Originally Posted by
El Chaba
I used a more modern drivetrain in the restoration, my Meral camper has/accommodates 32 mm tires which are sweet spot for combined gravel and pavement. You can find older touring bikes built before the art and science of carrying a load on a bicycle was forgotten. It has been rediscovered by millennials who have no interest in things that were perfected before the microchip, so you see modern bikes for camping with frame bags that hinder the rider’s knees and can’t really accommodate anything and gigantic seat bags that look like they were designed for a baguette delivery service....
I am one of those millenials and can appreciate both.
And even most of the C&V crowd don't ride bikes from before the microchip, seeing as how those were invented back in 1958.
The reason why many people prefer wider tyres nowadays is because they take their bikes to places where there were no trails 40 years ago.
Technology has improved greatly in the meantime and people just convert those cheap bikes which are available. In this case 80's/90's mountainbikes for most people.
And be glad the millenial crowd is around, they and their use of the internet are the main reason why many of those older bikes are viable again. Without it a resurgence of 650B and similar standards would have been very unlikely, especially in the high level of quality we see nowadays.