Aimulator64

I currently own a 1970's bike made by nishiki (cyclepro back in the day), and i converted it to a 12 speed with 1970's shimano components. The bike itself with everything on it weighs about 24-25 pounds, not too heavy. I had, in the past, owned a trek pilot 2.1 with aluminum and carbon, weighed around 19 pounds, and had much better gearing, and i was alot faster on that than i am on my steel.

Problem right now is, I Won't have money for the next month or so to buy a new bike. The hills are a killer because the lowest gear ratio is about the equivalent of the 4th or 5th cog on a modern 10-speed cassette. I get discouraged because of the difficulty on hills compared to my last bike, but know that if i build my strength on it and grunt through it, that i can become really fast on a lighter, properly geared bike. What are your thoughts?

Any suggestions? Should i invest in a cheap modern road bike and ride that and just save up over a longer period of time? Or should I just grunt through this one and buy a much nicer bike later on?

pgoat

I wish I only had to wait a month to buy my next, better bike.

it all depends on how much you want to spend. I'd say use your present bike as long as possible while saving up as much as possible to get the best new bike possible. No point in getting a 'meh' new bike if you will have funds for a better new bike in a year or less, imo. When you get the new bike, keep the old steel one for winter/bad weather, errands, commuting, etc.

Aimulator64

Was thinking along the same lines. I will be buying from bikes direct when i get enough money, but i also have other things to worry about. Obviously a "meh" bike will make things more exciting and motivating, but aside from that, a much better bike will feel more worth it in the end i feel.

MKahrl

It sounds like the problem is not the bike's weight but it's gearing. Take your bike to a shop and discuss choices that will give you lower gears. It can make your summer a lot less miserable while you save up for another bike.

ls01

I agree with mkarl, if its friction shifted you could put a 7 speed freewheel on it pretty easily. Add a spacer to the axel clearence redish the wheel slightly. Check out Sheldon Browns website for details. Easy.

mobike_moexcite

+1 if you have friction shifters you can make just about anything work. I am back on my old steel Schwinn for racing until I get a new one again. I took my newer wheel off my Fuji and put on the Schwinn and the 10 speed still works with the shifters, not ideal but it works. There is a lot of flexibility with the compatibility of those things.

elemental

I'm not sure if your shop is anything like mine, but if it is, they compulsively horde old gear and probably have some nice cassette options that are inexpensive and could lower your gearing. We're talking like sub $20 to drastically improve your riding experience.


Otherwise, ride the Nishiki. Like you said, it'll make you strong, and you'll appreciate whatever it is you get next.

Also, you might find that you miss friction shifting just a little when you move to STI. It's good stuff, and basically never having to adjust it is a very nice thing.

ptle

I'd stick with the steel bike if it's in decent shape. I road my Bianchi in a bunch of quick group rides and kept up. That bike is used for my commuting bike now (signature) and it weighed around 25 pounds. I was actually faster on that bike that I rode at the beginning of the year than I was on my Cannondale CAAD9 a year ago.

The Bianchi was in top shape though. I regreased and replaced the ball bearings in the hubs and bottom bracket. The wheels spun very smoothly along with the square taper bottom bracket. I also dropped the bars so they were at the lowest position. I did keep my airhorn on the bike and the heavy celeste Bianchi saddle it came with, which added an extra pound or two. The gearing was 50/39, 11-28 (7 speed). I got used to having to have a wide spread of cadence because of the jumps between gears.

You don't have to have a nice bike to ride and be fast. You just need any bike and go ride.

I did make the jump to my nice carbon bike I had now. Either I got faster or the bike helped out some. The big thing I can notice is that the bike is a lot stiffer when I'm going up hills, and having ten speed helps a bit with cadence issues. Also it's a much more aggressive fit, which makes me more aerodynamic.

For gearing issues on your current bike, you could swap out your chainrings and your freewheel. You may be running a 52/42, which is a big lower gear. I found some rings and just swapped them out. Also I found a 7 speed freewheel with a 28t in the back and put it on there. I wanted that low gear for the big hills we have. I also really like indexed shifting over friction.

NCMTBIKER

Thats what i did i had a old trek steel bike and then i got a good deal in a 2007 Trek 1000.But the steel seem to ride alot better

Aimulator64

Bike just needs an overhaul... i started a thread and will link this pic....







Its full of soot and still rusty, so this weekend i plan to pull everything off it, scrub it all, re-grease the bearings in the bottom bracket, and etc. I have since put bar tape on btw.

vladvm

An old high quality steel bike that fits you perfectly is worth upgrading. You can easily buy Dura Ace/Record components off ebay/craiglist to fit your vintage bike. I have indexed downtube shifters, they are great in a way that you can skip gears without having to shift through and they are compatible with pretty much everything.

I am planning to upgrade to full D/Ace components, I started with brakes/wheel hubs/FD/crankset. Just waiting to find RD and D/T shifters. Plenty of high-end "vintage" parts floating around!

It's up to you, spend $3k to get new bike with mid-level components or $25-80 here and there to upgrade your old steel frame with top of the line components. Oh also you can get fitter while you upgrade along...