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In this video I’m going to provide a number of vintage bike restoration tips. Tips that might provide insight in your own restoration project and set the right expectations.

Tip 1. Don’t expect to make money restoring bikes

I’ve calculated how much money I spent on average restoring a bike and it ran in the hundreds of euros.

I estimate that I put in twice the amount of money in a project that I could get out of it. So for a bike that took 500 euros to restore I should be happy to get more than 200 out of it if I would ever sell it.

This is not because I’m stupid but because I like premium stuff on my bikes, because I’m actually going to use them myself.

People who fix bikes only to sell them in general don’t use premium components, because it eats away their profit margin. And I don’t blame them. Just look at an arbitrary road bike from a reseller. I bet it runs Michelin Dynamic Classics.

You shouldn’t do anything just because it pays, and as far as vintage bike restoration tips goes it applies here as well.

Tip 2. Buy the tools you need

Even if you’re willing to spend the money restoring a bike, it doesn’t really make sense only doing it once.

That’s because you’re going to need specific tools for the job, and you don’t want to buy stuff you’ll only end up using a couple of times or worse, once.

I spent hundreds of euros on bike repair tools and I don’t own a bike stand or truing stand. This relative costly investment repays itself each time I use it.

Tip 3. The older the bike, the harder the restoration

It’s all relative of course, but in general the older the bike the more difficult the restoration process is going to be.

Bikes and parts are more damaged, more seized, more difficult to repair and harder to source.

On the other hand, you might like a challenge. And the bigger the challenge the greater the satisfaction of overcoming it.

Tip 4. Become friends with your local bike shop mechanic
My local bike shop has helped me out on numerous occasions. They have the expertise, experience and tools to do things I simply cannot do.

So unless your a bike mechanic yourself, become friends with one. A couple of beers for a job well done goes a long way I can tell from personal experience.

Tip 5. Persevere

Bike restorations can test your patience and perseverance. Each project bring with it their own set of challenges to overcome that will test you.

I've also written about blog post with more information. If you want to read this article go to [ Ссылка ]

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Music is from the YouTube Audio Library

Song is "Pine Street" from Reed Mathis

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