Fahrenheit531 

So they meticulously reproduced a Merckx racing bike with NOS Campy, then got to climbing. WOOHOO!

imakecircles

That front brake cable routing is somehow painful to look at on such a beautiful bike.

Fahrenheit531 

Worth noting that the title should really have been "Can Simon Survive a Killer Climb on a Vintage Superbike?"

panzerwagon 

Don’t know what he’s complaining about, that’s my standard operating procedure when clipping in.

Stay tuned for the next part: Faffing around on the shifters

steelbikeguy

I enjoy GCN and Simon, and appreciate the love for the Merckx! One could quibble about non-ideal aspects of the video, but I give Si credit for even thinking about grinding up that hill in a 42 x 21! He must be nuts, or maybe lost a bet??

Jeez.. I've slowly grunted up the local 14% grade in a 42 x 24, and it was slow and not pleasant (and I was probably in my mid 40's at the time). At least I had proper slotted cleats to get a good pull on the pedal.

If anyone subscribes to GCN Plus, let us know how the rest of the bike review goes!

Steve in Peoria

repechage

Silly shoe choice.
the pros even switched freewheels between stages, should have a 13 or 14-26.
should train on the bigger gears too for a while.

( not to make him feel bad - Merckx rode a 13-19 six speed and 54-44 for the Montreal worlds in 1974)

should have just gone to Masi in Italy and have them make a bike. This notion by the way that steel bikes wear out is just a resurfacing urban bike shop myth.

Should have some decent tires too...
cheapskates and the bars should rotate a few degrees back.

like the brake lever cabling... hack job.

too afraid to downtube friction shift?
this guy would be a cat 5 in the 80's.

Oakman

Not sure why Si was worried about putting to much power to the drivetrain when it was good enough for Merckx.

52telecaster

I never raced but I do enjoy these videos. Funny thing is a bit of half step and granny from a touring bike of the day and it wouldn't be that tough.

velomateo

The drop out screws are installed backwards.
Probably wondering what these two little brass nuts are for after the build was completed.

repechage

perpetuating the myth that the old stuff was feeble. Just as old steel frames will be weak.

and the guy was scared of downtube shifters.

alcjphil

I was most amused with his difficulty getting his shoes into the toe clips

Fahrenheit531 

I remember being that guy.

Pogliaghi

The video was downright silly and full of inaccuracies. Why don't they consult people with good knowledge of the period to get things correct. He should have acclimatized himself to the older bike by riding it for at least a month or so and then maybe he could have given a more insightful comparison to modern bikes. By the way I ride both and am not that much slower on the older bikes.

52telecaster

When comes to touring bikes I may be faster on old ones. They are usually lighter.

DiabloScott

If they had Cat 5s in the 80's, I wouldn't have been a Cat 4.

bikemig 

Neat video. That's impressive getting up that hill (ave. 10% grade with a decent section at 25%) on a 42/21.

That said, the guy never looked comfortable on that bike even when going downhill or on the flats. The gearing was wrong for that climb. He didn't know how to properly clamp the quick release skewer. Since he was running NOS gear, the comments that the parts might not make it because they were 50 years old was nonsense. The idea that you need a "new" vintage bike to see how they ride compared to a modern bike is nutty.

I keep seeing versions of that argument--new bikes versus old--play out on different threads in C&V. I'm indifferent to whether an old bike is as good as a new one. I just like old bikes. I like the challenge of finding the frame and the parts and getting them ready to ride tough hilly rides. I sure as heck wouldn't go with a full campy build for a bike I want to ride up serious hills.

Sedgemop 

Anybody see the associated build/ride video on GCN plus? Curious if it showed the bike in better circumstances, rather than undergeared on a steep climb.

iab

Here is my problem with the comparisons, the only metric they ever consider to be "better" is if a bike is faster. The only 0.000001% of people where that actually matters is someone who puts food on the table by racing bikes. And those people don't give a crap about the video.

Then again, get a dozen vintage "experts" to do the same/similar video, you will get 12 different things. But at least those 12 other videos wouldn't be the cliché of what constitutes the "best" bike so typically depicted by conventional wisdom.

iab

True. But if it were a flat stage with this as the "climb", then 42/21 is not outrageous. You could argue for the 54-44 an 13-19 in that case.

repechage

given the difficulty shown on the climb, get him a 26. The big ring on that bike looks like a 53 or 54 based on the depth beyond the ring cutouts. But he was apprehensive using downtube shifters and said he would stay in the small ring.

Merckx rode a 13-19 six block with a 54/44 during he 1974 Worlds in Montreal- the Mt Royal circuit... this presenter is nowhere near that shape.

repechage

the parts were Not New Old Stock.
the brakes were a mess
pads were way past replacement.
look at the video and stop it at the point where the front caliper was in full view. Rust bucket.
Sad.

repechage

google earth indicates the climb percentage was exaggerated.

who needs truth if it is dull?

Andy_K 

They've definitively proven that old riders are better than new ones.

I talked to a guy recently who made some comment about liking old bike but needing to use his modern bikes for climbing. Maybe he also is unaware that you can change the gearing. I hard a very light carbon fiber Ridley for a while. It didn't make me any faster or better at climbing.

martl

without having watched the video, let me guess:

oh my god strap-on pedals i'm gonna die
oh my god those brakes i'm gonna die
oh my god downtube shifters i' m gonna die
oh my god no 34-32 i'm gonna die

lets face it no one could ride those bikes, its all a fake

Andy_K 

Are you sure you didn't watch the video.