FBinNY 

A newb mentioned old skool in introductions and got me thinking (always dangerous).

I considered starting a survey asking about how long folks were cycling, but decided it missed the point. After all there's cycling and there's cycling, and it's hard to lump someone commuting for 40 years with a weekend warrior or a tourist, or someone who rode for low key fun on weekends for half a century.

So, What is "old school" and what qualifies one as a graduate?

Is it about miles, years, some combination of the two? Maybe there's some cut off, ie. pre index, or post index. Or is it a state of mind, ie. is there some "old school" mental stare or attitude we can point to. Or maybe, like myself you started before it was trendy, and still carry those "outcast" or "oddball" attitudes?

So, no value judgements, but a simple question. Are you old school, and what makes you so.


BTW- I consider myself old school, since I still carry my attitudes about bicycling dating from the sixties. (ride mostly alone or small groups of friends, no helmet, don't consider myself a "member" of any identity group, etc. That's my story and I'll stick to it, what's yours?

DMC707

Old School?

Ive been riding mountain bikes for 28 years -- before the advent of disc brakes and suspension -

In the mid 90's as a 20 something, I was an "old soul" before that term had even been invented -- Oh, I had a new bike sure , but in the days of aluminum 18 pound Cannondales, I rode a new steel DeBErnardi .
I was so disenchanted with the shifting of the Campy Veloce group on it, I removed the shifting mechanism from the brifter levers (I loved the lever shape ) and installed downtube friction shifters
so deep into the brifter age, I preferred lugged steel and downtube shifting

I still prefer tubulars on my nice bikes

- While I am totally modern on the MTB's now, I still prefer to ride vintage steel - not really brand specific but I like Italian stuff --

I'm not too different from a lot of the other folks in the classic/vintage section ---

FBinNY 

IMO - this alone makes you old school.

Bandera

My first coach raced on the board tracks pre-WWII.
The fundamentals of technique, training and mindset that he passed on to me nearly 50 years ago are still in use today on every ride.
I am Old School, with a post graduate degree.

-Bandera

Aubergine 

I propose that anyone who is still using a lever-operated front derailleur for his or her rides is old school.

texaspandj

"Fine line between old school and curmudgeon".

FBinNY 

Always a possibility, but not automatic. I know many curmudgeonly folks who are definitely NOT old school by any measure.

VRC

White socks.

alcjphil

I bought my first adult bike in 1972, and my first really great bike a year later. I don't consider myself to be "old school", I tend to embrace much new technology and I am always looking around for new stuff. My current road bikes are a few years old, but I do not think of them as being out of date except that they are 10 speed rather than the current 11 speed standard. My next road bike will have disc brakes and whatever number of speeds that are available when I buy it. I ride on road tubeless tires and think they are great. I have a good friend who talks endlessly about how he is old school. I think he is a bore and just too lazy to keep up to date.

mcours2006

Old school is the era in which you were teenager, so for me it'd be the 80's. That's old school. I bought my 6-speed Gardin Quatro back in the mid-eighties. I remember the ill-fitting spandex shorts and uncomfortable, itchy jersey, lace-up shoes with toe clips. Come to think of it, nothing fit very well on me back then, nor very comfortable. Maybe that's old school.

Rollfast

Old School - the one that burned down before the current one.

Jon T

I'm old (62) and I'm old school. I ride an old school bike ('84 Peugeot) that I bought new, still use dt friction shifters, wear DETTO cycling shoes and a checker board PEUGEOT jersey and use toe cages and rat trap pedais and a PROFILE aero bar. THAT, mes amis, is old school. If you use Velo Retro's definition of old school, it's any thing pre '85, i.e. no carbon, click shift, brifters or clipless pedals.
Jon

rachel120

Um, I guess old school. When I was young and practically lived on my bike, it was long before there was any thought to things like helmets. Now that I own a bike again, all this newfangled stuff confuses me.

drlogik 

"Old School" to me is more about how one approaches a sport and frame of mind, not so much how long one has been in the sport. "Old School" means you approach the sport straight-up, no BS, no whining, no excuses, no complaining, no arguing, no cheating, and most of all, you live for the sport; not because it's cool but because you love it.

