Many restorers and collectors alike won’t settle for vintage bicycles that have been restored with new, modern parts. They want the authenticity of vintage bicycle parts, so we’ll discuss old parts in general, which parts can be used as old, the advantages and disadvantages of old parts, and where to get these bicycle parts.

General Information

Vintage bicycle enthusiasts and those who restore their vintage bicycles swear by old parts. They will settle for nothing less. They feel using newer parts on an antique or vintage bicycle diminishes the bicycle’s authenticity.

Old and antique bicycle parts can be new, unused parts, but they are referred to as “old parts” because they were made a long time ago, so in this sense, old is referring to the year built, not the amount used.

Using Old Bicycle Parts

Advantages

There are a lot of advantages to using old bicycle parts, including:

• Authenticity of a bicycle restoration. The more original, old parts you use to restore a vintage bicycle, the more authentic your bicycle will be to the original when you’re finished.
• Vintage bicycle parts can sometimes be found for a great deal. If you can find the right vintage bicycle parts for a bargain, a vintage bicycle can be built or restored for much less money than purchasing a finished vintage bicycle.
• Many people swear by the quality of antique bicycle parts. You’ve heard the adage “They don’t build them like they used to.”

Disadvantages

Disadvantages of using old bicycle parts are:

• They can be hard to come by.
• They can be worn out or overly used.
• They weren’t made using modern technology used today.
• They may be hard to fit with other parts.

Which Bicycle Parts You Shouldn’t Use?

Headset, hub, and bottom brackets can all be risky. Each of these parts contains ball bearings or cartridge bearings. If these aren’t properly maintained, they can ruin the part, and it can be challenging to tell.

Tip: If you insist on using old tires, make sure the tread depth is at least 1.6 millimeters.

While using vintage tires on your bicycles can be dangerous, if you insist on doing so for a more authentic vintage feel, make sure the treated depth of the tires is at least 1.6 millimeters.

Riding with tires with tread depth less than 1.6 mm is not just unsafe, but also illegal as the tires will not offer sufficient traction on riding surfaces.

Wheels are a bicycle component that should not be purchased if they have been overly used. Wheels, when heavily ridden, lose their proper shape. If you purchase heavily used wheels, they may need to be “trued” in a truing stand. This applies to hubs as well.

Chains generally shouldn’t be purchased as an old bicycle part. They are much more likely to break and cause problems shifting than new chains.

Old tired will also fail much more often on a vintage bicycle (used for riding) than new tires. Older tires are also more dangerous because they don’t have the grip that new ones do.

Purchasing Old and Antique Bicycle Parts

Antique bicycle parts can be purchased through many different sites, but one of the best is eBay.com. eBay has one of the most comprehensive parts buying guides and selections on the market for very reasonable prices.

	Huge lot Vintage Bicycle Parts & Accessories Petals, Seat Post, Handel Bar Stems (17.91 USD)
	Vintage Monark Beehive Fork Springs Steel Parts Lot Springer Fork Balloon Tire (67.14 USD)
	Vintage Schwinn Approved Rear Derailleur Short Cage Hanger Silver Road Parts (19.99 USD)
	Vintage Bicycle Parts Lot Shimano-Suntour And Others Over 30 Pieces. (109.00 USD)
	Mixed Lot Vintage Cinelli Steel Stem Avocet SR Zeus Seat Posts Headset Parts +++ (89.95 USD)
	Vintage Ashtabula BMX Stem 75 76 Stamp Quill OG Old School BMX Parts (79.99 USD)
	Vintage Shimano Big Shifter 5 Speed 333 Click Stick Muscle Bike 5s 1970s Parts (116.99 USD)