Originally Posted by
trail_monkey
I am having fun putting this thing back to vintage. Luckily I don't need much except bar tape, tires, tubes, and hood covers. I cannot decide if I should leave this vintage Italian seat on or go with a modern seat which might be more comfortable? Are these older 80s seats comfy on long rides? The design goes against everything I have learned in that a slim sleek seat will be more comfortable than a fat cushy one due to rubbing and chafing.
Oh and what is it with all these 80's road bikes having the drop bars angled down at such a downward angle? Nowadays we tend to put them level or just a tiny bit up but everything back then is pointing at the ground lol.
Trust your butt as far as saddles go, but you have the bike there -- do 25-40 miles on it and see what you think.
I'm about to do a 400 mile DC-Pittsburgh ride on a 1985 saddle that looks JUST like that one. I have mine angled down a little, though.
The '80's low bars is a matter of riding style. People had the bars up a little more and rode in the drops more often. At least I did. Modern bikes are shiftable from the fat, comfy hoods of the STI Brake/Shifters so the bars can go lower, with the drops (IME) only for sprinting or getting down out of a headwind.
You can angle the bars however you like. Moving the location of the brake hoods will be necessary with any major change, with the resulting need to replace the bar tape.
Looking at your photo, those bars look pretty OK to me. You may wish to raise the stem -- the bike may be a smidgen to small for you.