I have built and ridden about a hundred, or two hundred or... vintage road bicycles. The first one, a mid seventies Sekine entry level steed was too big for me (62cm) and sported a bent frame/fork to boot. The first ride pulled me strongly to the drive side, whenever I loosened my grip on the handlebar. But I had the bug...


Each bike has its own feel but, for most, it is darn near impossible (for me) to identify those differences in feel. But I thought I could, so I did try to evaluate each bike as fairly as I could. Problem is, our interpretation of everything is always based on the moment, and the past and the possibilities of the future. So...

Each new bike found and built was accompanied by the novelty of newness. I did try to report positively (based on experience), and now, after piling up lots and lots of experience, I chuckle to myself when I see Bike Forum members rave over this bike or that. Great for those people, but I no longer rave about very many bikes. I am NOT a good enough rider to properly evaluate the ride qualities of most vintage road bikes. That said, some bikes just feel better than others, that old Dumpgano being one of those that is most fondly remembered.

So, the question was "how much of the joy of that Legnano was the actual bike, vs how much of it was the experience around the bike and the nostalgia that you now have for it?"

The first time that I rode the Dumpgano was the time I experienced the most pleasant ride of my life and that, I believe, will always be the memory. I was impressed with an old Italian road bike (not a lot of those reach the dump, even in Thunder Bay). I was impressed that I did not spend a single penny getting it road worthy and safe to ride. And, the day that I set out on that old, entry level steed, was almost perfect in an eerie sort of way (overcast and foggy, foggy to a point of being an almost magical environment).

All of those three things came together, and coupled with my own mind and body produced a memory of the nicest ride and nicest riding bike that I had ever owned. Few better bikes came before the Dumpgano and lots of much higher end ones have passed through my hands since. But I still longingly remember that wonderful "test ride" that lasted until the sun broke through the sky and fog. Another near magical experience, adding even more lore to a ride that can never be repeated.

Good grief, I do tend to ramble. The gist of all of this is that most of us taint our opinion because of a bike's age, or make, or build materials. That, to me, now, is sort of silly. Today my favorite ride is my ugly and well used Bianchi Touring, which I keep in Jamaica...


And my other favorite ride is my Cyclops, a Canadian steed that I ride in Canada...


And what is so special about each of those? Frame geometries and component selection, both are necessary for any bike and both contribute to ride quality, the component selection contributing more to "user friendliness" than actual feel of the bike...


In closing, and this should set me on fire, it occurs to me that modern bikes offer good to great ride quality, but the "user friendliness" factor is of a ten speed Brifterized transmission is wonderful (for me to use) when compared to any down tube friction shifting system ever offered...


So, I prefer to ride modern user friendly rigs and look at ancient or not so ancient steeds, which spend most of their time protected and hanging, for display purposes, on the wall, which is likely where Mr. Rabeneick 120d and its friction shifting, antiquated brake design, will spend much of its future...


But my Legnano Grand Premio is being built up to ride. Clinchers rather than sew-ups. 700c rather than 27" will make a huge difference in ride quality. And, though it grieves me to admit it, a transmission that is compatible with my seventy plus year old legs, will not look much like this...