Building a 'rest of life' bike?

one for the older riders i think this, or maybe young un’s, who knows.
has anyone ever thought about building a bike that will last the rest of their lives?
my riding priorities have changed drastically in the last 2 years.
i used to love trying to ride in the mountains, i loved all day epics offroad and multiday offroad tours.
most of this is not attainable now, so the bike or tool for what i do now has changed.
looking to build a touring bike that will last me hopefully 20yrs or so, which will take me to nearly 70.
it needs to be mudguarded, able to take a rack, ok for steady low level offroad touring, easy to maintain, be comfy……and to please the bike tart in me…look nice too.
this type of bike hopefully will fullfill my touring needs of 40/50 mile at most per day.
with some lighter tyres, it will be nimble enough for day rides or a couple of hours spin.
and with some heftier tyres, ok for a bit of roughstuff pootling.
i no longer need suspension, or lightweight, or the latest or most up to date gear.
and hopefully, it will serve me well to the end of my life…who knows 😀

Every bike I buy is bought with the intention of it lasting me a life time. I’ve managed to keep one for 3 years.

I think maybe just the frame would last that long; steel – yes, titanium – should do, aluminium – no way.

But as for componentary 5 years of frequent use perhaps. More basic, heavy componentary might last longer.
But post pic’s when you’ve completed your hardy perennial.

iI’ve bought a few bikes for life. I gave up on that and accepted I’ll probably keep trying new ones.

That said I have a custom steel hard tail I doubt I’ll sell, same for my Heckler. My Tourer is close too (ti)

I spoke to bob jacksons a year or so back about something like this, similar sort of idea to a singular peregrine but with rohloff and couplings to split it, they they could do all manner of things. I decided on a new motorbike in the end lol

Got a road bike painted by they it was a lovely job. Website is rubbish but they know their stuff, worth a phone or call in they are up near stanningley 😉

just built a salsa vaya. not sure it’s my bike for life, but it might fit your needs…

Would be a xt shod 5 spot for me.

Ton …get thee toJD cycles. Some lovely tourer bikes.
Or a full custom Bob Jackson, maybe not a “last” bike, but certainly the potential to be a constant companion supported by a stream of biking mistresses.

thought about a good quality steel frame, zinc sprayed prior to painting.
highish front for comfort.

I got a Ti bike for life in 2006.
I sold it in 2009.

I’d suggest trying a steel Jones, but you may be on the height limit? I’m 6’1″ (people taller ride them happily) and mine is the first geniune candidate for a ‘does more than most, does many things better than most’ bike for life I’ve ridden. ‘Bombproof’ design. Works for long road miles as well as most off road stuff, makes a fantastic tourer. A unique bike for certain. Mine is coming with me all the way to sock n sandals fred-ism age )

If you are not going to use it a huge amount or really roughly, there is no reason aluminium won’t last twenty years – I have recently built up a Kona Kula with rigid ali forks for much the same duties you describe, fitted with 26 x 1.75″ touring tyres & its plenty comfy enough copmared with the 20yr plus steel framed Trek 950 it’s replaced. I mainly chose an ali frame for stiffness under touring loads though.

steel or ti jones for deffo. it’s the one bike that will never be sold from my collection.

It needs to be a special frame that you wont get bored of. Stick some nice handmade wheels on it and the for the rest, whatever budget allows, can always upgrade gradually to keep it fresh.

conrad, to be honest i have lost interest in pretty much all other bikes.
only certain types of bikes have been suitable for me in the past, as you know.
and now, cos of the riding that i can do, this has been cut down a bit more.

i do like the look of jones frames.

Yeah Jones then sell it to me cheap 😉

I can always bring my steel truss up to you big fella for you to have a bimble on.

tazzy, cheers mate….would be ace, but i dont see myself pootling round at 65 on a jones spaceframe. 😆

I’ve been accused of riding a bike that looks like it has a zimmer frame up front.. you’ll be fine! : )

but i dont see myself pootling round at 65 on a jones spaceframe.

but just think of the beard! it’d be like gandalf. 😀

😆

awfully morbid post this, yer still a lad 😛

The guy’s got style.. One day, that’ll be me )

Triggers brush !

but just think of the beard! it’d be like gandalf

What mudgard for stopping yer beard from getting caught in the spokes?

