Hi
I'm new to the list and would like to introduce myself and ask some questions. First, this caveat.
I'm new to the collecting of old bikes. They always were just around, I never thought of collecting them, just finding them and keeping them! I may ask obvious questions to you'all - please forgive my naivete, I'd just like the straight scoop!
I've been into bicycles since the late 70s and have always appreciated classic and old over the newest, coolest bells and whistles.
I've been employed off and on in the bicycle business for about 10 years. Recently our changing economy caused my career in high tech to go away and I was very lucky to land at a halfway decent bike shop in the South East.
Its nice to be surrounded by bicycles all day. Selling and repairing bicycles are pretty happy transactions to be involved in, plus I'm motivated to ride more.
However, being surrounded by all those cookie cutter, space age, garishly painted two wheelers with just makes me turn more towards the bicycles I grew up with in the late 70s.
Anyway here are my questions...
We get a lot of old bikes passing through the shop. Some of them are the ubiquitous heavy lugged steel Puchs and Peugots with Mafac center pulls. Every now and then I see something like an old Cinelli or a Mercier, still functional and elegant.
Did all those old bikes use straight gauge tubing? When did thin wall butted tubing come into use?
My own ride is a Schwinn Prologue of indeterminate age. I'm very fond of it, but will be replacing the frame with something smaller and built for me (its too big) and just using my current, downshiftable Shimano gruppo. The spacing is 126 mil between the rear drop outs. What kind of spacing can I expect to find in steel frames from the 70s?
We recently got a early 80s Trek in the shop as a trade in. I remember that bike <g> I had the touring model a few versions upscale from it. It has 27 inch wheels, which makes it a bit difficult to find it a home. I remember some of the cool European bikes from that era coming with 700c wheels, and I could swear that some did not. Whats the story on the 700c and 27 inch wheels?
Lastly, I inherited the Prologue and have put a lot of miles on it over the last 4 years. Its been good to me. Does anyone know anything about that frame?
Thanks!
Ann