P!N20

Bike Snob aka Eben Weiss on the benefits of old* bikes:

https://www.outsideonline.com/242433...y-vintage-bike

* I'm sure he was meant to write classic and/or vintage.

Sir_Name 

A nice read with the morning coffee, thanks!

unterhausen

How many 30 year old bikes still have packing materials attached to the front axles? I have seen it before, but usually they are more weathered than the rest of the bike. Those seem to be in exceptionally good condition

bark_eater 

Free Spirits seem to have the most durable axle covers..

SurferRosa

"the sense of smug satisfaction that comes with properly operating a friction shifter..."

"Smug"?

Huh. I often forget how wholly incapable is the average person, where doing a simple thing for me must be very cumbersome and unnatural for him.

camjr

Thanks for sharing.

The Golden Boy 

I guess it’s nice- while I’m somewhat tentative around “cyclists” and say I’m into old bikes- I don’t often justify my love for old bikes- I have my ideas of why I like what I like- but I also haven’t been so conditioned into “modern” bikes- yet.

I dipped my toes into 10 speed and liked it. I’m not so sure I like blobby bikes.

cudak888 

Well said. Short on anything regarding practical commuter bikes - *cough* IGH's and North Roads *cough* - but well said.

-Kurt

johnnyace 

This was exactly the case with my early 80s Univega Alpina Uno. When I found it at the LBS a couple of years ago, it looked like it had hardly been ridden, and still had stock everything, except the tires.

Great article, thanks for the heads-up!

fettsvenska 

I appreciate some of the modern improvements that have been made but for me my older bikes still work just fine. One feature that I think is over-sold is suspension. I'm not opposed to suspension but I just think that unless you are riding some really rough and technical terrain, it isn't necessary and just adds cost and weight. It also seems to require more maintenance than other bike parts.

non-fixie 

Thanks for sharing this!

Even after ten years of BF membership, I still find it difficult to grasp American concepts like 'cyclist' and 'bike culture'. Weiss, however, is a writer I can relate to, and I really like his work. He seems to take a more distant, yet practical, view than most writers on these subjects, and he has a way with words that I find quite amusing. I bought his The Ultimate Bicycle Owners Manual last year, and really enjoyed reading it.

John E

Sort of like this? (The only problem is that my sons are millennials, and both drive sport sedans with stick shifts.

bikingshearer 

Grant Petersen has been saying pretty much exactly the same thing for decades now, but mention his name and we have ten pages of vitriol in about 15 minutes.

Okay, that;s an exaggeration (it would take at least 20 minutes), but you get my point.

fettsvenska 

This is what I thought as well when I read the article. I'm not sure why there is such a harsh reaction to Mr. Petersen's opinions.

philbob57

Well, GP tries to be provocative. (I don't get the vitriol, either.)

Andy_K 

I like that!

Eben's a good writer, and I like his sense of humor. Before his secret identity was reveal I was starting to suspect he was me, because I identify so much with his perspective. I usually like his blog much better than the stuff Outside publishes. You can often tell that they're trying to keep him family friendly and the writing suffers because of the editing. This piece was pretty good though.

P!N20

I find there's a nuance to his writing as a result of the rapport he's cultivated with his blog readership over the years that doesn't transfer over to the Outside columns. I enjoy his self-depreciating humour and unique perspective on things.

I met him years ago when he came to Melbourne for a series of talks. (Was it book week or bike week? I can't remember.) He signed my copy of his Bike Snob book.