New Member - what bike?

[OneLowSchizo]

Hi everyone!

Im very new to the world of retro bikes despite being generally into anything that can be taken to bits and rebuilt.

I currently ride a single speed Langster but am looking for a geared retro road bike to keep me amused at weekends. However, I literally dont know where to start in terms of bikes to consider. I've got an initial budget of a couple of hundred quid and im happy to do a little bit of work initially or most work over time.

I know its a bit of an open ended question but ultimately, what bikes should I be considering? Also, with the benefit of experience and hindsight, what bike would you recommend staying away from?

Are there any specifics I should know/anything i should definitely be aware of and consider when looking? Im tending to look for local adverts so that I can actually get out to look at the bike rather than taking a gamble on something on Ebay!

thanks a lot for your help! Photos will also help a lot for me to recall the different bikes!
Alex

 

[biggs682]

where to start with so many choices

alloy or steel frame , reynolds or columbus , flat top tube or sloping tube and the list goes on .

my advice not to rush go and view local bikes and see what you find .

if you find yourself feel free to come up to nn8 (northamptonshire) postcode at time to suit both of us , come and have a play normally got at least 3 bikes to try

 

[GasPipeWarrior]

No idea what Vintage Bike Cave is like but it might make a good starting point to give you an idea of what retro road bikes are like.

 

[OneLowSchizo]

im thinking steel frame (Ive just preferred the feel when ive tried over alloy ones ive tried) and flat top tube.

other than that i dont know the differences between tube types eg reynolds or columbus - anyone able to recommend a good overview of this for me please?

Biggs - thats a really generous offer mate. Im originally not too far from Northants so if im back home anytime soon i'll check if youre available!

 

[biggs682]

hey no problems