Cutting edge Gear keeps clawing at your Wallet .. Resistance May Be Futile ..


Yup, the largest part of the air resistance to go fast, is the Meat Bag On the saddle,

that Bought the Bike .

Want to move through the air fast ?, be shaped like A Fish.

I love my old AND new bikes. BTW I do see old carbon bikes. Mine is going on 25 years old and still looks and rides great! I think it will last just as long as any of my others.

He didn't talk very much about the clip and strap pedals. I used to use those and I definitely had to plan ahead before stopping.

Many of the people over in the C&V forum like to work on their bikes as well as ride them. Most of the bikes featured on the C&V forum were restored, built, reconditioned, repainted, modified, etc. by the owners. Lots of us express our creativity and individuality in the bike builds, they are not just an object exactly like the 50 other objects next to them on the sales floor. For the above reasons, I think many of us take a pride in our bikes that cannot be gotten by simply purchasing a new bike. I think most of us just love bikes, it isn't purely a performance tool to everybody.

That which works, works.
A Sunbeam T-20 toaster has no modern rivals in toast quality or aesthetic appeal.



Neither does a Vitus 979, except one toasts oneself.....



-Bandera

I am willing to put my Kitchenaid against your Sunbeam and my White Roubaix against your Vitus, but luckily we are both happy with our choices. And, I am still using Adams PB on my toast.

It's an interesting subject, old vs. new.

I would never go back to a 50's 3 speed from my 21, I wouldn't even go back to a 7 speed.
I've owned Harley's from the 40's to the 70's and I'd never go back to them.
I've owned 50's and 60's British sports cars to new Japanese cars and I'd never go back to them.
I still fly old biplanes, but that's it for me.

I have been there and done that and nothing compares to the new tires, rims, suspension, electrical, lighting, carburation, exhaust, or materials.
I've pushed enough broken down old stuff for one lifetime!

It depends on the application. On a flat, windy, bad pavement road, my 86 Gazelle was superior to my Cervelo. It's a Classics bike and is purpose built for those conditions. But uphill, it's just too heavy. And in a crit, it's noticeably less stiff.

in could get pretty hot in and around a Soviet T-50 tank in it's day too ...

My toaster has a web-site: Evolution of the T-20.
Toasting perfection was attained in the '40's: it was the DI2 of toast:

" All you do is drop in the bread ... Bread lowers itself automatically, no levers to push ... Toast raises itself silently, without popping or banging." For toast topping: Irish Kellygold butter and a friend's spicy home made marmalade.

The 979 did rather well, including for me, in competition. Never heard of a "White Roubaix", although there was a certain White Rabbit that Grace Slick sang about "back when"......perhaps your machine will be considered Classic in twenty or so years if riders get any wins on it.




-Bandera

toaster sounds pretty cool.

White is the color of my Specialized Roubaix, a bike that has won the Roubaix multiple times. I mentioned the white one because I think it is especially beautiful in white.

When I started racing, I was riding a 20 year old 1973 Raleigh Professional. Sure I was at a "disadvantage", But I accepted that because I had been riding the bike for a long time and knew it so much better than I could know a new bike. Know what? I did well, especially if the race was difficult. Crits were a breeze, I placed third in my first one. Road races were more difficult until I learned not to drive the race on my own. I did fairly well in time trials (all on the same bike) I even won a national level time trial on that old bike. Imagine being a national champion riding a 25 year old bicycle. My old bike never held me back. I have had "better" bikes since, but have never experienced more consistent success than I did with my Raleigh. My analysis? I was better then, my bike had little to do with it.
That said: I love the bikes I have now. They are a bit "out of date" but still very current in my opinion.

Pretty much the same debate.

Modern cars have performance advantages that don't really help the average driver much, but they have no soul. Classic cars have much more appealing design and there's nothing like an engine with a carburetor.

Modern bikes also perform a bit better, so I might get home a minute sooner on my Sunday ride. But the look and feel of the vintage machine is so much more satisfying.

Its all about fitness for the intended use. You can drive an inexpensive well-maintained 1960s Chevy (or Ford, or Chrysler) car across the USA, or you can drive a 2014 expen$ive well-maintained Corvette (or Mustang or Charger) across the USA. Both have to be filled with gas approximately every 250 miles, and both can only go the speed limit regardless of horsepower. The 2014 car will have lighter weight parts, more stuff on the dash to play with, and probably better suspension and comfort iems. But the older cars get you there just as fast as the newer cars, its just the newer cars cost more.

And don't forget that just because you're paying top dollar for the top-of-the-line ligthweight bicycle parts, you don't always get the best stuff; some of those parts sacrifice durability for weight savings.

And what are you going to do when newer, (maybe) better stuff comes out next year? Sell your year-old ride and by the new one?

This is meant in all seriousness, not flippant.

First, both my lawyer and wife will tell you that until rather recently I had issues with this concept of a speed limit. Second, I think it is just fine to replace parts if they were enjoyed. Last, it usually takes 3-5 years for the advances to be worth it. This UDi2 stuff really is awesome and that derraileur that makes the 1x11 work on my MTB is pretty darn cool, too.

I do totally appreciate the passion for the vintage bikes, and it is making me think about trying to find that wildly painted Klein that I could not afford when I first saw it many years ago.

It has been a while since I've ridden with cleats and straps, but I think I could yank my feet out pretty easily. When using straps with street shoes, the feet come out very easily.

Actually, if you look at the overall weights of cars, they have been slowly getting heavier and heavier over time. The 2000+ pickups are about 1000 pounds heavier than the 1980's pickups. Part of it is adding all the new gizmos. Although, Ford has finally started adding some aluminum to their new pickups. Perhaps the weights are getting back down to what they were 20 or 30 years ago.

