When do you realize you were a retro-grouch?
06-03-17, 07:32 AM
#76
Bianchi Goddess
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,844
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2924 Post(s)
Liked 2,921 Times
in
1,489 Posts
I am not sure about being a Retro Grouch but a few years ago I realized I was a Cheap Beech when I was looking for used car and was puzzled as to why all the cars that looked to be in my price range had a big C C on the windshield. Seems I was perusing the Cash for Clunkers trade ins LOL
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
06-03-17, 07:42 AM
#77
Senior Member
I rode the same Tange #1 Performance Superbe bike I bought new for over 30 years. I had assumed I wanted a new bike until while out on a ride my son and I met a couple of cyclists. She was beaming with pride in her new TrekCannondaleGiantSpecialized whatever. I looked at her new flat black bike with nothing flashy on it, then looked down at my metallic red beauty with polished aluminum and chrome. That's when it hit me.
I used to consider steel frames mostly just what I rode until I got a modern aluminum or carbon bike at some point. Not anymore.
I used to consider steel frames mostly just what I rode until I got a modern aluminum or carbon bike at some point. Not anymore.
06-03-17, 08:20 AM
#78
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Phoenix AZ
Posts: 376
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 109 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
2 Posts
We were poor when I grew up, and my parents grew up in the Depression. So from my earliest days I was taught to repair it (yourself), not throw it away--and you don't pay other people to fix it unless you absolutely had to.
Flash forward to yesterday. I had received a Suntour Cyclone hub that was missing one of the sleeve nuts that holds the sealed bearing to the axle. Inquiries online were unsuccessful: Wheels Manufacturing said they had stopped making them in 1992, Surly no longer supports their old axles (they had made a rear hub kit at one time which included similar sleeve nuts), etc etc. So I started hitting the bike coop and the two largest/oldest bike stores in Phoenix. No luck there either.
But what yanked my chain? Several people said "retire the wheels and just get new ones!" Huh? Notice they said "wheels" not "hubs" (but the hub isn't even laced to a wheel yet!) The last bike shop was actually quite adament about it. I flat out told him that I wasn't going to throw out a perfectly good hub for lack of a relatively simple nut. He didn't seem to get it.
If I can't locate said sleeve nut, I'll make one--if my lathe was set up and not in storage, this would be a simple task. Even without a lathe I am sure I can fabricate one.
Flash forward to yesterday. I had received a Suntour Cyclone hub that was missing one of the sleeve nuts that holds the sealed bearing to the axle. Inquiries online were unsuccessful: Wheels Manufacturing said they had stopped making them in 1992, Surly no longer supports their old axles (they had made a rear hub kit at one time which included similar sleeve nuts), etc etc. So I started hitting the bike coop and the two largest/oldest bike stores in Phoenix. No luck there either.
But what yanked my chain? Several people said "retire the wheels and just get new ones!" Huh? Notice they said "wheels" not "hubs" (but the hub isn't even laced to a wheel yet!) The last bike shop was actually quite adament about it. I flat out told him that I wasn't going to throw out a perfectly good hub for lack of a relatively simple nut. He didn't seem to get it.
If I can't locate said sleeve nut, I'll make one--if my lathe was set up and not in storage, this would be a simple task. Even without a lathe I am sure I can fabricate one.
06-03-17, 09:26 AM
#79
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,526
Bikes: Indeed!
Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1506 Post(s)
Liked 3,461 Times
in
1,129 Posts
Life is too short to be grouchy.
If you smile when you ride your bike it's a great bike. If it gets you to work with a nice little dose of fresh air and exercise it's a great bike. If you get a comfortable feeling of satisfaction every time you see it hanging on your wall it's a great bike.
Me, I get my biggest bike thrill from bikes made by hand one at a time in the small shops of great artisans. I can't afford to own very many of them but I have to admit that in terms of the amount of skill, training, thought, and time that goes into them they are real bargains whether made in 1950 or in 2017. We are very fortunate here in North America to have a wealth of those great builders both in the past and now.
