If you are trying to determine the genealogy of your bicycle by it's features, go to our Vintage Bicycle Price Guide
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, brake types, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your old bicycle.
If you are trying to determine the make and model of your bicycle, go to our Vintage Bicycle Picture Database
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your vintage bicycle.
| I have just aquired a early 90s olmo columbus tube frameset. it's a ruff frame, i grinded down all the un-needed derailer mount, shifter lugs, ex... to make a clean powder coated fixie project. i'm debating making vinyl decals or trying to find nos decals. i found some online, but they want 90USD. crazy!!?? anyone have any olmo decals or know a cheaper place to look. thanks, dominic by: 74.135.51.81 |
| Why worry about authentic-looking decals when the bike will differ so much from an original? by: 65.78.2.207 |
| So you ground off the derailleur hanging tab? Congratulations -- you have just severely reduced the value of a venerable old vintage frame. by: 66.185.168.82 |
| i got it for free. and the paint and decals were so badly damaged and the previous owner had made other changes that. so it will make a great fixie track bike when i get done. what do you care. by: 74.135.51.81 |
| I'm of the mind that if it's your bike - do what you want with it......it's part of the joy of it being yours. If you have to treat it as though it belonged to a museum - what would be the enjoyment. Anyway, my thoughts are that if you have already ground down the braze-ons and derailler hanger, etc. - then it really doesn't make a lot of sense to try and have authentic decals. Try to have something made that is close as possible - without spending a lot of $ by: 198.175.154.213 |
| Try finding the OLMO graphics on the web somewhere, save them as a graphics file, and take them to a sticker maker (usually t-shirt shops can print stickers off very quickly). That may work if the stars are all aligned, and would be much cheaper. by: 216.113.204.120 |
| Technically, an early-90's bike is not normally considered "vintage" which should be earlier than mid-80s. So, you're both right. by: 207.200.116.14 |
| I have for sale a early 80s Gitane New Old Stock in box all parts are there. 57cm frame. Blue/yellow by: 74.135.51.81 |
| I might be interested. Do you know which model it is? Would it be possible for you to email a few pictures? Thanks! by: 66.78.71.2 |
| it reads champion, i can get a few pictures to you if you'd like. by: 71.244.223.156 |
| Hello I have a womens older Columbia bicycle. I am not sure if the chain guard is original or not???? It reads Space liner. I am trying to find out if Colubia also made a Spaceliner. The guard is Chrome but what is throwing me off is it also has green paint on it as well that matches the rest of the bike. Ob the down tube it reads Torpedo .Any info on this bike would be great?????? Thanks by: 64.12.116.8 |
| Mike, I respectfully suggest that you repost under vintage middleweights, etc., where you may get some good answers to your questions. by: 66.185.168.82 |
| I picked up a blue "spaceliner" about 3 years back. It is a 3-speed. The wheels are 26x1 3/8. In my view, it is not a very finely built bike, but it is decent. It looks pretty funky, but just for comparison, the Raleigh "sports" is way better for real riding. This is my personal opinion. My guess is the SL was cheaper than a "sports", too. Pay more, get more...at least up to a point (IMHO). The headbadge is cool. by: 67.118.246.156 |
| I've been riding the Continental that I picked up for a couple of weeks now and I've been very happy with it. The only bike maintence I've ever done is replacing tires, so when it comes to spotting what the bike really needs I'm pretty green. What would you guys do to a bike that's 31 years old and how do I know which parts are the right parts on a bike this old? What parts should I be concerned about being worn out that I can replace? What parts can I service and how? The paint's in pretty good shape, but it does have some scratched and rusty spots on it. Would you repaint or just take care of the rust? How? Some things I've noticed: 1. I've really noticed is that the silver "guard"(forgive my lack of terminology)seems to to be slighty warped. 2. Thhe front brake suicide lever sticks as well. 3.When I'm switching between the two front cogs it want's to hang up on me a little. It does that occasionally on the back as well. I'm not sure if that's a fault of the bike or mine though. 4.A rubbing noise heard occasionally when speed gets up. Almost kinda like a squeak, but more like something rubbing. I hope that's not too many dumb questions. I really like the way the bike rides and feels and would like to get it in tip top shape. I don't have any bike shops near me or I would just take it one of those. Thanks, Jerome by: 165.252.48.3 |
| You are overdue for a new chain. Any "8-speed" chain should work; avoid the narrower "9-speed" and "10-speed" chains, where the 8, 9, or 10 refers to the number of cogs of the freehub (you, of course, have 5 cogs on your freewheel, for a total of 10 speeds; newer road bikes have 18, 20, or even 27 or 30 speeds). If only the chainguard is warped, and not the chainrings themselves, you can remove it, flatten it out, and then either reinstall it or just leave it off (my preference). Your rims probably need to be trued. All of your wheel and crank ball bearings need to be replaced, and the races and cones need to be cleaned and inspected. You need new brake cable housings, center wires, and pads (KoolStop salmon, from Harris Cyclery and other sources). Fortunately, the Schwinnn Varsinentals are the easiest 10-speed bikes to service, superb platforms for learning how to repair and maintain a bicycle. You do need to know a few tricks of the trade: the left pedal unscrews CLOCKWISE, as does the locknut and bearing cone below it on the left side of the crank, as well as the bearing cone on the freewheel. Everything else has a standard right-hand thread, turned anticlockwise to loosen. by: 66.185.168.82 |
| I think the best thing for your bike - would be to completely re-build it. At a bike shop - that's way more $ than you bike is worth - and most likely a lot more than you would want to spend. You could find someone who likes to work on these old bikes - to help you. Or you could do a little research and dig into it yourself. You can find lots of information on what tools, how to, etc. and you can always ask questions here. by: 198.175.154.213 |
| I'd dump your bike after getting a clean Varsinental or better yet a clean SuperSport or Sport Tourer. There are plenty clean ones around and it just doesn't make financial sense to restore your bike unless it has sentimental value. Used bikes are still cheap...its the shipping that has soared. by: 207.200.116.14 |
| Thanks for all the advice. The wheels seem to be pretty true to me, though it probably wouldn't hurt to let someone more experienced look at it. The bike seems to be in pretty good shape, I wouldn't say that there's anything that's in a state of emergency right now, with the exception of the sticking brake lever. One of my intentions with the bike was to have something inexpensive to get some service and repair practice and to have something cheap to get back into riding and to ride to work. I also just picked up a Caliente for my wife, though I've had a hard time determining the age. The serial number is at on the bottom of the crank, starts GG8, has a lugged frame and a round badge on the front. None of this fits from what I've read, but that's how it is. by: 165.252.48.3 |
| On 6/28/6 my 1984 Rauler Olympic Special was stolen from my home in the Green Lake area of Seattle, WA. The Rauler is red with Rauler chrome forlks, yellow Rauler penagrams, Columbus SLX tubing, blue Look clicks, Galli hubs, Saturne wheels, 3TTT 84 Olympic handlebars and Shimano 600. If seen call police local or Seattle. 206 228 0923 by: 24.18.223.204 |