Both will last a very long time as long as you can keep up with the maintenance (and the government doesn't salt the roads).

The film said that the older bikes looked flimsy, but the truth is that many things on them are quite bomb-proof. Maybe not the sewup tires, but other things.

One hears about people worrying about cracks on their aluminum or CF frames... I never think about cracks on my 40+ year old steel framed bicycle.

There are no braze-ons for a rack on my bike, but I put a rack on it anyway, which it has carried for more than half its life. I don't worry about bumps, bruises, or extra stresses here and there. No tubes to crush.

As someone else mentioned, my shifters and RD are mismatched, and I've done upgrades from 5 to 6 to 7 to 9 spd... with no shifter changes. Sometime I should just bend my rear dropouts a bit wider to fit "modern" dimensions. Easy enough to do.

I used toeclips for years and years since they worked fine with any shoes I was wearing at the time, long after most "racers" had forgotten about them.

Anyway, I think there is some nostalgia for what was popular during one's childhood. That means in the car world that today's 50 yr olds are interested in cars from the 60's, and the cars from the 20's are getting forgotten. Perhaps the same is true somewhat with bicycles.

Nothing wrong with older bikes, they get the job done. I prefer older mtbs, I like rigid frames, everything has to be ful suspension, or hardtail, can't even get a rigid mtb from walmart. I don't like the frame geometry on newer mtbs with sloping tubes, like giant bmx bikes, especially 29ers. I like cantilever brakes.

I hate these new relaxed aeroframe road bikes, I honestly am pretty happy about a 2/7 gearset, I don't need to compensate for lack of strength. I don't need autoshift technology, and on the daily grind; an obese 20lb road bike is going to take a beating, and ask for another- why I love my genesis roadtech, it is fast, and flickable, and after being tapped by a car, still has a straight rear triangle. I need a street fighter. And brifters, I'd love to have them, but existing for ten years plus, thry haven't came down much in price, I may by some when they are 50bucks. Friction shifters are tired and true, plus, It doesn't seem right to upset a clean lokking road frame eith cables everywhere, lookin like a mtb.

Lastly, I can't afford new. Not mid level, not entry level, hardly walmart level. I can restomod an older bike, and be just as good.The favorite thing around hereis tobuy new, instead of upgrading an older bike, or cheap bike. throwing 105, or ultegra at an 83 world sport, is no different than taking a coyote 5.0, t56 magum, 18"x235 wheels, four wheel 16" brakes, and an ober built 9" axle with 3link, and droping it in an 83 mustang. Some people buy hotrods, others build them. I'm about building bikes. I don't want to buy something that already has the hotness, I like to light my own fire. I'll be tricking out my genesis with vintage and new parts, it might be a cheap bike, but it is a 2014, technically a new bike. The Fuji finest is my vintage bike, it'll be the weekend joint, lighyer, faster, "more horsepower," the corvette to my camry.

I played table tennis with a group of friends. Robert was the best out of the five of us. I had a new butterfly paddle and the others all had 100 dollar clubs. By the end of the year some of us lost to rob by only 3 or four points. He always won anyways, a few bought newer paddles fancy rubber and all. So he came in with a small block of wood and crushed us all. None of us got more than 4 points. My cyclone and Zeus set up work great and I keep riding. Though I do like my wife's brifters so I up grades my other bike to barcons lol

Before I traded my last DF bike off on my trike, I would have to say it didnt lack much compared to the new phantistic plastic bikes. Everyone likes to call them carbon fiber, but in fact they are CF reinforced plastic bikes. That last DF was a double butted frame bike with down tube shifters. With proper care it could probably be on the road another 30 to 50 years. I really doubt that today phantastic plastic will last that long. For sure they will never be able to out last a titanium frame bike.

i'd really like to get new stuff - i'd really like to get a fully loaded Surly LHT (long haul trucker for the non-touring types...)
but someone gave me a late 80's Specialized RockHopper - like - for FREE. Since Surly's not handing out LHTs, I'll happily ride the RockHopper, since it's borderline identical to what i want anyway.

Hi bikeguyinvenice. I've been reading the bike forum for a long time. Finally registered. I take old vintage lugged frame bikes. Mostly Japanese & refurbish them with upright handlebars. I did a Trek 520 Cirrus about a year ago. About a 1984 model. It has a fantastic ride. When I blow by somebody on a carbon fiber race bike it really freaks them out. Check it out:

Ever spent time in any of the road bike forums****************************************?/

I guess I must be the OP's polar opposite.

I've messed with bikes for a long time and I used to have an impressive collection of old bike parts that are gradually either being used up or discarded. I'm pretty good at working on a certain class of bike but I've never even examined a Di2 bike and have never owned a 10-speed cassette. I don't even own any low spoke count or deep section wheelsets. That kind of stuff just doesn't get my motor running. The highest tech bike component that I aspire to today would be a Rans Ti-Rex SWB recumbent frame then I'd transfer all the stuff, like 20 year old XTR derailleurs from my Enduro Sport.

+1, or the MTB forums, as the case may be.

There is plenty of discussion of newer components, but in my mind most discussions come down to:

Q) Which bike/component should I buy?

A) How much money are yo willing to spend?

For vintage, the draw for me is the simplicity. In general, I like riding my more modern bikes, but love the sleek look and simplicity of a classic steel bike. If they would make a high end carbon frame that looked like the traditional diamond frames, it would be the best of both worlds to me. Of course, I say that, and I have never ridden carbon.

It just occurred to me, that another aspect in what the OP is asking... if we look at a similar question from the automotive world. How come people talk about 1970's muscle cars when modern cars are so much better? It is a question that can't adequately be explained unless your heart pounds when you see and hear an old muscle car. It is aesthetic more than functional.