Brent
If you smile when you ride your bike it's a great bike. If it gets you to work with a nice little dose of fresh air and exercise it's a great bike. If you get a comfortable feeling of satisfaction every time you see it hanging on your wall it's a great bike.
Me, I get my biggest bike thrill from bikes made by hand one at a time in the small shops of great artisans. I can't afford to own very many of them but I have to admit that in terms of the amount of skill, training, thought, and time that goes into them they are real bargains whether made in 1950 or in 2017. We are very fortunate here in North America to have a wealth of those great builders both in the past and now.
Brent
06-03-17, 09:44 AM
#80
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: STP
Posts: 14,491
Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 821 Post(s)
Liked 254 Times
in
141 Posts
Great post.
I totally agree with Brent on this matter. I just couldn't word it as smoothly.
I totally agree with Brent on this matter. I just couldn't word it as smoothly.
Life is too short to be grouchy.
If you smile when you ride your bike it's a great bike. If it gets you to work with a nice little dose of fresh air and exercise it's a great bike. If you get a comfortable feeling of satisfaction every time you see it hanging on your wall it's a great bike.
Me, I get my biggest bike thrill from bikes made by hand one at a time in the small shops of great artisans. I can't afford to own very many of them but I have to admit that in terms of the amount of skill, training, thought, and time that goes into them they are real bargains whether made in 1950 or in 2017. We are very fortunate here in North America to have a wealth of those great builders both in the past and now.
Brent
If you smile when you ride your bike it's a great bike. If it gets you to work with a nice little dose of fresh air and exercise it's a great bike. If you get a comfortable feeling of satisfaction every time you see it hanging on your wall it's a great bike.
Me, I get my biggest bike thrill from bikes made by hand one at a time in the small shops of great artisans. I can't afford to own very many of them but I have to admit that in terms of the amount of skill, training, thought, and time that goes into them they are real bargains whether made in 1950 or in 2017. We are very fortunate here in North America to have a wealth of those great builders both in the past and now.
Brent
06-03-17, 02:04 PM
#81
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,434
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
Mentioned: 189 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1222 Post(s)
Liked 645 Times
in
232 Posts
But don't listen to me, I'm just a retro-something.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
06-03-17, 03:42 PM
#82
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Seattle WA
Posts: 2,841
Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage
Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 796 Post(s)
Liked 522 Times
in
367 Posts
I returned to riding in 2000 and bought a nicer than I needed Cannondale R800 with 9 speed 105 STI and a few years later I was lusting after a Specialized Carbon Roubaix...but after replacing my 3rd set of STI shifters I thought there has to be a better way and I found my way to Steel and bar end shifters, the first time I rode my steel bike over the crumbling local roads on my 700 x 35c tires I was shocked that I wasn't being jack hammered like my aluminum frame/carbon fork R800 would. And then lugs....and so here I am
I do have to echo what Brent said so eloquently above, if a bike makes you smile then its a good bike. I used to think you had to be on a modern Road bike to have a worth while ride but as I wised up I realized if it makes you smile then that is all that matters; whether your in full kit on your carbon super bike, in wool on your Vintage beauty or in flip flops on a beach cruiser.
I do have to echo what Brent said so eloquently above, if a bike makes you smile then its a good bike. I used to think you had to be on a modern Road bike to have a worth while ride but as I wised up I realized if it makes you smile then that is all that matters; whether your in full kit on your carbon super bike, in wool on your Vintage beauty or in flip flops on a beach cruiser.
Last edited by ryansu; 06-03-17 at 03:55 PM.
06-04-17, 08:16 PM
#83
What happened?
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Around here somewhere
Posts: 7,927
Bikes: 3 Rollfasts, 3 Schwinns, a Shelby and a Higgins Flightliner in a pear tree!
Mentioned: 57 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1835 Post(s)
Liked 292 Times
in
255 Posts
The industry's engineering has been geared towards accommodating older, heavier, less fit, even infirm cyclists to an increasing extent each decade.
When I started taking an interest in cycling in the late 80's, my low gears were: 26/30 off road and 39/23 road. Today, many riders would be reluctant to accept a 32/42 low gear, and many want a 50 tooth low gear. In '17, a 34/32 low gear is standard on road bikes.
