30 years old isn't very old. Yes, my ti bikes are newer but my Raleigh Competition is 50+. Rode the Mooney for a 24 miles fix gear loop and it rode like a new bike. (Sadly, I didn't.) And my middle aged bikes? Trek 4something I think and Pro Miyata - 41 year olds.

I agree, 30 years bikes are still young pups with many miles still to ride.

I was expecting categories like pre 1930's, 30-80's, 1990-present.

All my bikes are in active service, my newest one, my only carbon jobby is 16 years old, my ti one is 28 years old and the other 10 steelies are.all 30+ years old.

I've no desire for anything newer to be honest.

Finally my beloved Peugeot Prestige got its upgrades withdura ace 7400-7700-7800 bits, the reynolds 708 classic is very pleasant to ride
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Some 70s bikes and a 1967 Varsity (with chrome fenders and whitewalls ...).

Yowza, that's quite a collection!!!

I've owned some '70s-era bikes as daily riders, but right now, 1980 is my oldest. Old steel because it's long been affordable enough and frames offered that were large enough (but didn't look awkward). Because it's me, I usually go straight to indexed shifting, usually of the brifter variety. This 1980 Trek 510 (Ishiwata 022 tubing) is a pretty light frameset for its size, but it gets a delightfully insane groupset in Dura-Ace 9070 with RS81 wheels and Rene Herse 32mm tires. Innicycle conversion headset, carbon handlebars and stem. 20.25 lbs (swapped the aluminum bottle cage for a Specialized Ribcage recently). Mega efficient and deceptively fast in the saddle while also being an eager climber (in and out of saddle). Fantastic bike.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d3581ce64e.jpg

1972 Fuji Finest

Cant say I have ever seen Kenda Karvs in use, much less a white version. Are they like every other Kenda tire in existence, or are they actually a decent weight with low rolling resistance?

"30 years old isn't very old. Yes, my original iPod and iPod mini are newer but my Sony Walkman is 44 years old. Used the Walkman while mowing my lawn and it played like it was streaming off Spotify. And my portable CD players? Sony something I think and Sanyo CP10 - 39 years old."


Of course a 30 year old bike is old. Not many people own and ride bikes from 1990 or earlier, and this is especially true for enthusiast cyclists- they tend to stay within probably a decade of the current year for the bike they ride. <--that isnt a rule, its an observed tendency.
Just because you own and regularly ride bike frames made before 1990 doesnt mean those bikes arent very old. Good lord- the perceived badge of honor and logical disconnect that comes with that imagined badge is truly wild to see.

I bought them off Ebay just for the look for ~$25 each. I wanted all white and there wasn't a lot to choose from. That said I was quite satisfied with them.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d7d5964b0b.jpg
Not sure if it's substantially similar at all..... but most of the parts are from the same decade.
Dad bought it back in 79/80 with nuovo record all around. Paint was battered and that.... champagne gold color so I stripped it to metal mechanically(not doing that again) and used old paint I had laying around. I like the fork color scheme more, but you live and learn.
I ran the suntour derailleur since I wanted a 14-28 freewheel and I read nuovo record with a standard cage is pushed hard at 28tooth.
I like my saddle sloping down, otherwise my nether regions give the tingles which is no fun.

"I ran the suntour derailleur since I wanted a 14-28 freewheel and I read nuovo record with a standard cage is pushed hard at 28tooth."

I read the same so I used a clone roadlink with the Nuovo Record rd as shown in the pic above of the blue Holdsworth. The rd is original to the bike and works perfectly with the modern 14-28 7 speed freewheel. I replaced the old Record fd with a much more substantial 1st gen Chorus fd. I'm very pleased with both.

Hmmm, That's good to hear. I might keep this setup since I like the 53/39 and 175mm crank arms. The old nuovo record stuff is 53/43 and 170mm, but It's good to hear that it worked for you.

I picked the decades based off of what I've seen riding around NYC, upstate NY, and the SF Bay Area. Most of what passes me by on the road is fairly new, with the occasional bike that can give my 20 yr old Bianchi a run for its money. I very rarely see downtube shifters or lugged steel, and not for lack of trying - I remember having a chat with a guy on a Raleigh with chromed lugs and original Dura Ace while heading over the Walkway over the Hudson; and just yesterday I saw someone with downtube shifters heading into Woodside... but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

My road bike is a 1976 Colnago Super that I raced in college. Upgraded it with a Shimano Ultegra (2006) groupset after I crashed my carbon frame Trek Madone.

If the categories had extended to 40 - 49, 50 - 59, 60+, would we have gotten a proper bell curve? I'd bet we would have. It would be interesting to get more detail on that last 59%.

As for 'substantially the same', I would be interested in mixed breeds as well. Here's my mixte build for example, in active rotation along with a Clem Smith Jr.

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Blue Bella

Would she belong?