Basic Advice on Riding Old Bicycles

 

 

 One question that people sometimes ask me is how often they can or should ride their old bicycle. Unfortunately, there is no single "correct" answer to this question. 

Rather, the answer depends on:

1.  what kind of bicycle we're discussing, how old and rare the bicycle is, 
2. what the condition of the bicycle is, particularly the moving parts and surfaces,
3. what kind of terrain is at hand,
4. whether replacements for wearing parts are available,
5. what kind of weather conditions are present. 

One might ride a very old bicycle in marginal condition much less than a common, post-war bicycle in good shape. Likewise, one might ride a bicycle with easier spare parts availability than a bike with very rare parts that would be impossible to replace today.

A bicycle ridden in the rain or snow will show wear and weathering faster than a bike ridden in only good conditions. A bicycle ridden in very dry and sandy conditions will tend to collect dust and moving parts may wear more quickly than a bike ridden only in very good climates. And so on...

The bottom line is that very old and very rare bikes with few replacement parts available today should be somewhat rationed in their use and confined only to good conditions and occasional rides. You can still ride a vintage bicycle if you want to ride more frequently, just mix in a more common bike, such as an old Raleigh or Schwinn 3-speed from after WWII, for example. 

 

For example, I ride the above 1947 Schwinn New World with some frequency, but I also ride other, newer bikes to mix things up. I save the older, 1947 Schwinn for good conditions and fair weather.

If you have several vintage bikes, you can rotate them. You may notice from my blog entries, that certain bikes receive much more use than others. I have a one bike, for example, confined to riding on very rare occasions because of its age, heirloom status, and single-speed gearing.

One final note: I would advise that no vintage bicycle worth keeping should be ridden in road salt. Instead, use a "beater" bike for such conditions because road brine and road salt are very corrosive. If a bike is wet from rain, always wipe it off an never "put away wet". Remove rust when you first see it - do not allow it to spread or deepen. 

 

 

Always follow general good servicing techniques - proper tire inflation, good brake pads, good cables, periodically service moving bearings/surfaces, etc. Periodically inspect your vintage bike before riding. It's easier to fix a problem before leaving the garage rather than being stuck on the road or injured in a crash.

Much of this is basic, common sense, but it is worth reiterating. Don't be afraid to ride vintage bicycles, but be sensible about the time, place, and conditions for use. Tailor your ride schedule to accommodate a rare or very antique bike, etc.