Classic and Vintage bikes that didn’t wow
10-11-19, 09:12 AM
#101
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Any Raleigh DL-1 (not high end, but well-known enough for this list)
1970 Schwinn Paramount P13 (the version before the P13 geometry was updated - completely dead and an energy suck. By comparison, I love my '61 P12 and also liked the ride of my '72 P13)
1979/80 Peugeot PY10 (the one-off example made for the New York International bike show - it really was made for cobbles)
1981 Trek 610 (meh)
1982 Trek 728 (pedal, pedal, pedal...nothing happens)
1984 Raleigh USA Alyeska (hated this thing - what good is a touring bike with massive front-end shimmy?)
1991 Masi/Bilatto Nuova Strada (nothing particularly wrong with it, but it wasn't special either. Rode no different than any generic, mid-range 1980's Japanese bike).
-Kurt
1970 Schwinn Paramount P13 (the version before the P13 geometry was updated - completely dead and an energy suck. By comparison, I love my '61 P12 and also liked the ride of my '72 P13)
1979/80 Peugeot PY10 (the one-off example made for the New York International bike show - it really was made for cobbles)
1981 Trek 610 (meh)
1982 Trek 728 (pedal, pedal, pedal...nothing happens)
1984 Raleigh USA Alyeska (hated this thing - what good is a touring bike with massive front-end shimmy?)
1991 Masi/Bilatto Nuova Strada (nothing particularly wrong with it, but it wasn't special either. Rode no different than any generic, mid-range 1980's Japanese bike).
-Kurt
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Last edited by cudak888; 10-11-19 at 09:16 AM.
10-11-19, 09:42 AM
#102
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Every bike that I have ridden/owned and currently own are all terrible climbers. I wonder what the common denominator is? 
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10-11-19, 10:09 AM
#103
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Originally Posted by sumgy
Said it before, but my Gilco tubed Colnago Master Olympic was the harshest riding bike I ever owned.
10-11-19, 10:48 AM
#104
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Originally Posted by oddjob2
By no means is this a complete list.
I had one of those. It was underwhelming.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
10-11-19, 11:00 AM
#105
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I bought my first 10 speed in 1974. I had a paper route and some money and I used my bike to deliver my papers. My brother was in the same situation as me and he purchased a Nishiki Kokushi (International) after having his bike stolen (I forget what brand that bike was). At the time I was riding a Raleigh 3 speed. Both of us spent a lot of time riding bikes.
Anyway I didn't want to get the same thing he had so I went to the LBS and purchased a Follis 072. I probably hated that bike more than doing homework. I was forever adjusting and fixing something on it. I did not know a single other person that had one of theses although the LBS that sold them was in our town.
I took out a book in the school library (Eugene Sloane's classic book Complete book of Bicycling), bought a set of Campy high flange hubs and Movic tubular rims and laced up a wheel set for the bike. A month or so after completing that project I ran right into the back of a parked car bent the frame and forks. I had the frame "straightened" by the LBS and new aftermarket forks installed but the thing rode like crap. I went back to my 3 speed right up until I went to college. I rode in a few organized rides with borrowed bikes until my sister lent me an AMF Roadmaster. Come to think of it the Roadmaster was worse than the Follis but I never actually owned the AMF.
Probably if it had survived the Follis would be a nice conversation piece today.
Anyway I didn't want to get the same thing he had so I went to the LBS and purchased a Follis 072. I probably hated that bike more than doing homework. I was forever adjusting and fixing something on it. I did not know a single other person that had one of theses although the LBS that sold them was in our town.
I took out a book in the school library (Eugene Sloane's classic book Complete book of Bicycling), bought a set of Campy high flange hubs and Movic tubular rims and laced up a wheel set for the bike. A month or so after completing that project I ran right into the back of a parked car bent the frame and forks. I had the frame "straightened" by the LBS and new aftermarket forks installed but the thing rode like crap. I went back to my 3 speed right up until I went to college. I rode in a few organized rides with borrowed bikes until my sister lent me an AMF Roadmaster. Come to think of it the Roadmaster was worse than the Follis but I never actually owned the AMF.
Probably if it had survived the Follis would be a nice conversation piece today.
