Originally Posted by
Bruce Enns
I find it a bit odd that more cyclists are not interested in restoring and riding older quality steel bikes. I spend a fair amount of time hanging out on several different bike forums and the overall concensus (not here) is to ditch the old bike for a new model. All of this is coming from the same people who preach the environmental advantages of biking and the need to be "green". What on earth is green about selling a high quality bicycle for a newly manufactured piece of plastic that surely won't survive the test of time like the older bikes? How can a group of people preach being green and promote a disposable society at the same time?
Everyone has a preference. Some people don't want to have to deal with older bikes, some people just want to buy something and ride. I'm not going to get political here, but to some degree, I agree with you on the quality of cheaply manufactured bikes.
Originally Posted by
Bruce Enns
I can't count the times a person has asked about touring on a vintage bicycle without the majority of people responding that it would be more economically feasible to buy a new bike, in my opinion that is just not true.
Wow, more economically feasible to but a new touring bike? Holy, no way. Pick up a decent Schwinn Voyageur for 300 bucks, fix it up a bit, and you are still 1000's less than a modern touring bike. But then again, I'm partial . . .
New touring bikes are crazy expensive, maybe because it is still a niche market.