squirtdad

To borrow a term from @RobbieTunes who has a bike where the ride is just fantastic, the bike just dances and in other words is orgasmic?
have to you been able to figure out why and duplicate?

What have been key differences? wheels, tires, frame or just plan magic combination that is not reproducible

I am 6 foot (but at the shrinking stage of life ) and 266

My prime ride is a 90/91 De Rosa that obtained from @gomango (who noted it was the best climbing bike he has ridden)
it is set up with 105 5800, Mavic open pro rims, 32 spokes, double butted spokes on ultegra 6800 hubs (bought from Performance so not sure if hand or mahince build) and Vittoria Corsa G tires with race butyl tubes I run at 115psi, brooks swift steel rail saddle It is on the large size for me at 59cm and the frame is SLX
It rides great, handles well and is smooth and responsive

My ride that was a total surprise at how is dances and is orgasmic is my 84 Team miyata. It is double butted miyata tubing set up with a mix of 7400 and 7100 dura ace. the wheels are a nearly NOS wheelsmith build with mavic 330 rims and straight gauge spokes on sanshin cartridge hubs, and Challenge elite pro tubular (not supper high end 220TPI and butyl tubes) at 130psi the frame is on the small size for me at 54 or 56 (have to double check measurements

this bike just dances, light handling and smooth and jumps when pushed hard. my mechanic (go to for things like BB chasing) rode it and and couldn't believe it.

in the case of the Team Miyata I think the wheels/tires made a huge difference.... I rode it a bit with the wheels it came with,Mavic MA40 on dura ace ups and double butted spokes, with newish Bontrager 25mm tires..... and the ride wash much harsher....didn't ride that combo enough to get a feel of dancing even though harsh.

I am thinking I am going to get some tubies for the de rosa and see what that does....probably ultegra 6800 with mavic reflex cd rims and see what happens, not sure on tires, but higher end.

If that doesn't add magic, I will seriously consider looking for a 58 cm Team Miyata and see if I can create the magic with that frame and modern components....

your stories and thoughts?

TiHabanero

I raced an 86 Team Miyata and without a doubt with the right wheels the bike was orgasmic! Heavy wheels did it no justice, but tubulars with good quality tires were unbeatable for delivering a lively, Mr. Bojangle ride!

Also had a mid eighties Nishiki Medalist fully equipped with Suntour Cyclone and it, too was a fantastic riding machine. Quick and lively, and climbed better than the Miyata for some reason even though the frame was not as stiff.

BikeWonder

If it's a good frame, then swapping out the wheels and tires can make the biggest difference.
On my Peugeot UE8, I switched the steel rims to aluminum and better tires. It easily rolled as well as my Miyata 1000 (which is lighter and more agile).

I tried swapping in a Tubular Mavic GP4 + Cyclone Hub wheelset into my Miyata and it performed flawlessly. I wish I could put the wheelset on a Pro or Team Miyata to truly enjoy them. For now the wheelset are just waiting for the right bike.

RobbieTunes

My 2016 Wraith Hustle.
They create "bespoke" customs, which means, I guess,
they get all your dimensions, they make a frame in their 5-size range,
and tell you what to put on it, as far as bars, stem, seatpost.

Dead on.
Not only does it fit, it is a great bike besides, and well, that's just peaches.

Like finding a beautiful woman who doesn't know it.

iab

I guess I'm a bike ****, I'll ride anything.

79pmooney

I can't say I ever got it "perfect" Mid-season on my Fuji Pro was pretty close. That bike fit and with a few thousand miles on it, became part of me. (Very, very quick steering and short enough reach that I had to bend my elbows to right angles to get my back horizontal.) I was young enough and fit enough to do that for hours.) I raced it on really light wheels and 250 or 220 gm silks.

In a lot of ways my current "good bike", my ti TiCycles is there but I did not spend money to make it especially light and it has never seen light wheels and sewups. My TiCycles fix gear is lighter and feels like a pure race bike* but fix gear uphill dancing happens at a waltz pace, not a foxtrot.

* with sewups, that bike would be a high end 1980s road race bike in a fictional word where freewheels never existed. I get reminded every time I ride it. (It's just a blast!)

Edit: my pic is that fix gear going up a 14% grade. A very slow waltz.

Ben

SurferRosa

Not too ironic that a "squirtdad" would find a ride "orgasmic."

squirtdad

I stole the orgasmic from @RobbieTunes...... is seemed a good description......... My own word is dancing the bike just wants to dance

time to put some sexwax on my longboard (yater blank, squirtdad shaped)

jon c. 

gotta have something to do with the saddle

Cyclist0108

Or the seat post.

With the right carbon paste, anything is possible.

eja_ bottecchia

Pictures, we need pictures.

Andy_K 

The bike that really stands out for me this way is my '82 Specialized Sequoia. It's not that it rides so much better than any of my other bikes so much as it just feels "right" in some indefinable way. From the first time I rode it, it broke any mental model I had of what makes one bike better than another.

It's got Specialized branded tubing which I understand is a mix of Tange #2 and Tange #3 . It's very well made (by an unknown craftsman in the Miki? factory). The geometry is fairly standard sport touring. Yet from the first ride I've had the impression that it even coasts faster than my other bikes.

