jolly_ross

I expect that you will.

Because you are younger and stronger, not because your handlebars are aero cross section.

Not that any of this matters a toss.

chasm54

you haven't been paying much attention, have you?

Hiro11

To me, the biggest technological improvements I've seen since I started racing in the mid eighties are STI, improved gear range due to more rear cogs, vastly improved rear shifting, better brake modulation, much, much stiffer rear triangles giving more responsive surging and the Aheadset threadless design. Di2 has enormous potential. Everything else is very debatable. Some of the designs these days that swap any kind of durability to save a few grams are just stupid in my opinion. Bb30/press fit is a terrible idea. Cone hubs are probably still best. Aero frames are pointless as is the current fetish for internal cabling. Low spoke count wheels are a bit silly.

Having said all of that, I ride an aero frame with carbon wheels. Why? Because it looks cool.

Andy Somnifac 

You must be new here.

Andy Somnifac 

Yes, he is.

jrobe

Let me guess, the OP can't afford a nice bike.

Trsnrtr

I need Cliffs Notes before I can comment.

RT

Agree with you on almost everything - but clipless changed my life. STI was a 'meh' for me - it just made my bike look nicer, but some see beauty in vintage. Clipless helped me improve my pedal stroke, made me want to ride more, and improved my fitness as my body takes more kindly to the consistent beating which it is given on the pedals.

Rant on, sir.

Clipped_in

I see what you did there.

Homebrew01

Yup. I raced in the friction days. No way would I go back to downtube shifters. Same with clips & straps. Although I can easily get by without all the gimmicks and pseudo-improvemnts.

Bob Dopolina 

No kidding. So did I.

You ride DT shifters, I'll ride STI. Then I'll attack or at least change tempo constantly. Good luck with that.

Sidney Porter

I think you missed the OP point about cages and straps. When cages are properly used they are just a secure (if not more secure) than clipless. The problem is that most people do not use cycling shoes with the cages nor do they tighten them down enough. People use regular tennis shoes rather than stiff cycling shoes that are made for toe straps. I believe that toe straps are still used in some velodrome races because they are more secure and those guys can rip the feet out of clipless.

The problem with properly set up toes straps is that you have to reach down an loosen the strap prior to pulling you foot out not really safe in traffic for you average rider. Clipless are better imo because the are easier to use and safer.

StanSeven

You are new here. How do you think his post count got to 53K?

StanSeven

Hmmm?

Homebrew01

Especially when climbing.

Or when you realise you need 1 more gear mid-sprint.

RT

I am not a racer, so take it for its Fredly worth, but around here clipless far outnumbers toe straps and tennis shoes. My understanding was the OP was saying clipless isn't really important as the 'old way' works just as well. I am disagreeing.

rxmoore

It seems like the older we get, the better things were when we were younger.

sced

Buy what you like, but you can have as much fun riding any decent, reliable stead as a pretentious latest/greatest plastic thingy. If you like to tinker, an old classic is as good as anything. For ride comfort, the only technological improvement worthy of mention in the last 30 years is the clipless pedal. The lighter you go the more temporary your bike will be.

Campag4life

OP...I enjoyed your post and walk down memory lane. I have so many fond memories of riding the bikes you talk about 30 years ago. Their more primitive tech didn't diminish my love for cycling one bit. The the new tech is better in EVERY respect...from wheels to tires, to frame compliant in lieu of lateral stiffness to saddle options and comfort to more gearing options...EVERY aspect of bicycle design is better. Yes there is diminishing return. I will opt for say a Specialized Pro versus Sworks frameset because I believe there is almost no difference in performance for $1K less. I don't go for the lightest carbon wheelsets...mid Al is fine for me. I haven't embraced 11 speed yet..may some day...or electric shifting. 10s is fine and to me better than 8s of yesteryear. One doesn't have to opt for the latest and greatest...to me there is a sweet spot removed from the so called 'best'.

There is a guy on a steel frame I encounter out of the road and his bike looks very old tech and the guy is very fast. To me, the bike doesn't make a big difference...but a small difference perhaps in speed. But in the overall dynamic of riding, to me at least, the ergonomics and ride quality of the new bikes is a lot better than old bikes.

I enjoyed your post none-the-less and room for all walks out on the road. Some guys like old muscle cars compared to the new stuff as well even though new performance cars are in another statosphere. There is no stopping the march of technology.

datlas 

That's PCAD's M.O.

BTW I agree pretty much with OP.

StanSeven

And the more we want to convince ourselves and others it is true.

I remember replying to things like this using a deck of punched cards

thump55

You can say whatever you want, but it comes down to this:

If we all had to toe the line in a race tomorrow to save our souls and could select any bike/components we wanted, no one is showing up with a 1982 Schwinn World Sport.

merlinextraligh

My first really good bike was made of Reynolds 531, had Campy Nuevo Record, friction D/T shifters, and silk tubular tires. I still have a 1977 Paramount. I currently own a pretty much state of the art road bike,and I've owned a representative sample of everything in between.

Most all of your post is romanticized nostalgia. The collective effect of all the improvements make modern road bikes substantially better.

I'd like to see an actual 17lb with pedals, Klein from 1980. Put on an accurate scale, I bet it's heavier, and it would ride like crap compared to a modern CF bike. My current bike is 13lbs with a power meter, and you can get real world rideable bikes today to 12lbs. So even taking that 17lb figure. We're talking 5lbs, which is going to make a noticeable, measurable difference.

I'll give you this one. Old square taper BB has about as low rolling resistance, as modern ceramics. What you're missing though, is how maintenance free bearings are now, with most everything sealed

Yes, but today we have low rolling resistant tires that are also relatively durable, and relativey flat resistant.

Ride a really well designed CF frame, such as Wilier Zero7, then ride a Vitus, a Klein, and first generation CDale, and report back.

Simply wrong. If you're going to win a bike race, you've got to be alone in the wind sometime, and if its just the sprint it's at a speed where aero matters most. It also matters attacking, pulling, bridging, and even in the pack, you'll still conserve more energy.

you're right clipless not = faster. But the ease and the comfort make them a dramatic improvement. A fact I'm reminded of everytime I ride my vintage track bike Superlegera pedals with toeclips and cleated shoes.

I've raced with D/T shifters as recently as 5 years ago, and it doesn't make that big of difference. But it does make a difference. You shift less, and use just a touch more energy at times because you're not in the perfect gear.

And it makes a difference sprinting. Back in the day, if you wanted to upshift in a sprint, you banged the lever with your knee. Now, with Sram Red, you pin the lever to handlebar, and it's a very easy flick to upshift in the sprint. Again, giving just the slight edge of the right gear at the right time.

A high end modern bike is not going to turn a plow horse into a thorobred. And stronger riders will beat weaker riders even with inferior equipment.
But at the margin with 2 virtually equal riders, the 5lbs, the better shifting, the more aero is going to be the difference.


Now get off my lawn.

Sidney Porter

True except that was never a racing bike to begin with. So if we are comparing new vs old racing components (as in the OP) the world sport had none. 33.8lbs with a kickstand...
https://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/1982...LL/1982_13.JPG

merlinextraligh

ok ftfy.