Bike Forums - Now i understand the value of a quality bike.

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- - Now i understand the value of a quality bike. (https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus-50/917153-now-i-understand-value-quality-bike.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldnslow2 (Post 16146345)

Bikes, vintage tube audio equipment and vintage VWs.

That makes 3.

Does a 1941 Crosley American Overseas count as vintage audio?

Anyway, it's the OPs job to state a preference, and our job to argue with him :P:

Quote:

Originally Posted by wthensler (Post 16147307)

But the Fuji beats up my 55 yo body a lot more, and lacks the fun factor. Was the extra 4k worth it? Absolutely!!

What bike should you ride? Recumbent? full carbon race bike? steel tank? Whichever one puts the smile on your face. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldnslow2 (Post 16146804)

Sorry, it's 3900

If you want a decent spare bike for friends (or commuter, or whatever), replace the knobby tires with slicks. If you wanted to spend a bit more (but not too much), you can replace the fork with a rigid one. These two updates, and it will feel like a completely new bike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldnslow2 (Post 16146122)

Had to drop off my car for some work and didn't want to walk the 3 miles back. I also didn't want to ride my Madone because of didn't want to bother with shoes and all the rest. So I dragged out my son's old mountain bike and tossed it in the car.

The bike is Trek 2000 and cost maybe $400 10 years ago. When I put it in the car I quickly realized it's a TANK and weighs a ton. It didn't take 100 yards for me to realize the huge difference between a $400 steel bike and a full carbon bike... it was night and day.

Riding the bike home was like climbing a long hill, but the road was flat. It was like I was dragging a spare car tire behind me. When I go home I felt like I climbed a 3 mile hill.

It was just not the weight of the bike, must be twice that of the Madone, it's the added rolling resistance of the tires, the axles and the crank.

In conclusion I can now full justify spending the money for a quality bike. It just makes riding more enjoyable.

Been there, done that have the cup and T-shirt. Mine was a Trek 800 sport. I had bought it when I also had a aluminum Haro. My son and daughter moved to Colorado Springs and I was going to give the Trek 800 to them because of all the trails they have there. The Trek was too tall for my son's wife but the sloping top tube on the Haro was just right. I figured I don't ride in the dirt all that much how bad could the steel bike be? I put a new cranks and chainrings. New Shifters, new derailleur, and even a new front fork. Before the new suspension fork it was close to 35 pounds without water bottles. I learned about Camelbacks anyway. I knew it wasn't going to do the trick on the road so I put some nice beefy dirt tires on the thing and when my friends suggested we go ride MTBs I was right there.

Just one season chasing my friends on their modern aluminum or CF dirt wonder bikes was enough to tell me I needed to start saving for something else. Mind you when we were out on our road bikes I was pretty much in the middle of the pack. Same guys in the dirt and I had to forward signals to another zip code. Mine was about the only steel MTB in the group and other than the down hill guys it was the heaviest, not by ounces but by pounds. The only way I ever passed anyone going up hill was if they fell down.

My Nephew got into cycling and I gave him my last steel bike I hope to ever own. I have been saving, plotting and planning on a new Aluminum or CF MTB for over year now but I am close. :D Now I just have to decide if I need a MTB more than I need a TT bike.:lol:

Put fenders and slicks on the 3900. Ride the 3900 to work every other day. With a suit, lunch, and your laptop in a bag. Put studded tires on in January.

http://finefitness.ca/wp-content/upl...parachutes.jpg

Then get back on the Wunderbike in spring.

Zoom.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenshiBiker (Post 16146632)

That's what I think to myself whenever I get passed by some 20-something with the latest, greatest plastic-fantastic TT-machine: "Hah! Too lazy to ride a steel fixed gear and get a real work out!"

Thinking it to yourself is ok. Probably totally wrong though.

You could do a lot worse than that TREK 3900.

For commuting I've found that only road bikes feel good. Even cyclocross bikes don't feel right (it's all paved road / trail). In the past I've tried folding bikes, hybrids, single speed, and MTB. None of them come close to the ease, speed and comfort of a road bike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wogster (Post 16147391)

It's kinda like comparing a Porsche 911 Turbo and an unmodified Trabant P50. Yes they are both cars engineered by Germans, they both have 4 wheels, but that is about it.

More like a 1943 Kubelwagen and a Porsche 904.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobile 155 (Post 16147427)

Does a 1941 Crosley American Overseas count as vintage audio?

Isn't a Crosley a small car?

Old steel bike? Tank? Mosey on over to the C&V and we'll show you some decided non-tank-ish steel! Heck, even I have some non-tank-ish steel. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldnslow2 (Post 16147740)

Isn't a Crosley a small car?

Well I have had a small car a bit bigger than the Crosley, an NSU Prince. http://www.microcar.org/carspecs/nsuprinz30.html . And come to think about it my Brother got the 41 and I got the 46: http://www.crosleyradios.com/46FB.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmuller (Post 16147797)

Old steel bike? Tank? Mosey on over to the C&V and we'll show you some decided non-tank-ish steel! Heck, even I have some non-tank-ish steel. :D

My son has a Gary Fisher cyclocross bike that's all steel with full Sram Rival. its lighter than his old aluminum Specialized Allez.

So I know not all steel bikes are the same.

I'm comparing a 30+lb bike to a 16lb bike with carbon wheels and ceramic bearings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmuller (Post 16147797)

Old steel bike? Tank? Mosey on over to the C&V and we'll show you some decided non-tank-ish steel! Heck, even I have some non-tank-ish steel. :D

Hanging on a scale so we can see the weight? :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobile 155 (Post 16147851)

Ah...

By vintage audio, i'm referring to my 1970s Audio Research system.

And Vintage VW, i'm talking about my 74 Beetle, that I purchased new.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wogster (Post 16147061)

If you could take $10,000 cash, go to the end of the dock, toss it in and not miss it, you can afford to get a boat. Here is another way of looking at it, gasoline at the gas station this summer was $1.35/L gas at the marina was $2.35/L :eek:, diesel was the same price:twitchy:

You guys and your boats, you're looking at the wrong type, next time consider a jon boat, a flat bottom boat or at least a canoe. Then consider the silver in your pocket as the only thing to being tossed into the water at the end of said dock :p

-> OP, can you say "Resistance Training"?