Road Fan

Some Sears BSO's were actually pretty decent bikes, depending on how far back in Sears' history. They certainly imported a bunch of European bikes.

retyred

Absolutely correct. I have never seen a hill I couldn't walk up.

Today you can call Uber.

Road Fan

Today we've had 30+ years of MTBs marketed beside road bikes. Before 1980 there wasn't a lot iut there in 32 tooth rear sprockets. Some Peugs even before 1970 had a "mountain gear" of 52/36 - somehow it seemed all the UO-8s in Chicago had that gearing, which were shifted in Alpine pattern. But more common in higher-end bikes were still 52/42, 52/48 ½ step, and the odd triple, somehow adding a granny. Some lone Italian machinist may have taken the time to cut out a bigger rear sprocket and whipped up a stretched rear derailleur cage, there certainly wasn't much of such product around.

--- information and speculation from "Today's Boomer News."

Slightspeed

The old school metal cleats and toe straps were no easier to walk uphill in, and they were twice as dangerous as today's modern ones. I use SPD mountain type cleats and shoes on my road bikes and can walk anywhere I need to.

daka

I guess I was thinking more of recreational cyclists who would have worn sneakers BITD.
Today, even recreational cyclists wear the same outfit as
racers, investing more in clothing and shoes than some of us spend on the bike itself.

robertorolfo

On what used to me my regular commute home, I would take the same bridge as a lot of guys that travel from Queens into Manhattan to do laps in Central Park. Granted, a lot of these guys must have been tired after the bulk of their workout ride, but most of them were on modern carbon or aluminum bikes, with minimal bike specific clothing and gear. And I was almost always surprised at how slow they were climbing the modest incline of the bridge, as they spun fast in really low gears. As I said, they were probably pretty tired by that point, but they seemed to have this idea that any sort of climbing was to be handled by going lower and lower in the gear range until you found something you could ride at your preferred cadence with very little effort.

[QUOTE=sheddle;21833983]It seems to be going this way with sports in general. Like the whole "Moneyball" thing in baseball. All anyone wants to talk about now are numbers and stats, and so many modern athletes are completely devoid of personality or perspective. It's pretty sad.

WinterCommuter

i’m not old enough to have owned/ridden a bike like you describe, but i do know from experience that changing freewheels for the conditions was quite common when i started road racing years later:

straight block — 13-18 6 speed freewheel for flat and fast
mid range — 13-21 6 speed for most of my riding
Wide — 13-25 6 speed for punchy/hilly rides

of course, having 1 of each of the freewheels was not sufficient because a set was needed for the spare wheels. Otherwise, it could mean riding a straight block on a hilly course following a flat. It was quite common to change out the chainrings too.

noglider 

I *think* I could still climb my old hills in my old gears, but I'm not about to try. I can pedal really slowly and basically balance as if I'm doing a track stand. I had to do that a few summers ago on a century ride when my rear derailleur failed. But most of my bikes now have triple cranksets with low bottom gears. I recently rebuilt a bike with a double crankset and bemoaned the fact that the bottom gear isn't low enough. Now I just calculated it, and it is about the same as my other bikes. Hmm, either my problem is that the bike is heavier than my others (true) or I'm even weaker this year than last year (also possible).

Stan Heinricher

Do you know of a source of chainrings for a Stronglight 93?

conspiratemus1

Most professional sports are working-class pursuits, except polo and yacht racing. For bright kids to the manor born, it’s foolish to chase an athletic dream when only the very top few will make money at it, when you could use your money and connections to get a good degree and meet people at college who will be useful to you later in life. A wealthy romantic partner is a particularly good bargain if she (or he) will put you through med school. All without ever having to stop a slap shot from the point with your face.

Professional athletes in the marquee sports come out of the factories and coal mines and ghettos because their gifts give a tiny few of them an escape hatch, which the rest will have to struggle and scrabble for.

reconnaissance

It’s not often I see the suntour triple pulley cage. I installed one on my Cannondale mountain bike which had 24” rear wheel and I was concerned about having higher clearance in the rocky and brushy terrain of eastern Washington. Granny gear of 24 - 34 was for sprinting up low banks. My road bike was a Trek 420 with a 6 speed 13-26 corn cob with Campy/Mavic tubulars and 52,42 chainrings. I found as I got in better condition that my “cardiac hill” became the part of the ride I most enjoyed, probably due to the endorphins released.

Near my home in San Antonio I have a greenbelt course with a similarly hilly ride topped off with a 1/2 mile stand-up-in-your-pedals climb that I love taking with that gearing and especially on my fixed gear bike.