Cycling technology chronology?
 

Hello all, let's say we've been watching too many old cycling movies and we caught a "vintage racing" bug.

Let's also say that there's too many cyclists who can't stop lusting after upgrates, new frames, carbon fiber this and light weight that.

What if we just come to the conclusion that if a simple, 5-6 speed lugged steel 52-42 road bike was all that Merckx needed, it should suffice for us mortals.

I want to establish a limit in cycling technology so as to free myself from unnecessary complications regarding state of the art equipment and its eternal pursuit.

What is a good year after which classic cycling started to become contemporary? 1980? 1985? 1975?

I would like to keep myself in 1979 or earlier- as far as I know there were some very light bikes (merckx's hour-record colnago was 5.5kg although fixed), triple cranks, 6-speed freewheels (I'll have to do 7-8 speed casette for compatibilities sake) what else?

What do you suggest? Is this ridiculous? I love cycling and thrive on pushing myself to the limits but I don't want to end up with a bunch of different bikes and gear, spending a ton of money when good old vintage technology is more than I'll ever need.

I think you are opening a debate whe have here on a semi regular basis. "what defines Classic and Vintage"

I still being a "Noob" here compared to most always felt the heart of this thread was rooted in the bikes of the '70's and earlier.

I personally feel a true Classic is most anything (preferasbly of some quality) before about 1982/83ish. that is about the time things like aero brake levers, index shifting, and clipless pedals were becoming the norm.

I also classify the bikes I like the '85s through 93ish as "Nouvo Classics". while they have newer tech like indexing and aero they still predominantly have lugged steel frames and retain a 'classic' look with DT shifters, threaded HS, and big chainwheels.

there are a few members here who I believe there 'newest' bike is from the '70s

pick a time period and embrace it. (just use a modern helmet OK?)

You indicate you want to race, so

I'd rather do a 7s freewheel w/double crank than a triple for a vintage racer, but maybe that's just me.
To get the best out of your shifting, and you'll need it to race, the smaller the steps between the cogs in the rear, the better the shifting.
The 70's Suntour drivetrain components will outshift anything else from that era.

The biggest issue, as with choosing a modern frame, is fit. And since you can't just order one up, once you decide on the tubing, size, and geometry you want, you kinda have to wait around until one from your time period pops up.

And no, just because Eddy could make it work, doesn't mean us "mortals" can :)

1983. Steel frames and lugs begin to disappear, after which things start to get "modern." Aesthetically speaking, it's sort of like what happened to car design between the fifties and sixties, when curves gave way to boxes. The loss of lugs and chrome, to be replaced by huge tubes and seamless joins.

I do too, but I live at 8500 ft and there's climbs up to like 14000 around here. What can I do to get a wide range without going off historical realism?

I've been thinking about the new Specialized Steel Allez, it's oh-so-awesome and looks just like the ones in American Flyers. Problem with classics is that here in Mexico we don't have them- sure you can find a few in junk yards but they're unusable. I'd love to have something like craigslist- but alas... the Steel Allez is a good compromise because you get a brand new retro frame with decent down tube shifters. I'm just saying. :)

did Eddie use a triple?

Just as a side note about your signature: Your wife may have a point; and if you buy another bike, she just may start jabbing you with it. Just a warning from experience.

:( just saying, if triples existed I could use one.

^^Hey, it's time to update your sig again. :D

Also what other technologies were invented on that timeline? 6 speed cassette, 7 speed, 8 speed, integrated shifters, clipless pedals etc. Where can I find info about all of this? I've had a hard time with google, there's nothing that has it all.

it is impossible to name a year as threshold for what is classsic and what isn't. All the classics of today were modern bikes once. Who is going to say that Bettinis WC bike is not considered a classic in 20 years time?

Also, any attempt to define a certain design feature as markstone is bound to fail. Lugless design? Ahead-type stems? indexed gearshift? system pedals? triple/compact chainsets? have all been there a very, very long time.

You can find older examples of cassettes, but they became popular in 1978 with Shimano's introduction of Uni-Balance hubs. 6 speed casettes were available in 1978. 7 speed cassettes debuted in 1981. 8 speed cassettes first appeared in 1989. Intregrated shift/levers were introduced in 1991. Clipless pedals go back to the late 19th century and Cinelli had a version in the earlry 1970s but they didn't become mainstream until Hinault won the Tour de France using Look pedals in 1985. Look introduced them in 1984.

First, I totally agree with Bianchigirll's perspective about vintages. And here we don't chase away people wondering what to do with their vintage 2003 Cannondale, nor the flippers. They're usually true vintage fans, anyway.

Vintage climbing is a good question, and considering where you live, I'd say you're forgiven for wanting to break the 52/42 with straight-block racing paradigm.

If you look back at mid and entry French bikes of the late '60s and early '70s, some had what's called an "Alpine" gearing system, which is a kind of wide-range 2x5 system. Generally it's something like a 40/52 in the front, and 14/17/20/24/28 in the rear. The gear inch range is 39 to 100, with 27 inch or (nearly the same) 700c wheels.

A wider-range 2x 6 would be 40/52 again, with 13/16/19/22/26/32. That will give 34 to 108. If you didn't want a gear as high as 108, you could do a 48/38 or 48/36 (48/37 would be a near ideal match to 40/52). The 48/36 with that same freewheel will give you a gear range of 30-100, which is wide-range and all usable. And doesn't it sound like a modern compact or CX gearing?

So vintage-style, yes. True vintage, I can't say. I'd have to point to a specific example, and I just don't know one - maybe the UO-8?

I'm confused about your statement regarding cassettes and freewheels. What kind of rear-end system are you working with, or are you planning? 120mm OLD hubs, for which 5-speed is designed, are getting hard to find. 126 mm setups for 6 or 7 speed freewheel are still very common, and there were some cassettes back in the day. I'm not sure there's a good way to use a 130 mm cassette hub for a 5 or 6-speed rear end and still maintain the chainline for which the frame was designed.

If you're dealing with climbs like that, you could go with a half-step with a granny gear...

Yes, that's another classic option.

kabex, Bikes are evolutionary so classic is a bit difficult to pin point. For me if the bike has a 1 inch threaded fork, it's good enough. That said Raliegh has new steel bikes http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/ that have threadless headsets... evolutionary, but classic looking.

I and others have installed modern drivetrains onto old frames... better than dumpsterizing a good frame. Bottom line is to have fun with whatever bicycle that's equipped however you wish.

Brad

An excellent reference for what was current through 1987 is Frank Bertos book titled "Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Upgrading Your Bike". It is available used from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Maga...0885645&sr=8-1

The reference on drivetrain history is the book "The Dancing Chain" by the same author which covers the technical aspects of bicycle drivetrains from current to pre 1900. It is also available from Amazon, the latest third edition.

http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Chain-...0885645&sr=8-2

Reading The Dancing Chain you will realize how few bicycle drivetrain ideas are truly new as triple cranksets and indexed shifting date back to the 1930s at least. Aluminum frames predate 1900 and lugless frame construction is very old too, think of fillet brazed frames. The two things that seem to be truly new in the last 20+ years are successful composite frames and brifters.

I'd go with one in a color I like.