Rocky Gravol

When there are thousands of bikes and riders,
why do I feel so alone.

There was this guy, he was my hero.
Rule #80 // Always be Casually Deliberate.




I fell in love with this woman.
I want her to as my future wife.

Henry III

Why pay to ride when you can ride for free any time or anywhere? Also the money for fees is spent on parts for projects.

intransit1217

We have several regular steel bikes in my club. From waterfords to falcons.

Velocivixen

I'm not a "group ride" sort of person. I prefer solo.

ThermionicScott 

Same here. In fact, one guy sometimes brings a Waterford-built "Raleigh Professional" and another guy brings his restored '70s Falcon.

And I never fail to see other lugged steel bikes on the organized rides I do -- RAGBRAI, TOMRV, brevets, tweed rides (natch)...

icepick_trotsky 

So did you ask her out or what, @Rocky Gravol?

repechage

A fair number of casual riders are not safe to be near.

eschlwc

i'll ride with you, rocky. but can you bring something light and fast?

Rocky Gravol

No, but it was the first time in decades that I told a strange woman,
that I thought she was beautiful.

Rocky Gravol

I think my PKN is light and fast.

oddjob2

She doesn't look strange to me, rather sweet in fact.

Come to Detroit and do a Monday night Slow Roll, just like the Apple iPad TV ad. There is a bit of everything: vintage Schwinns, blinged out cruisers, Big Box bikes, mtbs, a handful of carbon fiber bikes sounding like a fisherman's reel, Italian single speeds favored by the event marshalls, and a few I'd call C & V. The rides are free and go for a little over an hour. Probably 800-1200 riders on an average outing.

Put some soul in your roll!

dweenk

Ditto.

Rocky Gravol

I tend to agree, I like riding at my own pace.
But group rides can be more about socializing than riding.

I ended up leaving behind my riding partners,
because they were riding to slow.
I rode home and was drinking a malted recovery beverage(s) before they crossed the finish line.
And I'm not a fast rider.

There is a certain amount of satisfaction in passing expensive carbon fiber bikes,
on a 70's ten speed.

Don't ever laugh at someone's ride, they just might pass you later.

Rocky Gravol

There was a 35 minute ferry boat ride to get to and from the start.

3speedslow

Ah, cause we know something they don't ?

davester

I'm right here! (Marin Century 2014). I typically see about 5 vintage bikes on a typical century ride with say 1,000 riders. One thing I really like is the admiring comments I get from many folks riding their look-alike carbon bikes.

RobbieTunes

Several reason, in my mutant opinion....

1-The bike market in general. There are a lot more non-C&V bikes out there.

2-The cost to enter those. C&V folks are notoriously cheap. What money they do spend is often on food.

3-Saturdays is often wrench time.

4-Saturdays is often yard sale time.

5-Everyone else gets so darn serious. We do not, until it comes time to talk about our bikes.

6-The "introspective" mentality, on rides. We think more, and don't need some idiot wrecking us while we do.

7-Ego. I probably mean this more about us middle-aged males. We want to keep up, so we bring our carbon bikes.

8-How we actually look in lycra vs. how we think we look. Our wives stop us at the door.

9-We're sleeping in. We're too old to 1-sweat. 2-freeze. 3-hurry.

iab

Most people use new stuff. I see a much smaller percentage of vintage cars on the road versus vintage bikes.

lasauge 

In response to the original question: ever seen the statistic that the average age of cars on the street in the US is 11.4 years? I expect the average age for bikes would be similar, since every year millions and millions of new bikes are purchased, while the number of visibly 'vintage' bikes in service naturally decreases. Plus the people who go to sporty group rides are exactly the folks you'd expect to keep up with the newest, latest, and greatest, so it's no wonder that you don't see a lot of C&V.

I do actually see plenty of 20th century bikes at large local events, especially those where a shortened loop is planned for kids and families. But like you OP, at the weekly shop rides, pretty much everyone has a carbon frame and 10- or 11-speed gearing. But I actually like that - being the fastest rider in the bunch is even more satisfying when can you pull it off on the oldest, heaviest machine and prove that it really is the engine that matters most.

OldsCOOL

Why? Because they sold them and we bought them.

Rocky Gravol

We know, we have more fun.

3speedslow

72Paramount

I try to incorporate riding into my daily life. I don't have to prove anything by winning a race, or getting a T-shirt. I ride for me.,when I want, where I want. Oh ya I almost forgot... I don't like modern bikes. All the computers, eps, monitor gizmos, it's just too much for me. Why would I want to go on a ride where 95% of the people are riding these creations. And as far as people saying that c&vers are cheap...... You are wrong. I have thousands and thousands of dollars in my collection and I know other C&V guys and girls whose collections far surpass mine. We are hobbyists, and bike enthusiasts who want the very best of a niche market. Also a lot of these events are put on by local bike shops around here. Most of the time when I need parts ebay is my only option.... Why.... Because these shops don't cater to C&V . That's my .02

old's'cool

Always depend on you, Robbie for a light-hearted take

That's pretty much me. Mostly for reasons well elucidated by Robbie.
While I like riding, I don't have a lot of free time to devote to it, so I'd rather kill two or more birds with one stone, i.e. by commuting to work and back, shopping trips, or intensive workout rides with minimal organization time at the beginning and end, meaning I leave directly from my house, and arrive directly back.
That way, I save more time for chillaxin with a drink in my hand, which, by contrast, I'd rather do in a group.

rccardr 

Really? Vintage is all I ride, and I ride a LOT! Club rides, Thursday Night Grand Prix, centuries, tours...you name it.

Must admit, though, on the Tour de Palm Springs last weekend, only saw about eight vintage bikes. We smiled at each other.