@Cyclist asks:
I have a Raleigh Randonneur from the early 90s. It's been well looked after, with many years of regular use, often heavily loaded. The frame was slightly dented at the back of the seat tube by a bike shop many years ago. All components apart from front & back rack have been replaced over time.
Q2. What should I check to help decide if I need to replace this much loved old bike?
(When is it time to retire a bike?)
A2. When it's lost the essence if being that bike. It could be a "Bike of Theseus" if you replace the frame and keep all the other parts you've already replaced. But by then it might be better to turn it into an outside tomato trellis or inside bicycle sculpture.
@cainmark @ascentale @Cyclist @bikenite
A2. Dionysus was my Bike of Theseus: reconstructed from Ol' Paint, a c. 2008 Marin Muirwoods that had suffered innumerable scrapes and dents over the years. In 2019, my son and I tore the bike down, sanded it down to (mostly) bare metal and resprayed it.
I replaced the original 3x8 drivetrain with a SRAM Apex 1 and built new wheels on Alexrims and Shimano M6000 hubs. When I was done, the original bits were the frame, fork, and some of the handlebar stem spacers. And the headset, which was fine.
@cainmark @ascentale @Cyclist @bikenite
A2 (cont'd). Fast forward to 2025. Dionysus's gorgeous Battersea blue-green paint was showing signs of wear, with rust bubbling through from underneath in spots. I had the option of stripping it down again and repainting it again, or moving on. I chose to move on for several reasons, among them that the chainring clearance wasn't great as the bike had been designed for a triple. I bought a Surly Straggler frame, rebuilt the wheels again with 650B rims, and added some sparkly bits. At first I moved most of the drivetrain over, but I've just replaced that with Shimano Deore.
Phil (ascentale)
Cainmark Does Not Comply 🚲
oheso