JohnDThompson 

And pedals with toeclips, and shoes with slotted cleats.

JohnDThompson 

One of my co-workers at Trek back in the early 80s built himself a steel frame (Columbus KL) bike fitted out with all the weight-weenie exotica of the time: Huret Jubilee derailleurs, Zeus 2000 crank, aluminum freewheel, and titanium bottom bracket, Regina titanium chain, Hi-E wheels (ok, not 36 spoke), Clément #1 silk track tubulars, etc. that tipped the scales at a shade under 13lbs, so, yeah, it can be done.

RB1-luvr

I'm 85-90% retro grouch. I'm slightly open minded to some new stuff.

Mojo31

You didn't have a "need" for the last 9 that you bought. Didn't stop you.

Mojo31

Where is beng? Thread was made just for him!

Eric F 

I don't know if he returned after his mandatory vacation.

79pmooney

I raced at 21 pounds.and 5-speed. Tubulars? There are still pros who want those things under them when they flat at 90 kph. My bike served me well both going up Smuggler's Notch and down the other side. (OMG fast.) Aero brakes though are a big and very welcome change. I wanted them in 1977. Thought about it often on my long rides.

My sidepulls stopped well. (Not Campy NRs.) 36 spokes but 15-17 gauge and 290 gram rims with 220 gm tires (Tubulars so that weight is tire and inner tube. Rim strip and glue are probably a toss weight-wise.) So not very heavy wheels.

My recently acquired race bike is 7 years newer than my old race bike, better, stiffer, probalby the same weight. Now running old race tubular rims the weight I used to train and club race. Tires are now race quality, my old training weight. Bike is 7-speed FW, Chorus triple and otherwise just blue collar '80s race. Yes, probably 1 to 1.5 mph slower than a $5000 CF bike but feel, the ride is all there. So is my grin.

79pmooney

My 1976 Fuji Pro wasn't much over 21 pounds with the race wheels on. (13-19 5-speed FW didn't hurt either.) The stock seatpost was heavy but 3 rd race I won a Zeus post that was a lot lighter than the Campy Record (boat anchor).

Carbonfiberboy 

(Raises hand) I think I qualify. Same as OP except w/23 y.o. bike. As far I can tell, modern offerings are inferior. Yeah, my bike is 3 lbs overweight in comparison, but I'm about 15 lbs. over perfect and can easily lose 3 in two weeks + save money on groceries. Grouchy enough?

genejockey 

I think the stereotypical retrogrouch take on any new cycling tech is, "I never had a problem with [insert obsolete tech name here]" and then declaring that the new technology - which they generally haven't tried - to be useless frippery.

Carbonfiberboy 

Nah, the great thing about being a retrogrouch is that your equipment really is better, which includes being more easily modifiable as one ages. It was easy and cheap for me to get down to 23 g.i. For studies, just look at the age breakdown for popular endurance events.

79pmooney

Just for fun - bike age in my fleet vs low gear

1973 - 23"
1979 - 41" (fix gear; something the new bikes cannot even do
[1983 - 71" (workhorse fix gear; it has no other life)]
1983 - 31"
2008 - 23"
2011 - 47" (fix gear; no modern bike can do remotely what this bike does so well)

A 110-74 BCD triple set up with a 24, 28 tooth in back - any FW or cassette ever (or at least since the dinosaurs died off) was offered with that 28 - and any SunTour GT derailleur with a vast assortment of friction , retro-friction (gotta slip that into this thread!) or ratchet and that old steed is good to go to that 23" low (and 122" high if you can find a 54 and 12). If you go out searching with a $100 bill, you might be able to buy yourself a latte with the change.

And the questioning retro (grouch?) - just why didn't every modern cranket manufacture get on board with 110-74 BCD? (OK, pure race can be bigger but the penalty for 110 cannot be measured. And not everyone needs that 74 drilling. But once 110 was here, why did anyone mess with 113? 105? ... And along those lines - thank you Sugino! Thank you SR! (And, going back to the tail end of the Jurassic era - thank you TA for making anything and everything possible. I rode the Mt. Washington TT on a 28t TA 1X. 1978)

Trsnrtr

This... exactly.

Wildwood

Sometimes it is hard to be a retrogrouch, but we try.
I'm a bi-cyclist. Retro + modern. Maybe a tri-cyclist as there are some in between with mechanical Ergo.

PeteHski

The retrogrouch always believes that their obsolete equipment really is “better”.

Atlas Shrugged

I have enjoyed riding bikes since the 1970s, and they continue to be a big part of my life. Whether I'm going to a happy hour with friends or embarking on a solo adventure in Southeast Asia, I always prioritize finding the best bike for my purpose. I'm not sentimental about specific bikes or traditions, as I've held this attitude for decades, which I suppose makes me an anti-retrogrouch.

BillyD

You have my dream collection, except for the Orbea BSO. And I'd probably swap out the Zeus for a Colnago.

BillyD

You said that like it's a bad thing.

Calsun

My primary road bike is a Trek 5200 that I bought new in 2001. It has the combination brake shifters and a 9-speed cluster and rim brakes and weighs in at 17.1 lbs. The combo brake shifters are great and I shift more frequently than I would with downtube shifters. These are also much more comfortable for my wife to use than having to lean down to reach downtube shifter.

Disc brakes were a good improvement for mountain bikes with their 2-inch wide tires and of course on a tandem bike but not on a road bike. Electronic shifters are in some ways a step backwards with the need to carry a spare battery when riding.

Wildwood

You missed the boat. I have been N ----- ing to the power of 10. Zeus and Bottecchia gone and every one not 59/60/61cm, 'cept 1. No more Merckx or Vent Noir, Falcon or Follis. Even down 1 Pinarello. No desire for a Colnago (did many other Italians). DeRosa is my grail. But another namesake added , and it will be friction, non-aero, long stem slammed to stretch out, with cotton bar tape (one coat of clear shellac) and tubulars.

The Orbea is my un-grouchiness - to the reality of 7+ decades in the books. And hills that must be ridden.

Call me Wildwood Harding…..
(1972 Holdsworth Pro badged Irish Harding)

(quick mock-up = wrong bar, stem, shifter, hoods)

….but say it with an Italian accent

Wildwood

RetroGrough is hard to resist. If the retro is all your needs met.
52/42 fast, narrow bars, easy to drops


Or touring gears and room for fenders


or just as much styling as an older man can handle


….with apologies for aero hoods.

yaw

What's with all those upward saddle angles on those antiques?

tomato coupe

There's no need to carry a spare battery.

tomato coupe

Normal for Brooks.

SoSmellyAir

So that is why retrogrouches are hard AF when they are riding uphill; it's the rubbing caused by the whack saddle angle.