Richard Cranium

Off hand - I'd say the new reality is having the right wheel/tire size and pressure for the roads you ride.

Of course weight is a big deal if you want to ride fast or climb well.

When I was in my prime I rode competitively with a seat height almost three inches higher than my bars. Now i happy with a stem flipped up and the bars and seat at the same height.

Get the fit and the tires right and most of the rest won't matter.

woodcraft

I think of the LHT as a kind of marketing coup-

like convincing folks that the cool thing is to drive a 5 yard dump truck instead of a Toyota or an Audi.

Chuckles1

FWIW, my heavier gravel bike has lower gears than my lighter road bike. If I do the same ride, I average maybe 1-2 mph slower on the heavy bike with wider tires, but feel less fatigue and less beat up after a ride. I notice the weight difference when I lift the bike, but not really on the road, where gearing and tires are more important than five pounds weight difference.

Kabuki12

Almost every bike I own I are racing bikes of the vintage variety. I bought my first one in 1976 and never looked back ,after a few years on a boat anchor, Schwinn Varsity. It makes a huge difference and even though my bikes are within a few pounds of equal, there are subtle differences particularly in the agility of the bike. My lightest bikes are just a bit more lively than the others. I enjoy all my bikes but tend to favor the lighter ones. I recently went through my mailman’s bike for him that he bought new in 1979 .,A Schwinn LeTour IV . He wanted to start riding again and I told him it should be tuned before riding it. I finished the bike for him and took it for a ride, WOW it is heavy, over thirty pounds. I hadn’t been on a heavy bike in many years, what a difference.

Skullo

If I am riding up a hill solo, minding my own business and some one passes me, does that mean I have been dropped? I wasn’t racing anyone when this happened so......

big john

You were dropped like a hot rock at a hot rock droppin' contest.

GamblerGORD53

LOL, I'm 66.6. Just since July17, I have done 5 centuries with my 73 lb tour bike, with a SA XL-RD5w. 101, 105, 106, 107, and 133.6 MILES, exactly double my age.
I wasn't really tired after any of them. Only hard climb was thru a 200 foot valley on the long ride.
Plus 3 days ago, 100.6 miles on my old CCM RD3 speed with new 650B wheels, it's 42 lbs + load of 10 lbs. This is 10% slower actually, not sure why.
My tour bike has done 8,100 miles with Rohloff, at 120 lbs. Did Roger's Pass, 2 cat 1 climbs, 98 miles in 12 hours I think.