I posted this in another forum awhile back & just thought I'd share here.

Lift the rear wheel from ground by picking up the saddle of your bicycle and give the left pedal a hard and quick half-turn spin, then count the number of the turns you will have before a complete stop of the rear wheel ; please let us know the number.

I got a 70' or 80's Precision PR6006 made-in-Canada mountain bike and the number I tested was 170. That's perhaps a main reason why I always like this over 30-year old bike. It is eager to go when you ride.

I tested a lot new bikes in the stores, both department stores and a couple of LBS's this way, they are all somewhere between 15 to 120 turns, even for brand names such as Trek, Giant, or Norco.

I trust that this could be the reason why other people here also like the old bikes but they may never notice this hidden difference which might be why old bikes do have the QUALITY.

Unloaded spinning does not tell you anything about the loaded resistance, and therefore little about quality.

I can tell you for sure I couldn't hold the rear of my 36 lb bike off the ground long enough for it to spin down

My SS MTB with a Chris King hub laced to a Stan's Arch wheel spins for what seems like ever. I have seen stock Shimano hubs spin for longer. What is the point of this thread?

I love precise scientific tests.

Since there's very little mass involved in a free spinning drive train, small differences will have an exaggerated effect. But th results can be deceiving. For example a heavier rear wheel will spin longer than a light one. Even small tire weight differences will show up, so what seems like high friction might simply be low weight.

Also, chain tension, age and lube will make a difference, especially if there's excess tension.

So as posted above, unloaded spin tests are just about meaningless. That doesn't mean that a fine old bike isn't a fine old bike, just that the claim can't be based on this test.

You must look like a total kook standing there, holding the rear wheel of these bikes off the ground and counting how many times the wheel completes a revolution.

You mean no one else does this?

Awesome thread, love the responses to the OP, go easy on the guy will you, he is probably a Canadian and you know Canadians....

alright rain man i counted and i got 69 turns. my bike isn't really that nice though.

but listen, i think you'd get a much better idea of the quality if you took the bike for a spin or looked into the components/materials.