Introductions - Not so newby

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keelbolts
10-22-09, 01:10 PM
I rode in the 80s, hung the bike up in the 90s, and now my son is going to drag me back out onto the road.
I have a Lotus Legend that I build with Shimano 600 components - complete with Biopace rings up front. Son pulled it down, cleaned it up, tuned it up, and got into riding. He decided he wanted his own bike so he bought a Cannondale CAD9 (I think it is). My Lotus was considered reasonably light in 1987, but weighs practically 3 times what son's C'dale weighs. I'm OK with that as I find I prefer the ride of steel over aluminum & carbon fiber. If I lived in the mountains I might feel differently. A lot has changed since I hung up my bike. I have a bit of catching up to do.

RonH
10-22-09, 01:27 PM
Welcome to BikeForums.
Most new steel bikes are only slightly heavier than aluminum bikes. It's time to upgrade your bike and get out there with your son. :)
Stop by the 50+ forum and introduce yourself to the "old farts". :rolleyes:
CbadRider
10-22-09, 01:27 PM
Welcome to Bike Forums. Where do you ride?

keelbolts
10-22-09, 08:05 PM
I ride in the Tidewater, VA area. It's relatively flat which is good as I never was much of a climber.

RonH, I weighed my bike the other day & it's 24.6 pounds. Son's C'dale is about 9 pounds. The bars, seat post, parts of the seat, running gear, and brake levers are carbon fiber. I've been wondering how the Lotus frameset would do with upgraded components. What do you think?
RonH
10-23-09, 06:19 AM
Ask the folks in the Classic & Vintage forum about upgrading? They're really into older bikes. And they REALLY like pictures.
AndrewP
10-23-09, 10:14 AM
Are you sure the Cdale is 9 lb or 9 kg
keelbolts
10-27-09, 08:41 AM
I believe it's called a CADD9. On my bathroom scale, which tends to be accurate, Son's bike came in at 9 pounds. My Lotus weighs 24 pounds & some change. By comparison, Son's bike feels like it's filled with helium. He tells me that it's a fairly light frame and it's built up w/ carbon fiber everything. He bought it from a I've ridden it a bit and noticed two things: 1) not surprisingly, it accelerates like my motorcycle and (2) on level ground the weight savings, over my bike, makes surprisingly little difference.
keelbolts
11-02-09, 10:26 AM
Correction:

It turns out Son's bike weighs 17.2 pounds, not 9. I see now why there was some question about it.