Doctor Memory

For me, it was cost, pure and simple. I can't afford to drop $1k+ on a new bike, so I spend less than half that on an '84 Trek 660. It's beat to hell, but the wheels are straight and it rides smoothly. I'm getting just as much enjoyment out of it as I would from a new bike (downtube shifters and all), so why spend more if you don't have to?

donalson

*drool*... I'm always on the lookout for an old bianchi in celeste green in my size to pick up... one day...


anyway I always enjoy the subject even if it is a super zombie thread


I have 2 bikes that I frequently ride... I do it for a few reasons... the first being cost... I'm a big guy... finding a frame large enough to fit me well, AND that fits 32c tires, AND is comfortable is not easy... or cheap...



this is my '83 trek 560 25.5" frameset, running 9 spd ultegra bits (pulled from a bike I bike I got for about $200 and then sold the frameset for about 1/2 that, a nice DTswiss (with 240s hubs) wheelset, a nitto noodle bars, and a comfy brooks saddle... I prob have 5-$600 into the bike... I do have a set of campy shifters I'll be installing at some point (which happen to work with the 9 spd shimano stuff)... I've also got my eye on a new frameset... that might be a soma ES... but it will more likely be another vintage trek frame as they fit me well, are comfy, have good geo (see fit well)...


I don't only ride vintage though... my touring bike is a surly long haul trucker, but it too was built from a hodge podge of parts... it was the disc model because most of the parts came from a MTB that had discs.

corrado33

Even though this thread is very old... I ride old bikes for this reason.

Top of the line old bikes can be bought for many hundreds of dollars less than even modern entry level bikes. What would I prefer more? A stallion from 1986 or a mini pony from 2017? (Assuming neither lose performance with age.) Old, high quality bikes are often unrivaled in performance by modern bikes until you get up into the multi thousand of dollar range. So I ask... why? I see no reason to spend an order of magnitude more on a bike to get the same performance just because it's "newer."

Of my group of friends I ride the oldest bike by a good 10 years.

That bike is also the nicest bike of the group and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Bikes don't age if properly maintained.

boozergut

I repeat my mantra. There's nothing uglier than a fat aluminum down tube. That vintage Bianchi is cool.

boozergut

OK, I will bite. I recently donated a Miyata 110 steel bike to charity. I had upgraded the bike to Shimano 600 derailleurs and down tube sifters. I road the $hheeyat out of it. The bike seemed to fit me perfectly and the ride was very comfortable. I also have a Scandium/aluminum carbon fork Salsa Campeon "Fred Bike" with full Campy components. Maybe its the frame geometry, or just my big arse but the Salsa makes me feel like I went ten rounds with George Foreman after a 30 mile ride. I miss that old Miyata.

mackgoo

That's a Ti foil monocoque down tube.

DMC707

Good thread even if it's a couple years old

My dealership called me the "steel is real" guy back in 96 -- they were a Cannondale dealership, but my ride was a De Bernardi they custom ordered for me from Zar International. Built it with a basic Campy group (Mirage, velocity maybe?) and 2 sets of wheels, clinchers for training, tubulars for racing

Heck, people were declaring tubulars dead 21 years ago too, but it still hasn't happened for the hardcore

DMC707

To answer the original question -----

Style, - to me, the older steel bikes from Colnago, DeRosa, 3Rensho, Davidson, etc etc have style
Much like an old Corvette or muscle car looks better to some than the latest incarnations --- and there is precious little reason a steel machine from the early brifter era can't run with a modern bike -- a couple of my machines from the early 90's have brifters and dual pivot brakes that still work quite well-- admittedly 8 speeds drive trains are limited compared to newer 117 speed stuff, but you just have to tailor your cassette to your ride

For me it's not a budget thing at all --- On the mtb side I am running 2 Yeti mtb's for enduro and downhill use that I have just shy of 17k in between the 2. So I am not immune to technology, it just seems to matter a lot more in the dirt

I've experienced nicer carbon road machines (demo,ed modern S Works tarmac and Roubaix, and I own a nice carbon Cannondale that nobody will buy from me) -- the newer road bikes just don't have the same "feel" as my restored older stuff

I will add though that my favorite "rider" is a 80's DeRosa with a modern 10 speed Campy drivetrain -- it combines the old and new in a very nice package, and still manages to weigh a tic under 20 lbs with clinchers and high spoke count wheels

blue192

I suspect it is like not wanting to constantly upgrade a computer, it just works the way the person wants and does not need to learn new stuff. Just ride the same way for years.