What Retrobike "feature" do you avoid when looking for bikes?

[ishaw]

I'm game for most things, but would avoid alu frames with a reputation for cracking, yes manitou, yeti and your friends, I'm talking to you.

Not a huge fan of canti brakes but wouldn't rule them out on the right build.

Other than that, it's generally dents and unsightly damage or repairs. Too much rust. Low rent stuff (I'm a bike snob now). Quill stems and threaded headsets I'm not a fan of either. Oh, brake blocks, much prefer cartridge style.

Hard to find seat post sizes. That's most of my bikes though.

And one to polarise the crowd. M900 shifters. Rubbish shifting and feel. Always felt like they would break every shift. Look nice though.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Avoid buying: bikes with bottom brackets that need a pin spanner to remove.

By "need a pin spanner" you mean "need a blowtorch, an enormous lump hammer and punch to remove" i assume

 

[trailwright]

- Anything that's been resprayed to look new again
- Anything that was lower grade BITD (i.e. poorer quality frame materials and cheaper components)
- Purple anodized shit
- Huge flat modern pedals (picky as I know they can be changed, but i don't want to pay for them initially)
- Colourful cable outers
- 'Trick' componentry (i.e. ringle, onza, cook's)
- Suspension of any sort, except Flexstems or Softride stems
- Seller's advert flannel

 

[KermitGKona88]

- Anything that's been resprayed to look new again
- Anything that was lower grade BITD (i.e. poorer quality frame materials and cheaper components)
- Purple anodized shit
- Huge flat modern pedals (picky as I know they can be changed, but i don't want to pay for them initially)
- Colourful cable outers
- 'Trick' componentry (i.e. ringle, onza, cook's)
- Suspension of any sort, except Flexstems or Softride stems
- Seller's advert flannel

I have never seen a purple anodized shit before...

 

[KermitGKona88]

This...

 

[fettler]

Anything "Fully refurbished".

Anything aluminium or superlight steel that has been repainted.

Anything bonded.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Taper roller headset
Because both bearings are the same way up you only need a few thou for the headset to rock evilly, so any wear on the threads, races, rollers, a tiny amount of dirt makes it feel awful.
Top race should have been the other way up, but would have funneled filth and water into the headtube

 

[bikeworkshop]

Nobody said Maguras??

You can even fit them smugly onto your yellow aluminium bike with
U-brake bosses and then spend all your time telling people how brilliant they are.

Win Win Win

 

[raidan73]

As the title says. It might be totally subjective, or pure taste, not trying to make a list of bad Vs good as many might be looking for exactly what I would avoid.

I start:
-U brakes. I loved GTs and their colours but didn't get one at the time because of that
-early aluminium
-suspension forks, regardless of vintage
-I prefer single colour frames, but won't completely avoid a multi coloured one if specially nice

U-brakes are a selling point for me!

I avoid retro suspension, certainly on something I want to ride properly anyway. BITD I feared change but also felt, perhaps wrongly, that the early suspension offerings weren't reliable enough for a heavier rider such as myself ( I appreciate they weren't necessarily reliable, full stop, but the same could be said for many parts I would happily use).

 

[raidan73]

U-brakes are a selling point for me!

I avoid retro suspension, certainly on something I want to ride properly anyway. BITD I feared change but also felt, perhaps wrongly, that the early suspension offerings weren't reliable enough for a heavier rider such as myself ( I appreciate they weren't necessarily reliable, full stop, but the same could be said for many parts I would happily use).

Having said all that I do have an IRD suspension fork that has been rebuilt with heavy person springs, and it doesn't seem too bad.