masi61

Now that I'm older, my main road bike seems less like a steed and more like a mule. Yeah, I can make it a little faster but mostly it is a sturdy, comfortable all-purpose ride that maybe isn't stellar in any one parameter, but on average gets the job done. It is a companion that can be relied upon, pretty much through thick and thin.

My "steed" bike is also really great, being a more compact frame with nearly identical saddle and handlebar height and extension but different gearing, much lighter and more tossable.

I love both bikes. I must admit that the aluminum mule gets more use overall and the titanium steed gets saved a bit.
I have also noticed that classic and vintage bikes sometimes get their sophisticated ride quality from creative component choices and attention to small details. Some of the mechanical qualities just turn out more magical on our most special builds and when we take our time to gather the puzzle pieces for a special bike, our persistence often pays off.

thanks for reading, apparently I temporarily have too much time on my hands and was hoping for a conversation starter.

merziac

They're all mules with me on them and some seem to fly by themselves but not necessarily when the going gets tough which doesn't take much with me.

Some of the actual mules on their own do better when plodding along, just depends on the day, route, miles, etc.

I can ride most any of my bikes all day but never gonna set any strava records.

iab

I don't high enough property for either.

Wildwood 

Now that I'm older - I ride steeds to keep up with the mules.
22mm @ 120+psi = still the fastest at the track. And for my smoothest pavement rides.



“Always be ready to fly......”

edit: or.... "When they give you the eye,... get ready to fly"

mgopack42 

STEED, 60 is too young to need a mule! I till like to fly!

tyler_fred

For my herd...
The road bikes are still steeds,
the touring bike’s a mule,
and the motor’s always been a jackass...

Kilroy1988 

I'm 31 and also a runner - I like pushing old mules around hard. However, when I end up cycling on more than a seasonal basis and really get in shape, the desire to maximize my efforts with something sleek and modern often comes to mind. I haven't made that plunge in almost a decade, but it may happen!

52telecaster

Mine are all touring bikes so i guess mules but i have a very slow motor anyway. I do love going places on em for a purpose. I really think of them as old vw microbuses.

USAZorro

Depends on the day... and which bike I choose. Some days, the steeds act like mules.

SurferRosa

All this.

My five are steeds. Even the grocery getter. In another reality, they weren't loved in the same way and became mules ... or worse.

.

Nothing against mules. They have their place. But let's also not forget the gentle, stoic nature of the burro...

RiddleOfSteel

I see you have the exact same tripleizer on the exact same 7400 crankset on that as I have on my '74 Paramount! Excellent choice.

I will also concur that regardless of my age and available hp, my bikes are and will always be steeds. It's all about the speed. Or capability of speed. Even my touring bike (Paramount) can move properly.

merziac

Don't get me wrong, I will take advantage of any and all free speed that comes my way, downhill, 52-3 x 11,12, I'll take a 40mph ride anytime it presents itself and do my best to sustain it, just ain't gonna happen very much without some help from gravity.

I make sure the steeds are equipped to go there regardless of my ability to get us there.

Miele Man

I a number of bicycles.

I have a MIELE MTB converted to a dropbar with V'brakes and V-brake levers. I consider it to be my Clydesdale bike as it's what I use for shopping and logging/mining road touring.




I have another MIELE UNO SL that I had converted to a dedicated road touring bike by having cantilever brake bosses, cable stop bridge, rear rack brazeons on the seatstays and a third water bottle set of brazeons installed under the downtube. That's my Quareter Horse bike.




I have a couple of MIELE road-racing bikes that have no room for fenders or racks and those bikes are my Thooroughbreds.





Cheers

xroadcharlie

Like most comfort bikes my recent purchase is much closer to a mule. I love the bolt upright seating for safety and a better view of traffic and surroundings. It is the most pleasurable bike I've ever had with it's suspension seat post and wide low pressure tires. I've had a mountain bike and road bike before. However, Thanks to 26 x 2" treaded tires and hauling around it's 34 lbs it is much harder to motivate then a friends road bike. When we switched bikes one day for a few minutes, The first thing he mentioned was how much harder the bike is to move in about the same gear. On the road bike you can feel the acceleration pushing down hard on the pedals, While it feels like my bike is fighting you. So if you want exercise, These bikes might be a good choice.

And fighting a headwind, well that's another story when you sit high in the saddle. Lets just say I'm glad this thing has 21 speeds, Because I need nearly all of them. That said, For a recreational cyclist who isn't in a hurry, These comfort bikes are quite pleasant to ride. They might even work well for short commutes to perhaps 8 or 10 km with rack and fender mounts.

repechage

Old racer's hold on, all my bikes were race bikes. Even if I don't race. But I can halfwheel a guy if I need to to the point where they look for an opportunity to turn off.
The killers are e-bikes. the 20 mph ones are no problem, the 24 mph are OK unless there is a headwind.
Its the bikes that can do 28+... disheartening. And the users get upset when you draft them.

merziac

This is I hope the answer to this question and so far it seems to be, still maybe working on the fit and need to get out for a big ride to see but the more I ride it, the better it rides, maybe still the honeymoon so we'll see.

This was built with exactly this in mind, to carry me to the very end, whatever that is and do what I want it to do for now and everything in between.

So far it is doing exactly that.

Lascauxcaveman 

Five years ago, they were all steeds. Now they are all mules. It's mostly the same bikes, though.

T-Mar

Steed? I'm the Steed type. My two wheeled partner is an (Emma) Peel. Elegant, svelte, blindingly fast and willing to take on anybody.

TugaDude

I suppose most all of my bikes would fall into the steed camp. Although I do own a couple of mules which mainly accompany my wife and I when we take vacations by car and want to have bikes with us. One is a Bridgestone folder, a Grandtech, which is actually pretty peppy.

clubman 

Got a new mule this month to replace the old mule.

Ferrouscious 

My collection:
A steed
A pony
A mule pretending to be a pony

masi61

What a mule specifically looks like eluded me before this! We’ve got a reference, now. What an interesting and fun bike!

I was going to say that riding a mule can be done anytime. And that the mule doesn’t require any specific great riding or fitness input from its rider.

I was hoping to complete this all purpose mule of a bike:



Still I in completed $25 Trek Multitrack 750 drop bar conversion. No excuse to not complete and road test this.

masi61

What a mule specifically looks like eluded me before this! We’ve got a reference, now. What an interesting and fun bike!

I was going to say that riding a mule can be done anytime. And that the mule doesn’t require any specific great riding or fitness input from its rider.

I was hoping to complete this all purpose mule of a bike:



Still I in completed $25 Trek Multitrack 750 drop bar conversion. No excuse to not complete and road test this.


This bike has been everywhere.

markwesti

A picture from the drive side would be nice , thanks .

markwesti

My main "baby" is and always will be my 86' Centurion Ironman . However my latest build is my 84' Bianchi Alloro , when I first got my skimmers on it , it was half past dead . Not only that the components were not the steed type . I cleaned up the frame and painted it and put new decals , about 95% of the grupo is Campagnolo , I also had a beautiful wheelset made up (Campy hubs , Nisi tubular rims , butted spokes) . And to top it off a Selle Italia Supercorsa saddle and some coalbalto .
IMG_0336 by mark westi, on Flickr
IMG_0480 by mark westi, on Flickr
IMG_0277 by mark westi, on Flickr
IMG_0517 by mark westi, on Flickr