Creakyknees

"Cycling keeps me off the streets!" is a documentary film produced by Mirko Popadic thirty-six years ago (1975). The film compares two bicyclists, one a world-class amateur cyclist and the other a novice rider, each striving to reach their own goals."

Mike Neel. Jim Ochowicz. John Howard. Thirteen minutes of time capsule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6puGA...=UL6puGAwjdhoM

YMCA

The enthusiasm in their voices was contagious. Ha!

When you watch these old videos, notice how everyone rides the drops almost all the time when the pace is on.
Two reasons:
1) Stems were much higher
2) Hoods were much lower

Creakyknees

...yup, preaching to the choir on that one... it's a wonder to me, as much as modern riders obsess over weight-weenie stuff, why they even have drops on their bars since they never use them.

Hartlin

I find that interesting as well. I'm still racing around on a steelie frame with classic drop bars and modern groupo. I always get the "man you're in your drops like the whole race". Well yeah, that's the point of them, their there for a reason.

Brian Ratliff

If you notice, in modern races, most people ride the drops almost all the time. If you notice, in the film, most of the guys have pretty flat backs. Aerodynamics hasn't changed since the 70's.

I'll bet there were posers back in '75 as well who never got down in the drops of a 10 speed.

Doggus

Looks like a foreign planet to me. Can not relate.

My 1970's time capsule looks more like:

YMCA

I'm pretty sure you missed my point.
Nobody is a poser.
Hoods use is just much more prevalent nowadays than in the days of low brake levers and high stems.

The video itself seemed to have been made by family of the cat3 commuter dude

JohnKScott

That was enjoyable

shovelhd

Wool shorts and jerseys. Leather shoes with slot cleats. Campy, Campy, Campy.

I started racing in 1981 when lycra was the new wonder fabric, but I still have my old wool stuff and my leather shoes.

Memories.

kindablue

How was it possible to break away without carbon wheels ?

rkwaki

For me it was 89 so I missed the leather and wool stuff. An I got one of the first shimano sti grouppos (don't remember the year but it was 600 not Dura-ace.

Bob Dopolina 

That was enjoyable.

I started racing in '85. I started with friction and think we had 1 more cog by then but not much else had changed.

shovelhd

I started with a 5 speed rear, but the new narrow chain 6 speed evolved during my tenure. I could not believe how much faster those chains wore.

Homebrew01

noob

shovelhd

Cleave

Hi, that film brought back a lot of memories. I think I've blotted out the bad ones. As I mentioned when I killed a different thread, I got my first ABLA license in 1984 as a 17 year-old Junior. I still have some wool jerseys in my closet, including one from the 1970s.

From what I saw, there was a lot of riding on the tops in the film. Certainly any time there was a sprint or a chase everyone was in the drops. In case you haven't ever seen a 5-speed, straight-block freewheel:



Thanks for posting the link to the film.

YMCA

^^^
Is that a 13-17?

I started on 7-spd 12-18

OldManRiley

I'm wondering if one of you . . . experienced . . . guys could answer a question for me. Did those "helmets" that I saw everyone in the peloton wearing actually do anything in the event of a crash? I was looking at those thinking it was no wonder that so many people just wore cycling caps.

BTW I would actually be in favor of bringing back steel frames, that length of shorts, and mustaches. I may be the youngest retrogrouch ever. I will pass on downtube shifters though.

shovelhd

No. I have experience hitting my head hard while wearing a leather helmet.

grolby

That hyper-earnest 70s style doesn't age well, and it's not an especially interesting film. But it is a neat little time capsule. I have to confess, I could barely finish it, though.