There's nothing wrong with that Bianchi. In fact, it sounds like quite a nice bike. But at $1200, the choice is obvious - get the Jamis. The new stuff really is better, and I say that as someone who is a major fan of late 80's, early 90's bikes. That was a good time for bikes, as it represented the time period when truly modern refinements were appearing, like indexed shifting, extensive standardization of threading and other dimensions, inexpensive wheels that didn't suck, and so on, but bikes still had that slender, classic look. Not that I dislike the way bicycles look now! But the marriage of classic lines and relatively modern technology was a cool thing.
But, as I was saying, the same money is going to get you a lighter bike with integrated shifting and all the gears you could possibly want. It's hard to say no to that. I really LIKE old bikes, but an old bike, even a very nice old bike, for new bike money? That's not a good bargain. We're not talking about something that was new five years ago, we're talking about a bike that was new 20+ years ago. That's a very long time.
Originally Posted by
jon c.
With the caveat that I'm a relative neophyte, I respectfully disagree. I certainly don't think or have any reason to believe the low end modern bikes are anywhere near the quality of older, high end bikes. I've ridden older bikes with Shimano 600 that was much cleaner, crisper and smoother shifting than new Ultegra. And if you're going with steel, high end old steel is certainly better than low end new steel. Finally, I'm not sure I'd pay that much for a Satellite Comp as a few months ago a dealer was offering me a Jamis Quest, which is better steel and better components, for $1,300 (and I think I could have got him down to $1,200, but I ended up buying an 81 Raleigh Team Pro instead .... I note that to disclose my bias :-). If you're going the Jamis route, see what price they'll give you on a Quest. My impression from the well below list prices I was offered is that the dealer mark up on a Jamis must be pretty high.
And I respectfully disagree with your disagreement on all counts! Shimano 600 DT shifters are incredibly, marvelously good. I've had them, and loved them. But it's pure nostalgia to insist that they're better than modern integrated shifters. I really like the feel of an indexed DT shifter: the short, clean cable run to the rear derailleur and the lack of any dead lever travel makes them feel incredibly snappy and positive. But having the shifting at your fingertips is incredibly powerful and feels just as good to me. No comment on pricing! That's a can of worms.
Originally Posted by
Velo Dog
I'm with Spock on this. There have been improvements, and there have been changes that weren't improvements, made for marketing or financial reasons (IMO, for instance, threadless headsets--harder to adjust than quill stems, with no clear advantages). I don't even have much use for indexed shifting in everyday riding (but I'm not interested in debating it...).
I could be happy with either bike--but $1200 seems like WAY too much for that Bianchi.
In your opinion indeed! I've ridden and wrenched (for a paycheck*, I might add, albeit briefly) on lots of bikes, both old and new, and for my money the threadless headset is a huge leap forward. I must respectfully disagree with your contention that they're harder to adjust than a threaded headset - to the contrary, they are far, far easier to work on, and hold their adjustment far more reliably. This is especially true at the low end of the market. It's thanks to threadless headsets that entry-level bicycle purchasers now get extremely reliable headsets that can be trusted to hold their adjustment, are easily adjusted when that adjustment gets too loose, and are still reasonably light. And there are of course the benefits of lighter weight, etc. The only advantage of a quill stem is easy height adjustment of the handlebars, an overrated feature if there ever was one.
Dead on, of course, on the price. At even $500 or $600, I would snatch that Bianchi right up. At $1200, no way.
*For the wrenching, not the riding!