The trend in offroad design is towards more and more travel. 120mm is entry level but the standard for trail bikes is inching closer to 150mm and Enduro bikes have 170mm. As well as towards bigger and wider tires. Suspension is even making inroads in the road market. Domane and Roubaix are excellent suspension designs. Only a matter of time before Giant and others join in? And towards wider tires. And more comfy carbon frames. Stems are angled upwards. Compact bars reduce reach.
Road bike angles are generally slacker. Head tubes taller. Gearing lower. If I understand correctly, the average American is 30 lbs heavier than half a century ago. As R&D costs explode, increasing prices have driven the average of buyers upward as well.
And the creme de la creme: MOTORS! And shortly thereafter: auto shifting.
At this rate, the industry will be selling $20K tricycles in a few years. And then four wheelers. At which point bicycles will have become uber expensive lightweight electric cars.
Is this evolution or devolution? I don't know.
When I started taking an interest in cycling in the late 80's, my low gears were: 26/30 off road and 39/23 road. Today, many riders would be reluctant to accept a 32/42 low gear, and many want a 50 tooth low gear. In '17, a 34/32 low gear is standard on road bikes.
The trend in offroad design is towards more and more travel. 120mm is entry level but the standard for trail bikes is inching closer to 150mm and Enduro bikes have 170mm. As well as towards bigger and wider tires. Suspension is even making inroads in the road market. Domane and Roubaix are excellent suspension designs. Only a matter of time before Giant and others join in? And towards wider tires. And more comfy carbon frames. Stems are angled upwards. Compact bars reduce reach.
Road bike angles are generally slacker. Head tubes taller. Gearing lower. If I understand correctly, the average American is 30 lbs heavier than half a century ago. As R&D costs explode, increasing prices have driven the average of buyers upward as well.
And the creme de la creme: MOTORS! And shortly thereafter: auto shifting.
At this rate, the industry will be selling $20K tricycles in a few years. And then four wheelers. At which point bicycles will have become uber expensive lightweight electric cars.
Is this evolution or devolution? I don't know.
My 50s Rollfast middleweight is all steel and still has gets about faster and better than my Schwinn.
__________________
I don't know nothing, and I memorized it in school and got this here paper I'm proud of to show it.
08-16-18, 08:18 AM
#84
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 315
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 106 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 36 Times
in
23 Posts
It seems I’m not only a retrogrouch when it comes to bikes, but most things.
I collect and wear vintage clothing. My truck is a manual without power windows or locks. My motorcycle has carbs. I’ll never live in a new home in a subdivision. My jeans are dark and stiff enough to stand on their own when new.
Now, at first this was out of necessity. Being broke made it easier to buy used... thrift store clothes, old bikes, etc... but when I started looking at old things I noticed that the care put into them was generally higher. Aesthetics mattered. Repairability mattered.
Getting my first vintage bike bike was a revelation akin to my first pair of vintage jeans. Everything seemed right, where the modern version seemed to miss the mark. Lines flowed, and there was beauty in the simplicity and hand made details. Sure, it wasn’t the best, or even very good really, but that bike showed me the possibility that there is something better than what we are being fed by marketers and trends.
i also love the story behind things, even if I don’t know what it is. I love wwii-Vietnam era military gear. One of my grails has always been a wearable wwii navy chambray shirt. I finally found one for cheap in a vintage shop in Nashville, in my size, but no name on it. Who owned it? Did it see service in the war? What stories could it tell? I feel the same way about my latest bike, a Miele with no decals that someone obviously set up to race. What was it originally? How did a Canadian bike set up to race get to a thrift store in Jacksonville Florida? Where has it been and what has it seen?
the vintage clothing scene is a bit like the vintage bike scene in a way also... you can still get clothing made in the traditional way, on old machines, by humans. You will pay a premium. Just like you can still get a lugged steel frame, you can still get a pair of jeans made on 28” wide shuttle looms and sewn on antique machines with 100% cotton thread and real copper rivets. Just like that lugged steel frame, you’re gonna pay for it.
