plonz 

Fun video by the folks at GCN comparing a steel Merckx to some entry-level aluminum ride.

bikemig 

I watched this. I don't disagree with the assessment that a lot of the technology has changed for the better but I still like downtube shifters.

embankmentlb

They had to build a new old Merckx because all the old bikes they test keep breaking??
I wonder where they get their old bikes from? I may not be putting out 500 watts for hours at a time but my old bikes hold up just fine.
Something is a bit off here.

MooneyBloke

Agree. I'm using a 43yo Trek for a commuter, and I'm not kind to it. It soldiers on just fine. Unless someone's using parts established in a failure mode (e.g. cranks/stems/BBs with a fracture or rims with spoke hole cracking), I can't really see a vintage bike breaking much provided good maintenance and an absence of serious crashes. While perhaps a bit more recent, there are plenty of videos about Lemond era pro bikes that have been ridden hard, but survive just fine.

shoota 

I know which one looks better...

Trakhak

I spend decades on lugged steel racing bikes, but I have to admit that I admire the current shark-like speedy look of carbon and aluminum bikes. Spindly steel bikes such as that Merckx are starting to look a bit like antiques to me.

Bad Lag

I did not need to watch the video. I already knew what he was going to say. He provided no new information, no new insights. The video is mostly "glam shots" of the two bikes rolling along.

Tires are important. Check!

He is not accustomed to down tube shifters. Check!

More gear ratios are better than fewer when climbing. Check.

He likes the brifter/disk brake bikes he is accustomed to. Check!

Oh well, if the roads dry off a bit, I think I will go for a ride on my 50 year old, steel-framed bike equipped with 2X5 gearing and Campagnolo Nuovo Record components.

I love riding this bike.

rccardr 

Got the impression that this was a way to showcase/write off the custom build he had done. Certainly no need to ‘build a new bike’ in order to produce this bit of fluff.
I like GCN for the race coverage and expert conversation shows, but these silly bits leave me cold.

joesch

Very likely and Simon is not even a masher and was able to produce as much power with the classic steel setup and beat the time of the new ALU with bigger gears. Im pretty sure which bike most of us would choose and not even a choice for me

Andy_K 

I'm surprised they didn't do a downhill test so they could talk about how much better disc brakes are. They've done some other videos where they "proved" that, but I'd be curious how cheap mechanical disc brakes compare to vintage brakes. I've been fairly unimpressed with most of the mechanical disc brakes I've tried.

merziac

These seem to be nothing more than to continue to push the latest low skill or otherwise tech so the C+V stuff if further disparaged and not cool enough for the masses anymore.

Cartridge, threadless, plug and play, disposable, throwaway, profit at all costs mentality continuing to steamroll anything that gets in its way.

52telecaster

I also don't know why at least a 26 tooth freewheel couldn't have been used. I mean really 41 tooth chain ring as well.

Were it my bike it would probably be sporting half step and granny but then he would have really had a hard time shifting.

embankmentlb

This and similar video magazines are in biz to make money. Not much point in promoting second hand or antique parts. The only reason we see any vintage content at all is for the drama content. Maybe to show bit of cycling history.
Bottom line is that they cater to what is in the marketplace currently. The end.

merziac

You mean you can't just blindly set it, forget it and have it work flawlessly from now on?

genejockey 

Because he was trying to compare a top-level racing bike from 1969 to a modern low-end road bike.
What you're proposing would be a different comparison.

genejockey 

A couple times they've taken "museum" bikes out and had problems, most of which have to do with things like old tires and such.

nlerner

Uh, I watched the video: the custom-built steel framed bike outperformed the alu modern one. Isn’t that a good outcome for the C&V inclined?

uncle uncle

Where was the comparison of parking your bikes outside the local coffee shop or pub, near your outside table, and seeing which bicycle gets you the most, "hey... nice bike" comments? You say that's just a measure of vanity? Well, isn't having a new super bicycle, one that's way over-blinged for your actual racing accomplishments, just a measure of vanity too? Really, just ride whatever makes you the happiest, the bike that inspires you to ride more.. because it should be about the fun, and not the performance.

Atlas Shrugged

Or in other words 99% of active sport cyclists even those who owned those so called vintage bikes when they were new, if still cycling ride modern bikes. Some may still own a collectors piece and put in the odd mile but if a serious ride is done it’s done on a modern bike. It’s not some conspiracy just like a modern car is vastly superior to one built in the 70’s.

jon c. 

Modern cars are vastly superior because they last much longer. It never ceases to amaze me, The durability of cars built in the 70s was terrible. That's not an issue for bikes from the 70s.

Andy_K 

It did, and then Si's expert opinion based on this test was that the cheap new bike is better for most people. This isn't really a surprise. People shouldn't take GCN's fluff pieces too seriously.

nlerner

Well, considering the Merckx replica was a custom, hand-made steel frame, he’s probably right.

Andy_K 

Yeah, probably so. Even if it were a typical vintage bike with the same configuration, most people would probably prefer the cheap new bike.

Perhaps he should have said, "In conclusion, this whole test was pointless."

embankmentlb

I imagine that is true. 99% of people do prefer modern equipment for the convenience. The 1% would disagree. They would argue that new is not superior at all and is in fact not all that great based on the things that matter to them.
A proud 1%er here!

Chr0m0ly 

I haven’t watched this video, but I did see the one where they took a vintage racer out of museum and had to throw a new rear wheel on the back. (Or maybe this is that video?)

But they complained about the brakes without replacing the 50 year old pads, and complained about the shifting without practicing on the down tubes at all, and complained about the toeclips, also without bothering to familiarize themselves with their use. Same with the old rubber on the tires…

if your testers don’t have the ability to use the equipment, the test is just fluff. I’ve used brifters exactly once while test riding a tandem I was thinking about buying. I kept reaching for nonexistent down tube shifters. I don’t fault the brifters for my riding habits.