Fahrenheit531 

My wife started going on group rides led by our LBS recently. I was reluctant, as I've never done group rides in any form, but I've dragged myself out of bed to get out there the last couple of weeks because I'll be riding in El Tour de Tucson next week and I figured I'd better get some sense of what it's like to ride with other cyclists around.

First thing I noticed: There are a whole bunch of 21st century bikes -- carbon or aluminum, all -- and then me on my thirty-year-old Tempo.

What I didn't expect was the admiration some of the roadies have expressed about my bike. Until now I've been under the impression that, as a rule, modern roadies consider our C&V rides as little more than recyclable metal in the shape of a bicycle. But I've found it to be quite the opposite when we're out on these rides. Granted, they're not lining up to trade their CF in for lugged steel, but several of the lead riders -- young'uns, no less -- are really intrigued by, and asking about, the vintage steel I bring to the party. And there's no shortage of compliments, either.

Am I just in an unusual group? Are the tales of steel mockery by the roadie gangs overblown? What's been your experience?
Me? I'm pleasantly surprised.

cb400bill

If I show up to a club ride or a riding event on my vintage Trek, it never fails to get a compliment.

I've never had anyone mock it, either.

Bandera

Many serious road riders, club racers in particular, have awareness of the history of the sport: it's personalities, traditions and hardware.
Where clubs exist for generations the continuum goes back for well over a century, "nice bike" is a nod to that tradition from the current generation.
And so it goes on.....

-Bandera

cyclotoine

Steel is cool again. Look at Lemond bringing it back. Ever since LA was shunned lemond has masses of new admiration too. The fixed gear thing and general pop culture of bikes as cool has helped. Retro is cool in many respects (for example, barbering is back for men). Generally there is a new respect for the times gone by in cycling and who doesn't admire eddy merckx. Everyone knows who he is and that he road vintage steel. Many roadies respect the retro bikes.

shelbyfv

An interesting vintage bike always gets compliments from the group I ride with.

rccardr 

...especially if you're doing a good job of keeping up.

Fahrenheit531 

I did do that. I have this cool genetic combination of "strong and lean" that translates well to a cycling application.

iab

I am of the opinion the perceived mockery of C&V exists exclusively on this forum. I have never encountered C&V hate. Ever.

People talking smack about plastic bikes is another matter.

caloso

Good riders appreciate good bikes. If you want to get serious kudos, race your old steelie. Last year at our team's omnium, I crashed my Cervelo during the criterium but was still in the running for a high overall finish. The next day I was forced to press my '86 Gazelle Champion Mondial into race service for the circuit race.



That bike was older than two of my teammates racing with me that day. Unfortunately, I did not race well owing to being so sore from crashing the day before, but the Gazelle certainly did not hold me back. It also does really well on the South River Ride, which is our local Tuesday Night World Championships. It's all crosswinds and horrible pavement, conditions the Gazelle was born to ride.

thenomad

yep, if you want to make a few friends bring a "well taken care of" vintage follow the rules and ride it well. Most appreciate a true cyclist on C&V and many old heads came from that era. They may not give upp their new bikes, heck, why should they? I always hear from folks who "had similar bikes" and raced, or spent tens of thousands of miles on it. Certainly I meet many that got into cycling 5-10 years ago but hey, I always have a story to hear or to tell!

Dang,I need to get back in the Saturday group rides!

1991BRB1

I would consider myself a roadie and I ride a steel vintage racing bike. No compatibility issues there. Of course that assumes your c&v bike is a road bike and in good working order.

On a couple group training rides I have been on, every so often a beginner will show up with a "c&v" bike without having had a tune up or really knowing how it works and the leaders politely suggest a visit to the LBS. But anyone on a well maintained classic road bike who knows how it works quickly fits in with carbon and brifters.

Occasionally you might get sidelong glances among a new group but more often my bike has aroused curiousity and/or appreciation.

Anyone who would actually give a rider any guff about bringing the "wrong" bike before actually determining that he or she can ride is either a fool or a poseur and it's usually quickly evident.

Steve Whitlatch 

I have not had anyone make fun of my bike at a group ride, but I have been told I need to get a brand new bike to make me faster.

Chrome Molly

My Trek 760 gets interesting sorts of attention wherever it goes. At the Dairyland Dare last year, the volunteer mechanics at two of the stops mentioned it was the first steel bike though, and one of them was quite floored that it wasn't something more modern (though I did modernize the drivetrain and wheels). Generally people are pretty friendly about it. Depending on the crowd you're in, it can help to break the ice among participants (they know you're not a real hard a$$ if you are riding something vintage). Sometimes that's good when you need to form up a group to beat the wind. Usually they are a little intrigued by why someone that likes to ride a lot isn't riding carbon.

That said, there have been times when I come up on someone and they dig in and try to lose me because of what I'm riding. I guess they don't want to be passed by the gray haired guy on his steelie. Not often, but it has happened.

Dave Cutter

I mostly ride a modern bike. But I do also take the vintage bicycles out for fun... before washing and returning to the wall they hang on. I always get fond looks and compliments for the classic-vintage bikes. And from time-to-time I'll even hear a "nice bike" as a way to compliment my new modern bike.

smallpox champ

In my experience people usually compliment things that are different, the flashier the better.

turky lurkey

A few months ago I was about 95 miles into a 120 mile charity ride, in the middle of a brutal 15 mile climb and some guy passed me on a newish carbon fiber bike. As he passed he said "I used to have a bike like that", referring to my 1986 Cannondale SR 600. I assumed he was going to say something about how they are good bikes, but instead he said "it made me appreciate this one", referring to his modern bike. He then proceeded to tell me how I don't need to spend a ton of money to get a more modern bike as they can be purchased used and so forth, blah blah blah.