And aesthetics... there is beauty in a level top tube and lugs. Old derailers have as much thought put into the look as the function. A properly set up vintage bike has an organic look to it that has been lost over the years.
i also like to work on and repair things myself. I bought an old truck recently, and actually looked for something older just so it would be easier to fix myself if anything happened to it. It has a manual transmission because I enjoy shifting my own gears. I got the same joy from shifting the Nuovo Record group on my old crescent pepita. The clicks on my Miele are more like the paddle shifters on my girlfriends Camry... they do the same thing, but it’s not the same. There is a disconnect. I’d imagine di2 is akin to an automatic... not interested.
I collect and wear vintage clothing. My truck is a manual without power windows or locks. My motorcycle has carbs. I’ll never live in a new home in a subdivision. My jeans are dark and stiff enough to stand on their own when new.
Now, at first this was out of necessity. Being broke made it easier to buy used... thrift store clothes, old bikes, etc... but when I started looking at old things I noticed that the care put into them was generally higher. Aesthetics mattered. Repairability mattered.
Getting my first vintage bike bike was a revelation akin to my first pair of vintage jeans. Everything seemed right, where the modern version seemed to miss the mark. Lines flowed, and there was beauty in the simplicity and hand made details. Sure, it wasn’t the best, or even very good really, but that bike showed me the possibility that there is something better than what we are being fed by marketers and trends.
i also love the story behind things, even if I don’t know what it is. I love wwii-Vietnam era military gear. One of my grails has always been a wearable wwii navy chambray shirt. I finally found one for cheap in a vintage shop in Nashville, in my size, but no name on it. Who owned it? Did it see service in the war? What stories could it tell? I feel the same way about my latest bike, a Miele with no decals that someone obviously set up to race. What was it originally? How did a Canadian bike set up to race get to a thrift store in Jacksonville Florida? Where has it been and what has it seen?
the vintage clothing scene is a bit like the vintage bike scene in a way also... you can still get clothing made in the traditional way, on old machines, by humans. You will pay a premium. Just like you can still get a lugged steel frame, you can still get a pair of jeans made on 28” wide shuttle looms and sewn on antique machines with 100% cotton thread and real copper rivets. Just like that lugged steel frame, you’re gonna pay for it.
And aesthetics... there is beauty in a level top tube and lugs. Old derailers have as much thought put into the look as the function. A properly set up vintage bike has an organic look to it that has been lost over the years.
i also like to work on and repair things myself. I bought an old truck recently, and actually looked for something older just so it would be easier to fix myself if anything happened to it. It has a manual transmission because I enjoy shifting my own gears. I got the same joy from shifting the Nuovo Record group on my old crescent pepita. The clicks on my Miele are more like the paddle shifters on my girlfriends Camry... they do the same thing, but it’s not the same. There is a disconnect. I’d imagine di2 is akin to an automatic... not interested.
Last edited by Cl904; 08-16-18 at 08:29 AM.
08-16-18, 09:39 AM
#85
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 2,421
Bikes: Drysdale/Gitane/Zeus/Masi/Falcon/Palo Alto/Raleigh/Legnano
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 971 Post(s)
Liked 624 Times
in
399 Posts
Getting a lot of heat from friends that moved on, equipment-wise, many years ago. One even suggested that I sell all of my bikes, and pool the money to but one "good" (meaning carbon fiber) bike.
Of course, the 1964 car, the 1949 house, the 1980's stereo system, the basement full of books printed on actual paper...
__________________
Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 1973 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1974 Legnano. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.
Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 1973 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1974 Legnano. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.
