Frame life?

LewisBricktop said:

I currently own a 2001 Bianchi San Remo. It was my Dad's bike for 3 years, and I assumed possesion last May. Since May, I have put about 3K miles on it. I would guess my Dad put about 2-3K miles on it, many of which were on a poorly maintained packed limestone trail, over the three years he rode it, so it has about 5-6k miles behind it.
I have been toying with the idea of beginning to upgrade the components, but I dont want to if the frame is going to give out in another 2K miles. My question is, will it be worth it to upgrade the parts, or should I just ride the hell out of it until it completely gives in and buy a completely new bike at that point. This obviously means that I can not afford to do so at this point.

Steel frame?

Presuming this is one of Bianchi's steel framed bikes AND it has not been left in the rain to rust OR left in a field so that it could be run over by some farming equipment, then the frame will probably last long enough for you to pass it on to your grandchildren ...

If the frame has been truly abused, whatever components you buy to use on it can be removed and put on your new ride at some point in the future.

LewisBricktop said:

I currently own a 2001 Bianchi San Remo. It was my Dad's bike for 3 years, and I assumed possesion last May. Since May, I have put about 3K miles on it. I would guess my Dad put about 2-3K miles on it, many of which were on a poorly maintained packed limestone trail, over the three years he rode it, so it has about 5-6k miles behind it.
I have been toying with the idea of beginning to upgrade the components, but I dont want to if the frame is going to give out in another 2K miles. My question is, will it be worth it to upgrade the parts, or should I just ride the hell out of it until it completely gives in and buy a completely new bike at that point. This obviously means that I can not afford to do so at this point.

Agree with alfeng. You can ride that frame 5-6K/year for 20+ years and it will still be fine if well cared for. Yes it is worth component upgrades to keep it going. Ride the hell out of it, and you can still get a new second bike when desire and budget allow and have the San Remo as your bad weather second bike.

My steel frame on my commuter bike has 25k on it (about 5 years old), still counting. I expect it to last like 5-10 years more, only upgrading components along the way. I've had the rear wheel rebuilt and pedals changed, but thats about it. If you keep it from rusting, it'll last as long as you want it to. (almost).

If you like to ride the frame, then why not just upgrade the components you like?

LewisBricktop said:

I currently own a 2001 Bianchi San Remo. It was my Dad's bike for 3 years, and I assumed possesion last May. Since May, I have put about 3K miles on it. I would guess my Dad put about 2-3K miles on it, many of which were on a poorly maintained packed limestone trail, over the three years he rode it, so it has about 5-6k miles behind it.
I have been toying with the idea of beginning to upgrade the components, but I dont want to if the frame is going to give out in another 2K miles. My question is, will it be worth it to upgrade the parts, or should I just ride the hell out of it until it completely gives in and buy a completely new bike at that point. This obviously means that I can not afford to do so at this point.

The San Remo model I've picked up felt like a heavy-weight; would guess it could last about forever with reasonable care. A buddy of mine uses his for touring rides, with a rack on the back. He's got a lightweight custom Foco steel bike for the go-fast days.

I'd just ride the thing and replace components and wheels as they fail. Wouldn't make sense (IMO) to try to save weight on this bike; it's a great, durable all-purpose recreational ride as is. If you really want a road-race bike, I'd get one and keep the San Remo too. After all, everyone should have at least one good old steel bike 🙂