Gordo Grande

Hi folks,

I'm new here. I'm a life-long cyclist, ever since I got my old Ross "English Racer" type 3-speed in about 1963. I rode that a lot before I got my driver's license, and rode a track bike a little in my early twenties, but really became a serious cyclist in my early thirties. That's when I bought about 1/2 dozen bikes and rode 5,000 miles a year. At my best, I could ride a century in about 5 1/2 hours and a double-century in about 15 hours. I did a lot of touring and commuting back in the day.

My license plate is "MRBCYCL," if that tells you anything. :-)

Anyway, then life got in the way. Marriage, kids, home ownership, a couple of corporate take-overs, some serious illness. Now, I'm nearing retirement, my kids are grown, I've gained about 70 lbs, and I need to get back into shape. The doctor says I'll croak if I don't lose the weight, so that's all the excuse I need to return to my old cycling addictions. I never really did stop riding, but my mileage was more like 500 miles a year instead of 5,000 miles a year.

I've spent much of the last few monthes fixing up my old stable of trusty steeds. I have about ten bikes, and the guys at the bike shops usually have a good laugh because I don't own anything newer than 25 years old. I'll be popping in here a lot as I need advice on getting the old bikes to look and ride like new again.

My screen name is "Gordo Grande," which means "big, fat guy" in Spanish. Maybe I should change it to "MrBcycl." What do you think?

Ross

RonH

Welcome. I'll be 64 next month, semi-retired, and work p/t in a bike shop and the older bikes that come in with downtube shifters scare the bejeezus out of me. How did I ever ride with those things.
Both of my current bikes have brifters. Soooooo much easier to brake and shift.
Maybe you should sell a few bikes and get something new.

10 Wheels

66 y/o 9,700 miles ytd.
Love brifters.
You will too.
Welcome back to the road.

Gordo Grande

Thanks, guys, for the warm welcome. Maybe I'll just keep all my old bikes and buy some new ones anyway!

Those "brifters" scare the hell out of me. They look like a lot of work to keep them adjusted. Those old d/t shifters are just so simple and crisp.

macwunder

Welcome! I'm pushing 50... and getting back into the saddle more seriously myself.

They'll pry the downtube shifters from my cold, dead hands... It's those clipless pedals that scare the dickens out of me, but I just put my first set on anyway... keeping my toe clips and slotted cleats handy, though!

Gordo Grande

I had a set of the very first clipless pedals when they first came out. They hadn't developed lateral movement into them yet, so your feet were locked firmly in one spot. I used them for about a year or so until the shoes wore out. I still have the pedals somewhere in my bike junk pile, but for the time being I'm sticking with good old fashioned toeclips and touring shoes.

RonH

There's really nothing to adjust in the brifters. All the adjustments are done in the derailleurs.

Gordo Grande

That makes sense. Thanks!

SpeedFreek

Welcome, Mr Bicycle! Keep riding, old bikes rule. I especially love Italian models, Colnago and DeRosa. Masi and Cinelli are nice too. I have downtube shifters myself, Indexing with the indexing switched-off!! I do have the brake cables go under the bar tape, though. My effort at modernisation. What bikes do you have? I think the most I had at one time was twelve. That was crazy in a studio apartment!! There were bikes everywhere. I have had English Racer's 3-speeds many times, and I love them. The Robin Hood I had was nice-riding. Much better than the Schwinn. Where do you ride? Welcome again, and keep safe. Later.