Thread: Drooling...
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Old 06-25-06, 04:44 PM
  #7  
old99
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Deege, don't beat yourself up too much over this one. The earlier aluminum frames tended to be a bit harsh riding. In fact, the Raleigh Technium (sp?) was infamous for it's harsh ride--they'd flat jar your fillings out. Good chance that this Trek doesn't have many miles on it because of this. Very pretty bike, though.

Newer aluminum bikes with carbon forks are better, the carbon absorbs and cushions somewhat, and on a mountain bike you typicaly have suspension. But on a road bike with high pressure tires, pure aluminum can be pretty harsh.

If you want a true vintage ride, stay with steel. The better Columbus, Tange, and Reynolds lightweight steel built bikes ride like no other. You can find 531 tubed bikes; Treks, Peugeots, Bianchis, Bridgestones, to name a few, in really great shape for under $500 all day long in your area. Ocassionally you can find them for under $100 in decent shape, too.

John in Vintageland
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