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First new old bike(s)?

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MacTheKnife

On Training Wheels
Hi, folks! Nice to be here!

I'm a reasonably dedicated cyclist. I try to get out for at least one 50 to 75-mile road ride every week (or a shorter 3-4 hour trail session) and shorter rides in between, and I love bikes of all flavors. My current roadie is a Lynskey Sportive, and I have a Lynskey Pro 29 hardtail built up fully rigid for the rough stuff. I'm 51, so I won't be bombing any downhill gnar unless it's an accident...

We recently moved back to SoCal, and there are a number of fun rides down here that are much more of a beach cruiser / ratrod / muscle bike vibe, and I got spousal permission to get an appropriate bike--within reason. What would you suggest for a starter bike that would fit that mold, not breakl the bank, and not have me searching for parts made of unobtainium to maintain?

My inner GenX child is screaming "ANYTHING WITH A A BANANA SEAT AND NO RUST," to which my inner grown-up calmly replies "That's a mortgage payment." I have to say--that pair of matching Raleighs looked kind of neat, because I'd get a bonus bike for my wife. But if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. I do love oddities...

Thanks!
 
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Welcome to theCabe from the beautiful PNW. You'll have lotsa help from your fellow Cabers. Enjoy the ride, and share some pics.
 
Keep in mind that the 20” StingRay style bikes were made for children and are very small.
24-26” bikes are enough larger to accommodate adult frames.

Not saying that you can’t make a 20” StingRay rideable, you can, but unless you are under 6’ tall you will feel cramped, especially your leg extension.

I have a Schwinn Krate that has a longer than stock seat post. The sissybar shocks are extended all the way up. I am 5’11” and still can’t get full leg extension. It’s ok to ride for short trips around the hood but I wouldnt want to ride it 10-20 miles.

The larger Manta ray sized musclebikes are a lot nicer to ride as an adult.

The larger tank bikes fit me pretty well too.
 
Your question is kind of hard to answer because there is such a wide variety of old bikes to choose. A fat-tire, single-speed bike from the 1930s is going to ride much differently from a slim-tire 3-speed from the 1950s, and those differently from a skinny-tire 1970s 10-speed.

Do you need gears to climb hills or do you live somewhere flat where you just want a bike to cruise around? Are you ready to adapt a smaller frame with taller stem and seat post or do you prefer to ride the largest frame size that will fit you? Are you joining group rides that are aimed at a particular type of bike? Are you riding off-road or on gravel paths much? Are you comfortable doing your own repairs?

The three styles I would look at are (1) the balloon tire heavy weight bikes from the 1930s-50s, (2) middleweight bikes from the 1950s-60s, and (3) three speed "English-style" bikes from the 1930s-70s. I'd look at bikes with 26 inch wheels and nothing smaller for an adult rider (unless your wife is very petite).

Without knowing what you like, if I had to spitball a recommendation, I'd look for a Raleigh/Rudge/Humber 3-speed that is complete and in reasonably good shape. They're generally not expensive, parts are plentiful, they have basic gears, the brakes work OK, they fit adult riders, people online can help you with technical issues, and some bike shops still work on them.

But if you like a different style of bike, an old balloon tire single speed or a middleweight can work as well. Southern California is also particularly active for old single-speed balloon tire bikes.
 
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Excellent points. I won't be taking the bike anywhere that requires a lot of effort. Most of the rides seem to be 3 to 5-mile beach cruises and the like, and everyone seems super-chill (one of the biggest reasons we moved back here), and the point of the ride is "let's all roll out from the record store for tacos and beer!" So functionally, I could probably ride a penny farthing and get away with it.
"Shiny" is my favorite color, which is dangerous with vintage bikes. A good paint job has gotten me into some absurd spending in the past on either impractical bikes or bikes where I spend 4x the value of the frame restoring it, so when I see unmolested bikes of any sort, like this 60s Hercules, I think "I WANT THAT!"

s-l1600.jpeg


Would that be a trap vs something much more common with easy-to-find parts? Probably?

Luckily, I'm going to meet up with BFGforme for lunch, and he can talk me out of any nonsense. :)



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