08-16-18, 10:51 AM
#88
Senior Member
My retro grouchiness spans several hobbies and pursuits. I make furniture with hand planes and chisels. I still make photographs with a medium format Rolleiflex camera and film that I hand process (as well as a Fuji digital camera that I can use the same way as my 40 year old Nikon SLR—and with the same lenses). I've never stopped to analyze why I'm a little stuck on old tech, but... let's see:
1. Cost. I can afford the very best obsolete technology!
2. Process. Older tech keeps you closer to the mechanics of the process, which I find interesting and rewarding.
3. Engineering. The feel of a Rolleiflex from 1956 versus ANYTHING manufactured in 2018? I'm not sure a camera like that could actually be made any more, and if it did I can't imagine how much it would cost. The last batch of Rolleiflexes were very expensive and they lacked many of the subtle mechanical aspects of their ancestors. In hand tools and bikes you can still get boutique versions of what used to be more commonplace manufacturing.
I guess I'm someone who appreciates a little texture, resistance, learning curve, etc. I don't value easy and convenient for their own sake. I did ride a modern road bike for the first time a couple of weeks ago while on vacation and it was fine. But it wasn't some kind of crazy revelation versus the 35 year old bike in my garage.
1. Cost. I can afford the very best obsolete technology!
2. Process. Older tech keeps you closer to the mechanics of the process, which I find interesting and rewarding.
3. Engineering. The feel of a Rolleiflex from 1956 versus ANYTHING manufactured in 2018? I'm not sure a camera like that could actually be made any more, and if it did I can't imagine how much it would cost. The last batch of Rolleiflexes were very expensive and they lacked many of the subtle mechanical aspects of their ancestors. In hand tools and bikes you can still get boutique versions of what used to be more commonplace manufacturing.
I guess I'm someone who appreciates a little texture, resistance, learning curve, etc. I don't value easy and convenient for their own sake. I did ride a modern road bike for the first time a couple of weeks ago while on vacation and it was fine. But it wasn't some kind of crazy revelation versus the 35 year old bike in my garage.
08-16-18, 10:56 AM
#89
Senior Member
Honestly I've been a retro snob since about 1982. That's when I began to covet MAFAC, Jubilee derailleurs, TA. The rest of the world had just decided they weren't cool anymore. It got more severe in the late 80s/early 90s, when I was wrenching on an endless stream of hideous dayglo MTBs, Hybrids, and 'tri' bikes with clown bars. Repulsed by the modern bikes, I went backwards instead. Got a 72 PX10, scoured the thrift shops for vintage Raleighs and the like, shellacked by first handlebar tape, and mostly rode vintage for a few years. I did what I could to promote the old classic bikes among the hipsters. Kinda helped.
08-16-18, 11:04 AM
#90
Zip tie Karen
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
Posts: 7,004
Bikes: '13 Motobecane Fantom29 HT, '16 Motobecane Turino Pro Disc, '18 Velobuild VB-R-022, '21 Tsunami SNM-100
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1465 Post(s)
Liked 1,542 Times
in
806 Posts
08-16-18, 01:18 PM
#91
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,890
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4789 Post(s)
Liked 3,915 Times
in
2,546 Posts
I mix and match, but there are some lines I don't think I will cross....so I am mostly grouch
Lines to not be crossed:
+1 Carbon Frame
+1 Disc brakes
+1 electronic shifting
threadless stem - my best bike was built with a 1' steel threadless steerer. Good thing is that i can thread it anytime I want. (Next headset.)
+1 Thru axle
Tech I am fine with
Brifters - not yet and I am in no hurry!
+1 dual pivot brakes- pair them with V-brake road levers and they rock!
+1 clipless pedals - on 2 of 5 bikes. I always ride with retention,probably always will.
gps watches, HRM etc - heartrate, speed and cadence for one bike so I can ride the trainer. Monitor is great for epic climbing rides - to keep HR down! It's a gas for entertainment when I ride fixed.
+1 nice Led lights - yeah!!
+1 (same reason) on the other hand I have tried and just don't like one of the retro grouch's favorites: Barcons...... keep hitting them with my knee
Lines to not be crossed:
+1 Carbon Frame
+1 Disc brakes
+1 electronic shifting
threadless stem - my best bike was built with a 1' steel threadless steerer. Good thing is that i can thread it anytime I want. (Next headset.)
+1 Thru axle
Tech I am fine with
Brifters - not yet and I am in no hurry!
