Buying an old frame.

[Noodley]

I have spent the past few years trying to trace my old bike which I had when I was a teenager, but without success    (I reckon one of my younger relatives sold it, but does not have the courage to tell me - it was a BSA, nothing great but a great bike to me).

But I would quite like to get my hands on an old (70s or before) frame and see what I come up with after...I don't want to commit to restoring it or making a fixed bike out of it but just trying to find a decent frame and see where I go from there.

Any ideas for where to find a decent frame?  And for names to look out for...and ideas as to what to do with it, where to take it if it requires a new paint job, where to find parts if I want to "restore", etc.   As I said I don't want to commit yet, but all ideas from you knowing lot would be appreciated. 

[Biggsy]

Looking for one with a Reynolds 531 sticker on it would be a good start.  It's an indication of a certain degree of quality.

I wouldn't be too fussy about the exact make and model - unless trying to get the same bike had before for sentimental reasons.

Read or place wanted ads in eBay, local papers, local shops, this forum.

[Wowbagger]

I have been told that certain 531 Claud Butler frames from the 1970s had a design fault which made the bikes very unstable. The chap who told me this reckoned he got the information from a frame builder and was so convinced that it was true, based upon accidents he had had on his CB, (never had on one his Galaxy) that he sawed the frame in two.

[itsme]

Beware internal corrosion although this can be pretty difficult to detect.
Look down sections of tubing and try giving the frame a shake to listen for the rattle from rusty flakes.
Finding it difficult to remove components can also be an indicator of general corrosion.
If there are rusty patches on the surface of the frame try poking them with a screwdriver to see if it's just surface rust or if the corrosion goes right through.

[Domestique]

Go along to your local recycling depo and see whats there. Or some of the smaller LBS have 2nd hand stuff for sale around here.
Its a big risk buying a 2nd hand frame from e-bay imo

[rogerzilla]

Beware anything with Raleigh-standard headset threading.  I think 1970s BSAs (like the BSA Bullet) were a Raleigh brand, like Sun.