Retro Road Bikes ?

[Sisu9]

Smitters said:

Looks 80's to me, but that aside I have nothing. I'd weigh the frame and make a decision on that basis. I did a similar build for my oh. I had to work hard the keep the weight sensible and it was anything but good value for money.

You could check bottom bracket type, rear dropout width and headset specs to give some clues. Might be worth cleaning up the dropouts too to see if there is a manufacturer stamp on them.

The strange double-butted tube design would suggest it's a Union bike but I can't find the exact frame just pics of other Union frames,:

[Sisu9]

After further research, I have learnt the frame is a Union Mixte (possibly a 57CT) but no idea what year and it looks as though many of the components have been changed. The only pic on the web of the frame I can find:

[Regbuser]

[HiAsAKite]

My early 90's John Pavey.
Owned it since I was about 16 or so.
Saddle has clearly see better days, and still running it with christophe toe clips a mudguards. Groupset is a mixture of Shimano Tiagra, Campagnolo Mirage and a Suntour front shifter.

Currently doing about 80-100 miles a week on it for my morning cycle ride before I work each morning.

Sadly, its next to impossible to find rear cassettes that fit now...

Edited by HiAsAKite on Tuesday 18th May 23:02

[Sisu9]

Just sold the Union Mixte for 400€! There's money in these old clonkers

Looking for a nice looking gents city bike from the 70's / 80's do next.

[louiebaby]

Sisu9 said:

Just sold the Union Mixte for 400€! There's money in these old clonkers

Looking for a nice looking gents city bike from the 70's / 80's do next.

I'll have to get mine up for sale, I have an old Raleigh that I never use.

[DailyHack]

Just refurbed my old '81 Raleigh Ace singlespeed.

Gone from a faded red to British racing green and added some new Raleigh brand decals, kind of a retro/modern vibe...kept me busy, not bad for a rattle can job

New set of headset bearings, good to go, suspect worth more now than the £50 I paid some kid for it over lockdown last year.

[V1nce Fox]

DailyHack said:

Just refurbed my old '81 Raleigh Ace singlespeed.

Gone from a faded red to British racing green and added some new Raleigh brand decals, kind of a retro/modern vibe...kept me busy, not bad for a rattle can job

New set of headset bearings, good to go, suspect worth more now than the £50 I paid some kid for it over lockdown last year.

That’s the stuff!

[AlfaRomeoGTA2]

DailyHack said:

Just refurbed my old '81 Raleigh Ace singlespeed.

Gone from a faded red to British racing green and added some new Raleigh brand decals, kind of a retro/modern vibe...kept me busy, not bad for a rattle can job

New set of headset bearings, good to go, suspect worth more now than the £50 I paid some kid for it over lockdown last year.

That's a wonderful looking bike - I love green bikes and waiting for the day when I have one. Well done!

[AlfaRomeoGTA2]

Here's my two retro bikes - both were bought when I didn't know anything about purchasing a road bike, during the first lockdown, as I had never owned a road bike before the Bianchi. The Bianchi is earlier than the Trek and both are late 90s I believe and both are wonderful to ride.

[defblade]

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

Here's my two retro bikes - both were bought when I didn't know anything about purchasing, during the first lockdown. The Bianchi is earlier than the Trek and both are wonderful to ride.

Just possibly showing my age here... but I'm struggling to view anything with STI shifters as retro!

[AlfaRomeoGTA2]

defblade said:

Just possibly showing my age here... but I'm struggling to view anything with STI shifters as retro!

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

[defblade]

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

defblade said:

Just possibly showing my age here... but I'm struggling to view anything with STI shifters as retro!

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

I used* to dreeeeaaaaam of having a 9 speed




(I've no idea at all if anyone else thinks they're retro or not!)







* As it happens, I skipped 9 speed... until a year ago I was on 7, then I tweaked that bike to 8, and now I've had 11 for all of two and a half weeks

[RC1807]

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

Probably friction shifters, frame mounted, and a 6sp rear.

[V1nce Fox]

RC1807 said:

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

Probably friction shifters, frame mounted, and a 6sp rear.

Funny how we all have slightly different thoughts on this. For me it’s a steel frame rather than indexing.

[Barchettaman]

DailyHack said:

Just refurbed my old '81 Raleigh Ace singlespeed.

Gone from a faded red to British racing green and added some new Raleigh brand decals, kind of a retro/modern vibe...kept me busy, not bad for a rattle can job

New set of headset bearings, good to go, suspect worth more now than the £50 I paid some kid for it over lockdown last year.

Cracking build. I reckon it would look even better with aero brake levers and CX interrupters on the tops rather than those Turkey levers, maybe something for the future.

[DailyHack]

Barchettaman said:

Cracking build. I reckon it would look even better with aero brake levers and CX interrupters on the tops rather than those Turkey levers, maybe something for the future.

Cheers, yes I dont get alot of love for the 'Turkey levers' ha! I do like them though, in a vintage way. I will get some more proper images up of it at some point, need to fit the SS chain back on and should be able to get back out on it again for a bit of a bimble.

[RC1807]

V1nce Fox said:

RC1807 said:

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

Probably friction shifters, frame mounted, and a 6sp rear.

Funny how we all have slightly different thoughts on this. For me it’s a steel frame rather than indexing.

My caveat, "probably"

[V1nce Fox]

RC1807 said:

V1nce Fox said:

RC1807 said:

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

Probably friction shifters, frame mounted, and a 6sp rear.

Funny how we all have slightly different thoughts on this. For me it’s a steel frame rather than indexing.

My caveat, "probably"

[kiseca]

RC1807 said:

V1nce Fox said:

RC1807 said:

AlfaRomeoGTA2 said:

I'm not clued up as to what counts as retro so I'll accept your view. All I know is they're old frames with 9 speed groupsets and that they are considered old news now - maybe not as old as really old news.

Probably friction shifters, frame mounted, and a 6sp rear.

Funny how we all have slightly different thoughts on this. For me it’s a steel frame rather than indexing.

My caveat, "probably"

My formative years era was the late 1980s / early 90s. Index shifting (frame mounted), chro-mo butted tubing. Carbon was very exotic, titanium frames were unicorns. Aluminium Cannondales were round and fat. Shimano made do with four groupsets for road bikes, Suntour was their dying competition, and if you were really serious about your cycling you got Campagnolo. TT bikes had a small front wheel. Oval spokes were just becoming a thing, really expensive and I think back then they were called "blades". 12 speeds was cutting edge unless you had a mountain bike. BMXs were only a few years too old to be cool. A campagnolo aero bottle was cool and not expensive. If you can find one now it will cost you more than most of the bikes it would have been bolted to. Frames had a handy little hook on the seat stay to hang the chain on when removing the wheel.

Everything that came after that to me is new fangled. Shifters on the brakes - which I have now but still get confused from time to time. I don't like them. Frames have morphed into weird shapes as the seat tube has gotten shorter and shorter. Handlebars seem to have grown to extraordinary sizes. Aero rims are now normal rims. I've got oval spokes and nobody cares. Oh, and tyres have apparently reversed their old trend and gotten wider. In 1990 I was running around on Continental 700x17 slicks. Or maybe it was 18s, I can't remember anymore. Now 20s seem to be the narrowest. If I want to adjust the height of my handlebars I need spacers for the stem and a Youtube tutorial. In 1990 I could do it with an allen key and no training. Maybe there's a good reason for that but I don't know what it is.