Hi all im a keen mountain biker but have decided to build myself a road bike and have decided to go down the retro route iv got myself a bike and now need so.e ideas on which way to go I got some new wheels just thinking new brake levers but unsure about bars and colours. Need a bit of inspiration please show your builds

is it to ride ben?

My PDM Concorde Aquila
[url=https://flic.kr/p/oLp8qQ]2014-10-18_01-30-46[/url] by Bigbroondug, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/dRbRXQ]Project1[/url] by Bigbroondug, on Flickr

I also have this Colnago Master X light (still) waiting to be built, I cannot decide whether to build with new or old kit.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/dUXkPk]Colnago Master X Light 003[/url] by Bigbroondug, on Flickr

Now gone to another homes. I still have few bits if your interested (campagnolo mechs and chainset, cinelli bars etc)

I’ve got this which still needs paint. You tend to think Campagnolo when you talk retro road. Though old Shimano is pretty nice and plenty full. It’s a E W Hannington not sure there are many others about.

Was a bargain hack that I love to ride mostly older campy with steve thornhill wheels to match the frame
But probably a Mercian made frame rebranded

Keep thinking about a repaint but decided it would loose somthing if it was all perfect looking

Rescued my old bike from my folks place 3 years back. finally got it back on the road this year
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Original paint was nice but very rough. I decided to go with all new group rather than trying to source replacement wheels.

had it stripped and coated keeping the rear triangle chrome exposed

had the little ones Rothan done in the same batch

polished up the campag seat post and Cinelli stem

added decals

and a new 105 group

sorted

sorted

first ride was like meeting up with a dear old pal. really happy with it even if it is unlikely to see much use

Thanks all yes im going to ride it. well try to I’ve never had or ridden a road bike befor all been a mtb’er. Iv had to paint the frame as Iit was ruff and well the worst colour you could ever imagine. but all the gearing it spot on just needs some bar tape and some cables and tyres as thay have gone hard with being sat for soo long iv got my hands on some new wheels so might fit them as like the look of old bikes with new wheels just a bit different

My old 1966 Mercian 2 speed

My 1987 allegro full dura ace 74**

Quietest and comfiest bike I own

[url=https://flic.kr/p/rdMBPP]image[/url] by Plus one2010, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/rdMBVk]image[/url] by Plus one2010, on Flickr

Looks nice. Cables too long and the seat doesn’t match the cable clips age wise. Cable to rear brake needs to go under the bars.
Although they are a bit modern for my vintage I always think that road bikes were at their best, looks wise, with hidden brake cables and down tube levers. Lots of polish and chrome, skinny tubes but no washing line.

Retro enough? 🙂

1932 Sunbeam Road Racer (same model as used in 1928 Olympics)

I was just telling a friend at the weekend on the local club run about one of the nicest road bikes I ever owned. A 1960s Flying Scot I rode in the early 90s. it had originally belonged to the father of my (then) girlfriend who’d kindly given me it to train on as my own roadbike was in a shocking state and I was racing XC and he reckoned I was wasting my time training on a mountainbike. He was pretty handy on a bike and it had originally been his first criterium frame, It had an almost original Campag (super?) Record groupset (beautiful, light and really durable) the only concession to being I fitted a new axle and re-dished the rear wheel to allow me to fit an 8 speed Sachs freewheel on by splaying the drop-outs. I rode that bike everywhere on road and off, even up parts of the West Highland Way. I never raced it myself but did do a few TTs. years later I moved to live and work in Glasgow and through the city centre the handling of that bike really shone.. I still set my road bikes up with a mind to replicating that same handling to this day. Eventually it just became far too difficult to get hold of decent 27×1 1/4 tyres so I cleaned it up, serviced it and gave it back to it’s original owner. I bet he’ll still have it somewhere. Don’t have any pics of it, sorry. I’m just not one for taking pics of my bikes. seeing a pic might ruin the rose tint of my memories anyway 😉

You might have trouble fitting modern wheels to an older frame. it’s do-able but you need to remember not only wheel size but OLN and brake drops have changed over the years.

What bike is it you’re building? good luck with it, there’s usually a story behind every old classic bicycle so remember to ask whoever you bought it from to tell you as much about it as they know.

Campag Record and Super Record, GP4 tub rims, Harry Hall frame.

Lovely to ride, but the brakes are shite and I hate not being clipped in.

And 39-19 is not a great lowest gear for the Peak District!