Classic & Vintage - Would LeMond, Kelly, Hinault or other TDF greats from the 80's ride your C&V bike??

I always had a fantasy of going back in time to the early to mid 80's and be on the side of the road with one of my choicest C&V bikes and one of these great racers from the 80's has a big equipment breakdown with his bike in front of me while leading at the last kilometer and the spare bike car is nowhere in sight. Do you guys think they will take one's offer to use your bike to finish and win a critical stage....or just laugh at your face and throw your beautiful bike into the ditch out of frustration.......??:rolleyes:

Chombi

Well, if we were to go back to the mid-eighties, I wouldn't have been able to afford the C&V bike I ride today, a Basso Gap.

However, I do know that if Bob Rolle (Bobke) broke down in front of me, he certainly would have taken my Basso to victory, because he rode a real Basso beater for many years back in his racing days...

My bikes are mainly '50s-early '70s, so I'm pretty sure they'd laugh at them and hold out for something with a 6 spd. :)

Well, if we were to go back to the mid-eighties, I wouldn't have been able to afford the C&V bike I ride today, a Basso Gap.

However, I do know that if Bob Rolle (Bobke) broke down in front of me, he certainly would have taken my Basso to victory, because he rode a real Basso beater for many years back in his racing days...

I heard that, in his very early days, he spray painted his bike so that it wouldn't get stolen in the rough parts of California that he lived in, and even lived under bridges in Belgium when he first went to Europe to race with local clubs....

I think any top rider in that position would do whatever it took. They'd probably take a Stingray if that's all there was at hand.

Yea, I think they would! Mine might be a bit big for them!

267931267932267933

They would do whatever it took to win.

I'd hope so, Lemond should be able to do well on my Lemond Ti DA, since it's one of his offerings. ;)
For the legendary Kelly, I have him covered with a Vitus 979.
As for Hinault, he can wait along the side of the road. I never liked the arrogant bastard.
:D

I think any top rider in that position would do whatever it took. They'd probably take a Stingray if that's all there was at hand.
If that the case, Can you imagine any of them riding a Huffy Aerowind borrowed from a spectator at the last kilo of a TT stage!:eek::D

Chombi

no one but me rides my bikes.

well, maybe the univega, but not while racing.

no one but me rides my bikes.

well, maybe the univega, but not while racing.

those barstids can well afford their own darn bikes! These are MINE!

I would like to think they would willingly hop on my Bianchi Proto and race off but then they may realize their own bikes are not as good as a Bianchi :)

It seems to me that I have heard stories here recently of a cyclist breaking down and taking a kids bike to finish the race.

ARed

Yea, I think they would! Mine might be a bit big for them!

267931267932267933

This does not look like an '80s frame but for clarifacation what tubing is it? Also what is in the suitcase?

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=267933&d=1345240095

Sure. One of them would do, and I'd be the guy jumping up and down in an annoying way trying to get on camera while they're on the podium.

No, we wouldn't let them go, what with wanting to tweak the fit for them.

Interesting thought / fantasy. Obviously some of the bikes owned by people on this forum would 'qualify'. As for myself, I doubt if a competitor would be too happy to ride my Suburban into Paris...and I will never offer for anyone to ride the De Rosa.

This does not look like an '80s frame but for clarifacation what tubing is it? Also what is in the suitcase?

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=267933&d=1345240095

EL-OS and a 25th anv Dura Ace set!

Yeah, that why he would charge at the last stage toward Paris even he had already won. He was no sissy and calculated and stop racing. One of the last of the real hard man. Like Vino today (soft compare to Hinault). I would loan him my Look that I use to have.

The bigger question is, what if they take it and win say, Flanders and beat your bike too death or crash into the mud pit that tweaks your frame only to come find you with a huge thank you and sign your bike later. Only that they do not give you a new bike but hand your CV back to you. What would you do then. Keep in mind that during those days, they didn't have huge budget like they do today. I remember those days well as a kid.

For the OP. If the three of them crashed in front of me with their bikes mangled, I would give my bike to Kelly and give him a big push, then LeMond, then him. LeMond was my hero because he was not allow to ride the Tour in his early years. I was too young to understand (ALmost Jr cat.) why the French were keeping our boy down from riding.

I think last year?, it was Jens Voigt that crashed and used a spectators bike on a descent. It was way too small for him. I think he may have ridden it a couple miles before a following car got to him. Yep, found this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiNrMy0nxWw

oh heck no

I wouldn't let him.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/7807379292_b25c4abd73_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7248180194_6bce8c8550_h.jpg

Would they find my bikes worthy? Yes they would. While I've sold of most of my bikes I still own a Super record equipted Colnago Mexico and Super Record equipted Vitus 979.

Yeah. Greg would ride my 1990 Greg Lemond Maillot Jaune. It think he pretty much did.
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He might ask to upgrade from the Ultegra parts though, before he deigns to clip in and go.
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http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2553/4179139324_c7bc6d0985_z.jpg.
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Oh wait. No he wouldnt. Its not from the '80s.
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Maybe my '86 Murray...

This does not look like an '80s frame but for clarifacation what tubing is it? Also what is in the suitcase?

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=267933&d=1345240095


ELOS is likely mid 90s. An ELOS bianchi should have campy but I will cut him some slack. That DA group is probably the finest example of shimano parts to date.

If my Ciocc was still the way it was first built up in the 1986 - most surely. Regardless, you ride what's available to keep going.

As currently built-up, LeMond would probably wonder how I'd obtained copies of the prototype Look clipless pedals. My Kelly Takeoffs would probably have them all thinking, "Looks funny but sure makes shifting faster and more convenient!" The consequence would be that Kelly Takeoff-style shifters would quickly come to dominate the pro peleton, possibly resulting in the development of the modern brifter as we know it being significantly delayed, "New Coke" being a huge hit, Ford and Volkswagen merging and getting into the video game business, broccoli becoming extinct due to a mysterious fungus originating in Texas, and Al Gore being elected President of the U.S. (with Cyndi Lauper as his V.P.) in 2000. The moral: Don't mess with time.

If the race was Paris-Roubaix, I'd like to think any of them would recognize my '74 Pro as not being completely awful and taking off on it.

I must admit that none of my bikes were built with anything like this fantasy in mind! But I suppose it's possible I could find something in the shed for him to ride... if he's nice about it.

My best ride-able bike is a Cannondale Black Lightning, so probably not. My best frame though? '79 Raleigh Professional. Yeah, they'd probably ride it.

Would they take my 1983 Trek 970?
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Perhaps in a pinch.
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They'd heft the 26-pounds of my Fuji S-10-S (now with 18 speeds) and say "No F&^$ing way!" or if they really did take it, then afterwards I'm pretty sure he'd ask "You've ridden that tank how far?" I've ridden that bike 30-40 thousand miles over the last 36 years, and probably 25 thousand of that in the first five years or so.

Really, a 26-pound bike wasn't that much heavier than my college dorm-mate's all Campy Paramount (20.5 lbs). What they wouldn't like is the lower gearing than they'd be used to. Whatever a 52/13 top gear is...