To Usefully Restore, Resto-mod or a total authentic refurb?

[dirttorpedo]

I'm responding to the thread title as I found the actual post too difficult to follow.

Personally I think it depends on the owners goals and the value of the bicycle / frame historically. I typically own a bunch of mediocre crap bikes so a sympathetic historic restoration does not make any sense. I also like the functionality of 8 speed and 9 speed drive trains and doing drop bar conversions to have a bias towards practical updates/upgrades. I find that retromods can look a bit out of place if done incorrectly and I'm not a big fan of owners welding disc brake tabs onto classic frames.

 

[27motorhead]

I'm responding to the thread title as I found the actual post too difficult to follow.

I was hoping @TheRadioGuyUK was going to elborate on his very brief first post. He left me wanting more.

demented schizophrenic clown, captain of your ship, highly territorial Staff and Gravelly Hill Interchange can only mean one thing and one thing only. RCR...

Raleigh Choppers Rule!

 

[drystonepaul]

I'm responding to the thread title as I found the actual post too difficult to follow.

Likewise... and I can't think of a worse insult than being accused of being an AI bot.

Aaaanyway... I also collect mostly mid range, mass produced mediocrity.
I've never really seen the attraction of rare, exclusive or expensive shiny things. I'm more of a completist.

More recently my time and resources goes into the functional bikes I actually ride the most. (Mostly Audax over the past few years)

In terms of my bike collection, unless I get a really nice old frameset, I normally don't stress about finding the absolute cosmetically best selection of parts. I quite like scruffy builds with patina that are very well executed rather than full on restorations. Time capsules perhaps.

I'm not a fan of resto-mod builds or the recent spate of gravel bike conversions either. They always seem to be a compromise between what you have and what you really want.

I also very much prefer to stick to period correct builds.
A habit that has spilt over onto my modern bikes too.
So I'm constantly searching for stuff from the past...

 

[Scott-S]

Raleigh Choppers Rule!

But it's just an upside down Grifter

I've got my coat, just leaving

 

[27motorhead]

But it's just an upside down Grifter

I've got my coat, just leaving

It's true though @Scott-S . The Raleigh design team pretty much flipped the Chopper upside-down to create the Grifter. No need to grab your coat!

 

[Scott-S]

It's true though @Scott-S . The Raleigh design team pretty much flipped the Chopper upside-down to create the Grifter. No need to grab your coat!

It was you who told me that wee gem after telling you about my Grifter, can never be unseen now
despite possible tinted glasses they were both excellent bikes in their own rights and I think we all had many many hours of fun on them.

 

[27motorhead]

It was you who told me that wee gem after telling you about my Grifter, can never be unseen now
despite possible tinted glasses they were both excellent bikes in their own rights and I think we all had many many hours of fun on them.

And if you combined the Chopper with the Grifter I think you’ll find they would look remarkably like the Gravelly Hill Interchange. I think the original poster was onto something!

 

[PhillB]

My in laws have a perfectly preserved red Grifter in their garage in Ireland, I was riding it when we last visited - tyres were gone though.

I would argue that A Grifter is a right-way-up Chopper though

(Edit: I should clarify, I did not ride to Ireland on a Grifter, merely locally once there.)

 

[grantoury]

Could one make a chop/grift-er that can be flipped over and still used?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Could one make a chop/grift-er that can be flipped over and still used?

No ffs