To me the equipment is irrelevant. A rider could ride a $12,000 dollar carbon dream bike and still be considered Old School if the rider approached cycling in the manner I described.

The opposite of old school is an athlete who is wishy-washy, yacks all the time, whines, makes excuses for poor performance, complains, argues, tries to cheat the "system" and rides because he can show off his cool equipment. In other words, a Poser.


-

Happy Feet

I dunno about ol skool but I do remember chopping the forks off a donor bike and jamming them onto the forks of my CCM Mustang to make me a chopper.

FBinNY 

+1

Gresp15C

In my view, it's an attitude that there's value in historical knowledge and techniques. It's respect for the old masters. It also suggests a long term commitment to a discipline.

At the same time, claiming "old school" status could simply be an expression of every generation's tendency to stereotype the younger generation as weak and lazy.

FBinNY 

Anyone who pluralizes forks when talking about one isn't old school.

ColonelSanders

I like your definition(s) above for approaches to sport, but what about for just approaches to cycling as a hobby/past time/commuting?

DMC707

-- this actually is flattering



I love the beauty and simplicity of track racing (which is really not simple at all ) --- the pic I am posting below I hope meets the criteria of "old school but with a post grad degree" as well


I like this quote -- I feel like I am straddling it well ---I love tinkering with and riding my older road machinery , to me, road frame evolution stopped almost after my SLX DeRosa left the factory- I cant even describe how many more smiles per ride I get vs my carbon fibre Cannondale ---

Buuut I still have Masters level racing and fitness aspirations - I'm too old and too out of shape to leave any performance on the table on the rare occasion I can get to the boards ---

- This is the custom trackie I have in the works ----- Its traditional steel, but its oversize - very oversize , and has a tapered headtube --- but check the stylized seat cluster lug ! I know the rest is TIG'd, but there is sheer beauty in this particular builder's stack of dimes welds

-- its at the painters now, but the paint scheme is going to tick off some vintage style points I hope as well ! --- Its replacing my lugged steel 753 Waterford trackie, - I never felt like it held me back at all for most uses, but I could detect bottom bracket flex and a little bit of shimmy during hard efforts from the steering stem/ fork area with al types of wheelsets used ( ive tried enough to eliminate a flimsy front wheel from the equation) ---

-- Bike will wear tubulars and a Turbo saddle naturally

drlogik 

Col. Sanders,

Old School absolutely can apply to cycling as a hobby, past-time or commute. That same approach/frame-of-mind to cycling applies to however you participate in cycling.

FBinNY 

If that frame has a sloping top tube, I might have to reconsider my compliment.

DMC707

In my eyes -- being "Old School" is a choice and I'm darn proud when I take my turn at the front on my 25 year old (or more) machinery

But --- When your on the flats and cooking along in a group at 28 mph , no one cares whether you are old school or not anymore -- the law of the jungle applies then .




I like the first sentence ! 2nd sentence has some truth too - and in the cycling world, its rough to have to give it up to younger guys who we may look at as "dorky" or disillusioned -- but when they outperform us -- we gotta say, "Good luck young people- just wait 20 years " -- LOL

DMC707

It is - actually , This is my rendition of a "chubby guy track frame" --- The angles are the same as my lugged Waterford - why mess with success -- but, --

I thought if we were going custom, why not just use a longer headtube rather than a stack of headset spacers --
and to put it in perspective, this is a small to medium size bike to start with -- I ride a 53 or 54 road bike so this trackie has a 53 virtual seat tube and a 55 virtual top tube , but the headtube is more in line with what youd find on a 57 or so
--- My thoughts were the sloping top tube would visually diminish the effects of the long head tube and bring a little more balanced look

-- Its gonna be fun I think ! Being a custom project - I guess you never know until its done - but you have to have faith sometimes

Happy Feet

Well well... did you put on a pair of denim pant this morning?