joint separates completely apart while on the trail, use ratcheting tie downs to hold it together until you’re at the trail head. People have finished klunker races with 1930s broken frames held together by tie downs.

 

[ovlov440]

Well the Scott did what it needed to do, and that was to remind me how good a hardtail could be, but the rigid forks were a bit too much for me to handle. So I took the opportunity to purchase something that BITD the day I could never afford - a Merlin Ti. Watch this space.

 

[enigma]

Honestly never questioned if I trust an old bike or not until I saw this video last week

skip to 11:20 for the good bit. I own 5 Dyna-Tech bikes and it’s making me think twice about continuing to ride them!

*My steel bikes I’m happy to go wherever and however just made me stop and think about the bonded frames I have.

Well I watched that and felt that my feeling of being dubious over bonding, plastics etc in frame construction well founded!
Ive only ever had steel or aluminium bikes, mostly steel, never cracked one, mates have cracked aluminium frames and usually been me thats spotted it, but they were nearly all hooligans, and on high end lighter stuff back in the day.. jumping etc in the woods.... all mtb.
I know road bikers, cant ride the things myself, but I know they kill steel frames, thats just because the things are so bloody light not built to last.
Nowadays I am a scenic rider for the most part, I have a bike to ride hard but ive owned it from new, its 1999 I think Kona explosif, I think about as bomb proof as a frame gets, with steel forks. I know its never had an accident or been jumped etc, so I will really throw that about if in the mood.
I do have bonded parts in Pace forks, but not seen any failed, and less likely to throw me off than what happened to this guy.
Though I am no expert, I wonder if this frame failed due to solvent paint used in the re paint...? Maybe if the really nice paint had been left it would still be in one piece?
Anyhow someone said not knowing history may be an issue, for me thats sensible though I hadn't really thought about it before, theres a big difference riding sensible trails or the canal and going to a bikepark. This is adding to my thinking about a newer bike for bigger day rides etc.

 

[enigma]

Never trust an old bike. They take all your money and then go and live with someone else.

or give all their mates squatters rights...

 

[ovlov440]

or give all their mates squatters rights...

ouch - sounds the voice of a (unpleasant) experience

 

[enigma]

ouch - sounds the voice of a (unpleasant) experience

Hah it was literal sarcasm.. never had major issues with female bikes as always avoided them! but I had two Kona mountain bikes for twenty ish years, rode less as grown up etc.
Serious regression of mental age and associated and predictable nostalgia started at forty .. three years in , ( have to say not without blame for dear old retrobike... ! ) I appear to have 12 I think bikes, I swear its like they are laughing at me in the garage... powerless to stop myself buying parts and planning trips ive rarely time to take..!

 

[Ren Rawbor]

I'll get back to this with a better-formed opinion once we get back from the trails with the '89 Giant!

Edit- As of 6.40pm today I have to admit, my faith in 35 year old rigid steel bikes has taken absolutely zero hits whatsoever What an afternoon's riding...

 

[oldave]

I no longer ride anything even approaching real mtb terrain, but if I did I would still trust an old bike that I had "built", BUT only with steel handlebars.
A CTC friend of mine (a sedate, experienced, petite, rider) recently had a close call when one side of her alu 'bars snapped clean off with no warning on smooth tarmac.
Yes, logically I should extend this to other components but it seems to me that 'bars are a particular dangerously stressed area.

 

[Imlach]

Old steel good, overbuilt alu okish, the rest can go in the bin. I'd sooner trust Philip Schofield to look after a bunch of years 12s than a vintage carbon frame

 

[Nabeaquam]

Well I watched that and felt that my feeling of being dubious over bonding, plastics etc in frame construction well founded!
Ive only ever had steel or aluminium bikes, mostly steel, never cracked one, mates have cracked aluminium frames and usually been me thats spotted it, but they were nearly all hooligans, and on high end lighter stuff back in the day.. jumping etc in the woods.... all mtb.
I know road bikers, cant ride the things myself, but I know they kill steel frames, thats just because the things are so bloody light not built to last.
Nowadays I am a scenic rider for the most part, I have a bike to ride hard but ive owned it from new, its 1999 I think Kona explosif, I think about as bomb proof as a frame gets, with steel forks. I know its never had an accident or been jumped etc, so I will really throw that about if in the mood.
I do have bonded parts in Pace forks, but not seen any failed, and less likely to throw me off than what happened to this guy.
Though I am no expert, I wonder if this frame failed due to solvent paint used in the re paint...? Maybe if the really nice paint had been left it would still be in one piece?
Anyhow someone said not knowing history may be an issue, for me thats sensible though I hadn't really thought about it before, theres a big difference riding sensible trails or the canal and going to a bikepark. This is adding to my thinking about a newer bike for bigger day rides etc.

I had a Raleigh mtb with the bonded frame. Bought it new. It used the glue that they use to put airplanes together. Supposed to be guaranteed forever. I’m never flying again. It was otherwise such a piece of shite, geometry wise, that I gave it to my neighbors 70 year old father for the bike path. He passed on a number of years ago. I’ll have to tell his son to junk it.