providencebikes

there are a lot of bikes out there im looking to get a new bike in my price range im looking at a

2017 trek domane alr alum
2016 cannondale caad 12 alm

older 2007 - 2013 specialized tarmac comp basically an older tarmac

what do you think is best old tech or new er ish bike...????

fietsbob

I stopped upgrading 20 years ago , bought IGH bikes , and folding bikes ..

Go to the Shops do the test rides, before the snows come.

bikeman715

a good bike will always be a good bike , no matter if it new or old . just like a cheap bike will always be cheap .

zacster

I ride a twelve year old carbon fiber Kuota Kredo. It weighs 17 pounds with pedals and I just put new cables, chain and cassette on it. It rides like new. I doubt any new bike would be any faster or more than a fraction lighter.

Yellowbeard

Worst thing about the older bikes is the lack of tire clearance that may leave you stuck riding on 23s.

SkyDog75

If all of the bikes have mechanical shifting (as opposed to electronic) and caliper brakes, then there's really not much difference between "old tech" and "new tech" in mainstream bikes over the past decade. Maybe an extra cog or two on the cassette or a different bottom bracket type, but nothing earth-shattering.

Pick the one you like, and/or the one that gives you the best bang for the buck.

TimothyH

Right.

I wanted HED Ardennes Plus wheels with 25 mm tires but would only have about a millimeter chainstay clearance on either side. My bike isn't even that old, 2002.

This is a pretty mainstream setup nowadays and would not warranted even a second thought with a more modern frame.


-Tim-

HillRider

I hardly consider 2007 to 2013 "old tech" but Yellobeard and TimothyH are correct that current frames usually provide clearance for wider tires than their immediate predecessors. Which is interesting because really older tech frames, say prior to 1990, usually had much more tire clearance than the ones that followed them. I had a 1983 Trek 400 that would easily clear 27-1/1/8" tires (630-28) while my '96 Litespeed would struggle with 700-25.

wphamilton

Threadless headsets, cartridge bearings, modern shifters and derailleurs, aren't these improvements over vintage tech? V-brakes?

Dan Burkhart 

Yeah, the guys out on the sales floor are forever telling people that wider is better without first verifying that the frame and fork (usually the fork) on their bike will accommodate them. More than enough times when the bike comes into the back for me to install the new tires, I have to tell 'em, sorry.

SkyDog75

All of them were commonplace over 10 years ago, so they'd apply to the "older" and "newer" bikes the OP is considering.

Iride01 

You can find a frame that fits you correctly whether old or new for pretty much any type of riding.

The big thing is components on the bike. Dual pivot calipers or disc's compared to the older bikes with single pivot calipers. 11 speed rears compared to 5 to 8 speed rears. Groupsets that are much better shifting than their predecessors.

So that is what I think needs to be weighed. I like the old frames but I put new components on them. I can do the work myself, so it's cost effective for me, though the bike is not worth the money I put into it. But by the same token, as soon as I buy a new bike, it is no longer worth what I paid for it.

As for old bikes and narrow tires..... I think you can find new and old examples of frames that limit you. I've got 25 mm tires on my 1978 Raleigh. 28 mm will fit too. 30 mm......... it looks like they will and still have a gap for clearance.

wphamilton

Good point, and I guess it depends on what you're comparing. 10 years ago marked my entry into cycling and I dwell at the lower level of equipment. From that perspective, the current stuff is still vastly better that what you'd see on entry level bikes. At the mid-range and top end, it was already so good that there's less room for improvement I think.

70sSanO

Older for me is mid-80's to mid-90's which is much older than hat the OP is considering.

Road bikes have improved shifters from 10 years ago, even the lower levels shift well. Cranks with external bearings are better. More gears will always be debatable.

Big changes in mountain bikes from geometry to wheel size to suspension to braking. If the 90's were the golden years the 10's were the revolutionary era.

John

Lazyass

I wouldn't call 2007-2013 old tech. However, if I were going to buy a brand new road bike it would be a 2018 Specialized Allez Elite.

HillRider

And then there's the not-so-good "features" of the recent years, most notably the proliferation of bottom bracket "standards" and proprietary designs that have made crank and bottom bracket choices confusing and limiting. The variety of newer headset "standards" runs it a close second

McBTC

Not sure why it happens -- although you will certainly will know if and when it does happen -- but, you may someday reach a point where you sell off and/or give away all of the survivors in your quiver in favor of one best bike that seems to comprise all of the features that do the best job of satisfying most what you finally feel is your thing.

Drew Eckhardt 

My 1997 Litespeed frame and Look fork can clear 27mm cyclocross tires. 25mm are no problem.

Drew Eckhardt 

Road bikes haven't improved functionally over the last 20 years apart from power meters becoming affordable, electronic shifting, and 2-3 more cogs. The cogs may or may not be significant depending on your taste. Some changes may not be good - horizontal top tubes allowed more room for a full-sized frame pump and large water bottles, and threadless headsets can loose adjustment from hard braking especially when clamping force is limited for a carbon steerer tube.

By 1994 we had integrated brake/shift levers, dual pivot brakes, and freehubs which essentially eliminated broken axles.

Personally, I want one tooth jumps through the 19 cog. If I wanted a 12 starting cog and 25 big cog that would motivate the move from 10 to 11 cogs. With a 13 it doesn't.

Ironfish653

Based on previous posts, OP is looking for 'newest tech' and 'aero hax' that will make him KOM of MUP, that is, once he gets a Strava and becomes a Racer. Already has several bikes but none are worthy of capturing his efforts. (Don't fit, too heavy, whatever)
'Old tech' is anything less than 10-speed 105, 32-spoke wheels, and square-taper BB's.

Seriously, unless you are racing competitively, top-end bikes from 5 or 10 years ago can be a good buy for the money if you know how to pick a bike that fits you,and how to identify and sort out the issues that may come with any used bike.

McBTC

Except maybe that, the price hasn't really gone up that much if you're of a mind that with the use of engineered, hydroformed 6061 aluminum frames made in Taiwan and Shimano's 3rd-rung 105 components, the ride is no harder on your arse with some gel in your shorts than we were used to with the best product cycling had to offer ~20+ years ago, but with the added benefit that... it's new.

Andy_K 

In general 2017 versus 2007 road bike tech may not be terribly different, but the difference between a Domane and a Tarmac is pretty important. Apart from electronic shifting, the tech differences that come to mind are disc brakes on road bikes and tapered steerer tubes. Disc brakes are a pretty big change. The tapered steerer is a pretty small change. On the other hand, the Tarmac is a racing bike, while the Domane is more of an endurance bike. I think that's a difference you'd notice regardless of the year.

Personally, I had a 2012 carbon Ridley road bike and sold it because I didn't enjoy riding it as much as I do old steel bikes. Sure, they're five pounds heavier, but I like the way they look and feel. Plus you can always slap on new components and make up most of the tech difference.

AnkleWork

Drive-by OP always looking for the best something or another, but never defines "best."

deacon mark

Press fit bottom brackets are the deal breaker. If I cannot buy a bike unless it has a threaded BB. At this point my TI meets all the needs and my CF bike still had threaded BB. If I find I cannot buy a CF with Threaded BB then I am going steel or TI.

Guess it does not matter my Ti bike rides better than any bike I have road.

chorlton

Ah.. Best will be a 1990 Raleigh Pioneer with an 18-23 steel frame and 28mm tyres pumped up to 90/100PSI. Marginally responsive but constrained by gravity and the rider. Good for going down the shop and exploring the countryside. Glad to have been of help.