You don't even need to ask. My 1984 Alex Moulton AM7. I mean, duh.



tcs

Why not first, play with tire pressure and see if you can eliminate some of the softness without bocoming too harsh?

If that doesn't help, choose some tires with a supple feel and get them. Way cheaper than changing the frame. And there is nothing wrong wth the rep of that frame.

But kbjack is right about it being a touring frame, with thicker-walled tubing. The tubing is a similar material and the same quality as Reynolds 531C or Columbus SL, just thicker, hence stiffer and stronger. If that red Raleigh of yours is Reynolds 753, then you are comparing a Ferrari to a Peterbuilt.

I was actually comparing it to my lotus odysee...which is, I hope, apples to apples. The lotus feels better...the Miyata just feels sluggish and unresponsive.

I noticed my Miyata 1000 is kind of harsh?? Maybe a combo of too much pressure on the Vittoria Randonneur tires and triple butted tubing, but I seem to feel every pebble on the road through
the rear tire. I think I will play with tire pressure and see if it improves.

For both speed and smoothness, it would have to go to my Treks.

First up, the 86 520!! OMG what a sweet bike. It has sealed bearing hubs on Matrix rims. Super
smooth, and will coast for a block or two if you let it. Great handling too, for a touring bike!! I find it to be too nice condition wise to ride it except when I know there's no chance of rain. Just an all around sweet bike


Second is a 79 510 made from Ishiwata 022, with NGS derailleurs and Superbe cranks. The ride is actually quite smooth. You can feel the big stuff, but road ripples and pavement gaps disappear. It also handles really nice, and seems to fly down the road with very little effort.

The 83 560. Another bike that seems to fly down the road and handles like it's on rails. It also
seems to have no twitch at all in the steering. It rides a little stiffer than the 510 ,but not a whole lot.
Probably the Reynolds 501 vs Ishiwata 022.

Next in line Is my 85 Club Fuji. Very responsive ride, but handles as well as the two lower Treks mentioned above. Something about the geometry of that bikes fits me perfectly. I have to lose the aero Dia Compe levers. The reach on them is just too far for comforts sake. I can reach them just fine, but my fingers don't find find the levers naturally. Too much thought required. Other than it's a top notch ride in my book. Rides smooth, yet is stiff out of the saddle. No BB sway like many bikes.,,,,BD

The bike that I would most closely associate with the expression "Cadillac ride" is my 84 Specialized Expedition "land yacht".

The bike that I would most closely associate with the expression "Ferrari ride" is my mid-90's Bianchi Reparto Corse TSX. It is the first and only bike that I've ever ridden that turns me into another person. I say things like, "Ciao", "Gratsi", and what ever the Italian is for "F.U." as I pass other bikes on the road. My friends will attest that I am normally not so rude and that I normally don't say things in Italian.

This may be true in some cases but not all cases. My Mercain no way feels dead or stiff when unloaded. Remember a true touring bike will feel like a Cadillac ride as one poster put it...loaded or not.

I strongly suspect that step two will reveal a completely different feeling bicycle - especially if those Michelins are the ones that are completely black with thick sidewalls. For the sake of experimentation without busting the budget, I'd throw some Paselas (the regular, not Tourgard) on and give it another go. Either 27 x 1-1/4 or 700c x 32 - depending on what size wheels it has.

Favorite riding bike is always a problem, Right now, I would have to say the Masi 3V
for a road bike.

Kind of goes in cycles.

My most comfortable bike was my old Campy-equipped Trek 660. Now it's my Gios Compact Pro. For short rides my Schwinn cruiser with it's springer fork and cushy seat is nice.

Today I did a 2 hour ride on my Peugeot folder. I was on a picture-taking mission, and my camera bag fits perfectly in front of the Peugeot's handlebar. Unfortunately, the gearing sucks, and the seat isn't so great either. The little 16" tires aren't so nice on rough roads.

I'll be the broken record here. (A few of us will remember what that idiom is from.) The Panaracer Pasela (non-tourguard) is an amazing tire at an amazing price, and it will breathe new life into many old bikes.

I'd have to agree with that. For years it was my 3V, but it now hangs in the garage, more or less untouched for the last tow seasons. I have an '85 Davidson Signature with '05 Centaur 10 that is my go-to ride and does everything well so I'd have to give it the nod for best overall quality at the moment. For sheer smoothness, the Raleigh DL-1 takes it, but it's not something I'd want to ride for very long and definitely not too steep. My Vitus-tubed Motobecanes ('82 Grand Record and '83 Grand Touring) have exceptionally nice smoothness, yet are surprisingly lively (particularly the Grand Record) so I'd put them behind the Davidson.

Maybe I'm making a wrong assumption, that Miya1000s are stiff touring bikes, due to heavy-walled tubing. Anyone got the tubing info?

I have never had the priviledge of owning or riding a 1000, but my 310 (triple butted, mangalight fork) rides great with Paselas. The old, cracking, skinwalls that it came with (and rode superbly with) had lost their label - but were made by National Tire Co, LTD. Who make - Panaracer.

I LOVE the panaracer Paselas...couldn't agree more! I have a bike snob friend who gives me grief for using them, but I almost never get flats with them and always seem to feel the exact amount of road I want to feel.

Your friend hasn't tried the tires. If he tries them, he'll see what all the buzz is about. National, aka Panaracer, has been making excellent tires for a long time.

My 1983 Univega definitely dominates my stable in nearly every facet. My Bertoni is faster, but can only corner slightly better, can't carry anything, and is nowhere near as comfortable. For fun riding, this bike is perfect for me.

Hey Lamplight, that's pretty nice looking bike you have. I like how seat, bar and bag matches the color of the bike. Kinda gives a feeling of restored vintage car.
Anyways, I had a Felt F65, aluminum with carbon fork and seatstay, Panaracer tires. The feel of the bike was smooth and silky. I actually would compare the ride quality to steel.

Lamplight, I never get sick of seeing that bike.

The 1000 is a pure touring frame designed to carry substantial loads and as such does is not as well suited for unladen riding... load the bike up and they ride like a dream.

My 1955 Raleigh Lenton may have the nicest ride of any road bike I have ever owned... the 531 frame combined with extremely slack frame angles and 26 by 1/4 Dunlop tyres at 60 psi equals one hella smooth ride which gets even better with leather wrap, Wright's 3N saddle, and MKS Sylvan pedals.

And the Lenton is also fast.



But then...the 1957 Peugeot PLX8 has a ride that is nearly equal to the Lenton, is lighter and more nimble, and is a much better climber despite only having 8 speeds.



And Lamplight's Univega (probably Miyata built) is one of the nicest looking bikes I have ever seen.

Not in this case either...


My Raleigh 531 DB touring frame feels like it's alive.

Oh wow . . . that bike is hawt.

Time for a nod to the French...my 1977 Motobecane Grand Touring is definitely the best ride among the five bikes in my stable. Vitus 172 DB main triangle, high-ten stays... glides over bumps and potholes like a 1972 Cadillac Eldorado! Of course, the Brooks saddle helps, too!

I’ve been so awed by all the gorgeous bikes shown in this thread – many of them just stunning, rare and beautifully appointed.

So – at the risk of being ostracized from the Bike Forum forever, here is my favored ride: – a lowly Peugeot Corbier, with HLE tubing, and without even any external lugs.

- I just keep gravitating back to this bike, whether I’m trying out a new circuit, or just have a longer way to go, even though I too have several more valuable / more highly regarded bikes.

If you like it, that's all that counts. A lot of ordinary looking bikes give great rides. I don't know anything about that model. I'm more familiar with the older Peugeot models, and I've owned and loved a few.