Rick’s Fixes: His latest tips and tribulations
Are lightweight bikes the perfect passport to classics for non-grey beards? Or just all they can afford?
‘Is this the way to involve young people in classic bikes?’ I often hear that said about lightweight classics in the debate about how to involve younger people in old bikes. The current line is that ‘budget lightweights make great, affordable classics’. Sure, they can be fun – but aged 19, I wanted a Bonneville not a moped. Desirable classics are simply too expensive – especially projects, which, when I started, were affordable and (with hard work) were the path to getting you on the bike you really wanted.
But there’s still a place for the budget lightweight. My mate Will is building a street scrambler for his girlfriend Ellie from an unremarkable ‘Sinnis’ 125cc he was given as a rusty non-runner – and I’m amazed at what he’s achieved with effort, but little expense. In fact, he’s videoing the build on the internet, hoping to inspire other young folk to have a go (look up ‘Coleman Customs budget scrambler build’ on Youtube ) The ‘iphone generation’ may be closer to old bikes than we think. The internet offers more inspiration than I ever saw – snapshots of the past from boardtrack to desert racing. It’s also opened up access to what used to be ‘trade only’ materials and even techniques. Add environmental awareness and the result is a dislike of ‘throwaway’ products and a growing appreciation of old-school quality and manual skills.
‘Hipster fashion,’ you groan? Well, don’t tar everyone with the same brush – and besides, after the ‘real coffee’ and beards are gone, there just might be a backwash of genuine new enthusiasts who only found us because – for a time – we were ‘on trend’.
‘LIGHTWEIGHTS CAN BE FUN, BUT AGED 19 I WANTED A BONNEVILLE NOT A MOPED’