Riding old bikes
The other day I was riding one of my old road bikes that has down tube shifters (Motobacane Mirage). One of several old bikes that I’ve restored/maintain, and ride weekly. When I made a turn onto a long straight road, I saw another rider about ½-mile ahead of me and decided to try to catch him. About 2-3 miles later, I rolled up beside him, and I mentioned that I’d been chasing him for a little over two miles. He was around my age, in his mid-60s, but riding a more modern CF road bike. He looked over at my bike and said “That’s a nice looking old classic.” and I thanked him. Then he commented that he got rid of is last bike with down tube shifters a couple years ago. On one of his last rides on that bike, a young 20- or 30-something guy rolled up next to him. After a minute or two, the young guys asked “What are those things on the down tube?” — Dan