uncle uncle

I have the opportunity to time trial, or even flat out race, a bicycle in the city where I live. I see gentleman do this. These gentleman seem to be my same age, kitted out in pro racing garb, with late model aluminum and carbon wonder wheels. But, for some reason, I just don't want to join them, or at the very most, don't want to feel like I have to compete with the best of them. And, in a way, C&V bicycles afford me an "out". I also enjoy riding thru some of the more "low rent" neighboring districts of our city... and I feel my ride(s) allow me a certain "urban camo" that allows me to seamlessly blend. Anyone else living an "untruth", if not an outright lie about the association to C&V?

Rocky Gravol

I ride C&V because they're more affordable.


Yes dear, that bike only cost me 100 bucks...

RobbieTunes

I sometimes take comfort in knowing that my C&V bikes have little attraction to the people past whom I ride, be it bystanders or other riders. I would imagine this also applies to those riders who pass me. There is no facade needed re: this is expensive, going fast or appearing fit. It is nice to relax.

When I am on my carbon or modern steel, I am always on more of an edge regarding damage or theft, always aware that there are young, fit riders on their carbon bikes who are constantly measuring themselves vs. The World. With a slight shrug, I willingly underachieve the expectations of the "look." I am that old guy on the fast-looking ride, taking his time. I used to get a kick out of the occasional 24mph pull, or bringing it home on a triathlon leg. Now, I just ride my pace, and if I feel good that day, I'm the old guy who is still fast. If not, I'm that old guy who is taking up space on a bike they think I should be giving to some young kid with real potential. The tri crowd only thinks in numbers, no room for fun in most cases, except for back where I finish, and we have cold beer pre-planned and ready. Experience pays.

The one exception is my gravel bike, which is not worth all that much but looks it. It has a frame few people want, wheels almost nobody would want, and the other bits are swap meet/parts box items. It gets more second looks than it deserves, and I observed it getting more than one look and subsequent "look around" when locked at the local supermarket. While it may not have been a "significant" steal for the guy, walking home didn't appeal to me, so I sauntered over before he could realize what a cheap lock I had on it.

ramzilla

Modern bikes are fine. The technology has improved so much over the years that entry level steel & aluminum bike store bicycles are pretty good values. They're pretty much equal or better to mid level bikes being made in Europe & Japan up through the eighties. They just lack that classic style old lugged steel frames have. They usually don't have any chrome. And, they're just plain boring robot bikes. Not made by hand anymore.

eschlwc

my bikes have that classic look and feel. they're cool. they're beautiful. they're quiet. they're fast. they're simple. i can take them completely apart. i can rebuild them to be like new. they make me feel good when i'm riding at great speed. they make me feel good when i glance over at them resting against the wall. they're timeless. there is no uniform required. there is no need for wall hangings. i have these beautiful, useful, resilient works of art, to admire, to use, to ride.

Bandera

Then you might see an elderly gentleman on either a modern CF or Classic road bike out for a brisk ride, that could be me.
Neither is operated any differently and either will move along right smartly as required, considering.
It's not about the hardware, and never has been.

-Bandera

Velocivixen

My untruth is that, by the time I've got my "good deal" of a vintage bike the way I want it, I've spent more than what I originally paid for the bike and more than what the whole thing is worth! So I'm not really sure that vintage bikes, for me, are less expensive than new. Of course, I prefer the classic styling of vintage and that counts for something.

wrk101

1. Any bike over 5 years old is not worth fixing as it is obsolete (LBE owner to me).

2. Old guys shouldn't ride bikes with drops (every single keeper bike I own has drops).

3. You need at least two to three inches of stand over clearance (I typically have zero to negative 1 inch of standover).

OldsCOOL

That frames must be a perfect fit. PFFFT. My Trek 760 is one size too small and the Colnago is one size too big. I would ride either for a century. Set the seat post and stem. That's it. Oh, C&V....they really can be fast.

JWLeach

Some really great philosophy here. Some of you have put into words feelings that I haven't been able to iterate thus far.

yooperbiker

One untruth is that you can't race if you have an older classic race bike. Baloney. Lots of older bikes are raced. Don't use that as an excuse.

markk900

First off - Stunning! Just love the photo and the bike looks sooooo gooood.

I like the old bikes because I can play - I fix them up from throw away bikes to something usable, I am constantly fiddling with them and adding a piece here or swapping a piece there. I love the hunt for the parts I want; the taking apart and building back up; the riding and chatting with people that appreciate it. My current favorite ride is the Miele ATB I found being thrown out, and that I got going for under $40. Gearing is perfect for the city - its a lugged, butted steel frame (I do have a Trek Aluminum MTB for "real" trails), and its just fun to ride.

Today went for a ride with wife and brother in law in a major city park - riding the Raleigh Record I fixed up for the BIL. Low end bike but it rode beautifully. That's what its all about!

So the untruth (that I carried from way back in the day) is that lower end bikes are no good.....If you are not trying to be Eddie, they are still a blast!

iab

My oldness, fatness and slowness is all do to my C&V bikes.

Whew. I'm glad that weight is off my shoulders.

Nordo

That bike is beautiful.