+1 dual pivot brakes- pair them with V-brake road levers and they rock!
+1 clipless pedals - on 2 of 5 bikes. I always ride with retention,probably always will.
gps watches, HRM etc - heartrate, speed and cadence for one bike so I can ride the trainer. Monitor is great for epic climbing rides - to keep HR down! It's a gas for entertainment when I ride fixed.
+1 nice Led lights - yeah!!
+1 (same reason) on the other hand I have tried and just don't like one of the retro grouch's favorites: Barcons...... keep hitting them with my knee
Most of what I raced 40 years ago was very close to ultimate. Except areo, the sewup wheels of the day were fast, capable and a pure joy to ride. I raced a bike with very close to perfect fit. (Now I'd push the bars further forward for less arm bend. I'm not 24 yo any more. 3 hours of 90 degree bend for a wicked headwind? - no thanks! And I could have had better brake hoods - without that damned cable coming out!) The new bikes go down the road a little faster but that bike could (and did) extract every ounce of energy this body had. Old fashioned quick releases worked and still work very, very well.
I'm not riding carbon anything until they improve the failure mode. I ride stuff until it breaks.
Non -retro? Aero brake levers - see above. Titanium frames (with steel forks). Ti railed saddles.
Super retro (and I"m in love having found them! Ribbed tread tires! Thank you, Vittoria, for putting the all-time best tread pattern on your super Corsa G+ tires!
Ben
08-16-18, 01:38 PM
#92
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 2,249
Bikes: 1964 Legnano Roma Olympiade, 1973 Raleigh Super Course, 1978 Raleigh Super Course, 1978 Peugeot PR10, 2002 Specialized Allez, 2007 Specialized Roubaix, 2013 Culprit Croz Blade
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 741 Post(s)
Liked 818 Times
in
421 Posts
I love my carbon, extra gears, electronic this an that. I equally love my steel, cables in the way, not enough gears. It's all good. I'm not totally retro, but I am definitely a grouch. Having acquired a '78 Peogeot P-something? - not sure what, was advertised as PN10, but doesn't match catalogs I've found. Anyway, garage score is now 3 to 3, Retro vs. Modern. Any Pug experts out there?
Being part Retrogrouch, I already changed the brake levers, and added a Shimano Exage to replace the missing and broken plastic Simplex. I thought old bikes were all steel!
Being part Retrogrouch, I already changed the brake levers, and added a Shimano Exage to replace the missing and broken plastic Simplex. I thought old bikes were all steel!
Last edited by Slightspeed; 08-16-18 at 04:29 PM.
08-16-18, 02:10 PM
#93
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 257
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 19 Times
in
15 Posts
I like the looks of the lugged steel frames and vintage bikes are in my price range. So it just kind of worked out that way.
I can say I have no interest in electronic shifting, carbon or any more then 9 cogs in the back. None of that stuff is really needed for the riding I do.
I can say I have no interest in electronic shifting, carbon or any more then 9 cogs in the back. None of that stuff is really needed for the riding I do.
08-16-18, 02:39 PM
#94
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Beaverton, OR
Posts: 14,742
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 525 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3230 Post(s)
Liked 3,863 Times
in
1,439 Posts
Sure, but a few cogs and a chainwhip works for you too. Why bother with derailleurs? 
__________________
My Bikes
My Bikes
08-16-18, 03:31 PM
#95
Senior Member
I love my carbon, extra gears, electronic this an that. I equally love my steel, cables in the way, not enough gears. It's all good. I'm not totally retro, but I am definitely a grouch. Having acquired a '78 Peogeot P-something? - not sure what, was advertised as PS10, but doesn't match catalogs I've found. Anyway, garage score is now 3 to 3, Retro vs. Modern. Any Pug experts out there?
Being part Retrogrouch, I already changed the brake levers, and added a Shimano Exage to replace the missing and broken plastic Simplex. I thought old bikes were all steel!
Being part Retrogrouch, I already changed the brake levers, and added a Shimano Exage to replace the missing and broken plastic Simplex. I thought old bikes were all steel!
edit: and, those tires have the reflective sidewalls that sort of glow in the dark. Gotta love 'em.