RiddleOfSteel

Somehow I keep finding bikes that one-up each other in some way. As a high school athlete that did sprints when track season came around, putting the pedal to the metal is still in the blood. All that to say, getting out of the saddle to climb or sprint is a lot of fun, and I love bikes that dance with me. One of the benefits of being tall and heavier (6'5" / 215ish) is that I have some weight and leverage to rock a bike back and forth. And the taller a frame for a set tubing dimension, the (theoretically) more flexible it is. I really enjoy that. Some bikes, no matter what, will not work with me. Some are particular to a wheelset. Some are magic pretty much no matter what.

Of the luminaries past and present, two were/are Italian--Guerciotti Super Record (SL), Masi Nuova Strada (SLX-SP), and the others American--Davidson Impulse (Prestige), Land Shark Road Shark (Prestige), Schwinn Prologue (Prestige), Specialized Epic Carbon (CF w/ AL lugs and fork).

The Masi was smoooooooth no matter what you put on it, very amorous in any situation. The Guerc is full-on criterium crazy, but never out of control. I still need to build it up again.

Tange Prestige tubing seems to be a current theme for stellar characteristics. My Italian stuff may have a snap or flare, but all my Prestige bikes have an underlying serenity or poise both when on the gas and when moving along. The Davidson was almost ruined by a dull set of older Conti tires, but found life with aggressive and light Vuelta wheels and Vittoria Open Corsa tires. Load as much horsepower into it any time and it would spring its way up a hill or on the flats--it feels invincible. My Prologue is more sinuous in her motions but is absolutely brilliant in all situations.

My Land Shark does not have any super low weight fire-hot components--still, a full suite of 8s STI Shimano 600 has her stealth fast and crazy smooth. Truly magic, and great out of the saddle. More time is needed with her. I did not think stuff got smoother than my Masi or the Prologue, but here I am with the Land Shark!

That leaves the Specialized. My first vintage carbon frame (finally!) and it takes Prestige tubing's qualities and adds a nice dose of increased vibration suppression. Wait, so does the Land Shark. The Shark is uncanny, truly. The Spec will have you wondering if you have a flat.

I need to ride my Prologue again. Too many wonderful things!

Another common thread perhaps is Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX tires. 320 TPI clinchers. Very light, not super great flat protection, but they've done well for me. Very supple and smooth. Most all my fast bikes have them, and that's largely thanks to me finding them used for $10 a pop at the coop.

TL;DR - Vittorias and thin wall diameter tubing, to grossly oversimplify. Man, did I just answer my own question (this very question) from several years ago by saying "really nice tires and whippy high-end frames"?

Lascauxcaveman 

If I had an orgasmic bike, why would I even need a wife?

(And no, you can't ride her.)

downhillmaster

I can’t say from experience but my guess is this ^

jamesdak 

Ok, I'll play. I've got two I'll say falls into this category. The first is the mid 90's Giordana Xl built up with an Athena 11 speed and some nice Campagnolo Shamal wheels. I've yet to set any speed PR on it but everytime I take it out it just feels so orgasmic under me. Nothing else I have connects with me like this one.



It's pretty light for a steel bike with all alloy parts.



Maybe it's the "magic" of the Excell steel or Dario's design?



The other one is completely different yet just as sexy in it's own way. It's my 1985 Fuji Opus III sporting a Superbe Pro 6 speed setup with DT shifters that are so erotic to the touch. It may be 3 lbs heavier but it too is so damn good out on the road and there's no part of the bike that isn't beautiful.

RobbieTunes

Rode my Y-Foil last night. Almost got there.

styggno1

This one just fits me. I felt it immediately the first ride. I felt strong and comfortable. What more can one ask for!

qcpmsame 

Not a good question to ask this group Great to see another of your collection @Styggno!

styggno1

Hi! Long time no see!

Sorry - I will change it to strong, comfortable and satisfied (just for this "orgasmic" thread)...

edit - I must have been away for quite a while - just notced there are "likes" to be had here. I will change my bikes accordingly...

qcpmsame 

You had to go there didn't you......

Fahrenheit531 

If riding one of your bikes feels orgasmic, you're doing sex wrong.

styggno1

Well - I am Swedish after all... nudge, nudge... say no more!

randyjawa 

When I was heavy into building vintage bikes and then comparing ride qualities, I thought that every new find was, pretty much the best riding bike I owned

These days, after building and riding (for a month or two to allow time to properly evaluate) fifty or more old steeds, it occurs to me that it is pretty darn difficult for me to find much difference, in ride quality, between most of the higher end bikes that I have owned. Put another way, I am not a serious rider even though I do a few thousand kilometers each year. No competition. No hard training efforts. Just get on the bike and go as fast as I can for fifteen to twenty k per day.

The most impressive ride that I own today is my 1973 Peugeot PX10E - a lovely old, darn near 100% original, including a nice set of sew-ups...


But in all my years of riding, nothing ever matched the ride quality of this old Legnano that I found at the dump, spent not one cent on it and wish to heck that I had hung on to the bike...



Go figure?

Mr. 66

Univega Gran Premio
I just rode this, and I think I need a cigarette...