I really should have told him that I wouldnt trade him bikes even if he wanted to, which would have been true. But at that point all I cared about was getting to the top of the mountain and coasting down the other side to the finish.

Beyond that, I've only gotten compliments on my old bikes.

clubman 

Slightly OT but still relative in that I was "different". In '93, I did an MS ride from Toronto/Guelph/Toronto over a weekend on my new C-dale T-1000, fully decked out and carrying gear. Wasn't even vintage! I was leaving for month long ride in Denmark in a couple of weeks and wanted to work out the bugs/balance/load etc for my first loaded tour. I was likely in the top 20% to finish but received more than a few snide/rude quips along the way from the lycra boys. Maybe cuz I was hammering as best I could. Gotta walk (or ride) a mile in someones clipless shoes. I still loved the ride.

jyl

I've done quite a few group rides, from big events to shop rides, always on my C&V because that's all I own. Never have received a negative remark. Some positive ones, depends on which bike it is. Helps to be keeping up, of course.

crank_addict

The ice-breaker-
One morning down in college town, before a small group ride I showed up with the trusty rusty Raleigh DL-1. This was before I pulled it apart with its rusty rims, oily hubs, scuzzy chain, really schitzky looking. For some, even if mint can make their eyes roll...lol. Gotta love the 'all steel beast' Raleigh to understand! Other then one person, nobody knew me and was a first time meet. Of course I had another modern bike (circa 1980 ) that was stashed in the trunk of the car, but they didn't know it.

Oh my, the expression and sneer's by these guys was hilarious. Although I had my ride gear and helmet I played it up and did my best to keep a straight face. Anyhow a bit before roll time, I had them and pulled the other bike out. We had a great laugh and fun ride.

On occasion, I'll join in with this group but most are college age and ride modern. A few are really strong and trash talk among their peer. They can dust me at any time yet always respectful and dig the older rides I'm on. In the end it doesn't matter what one is riding as this groups paceline is a joke anyways. I'm usually finishing with at least another.

leicanthrope

I've really never encountered any negativity from other riders, other than the occasional sneers from those well-heeled weekend warriors that look down anything less than a Cervelo. On a few occasions, I've encountered dismissive BS from bike shop staff in various places, when I've rolled in on a vintage bike while in street clothes. That's about the worst of it really.

RobbieTunes

Same here, pleasant surprise, and I alway try to ask them about their bikes. Often, they'll tell you, because they're the folks that care about that stuff. The "detractors" are on whatever propulsion they have at the moment, with the assumed air of a pro "riding what the sponsors brung." Of course, they're not pro's, so I know they actually spend their own real money; they just consider it a tool, and will get a new one in year or two.

The actual pro's I know tend to show up on really nice old steel bikes, or custom steel bikes, generally lugged. They know when they're working, and know when they're not. Doesn't matter, when they're challenged (and they always are), they simply amp it up to 26 mph and ride away.

Often, the carbon folks that like the bikes take off the helmet, and you see the grey hair, and they tell you about when they had a bike like yours. They appreciate the genre, but are unwilling to mitigate their hard-earned mileage with a few more pounds. Often, it was also because they never considered modern component upgrades to their beloved steel; they simply bought a new bike.

I've actually encountered more of the disdain from the well-heeled "Rivendell" crowd (no disrespect to the brand). I've seen them call the Cinelli/Centurion Equipe a "fake." I've seen them roll their eyes at an Ironman, and call anything below a Merckx "mid-grade." (Perhaps true in context, but they were defining "good bikes.") My guess is that their education comes from each other or some publication or web site I'm not familiar with. When I saw one of them dis' an SLX Cilo with 2x6 DA indexed, I spoke up. Just that once, and I think I'm banned for life from their polite society. My comments were "Really? that plain old Cilo is twice the bike your ******* will ever be," and then I proceeded to point out, component by component, where they'd been overcharged, ripped off, and the inferiority of the component and frame piece, compared to the Cilo. I gathered, as I went over the list, that this was not a welcome comment, rec'd as an affront, actually, so I finished with "we ride what we have; none of it matters, anyway, let's ride." No Christmas card that year.

The caveat, for me, is when the "old bike" more than holds its own. That's often when the attention comes, and especially if the kit is C&V-friendly, as well.

Velognome 

My experience is that Roadies seem to be facinated with my bikes like the way the general public is about Antique and Muscle Cars

Italuminium

"Hey, cool bike, I used to have one of those" - friendly MAMILS with trim calves.

"Man, that must be hard work with just 6 gears" - clueless speciatrekondale-riding that hasn't had the talk on gearing yet.

"wow, these thin tubes are really elegant" - recreational riders on Sora-equiped bikes.

gomango

Most of the guys I ride with ride new Wiliers, Cannondales and Bianchis.

They really couldn't care less about my steel bikes, other than a general ooh and aah when I show up with an occasional new one.

I'll likely hop on board at some point as well, maybe with a CAADx like the one I built yesterday.

They really are a lot of bike for the money.

oddjob2

Nice to know PINK is okay!
I have a 1987 Schwinn Prelude in the works.

You have a beautiful and pristine collection.