Originally Posted by
bikerosity57
Classic and vintage means "old school". people wish they could jump in the "way back machine" and live in the past. It's a little lame to yearn for the old days, and yet get yourself an old bike, put on some vintage tires, and go take a ride down some old country road. There you go, you're live in the past!
While I may yearn for some things of the past (i.e. 1969 Olds H/O), I ride old bikes simply because they're honestly better than anything I could get nowadays. For instance, I could buy a Riv Roadeo for $3,000, or I can spend $800 fixing up my Raleigh Pro and have a better bike that looks better, is full Campy Record and Neuvo Record, and has a heritage. I could get a surly cross check, or I could ride my Activa Trail that is almost the same thing that I nabbed for $80. I could buy one of those new Schwinn Coffee or some such city bike, or I can ride my Phillips 3 speed.
In every instance, they look better (IMO), they work just as well, if not better, and as they're old and (in the case of the second two) rather worthless, I don't feel bad modifying them out the wazoo. The Pro I kinda regard as a 1971 Dodge Challenger Hemi/4 speed. Don't modify it (my only exception is to swap clincher rims), and ride the piss out of it.