Originally Posted by
Wildwood
Here are my reasons for selecting mid-80s as a pinnacle for race bikes.
Maybe the nature of road racing has not changed much (and the UCI regs regarding design have killed innovation) but the geometries of road race bikes today are not much off the 80’s. Racing bikes sold to the public in the 70’s had more slack angles (in my experience). The best racers used custom frames.
I'd point out the changes in frame design up until the 80s were mostly due to changes in road conditions. "Steep" angles of 80s road bikes were no steeper than track bikes from the 50s & 60s. Also, the most popular topic (or a close second) iin this forum s restomods using modern components. Double aught frames are built for that, not 80s bikes. You can easily get under UCI weight limit with modern steel, if you are a weight weenie. Not so easy with an 80s frame. And if you buy into stiffer is better, oversized XCR and 953 are the way to go.