Originally Posted by
Camilo
I think your mistake is (a) to think that it is some particular magic brand that is the only brand that you will find comfortable, (b) that it is steel that is the most comfortable (my CF Felt Z is more comfortable than my vintage steel and titanium bikes and my aluminum bike is as comfortable as both of them as well) or (c) the 90s were something special that can't be duplicated or exceeded today.
Start your exploration anew in 2021! Geometry, saddle, bars, FIT and TIRES are far more important than the brand or frame material. Did I say far more important? Compared to those factors, brand and frame material are, um, immaterial.
You may indeed find a 90s vintage steel frame that really rings your bell. That's fine, but there's so many options. Have as much fun today exploring and learning as you did back then. There might be a chance you can better afford your dream bike now too!
After testing a Kestrel CF frame and a Litespeed Ti frame, I was totally shocked that a seamless [which I assure you was big deal back then] steel bike could ride and handle the way the bike I mentioned performed. I had [light] Aluminum on the brain, at the time, so my friend's recommendation to try a high-quality steel bike was nearly disregarded...but damn if he wasn't right on the money: and that's why I'd like to rediscover that brand name again. Put another way, I've ridden a lot of different brands -- and all of them were "exotic" in those days -- so I was very surprised that a steel bike could perform like that. If I'm thinking about a "retro" bike, why not try to find one that has already proven to be a winner?
On the other hand, I'm sure that the frames have evolved over the past 20+ years, so I wouldn't be surprised to find a [new] high-quality bike that rides and handles great...but "retro" is the key word here. Thanks very much for the post.
