Originally Posted by
Cougrrcj
You're assuming that steel is inferior and plastic is superior. My 45 year old steel bike still functions as it was intended - it is still transforming energy into forward motion. ...and by 'less accurate' I'm assuming that you meant 'less efficiently' The actual mechanics of a bicycle have not changed. A bike still utilizes a large cog, transferring the input energy to a smaller cog by use of a chain... The only thing that has changed (in watch parlance) is the case.
I do not assume steel is inferior. I do not know if you have noticed the by-line the moderators has put under my avatar? "Steel is real" is not something I have come up with myself... Even if I do have 30 vintage steel bikes. At the same time you might also have noticed that I am situated in Stockholm, Sweden, and that most likely means I do not have English as my native language. That said I actually chose my wording to allude to your use of words, to make my point - which was more important than the exact differences in meaning between accurate/efficiently/precise or - etc, etc.
I believe you miss my point. My point being - you are on a classic & vintage bike internet site. We (or at least most of us) are here because we like classic and vintage bikes (surprise!) Most vintage enthusiasts acknowledge the fact that progress actually happens (not always to the better) and that in spite of this are enthusiastic about obsolete technical things. We still like them and often are advocates for the use of them over placing them in a museum.
The irony, and that was why I wrote originally, is that you - according to your list in your post - seem to like classic old bikes and yet cannot understand the fascination of mechanical watches. There was a sneer about the guy you know as a "watchguy" and that because of mechanical watches being inferior you wear a modern plastic quartz watch. That is inconsistency. And that is OK. And modern plastic quartz watches are OK too. But please do not put down or minish other peoples enthusiasm over their hobby - especially not on a enthusiasts forum.
I do not understand why anyone would be into transistor radios (OK - do), vintage miniature trains, knitting or collecting vintage sidearms. But I do understand where they are coming from and celebrate their enthusiasm - and would never ever put them down or diminish their hobby because it is less accurate, efficient, precise or exact than their modern counterparts.
Hobbies are about passion - not efficiency.
By the way this is one of my vintage quartz watches. It was very accurate at the time and expensive as it was cutting edge tech. Today it is just average - #10