Needles

I ride my C&V road bike because it's always fit me like a glove. One of the "flaws" that younger riders have pointed out is that it has friction shifters. I blame this perception on the digital age. For instance, if I'm riding and start up a hill on my '85 Kamra, I just move the right lever until my cadence is right--- whether I shifted one gear or three doesn't really concern me. I'm more into how it feels than which exact gear I'm in. In fact, I swapped the indexed shifters out on my Giant MTB because, in the same scenario, I would get to a hill: (click)... not enough, (click)... still not enough, (click)... maybe, (click)... nope, go back, (click)... ok. So, a process that I never had to think about became something I HAD to think about. If you grew up with indexed shifters, you probably don't think about it, just like I don't think about the exact position of the friction lever. I DO score pretty high on what used to be the Asperger's assessment scale, with all the OCD that goes with it, FWIW. In other words, if my head is given numbers, it wants to count, tabulate, and compare--- to me, that's annoying when I'm trying to ride to "clear my head." Analog (friction) shifters work fine for me. I always say indexed shifters are the answer to a question I never asked. Buddha said: simplify.

Bandera

You won't.
If you ever decide to get a license and race you will be competing in Cat5 w/ riders of similar (lack of) experience at first, fair is fair.

Seeing riders "kitted out in pro racing garb" certainly does not mean that they are actually involved in racing, most recreational riders like recreational golfers like to use quality modern equipment and kit. No big surprise there.

A USAC affiliated cycling club's team out on a training ride will be immediately recognizable as a different species of critter than Captain Fast's buddies down at Starbucks.
The racing team will be quite busy working a structured program to develop the endurance, power, speed and paceline skills necessary for competition.
Noticing what decade of hardware someone else is pedaling is not a burning concern for them, just ride a straight line.

-Bandera

John E

Convenient untruths:
1. It is hard to find parts for French bikes because of their hard metric dimensions.
I was able to find Sugino 35x1 RH-threaded BB cups when I wanted to convert my other (now-departed) UO-8 to cotterless cranks. With a bit of sanding I was able to install a standard 7/8" (22.2mm) stem on the PKN-10.

2. Steel is real ... heavy.
Yeah, but so what? At 10kg, the Bianchi is not exactly a boat anchor, and the bike itself does not slow me down much at all.

3. It is hard to find a mechanic who is both willing and able to work on vintage gear.
No problem -- I do almost all of my own work, and if I really get stuck, I live about a km from a superb bike shop which has had the same hands-on owner/manager for more than 35 years.


To echo the comments of others, I own and ride vintage exclusively, because I like the look, the feel, and generally the price. I have never spent more than about $400 on a bicycle, including fix-up or upgrade components -- generally a lot less.

uncle uncle

I'm enjoying the responses, even if they are at my own expense.
Ahh... yeah, I will. Even if I wouldn't admit it, and I finish so badly and far behind it looks like I haven't, I was. I have some kind of competitive OCD thing with everything.

I like Velocivixen's point of every C&V project ending up costing more than it's probably worth... yeah, that's probably me to. With an added group of bicycles setting in the corner, untouched, bought with some misplaced idea that I would get them running again, "so they can be saved and steered to a worthy person just waiting for a C&V bike to come along and fill some as yet unknown (by them) and untouched bicycle need".

jyl

When I join a group ride on my '78 Raleigh Team Pro, it gets more oohs and aahs than all the new bikes put together. Then it's just up to me to keep up, in which endeavor the bike certainly isn't any hindrance. On climbs long and steep enough for the extra 2 lb to be a problem, the state of my legs and lungs are of much greater interest to me! The downtime friction shifters are definitely less convenient and slower than pushing a carbon blade with my fingertips, but as long as I anticipate the shifts, the extra fuss isn't apparent to others - when they are starting to click their drifters, I have already shifted. That said, I have thought of switching the bike over to bar-ends.

leicanthrope

I'm too old and too clean-shaven to be a proper hipster, yet too young to the "old guy" riding the bike held over from his glory days. In my neck of the woods in California, all I'd have to do is skip the lycra and I could confidently pass as a DUI convict... Happily that seems like less of an issue out here north of Atlanta. With these hills, there are really only two varieties of cyclists that I've observed in the wild: dedicated hardcore roadies, and people who used the bike once on Christmas morning and subsequently gave up.

eschlwc

if this is the case with all your builds, you're doing it wrong.

i sunk some cash into this '80 moto grand jubilé, as i bought it as a frameset. but i built my own wheels, and found a wrecked donor with nice hubs, crankset, and first gen suntour cyclone. a couple years later, i sold it for $100 more than i invested, even though i had added a new brooks, kool-stops, velo orange cage, fizik tape, etc.



it helps to take great pics of your builds, especially the bare frame before you install the headset and bb. then just be prepared to hang on until the right buyer comes along in the spring or summer.

Bandera

Buyer?
All of my old machines were purchased new "back when" for a specific purpose and have become C&V by attrition since they have been in service for decades.

Here's the progression of hardware status:

Monday: State of the Art
Tuesday: Obsolescent
Wednesday: Obsolete
Thursday: Odd Old Useless Junk
Friday: Classic
Saturday: Vintage
Sunday: Antique

-Bandera

RobbieTunes

You just said out loud what we all are kidding ourselves about.

RobbieTunes

Mine settles around my hips.

eschlwc

buyer: a person who makes a purchase.