3 things to consider when doing a cheap bike restoration

With this article I’m going to delve into what bikes to consider when going for a cheap bike restoration. I’ve restored quite a number of bicycles, and the far majority of those bicycles would set me back money-wise far more than I would’ve liked.
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[@GreenJimll]

I've done quite a few bike restorations. Some have been donated, some I've found in skips/hedges. With some it's just a case of a quick service and maybe replace the brake cables/blocks (that was the case in the skip find bike back in 2020 which is now my day-to-day beater bike). That takes a couple of hours and costs less than £20. Other bikes have been stripped down to bare metal, resprayed, new wheels, seat, etc (for example another skip find 1960s Triumph roadster). You're right that 1990s mountain bikes are easy to work on and have parts available still. However you can still get parts for older stuff if you look around and/or look abroad. For example that Triumph was my first venture into the world of rod brakes and I thought they would be nearly impossible to find parts for because they've been obsolete for decades. Only they haven't: they're still used heavily in other parts of the world and they need cheap parts to be available based off the original patterns.
I tend to aim for around the £100 mark as a target too, but that's because I usually donate the restored bike to a good cause (refugees, poor college students, etc) so I don't want to spend more than that on something I'm going to literally give away.

[@ThaiRoosters2019]

Thanks for the informative video. I'm new to bikes!😊 Bought a " housewife Japanese bicycle" couple of days ago.😅 learning & watching & videos from Thailand. Hopefully start restoring some bikes soon😊 Your suggestions & advise would be HIGHLY appreciated!!❤ Thanks

[@peterbaskind9872]

I have to agree that 90s mountain bikes are great starting points for resto projects. Those bikes can really be anything, depending upon what you do with them.
Old Cannondales? Heck, yeah. I turned a 1994 (I think) H400 into a GREAT flat bar gravel bike. It’s fast and light. But it was NOT a cheap project. New rear wheel, new drivetrain, bars, etc., add up.

[@zu_1455]

I've got an all original late 70s Nishiki International with stem shifters. Bought it from LBS for $100. Thing looks like it was in a time capsule.

[@restorationdotbike]

That's a very nice bike for a great price!

[@myvicariouslife4012]

Euro's??? Where u learn english so well? I'm guessing that u r in the netherlands?

[@restorationdotbike]

correct