10-11-19, 11:29 AM
#106
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Originally Posted by Thomas15
I bought my first 10 speed in 1974. I had a paper route and some money and I used my bike to deliver my papers. My brother was in the same situation as me and he purchased a Nishiki Kokushi (International) after having his bike stolen (I forget what brand that bike was). At the time I was riding a Raleigh 3 speed. Both of us spent a lot of time riding bikes.
Anyway I didn't want to get the same thing he had so I went to the LBS and purchased a Follis 072. I probably hated that bike more than doing homework. I was forever adjusting and fixing something on it. I did not know a single other person that had one of theses although the LBS that sold them was in our town.
I took out a book in the school library (Eugene Sloane's classic book Complete book of Bicycling), bought a set of Campy high flange hubs and Movic tubular rims and laced up a wheel set for the bike. A month or so after completing that project I ran right into the back of a parked car bent the frame and forks. I had the frame "straightened" by the LBS and new aftermarket forks installed but the thing rode like crap. I went back to my 3 speed right up until I went to college. I rode in a few organized rides with borrowed bikes until my sister lent me an AMF Roadmaster. Come to think of it the Roadmaster was worse than the Follis but I never actually owned the AMF.
Probably if it had survived the Follis would be a nice conversation piece today.
Anyway I didn't want to get the same thing he had so I went to the LBS and purchased a Follis 072. I probably hated that bike more than doing homework. I was forever adjusting and fixing something on it. I did not know a single other person that had one of theses although the LBS that sold them was in our town.
I took out a book in the school library (Eugene Sloane's classic book Complete book of Bicycling), bought a set of Campy high flange hubs and Movic tubular rims and laced up a wheel set for the bike. A month or so after completing that project I ran right into the back of a parked car bent the frame and forks. I had the frame "straightened" by the LBS and new aftermarket forks installed but the thing rode like crap. I went back to my 3 speed right up until I went to college. I rode in a few organized rides with borrowed bikes until my sister lent me an AMF Roadmaster. Come to think of it the Roadmaster was worse than the Follis but I never actually owned the AMF.
Probably if it had survived the Follis would be a nice conversation piece today.
10-11-19, 12:06 PM
#107
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Originally Posted by Thomas15
Anyway I didn't want to get the same thing he had so I went to the LBS and purchased a Follis 072. I probably hated that bike more than doing homework. I was forever adjusting and fixing something on it. I did not know a single other person that had one of theses although the LBS that sold them was in our town.
Probably if it had survived the Follis would be a nice conversation piece today.
Probably if it had survived the Follis would be a nice conversation piece today.
Did it look like this Follis? Given a mediocre tubeset, i kinda like mine. It takes cyclocross tires and gets some gravel/off-road duty with low gearing, was last year's fendered bike for wet days.
Last edited by Wildwood; 10-11-19 at 01:16 PM.
10-11-19, 12:15 PM
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Looking for pics of the Follis, turned up one I had forgotten.
Carabela Semi-Pro. Ridden only a few times by me and given away.
I loved the condition of this bike and read an old magazine review that was cautiously positive.
But it was truly a poor handling bike, maybe the smaller sizes were better.
Carabela Semi-Pro. Ridden only a few times by me and given away.
I loved the condition of this bike and read an old magazine review that was cautiously positive.
But it was truly a poor handling bike, maybe the smaller sizes were better.
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10-11-19, 01:42 PM
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I've been underwhelmed by every Peugeot PX-10 that I've owned, and I've owned at least half a dozen. I've built them up all original, as 650B conversions, as 650A conversions, as single speeds. All meh.
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10-11-19, 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Goofball
Get copies of beggar's banquet, let it bleed, sticky fingers and exile on main street, a bottle of your favorite bourbon, a pack of Marlboro's, lock yourself in a room and play these albums continuously. Eventually you will have your rolling stones epiphany 🎸🎷
10-11-19, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake
Zeppelin, I'm right with you. Hobbit rock, and I don't like Plant's vocals. They also just seem so incredibly stupid. Floyd...I mostly agree, but I do like a few tunes. Elvis...I get the Public Enemy approach, I appreciate it, but he still was a damned fine performer, and some of those earlier tunes, appropriation or not, are pretty good. Don't get me wrong...he's no Chuck Berry.
Whenever anyone asks me Beatles or Stones, I answer The Kinks. I do like the stones a lot, but they can be a bit repetitive.
