No thanks on the modern bike, unless it was one made in the style of a classic steel bike, such as something from Jeff Lyons, Mike Terraferma, MAP (my three fantasy bikes) or similar custom lugged steel. Both bikes that I own, and ride as often as possible, hit my “hot buttons” on every ride. I invested ten years trying to fall in love with a pretty 2003 Rivendell, and found that my older bikes always felt “better”, not because they were older but because they were more resilient/responsive. Whenever I was riding the Riv, I always wished I was on one of the others. (Apologies to Rivendell lovers!)

Modern production bikes don’t seem to have the same versatility as my ‘sports tourers’, and don’t convey that same sense of ageless functional beauty. I’m surely biased by having built up my bikes with considerable thought about each piece/component (no period correct or gruppos here).