1.75 = touring tyre widths now?

😯

Ton, are you saying you’re only 49? shame! 🙁 hope it was a wild ride until 2 years ago.

awfully morbid post this, yer still a lad

iainc, sorry mate, not meant to be morbid.
just looking for ideas for a bike that will last me and be suitable for a bit of everything.

Mrs Busydog reminds me that I said each of the last 3 new bikes was the “last one ever”, to last until I’m room temperature. Haven’t had the nerve yet to tell her about the 29 I have my eye on to “really, really” be the last one

I’m partway through the build of mine, well I hope it is. Love to ride distances, finish the day in a different town or county to where you start, but most roads aren’t nice places to ride anymore so traffic free touring, bit of road if it’s quiet, but lanes, Sustrans, bridleway and the odd bit of singletrack thrown in. Sold my road bike last year after failing to ride past interesting lanes or bridleways and popping the odd spoke or getting the whole thing clarted up so the wheels wouldn’t turn even by hand.

So a Salsa Fargo is taking shape. Drop bar, 105 shifters, but CX levers on the tops as well, XT gearing, Shimano CX disc brakes, Tubus racks and fat guards to go over tyres up to 2.2. Got some Big Apples and Marathon XR ready for it. I might get it finished next week or the week after. Just standard wheels from a 29er for now, but once I’m sure it’s a keeper I’ll have a dynohub front made up for it and make up some lights and charging gubbins for trips. It’s an XL so you can have a bimble on it sometime.

Nice steel frame? Road friendly? Take proper tyres too?

Singular Gryphon sir? Built mine up 50-34 at the front and 11-36 (11-28 on the second set of (skinny) wheels) at the back. Almost all finishing kit in red or silver alloy. Brooks saddle. Brown bar tape. Hope V-Twins with 160 disks. A pannier rack. Drop handlebars but sizing the same as a Swift.

Looks like a 1930s touring bike, but goes like the modern machine it is.

Now I just need to check if it takes mudguards – Sam to the forum please

Need to go shopping:

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s143p2323

Happyto help!

Oh and…

Kryton57 – Member

Would be a xt shod 5 spot for me.

Got one of them, an old Horst Link one, much better bike than I’ll ever be a rider.

Disc Trucker?

One of those cracking Spa Cycles titanium Tourer/Roughstuff frames built up with your choice of kit?

How about a frame building course and roll your own? 🙂

Rusty, thought about a frame building course. a nice Dave Yates/M Steel
29r style tourer would be nice.

For me it’d have to be light, tight and have clown wheels so either a steel roadie, steel cross or a 29er.

Made by some poncy artisan frame builder in Boulder or Macclesfield, light wheels 10speed would do.

Wouldn’t it?

On the other hand, my favouite bike at the moment is an old steel Rockhopper done up as a tourer (well, it’s got a rack, Brooks, flat bars and slicks 🙂 ).
It’s soooo nice to ride. You just forget it’s there.

I really fancy a Surly, but I don’t think it’d actually be a better bike.

Would be a xt shod 5 spot for me.

Give me a shout in a few months.

Good God man, you’re not even 50 yet. A bit early to be giving up on mountain biking and planning your old age isn’t it? But if you insist I’d say that a Singular Peregrine would fit the bill.

You want a ‘standard’ steel tourer with good clearances and decent mid range kit on it. If you look after it, it’ll last ages. I keep posting up pictures of my 531c tourer bought in 1984. There’s very little original on it now and it’s been refinished by Mercian.

In that time it’s had a new rear dropout as the original fractured drive side. The rest is ‘as is’ except fro the paint and components that have been changed as they’ve worn out.

Unless something dramatic happens, I’ll be keeping it forever. It’s still being put to good use, just last year covering 4200 miles on the TransAm.

thought about a good quality steel frame, highish front for comfort.

Just what I thought, well except the zinc spray.