Road Test/Bike Review (1982) Top Racing Bikes from Italy and Japan
01-24-20, 05:17 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Central Florida, USA
Posts: 1,991
Bikes: Litespeed (9); Slingshot (9); Specialized (3); Kestrel (2); Cervelo (1); FELT (1); Trek (2)
Mentioned: 39 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 436 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times
in
999 Posts
Road Test/Bike Review (1982) Top Racing Bikes from Italy and Japan
Italy: DE ROSA Super Prestige, GUERCIOTTI Jet, ROSSIN Record
Japan: FUJI Professional, MIYATA Team, 3RENSHO
Japan: FUJI Professional, MIYATA Team, 3RENSHO
__________________
WTB: Slingshot bicycle promotional documents (catalog, pamphlets, etc).
WTB: American Cycling May - Aug, Oct, Dec 1966.
WTB: Bicycle Guide issues 1984 (any); Jun 1987; Jul, Nov/Dec 1992; Apr 1994; 1996 -1998 (any)
WTB: Bike World issue Jun 1974.
WTB: Slingshot bicycle promotional documents (catalog, pamphlets, etc).
WTB: American Cycling May - Aug, Oct, Dec 1966.
WTB: Bicycle Guide issues 1984 (any); Jun 1987; Jul, Nov/Dec 1992; Apr 1994; 1996 -1998 (any)
WTB: Bike World issue Jun 1974.
Likes For SpeedofLite:
01-24-20, 12:28 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 166
Bikes: 1970's Piasentin Super Vitus 971, 1979 Carlton Professional, 2005 Trek 5000, 2011 Niner EMD, 2018 Argon 18 XRoad, 1990 Diamondback Master TG Centurion
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 56 Post(s)
Liked 73 Times
in
55 Posts
Thanks for posting this. A really interesting read. I love the Rossin's leather handlebar covers.
Likes For NatusEstInSuht:
Likes For crank_addict:
01-24-20, 06:37 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: North, Ga.
Posts: 2,401
Bikes: 3Rensho-Aerodynamics, Bernard Hinault Look - 1986 tour winner, Guerciotti, Various Klein's & Panasonic's
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 159 Post(s)
Liked 375 Times
in
162 Posts
Arguably the best single issue of Bicycling Magazine. In the same issue they evaluate bike tubing from the major manufacturers.
01-24-20, 07:51 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Central Florida, USA
Posts: 1,991
Bikes: Litespeed (9); Slingshot (9); Specialized (3); Kestrel (2); Cervelo (1); FELT (1); Trek (2)
Mentioned: 39 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 436 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times
in
999 Posts
Yes! And coming soon in a series of C&V posts starting this weekend to be called "Frames and Framebuilding", or something like that.
__________________
WTB: Slingshot bicycle promotional documents (catalog, pamphlets, etc).
WTB: American Cycling May - Aug, Oct, Dec 1966.
WTB: Bicycle Guide issues 1984 (any); Jun 1987; Jul, Nov/Dec 1992; Apr 1994; 1996 -1998 (any)
WTB: Bike World issue Jun 1974.
WTB: Slingshot bicycle promotional documents (catalog, pamphlets, etc).
WTB: American Cycling May - Aug, Oct, Dec 1966.
WTB: Bicycle Guide issues 1984 (any); Jun 1987; Jul, Nov/Dec 1992; Apr 1994; 1996 -1998 (any)
WTB: Bike World issue Jun 1974.
01-24-20, 09:32 PM
#6
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 6,480
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1361 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 423 Times
in
282 Posts
The reference to the tested lowest priced bike of $1,300 back in 1982, adjusted for inflation and in 2020 would be approximately $2,940. Pricey, yes but that was top line.
Consider the retail price today for a top racing bike today, of course in CF~ yikes!
But for apple to apple, steel frame- new offering by Miyata, a frameset only is approx. $2,200. Add a top groupset and wheels, and the spread greatly widens.
Consider the retail price today for a top racing bike today, of course in CF~ yikes!
But for apple to apple, steel frame- new offering by Miyata, a frameset only is approx. $2,200. Add a top groupset and wheels, and the spread greatly widens.
Last edited by crank_addict; 01-24-20 at 09:35 PM.
Likes For crank_addict:
Likes For botty kayer:
01-25-20, 07:23 AM
#8
Full Member
Nice article. Interesting reading about the era just before the Japanese bikes took off. Contrast these Japanese bikes, with their finicky early Shimano indexing gears, "prototype" hard anodized rims and hit-or-miss components to just a few years later when bikes like the Centurion Ironman were selling for $5-600 with Shimano's "nailed-it" sis 105 or 600 groupsets and other components that needed no excuses.
01-25-20, 07:58 AM
#9
Veteran, Pacifist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,328
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3898 Post(s)
Liked 4,832 Times
in
2,229 Posts
+1
I had to chuckle, a couple of years after this was written, I bought a $400 ($399.00+tax) road bike, A good dependable Centurion ProTour touring bike. Took me over all the Santa Cruz Mts roads. It rode a bit heavy and 'soggy' - but it rode dependably and stayed with me for 30years, before being sold. Most of my rides now are on racy-type frames. Since, at nearly 70, my serious touring miles are behind me, my riding preference is non-soggy.
Thank you (again) SpeedofLite for these wonderful C&V memories.
I had to chuckle, a couple of years after this was written, I bought a $400 ($399.00+tax) road bike, A good dependable Centurion ProTour touring bike. Took me over all the Santa Cruz Mts roads. It rode a bit heavy and 'soggy' - but it rode dependably and stayed with me for 30years, before being sold. Most of my rides now are on racy-type frames. Since, at nearly 70, my serious touring miles are behind me, my riding preference is non-soggy.
Thank you (again) SpeedofLite for these wonderful C&V memories.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
01-27-20, 10:41 AM
#10
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,614
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10961 Post(s)
Liked 7,488 Times
in
4,189 Posts
I love these scans and reviews. Thanks for taking the time to create the threads- they are definitely worth reading thru and way more interesting than most threads on this site or elsewhere in internetville.
I did chuckle at how some of the bikes were described as too stiff. Relative to what is produced now, in carbon fiber, aluminum, or steel, all those bikes would be seen as noodles.
Perspective and relativity are interesting to employ when looking at history.
I did chuckle at how some of the bikes were described as too stiff. Relative to what is produced now, in carbon fiber, aluminum, or steel, all those bikes would be seen as noodles.
Perspective and relativity are interesting to employ when looking at history.