08-16-18, 10:03 PM
#96
Senior Member
My dad will be 65 in October. He just upgraded to an electric assist bike that cost about $5k. He can't understand why each bike I buy is older than the last. I'm not a grouch about it but I don't think newer bikes provide the ride quality of older steel bikes. Modern components are really cool and I'd be happy to have them but I'd much rather have a great ride than brifters and disc brakes**. Maybe when my student loans are paid off in a bazillion years, I'll get a modern custom built steel frame with brifters and disc brakes.
**After getting my dad's eBike to stupid speeds down their suburban street I realize the importance of hydraulic disc brakes on eBikes.
**After getting my dad's eBike to stupid speeds down their suburban street I realize the importance of hydraulic disc brakes on eBikes.
08-17-18, 02:37 AM
#97
Full Member
After i tried indexed deraillleur shifting.
08-17-18, 09:26 AM
#98
Senior Member
Me? Retro-grouch?
Um, it was back when I stopped into my LBS about a year or two ago and hopped on a Fuji Roubaix demo bike and got freaked out. I was way too hunched over, even though I was properly measured for the demo bike. Worse, the 11 speed Shimano Ultegra (?) system and STI shifters messed with my head at first! My mind was thinking "friction shifters" but the bike said, "Get with it grandpa, welcome to the 21st century!". Even worse yet, the whole geometry of the bike gave me the impression that I was going to go right over the handlebars! I almost needed therapy afterwards, as it was such a traumatic experience... LOL...
I guess I will continue to ride my '85 Fuji Del Rey until the wheels fall off!
Um, it was back when I stopped into my LBS about a year or two ago and hopped on a Fuji Roubaix demo bike and got freaked out. I was way too hunched over, even though I was properly measured for the demo bike. Worse, the 11 speed Shimano Ultegra (?) system and STI shifters messed with my head at first! My mind was thinking "friction shifters" but the bike said, "Get with it grandpa, welcome to the 21st century!". Even worse yet, the whole geometry of the bike gave me the impression that I was going to go right over the handlebars! I almost needed therapy afterwards, as it was such a traumatic experience... LOL...
I guess I will continue to ride my '85 Fuji Del Rey until the wheels fall off!
08-17-18, 11:03 AM
#99
Senior Member
I think I sorted out that I don’t like most new bikes after having purchased two new bikes. Aluminum and Carbon just aren’t my bag. I’ve built up probably 20 Vintage bikes at this point and my Surly. I love the way steel frames ride.
And honestly I like picking and choosing what goes on the bike. Tayloring it to my needs, most of the older drive trains do what I need them to , but I’ll admit I like updating drive train components to more modern equipment. You get the cool styling and awesome ride of steel with modern shifters , etc.
And honestly I like picking and choosing what goes on the bike. Tayloring it to my needs, most of the older drive trains do what I need them to , but I’ll admit I like updating drive train components to more modern equipment. You get the cool styling and awesome ride of steel with modern shifters , etc.
08-17-18, 11:47 AM
#100
Full Member
I was a pretty serious cyclist in my teens and 20's, but when I was in grad school in 1984 I made the mistake of selling my bike and life took over. I didn't ride for a few years after that. When I decided to return to it about 1991, I found that I just didn't like the look of the newer bikes that were out. They lacked the beauty and elegance of the old steel-framed bikes I'd come up with, and I never liked riding aluminum frames (which dominated the market that I could afford at the time). So I went secondhand. Being a cheapskate, I found to my delight I could much more easily afford bikes that were as good as (or better than) the bikes I had back in the day. I'm also something of a do-it-yourselfer - I had already developed a fierce attachment to collecting and refurbishing vintage audio gear - so buying into new bike technologies was just never appealing to me when I could satisfy all my needs buying used gear. At my age, aesthetics and a comfortable ride are more important than shaving a pound or two, and I could never wrap my head around sinking a couple grand into a mess of carbon fiber and plastic (wow, that sounds kind of grouchy!)