Whenever anyone asks me Beatles or Stones, I answer The Kinks. I do like the stones a lot, but they can be a bit repetitive.
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10-11-19, 04:18 PM
#112
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Here's an odd one. Loved my Bianchi Randonneur...it was a snappy touring bike that was comfortable, but I did several long distance things including the Pepsi-Cola marathon in Central Park at age 15... 16 hours in, no fatigue except my buttocks. My friend asked to trade for awhile and had a more snazzy geometry Austro Daimler...he didn't want to switch back.
10-11-19, 04:51 PM
#113
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This Paramount. My first and last attempt at a time trials bike, built over a three month period, ridden for three weeks while I desperately tried to convince myself I was having fun, and disassembled with the frame, fork and wheels sold off and the rest of the parts went back into inventory once I faced the realty that it was the worst bike I ever owned. Convinced me that time trial riding wasn’t enjoyable in the slightest, and that frame/wheel combination sucked completely.
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“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
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“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
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10-11-19, 05:43 PM
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I am still trying to get excited about this bike. It is ok but I was expecting more. I have made a few changes and it is getting better though.
10-11-19, 06:16 PM
#115
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Originally Posted by Wildwood
Did it look like this Follis? Given a mediocre tubeset, i kinda like mine. It takes cyclocross tires and gets some gravel/off-road duty with low gearing, was last year's fendered bike for wet days.
10-11-19, 07:18 PM
#116
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Originally Posted by cudak888
Any Raleigh DL-1 (not high end, but well-known enough for this list)
-Kurt
-Kurt
Last edited by crank_addict; 10-11-19 at 07:27 PM.
10-11-19, 07:30 PM
#117
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Originally Posted by crank_addict
Should we compare penney farthing's, monkeys riding and the dynamic duo doing wheelies on a tandem?
You can buy a brand new DL-1 - even if it isn't called that anymore - brand new in Denmark. It might have better components hung on it and the rod brakes have finally been given the bin, but it is still a restomodded DL-1.
I would really like to try one of these. It would be interesting to see if the highly improved drivetrain, better build quality, and the single drum brake
prove to be an improvement over the century of underwhelming DL-1s.They don't list the frame material, so I wonder if you're still getting gaspipe for $1,200 USD.
-Kurt
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Last edited by cudak888; 10-11-19 at 07:36 PM.
10-11-19, 07:41 PM
#120
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Originally Posted by crank_addict
Well, in that regards the new Flying Pigeon 75 watt E bike stinks like leaking sulfuric acid.
Quote: Bicycleen Oct. 2019
Quote: Bicycleen Oct. 2019
I want to see this thing
-Kurt
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10-11-19, 08:06 PM
#122
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Originally Posted by crank_addict
You'd think someone would have done a front hub motor conversion with the battery on the rack by now.
-Kurt
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10-11-19, 08:51 PM
#123
Somewhat slow older guy
One that surprised me was a Marinoni Special. Columbus SL built with all Campy - it was steep and stiff, def. a crit bike. Just didn't work for me at all. Moved it on quickly.
10-12-19, 07:57 AM
#124
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Wondering if others use the same seat/bar/pedals across all their bikes? Since these are the points of contact, it would provide a constant and eliminate some variables when evaluating a bike. I do this with all my bikes.
When I was still learning about fit, I almost got rid of what became one of my favorite bikes because I hadn't found a seat/bar combo that worked for me. It took me several years to get things figured out (pre-internet) and I even tried to sell the bike at one point.
When I was still learning about fit, I almost got rid of what became one of my favorite bikes because I hadn't found a seat/bar combo that worked for me. It took me several years to get things figured out (pre-internet) and I even tried to sell the bike at one point.
10-12-19, 08:20 AM
#125
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Originally Posted by thinktubes
Wondering if others use the same seat/bar/pedals across all their bikes? Since these are the points of contact, it would provide a constant and eliminate some variables when evaluating a bike. I do this with all my bikes.
When I was still learning about fit, I almost got rid of what became one of my favorite bikes because I hadn't found a seat/bar combo that worked for me. It took me several years to get things figured out (pre-internet) and I even tried to sell the bike at one point.
When I was still learning about fit, I almost got rid of what became one of my favorite bikes because I hadn't found a seat/bar combo that worked for me. It took me several years to get things figured out (pre-internet) and I even tried to sell the bike at one point.
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