Pre 1950s rides of LFGSS: old bikes, vintage rats, classic lightweights

Bear in mind that all bikes had unsealed cup and cone bearings until about 1980, and millions of them went decades without maintenance. If you want to err on the side of caution, use plenty of thick grease and repack annually.

In Reading Bike Kitchen we see several 20+ yr old low-end bikes with these each week. They are lubricated with tar and road grime, and somehow carry on for years. Apollo(gy for a bike) are the worst, as I dont'e even think they cut threads in the BB shell, just slam the cups into virgin tube with an air gun.

Old Campag Record BBs are "rifled" to force dirt out as the cranks rotate, so probably good for a dirty day on the TdF, but I doubt they'd survive commuting.

Times and expectations change, I'd opt for sealed every time.

I've had cup and cone bearings in several bikes, including ones set up for winter-TA bottom brackets and axle and cottered Bayliss Wiley. Also 1950s's Airlite hubs, (all be it laced to modern rims) The bottom brackets have never been any problem, I just use modern grease-and lots of it. The hubs sometimes need adjusting at the cones, and a bit of de-gunking but no real problems other than that thus far, at least not to do with bearings!

Same here, cup and cone and lots of good quality grease (with drop or two of oil added) and no probs at all. Had rode such combos since 70s, I remember jumping into a lake with a bike and riding home without issues, although would not recommend this of course 😁

Tester is correct to point out that cup and cone bearings served all cyclists for millions of (mostly) trouble free miles for over a century.

I have a BW front hub which is reputed to have done over 200,000 miles - it still runs perfectly.

One small note of caution. On well used frames it is common for the slot in the seat tube which forms the seat pin clamp to become distorted. If a bike with this minor defect is ridden in the rain without mudguards water will get into the frame and cause major problems including rusty BB bearings.

It's quite common and irritating to read 'experts' suggestions that old style kit was defective, unlike the modern stuff which they imply never goes wrong. Naturally, if any machine is badly assembled by some incompetent person and then abused, it won't work very well. Old bikes, treated with reasonable care, would last at least the lifetime of the owner - that's what the trade doesn't like and it is possibly the origin of the stories about how bad they were.