Were the 1980s the best years for steel bikes?
07-04-21, 06:08 AM
#26
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1987 - 1991
Nice Columbus Tubing !!!!
GREAT YEAR for bicycles and life !!!
Nice Columbus Tubing !!!!
GREAT YEAR for bicycles and life !!!
07-04-21, 06:52 AM
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Well as sort of a data point.
How many I've had from each decade:
70's - 3 Bikes
80's - 28 Bikes
90's - 22 Bikes
What I have now, so what seemed "best" to me:
70's - 0
80's - 2
90 - 16
What does all this mean.....IDK....
How many I've had from each decade:
70's - 3 Bikes
80's - 28 Bikes
90's - 22 Bikes
What I have now, so what seemed "best" to me:
70's - 0
80's - 2
90 - 16
What does all this mean.....IDK....
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Steel is real...and comfy.
Steel is real...and comfy.
07-04-21, 07:00 AM
#28
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I would go as far as to say 1987 was the watershed year. That was the last year that all the large manufacturers all had a full line of steel road bikes. After that Trek, Schwinn, Specialized, etc, etc , all quickly migrated to aluminum and then carbon fiber bikes. So 1987 was the last hurrah for mass produced, lugged frame high performance steel bike.
1987 was also the year when a lot of the major brands dabbled in lopro/ funny bikes and Terry style bikes , almost all made from steel. So that makes it a doubly interesting year!
1987 was also the year when a lot of the major brands dabbled in lopro/ funny bikes and Terry style bikes , almost all made from steel. So that makes it a doubly interesting year!
07-04-21, 07:31 AM
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Love it or hate it, fact is the late 80’s were watershed years with regard to bicycle design.
Not necessarily the MOST watershed years, but a bunch of amazing stuff arrived during a fairly short period.
Not necessarily the MOST watershed years, but a bunch of amazing stuff arrived during a fairly short period.
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07-04-21, 07:31 AM
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The 1980s, as mentioned, had the innovations at a nice price. You can find beautifully finished lugged frames that can handle 700c wheel sets. I always liked the Japanese bikes, which IMHO hit their high point in the mid-80s. As far as shifting is concerned, SunTour made some really nice components back then. SunTour bar cons do the trick for me. Miyata and Fuji are my favorites. Some of the steel bikes from the '90s function well also. The appearance of many of the frames I've seen seemed to look as though they suffered from cost cutting. My '91 Fuji isn't too bad, but has a unicrown fork. Production was also shifted to Taiwan. French Motobecanes from the late 1970s are also outstanding.
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07-04-21, 08:06 AM
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The 80’s was the decade where decent performance was pushed down the pricing tiers.
in the middle 80’s index shifting democratized gearing. Less training to use the gears, the rider just had to remember to pedal.
the modern Italians had won the geometry battle. Was not what people needed but what they wanted.
in the middle 80’s index shifting democratized gearing. Less training to use the gears, the rider just had to remember to pedal.
the modern Italians had won the geometry battle. Was not what people needed but what they wanted.
07-04-21, 08:18 AM
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07-04-21, 09:45 AM
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The 80's would have been an era of great flux in the steel bike industry... but the nails were already being driven into the coffin.
The Graftek came out in the late 70's.
Vitus started making aluminum frames in the late 70's.
Alan was also making aluminum bonded frames in mid 70's.
By the mid to late 80's, several other companies were introducing either aluminum or carbon fiber frames.
On the other hand, Colnago introduced the very popular Master in the mid 80's. The Spiral Conic in 1989.
It probably wasn't until the mid 90's that the more iconic Colnago paint jobs started being done.
Nonetheless, the seeds were already sown for the steel bikes to be replaced by more exotic materials.
The Graftek came out in the late 70's.
Vitus started making aluminum frames in the late 70's.
Alan was also making aluminum bonded frames in mid 70's.
By the mid to late 80's, several other companies were introducing either aluminum or carbon fiber frames.
On the other hand, Colnago introduced the very popular Master in the mid 80's. The Spiral Conic in 1989.
It probably wasn't until the mid 90's that the more iconic Colnago paint jobs started being done.
Nonetheless, the seeds were already sown for the steel bikes to be replaced by more exotic materials.
