Originally Posted by
Ago15
More resistant, more comfortable and above all, they can run for 100 years without any problem if maintained, something impossible with carbon...
P.S. Only with high quality steel
More resistant to what? The passing of time. Oxidation. Crash damage. I am not sure what you are getting at with this comment.
More comfortable? I have ridden a very wide range of vintages and the vintage has nothing to do with comfort. Frame design geometry and componentry define comfort and user friendliness concerns...
I do not find reaching for down tube shifters comfortable (anything but)...
But these are a treat to use and very comfortable to rest my hands on...
and the handlebar tape in the above picture is more durable and comfortable than the vintage cotton stuff vintage bikes were usually fitted with...
Last for 100 years or more? I have owned over 500 vintage road bikes but not one was 100 years old. I have restored well over 50 of them, and believe me when I say, unless they are unused, they all suffer from environmental and use damage. Paint fades, chips and scratches, chrome plating does oxidize, even when a bike sits unused. And the older they are the more likely it is that they will be in poorer condition. This old Torpado below spent almost all of its life hanging from the rafters in a garage. The frame was covered with oxidation, the grease had dried out and the tires were toast...
And though I am a Brooks saddle fan, this one is every bit as comfortable as anything that I have ever ridden...
But after saying all that, I am a true fan of vintage bicycles but I am also a realist. They are not necessarily better than newer machines.