Do you stand up and mash on your vintage bikes?
05-28-11, 03:59 PM
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Do you stand up and mash on your vintage bikes?
Took a long hilly ride yesterday on one of my newer bikes, a 1985, but still don't feel comfortable really pushing hills on old stems, bars, pedals, and chains in some cases.
Does anyone else lighten up a bit on very old components, or have you had a failure standing up that now keeps you in the saddle at all times?
I seem to recall Sheldon Brown frowning upon standing up, except in the cases of a bike that you're intimately familiar with and sure of its integrity, which is probably common with the C & V crowd routinely tearing down and reassembling their rides.
Does anyone else lighten up a bit on very old components, or have you had a failure standing up that now keeps you in the saddle at all times?
I seem to recall Sheldon Brown frowning upon standing up, except in the cases of a bike that you're intimately familiar with and sure of its integrity, which is probably common with the C & V crowd routinely tearing down and reassembling their rides.
05-28-11, 04:09 PM
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I think it has been awhile since my climbing could be called "Hammering" but yes my bikes get as a good a workout as I can give them
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05-28-11, 04:11 PM
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Don't worry, be happy. If parts bother you, have them checked out and replaced as necessary. Heck, I broke the rear stay on my '80s era mtb bike. Had a friend weld it up and it is good as new.
Tom
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05-28-11, 04:13 PM
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What??? Only 2 wheels?
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I stand up and hammer occasionally though when I have to climb a hill long enough I usually don't. If a part is intending to break soon I probably wouldn't know it until it breaks anyway.
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05-28-11, 04:15 PM
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The reason I ride a CrMolly Univega is because I need to do the stand in a crawl - At 240 I am afraid a lighter bike would brake in half and at last years 280 I was afraid of riding anything less than a CrMo FUJI Touring bike - I am currently waiting to get my weight down to less than 230 before riding a 1974 531 PR-10 that I just finished - I have not found any good threads on Max weight for a newer carbon bike but none of them show any real data - The carbon frames that I have seen fail had a specific reason not related to failure due to weight - These newer bikes might be stronger than we realize - Again - What is the max weight for a specific frame, 531, SLX, Carbon, aluminum???
05-28-11, 04:32 PM
#11
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I don't take it easy on the equipment. It breaks or it doesn't. But then again I don't put out power like I used to so most of my stuff will bury me. not the other way around.
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05-28-11, 04:40 PM
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That's the whole reason I switched from carbon to steel.... So my 220lbs can mash, thrash, and hammer without feeling like it is flexing or creaking. After months of riding my old Peugeot, I am sure a 400 pound gorilla could hammer on this thing and it would take it.
05-28-11, 04:56 PM
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Yes.
05-28-11, 04:59 PM
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Absolutely. But, I don't run any skanky old parts that I'm scared of the condition or strength of, either.
...with gears from 23 to 95 inches, I also feel free to sit down and spin when I feel like it.
...with gears from 23 to 95 inches, I also feel free to sit down and spin when I feel like it.
05-28-11, 05:01 PM
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What??? Only 2 wheels?
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What old Peugeot would that be? One in a recent thread (that I've forgotten already) or one you've owned for a while? This spring I've been commuting on my '72 UO8 and I don't worry about standing on it when necessary.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
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05-28-11, 05:06 PM
#17
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Sure. I remember "break the bike" being the shorthand for 'try really hard to go fast'. I still haven't managed to do it after all these years.
05-28-11, 05:27 PM
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I very rarely get out of the seat on hills, on any bike.
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05-28-11, 05:27 PM
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I had a heck of a ride today, dodging a tornado warning in the southern Twin Cities area.
I was surprised how fast I could go when ominous skies and lightning were bearing down on me.
05-28-11, 05:29 PM
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I get more nervous about old equipment on the downhills than I do on the uphills.
05-28-11, 05:55 PM
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Stand and Deliver.
05-28-11, 06:03 PM
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Don't have near as much muscle as I did 30 years ago, so my 'hammering' is more like 'pillow fighting'. Still, I don't take it easy on the equipment. Assuming that you inspect and maintain, why should I think that the bike is more fragile than it used to be?
-Gary
-Gary
05-28-11, 06:05 PM
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I stood and hammered one time on a C&V bike and it didn't go well. I yanked the back wheel out of the dropout and it locked up against the chainstay. If there's one suggestion I can make, it's check the old quick release skewers. The old steel frames aren't going to be hurt by hammering, but most of my C&V QR skewers are incredibly difficult to get tight enough in the dropout unless you clean/lube them. That's really the only suggestion I can make.
-Collin-
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