Who has switched to a modern bike and won't go back?

[Frank]

I bought a Giant TCR Carbon fiber bike last year from a bike shop (100 miles from here) and rode it a few times before selling it and keeping my lugged steel bike. My main issues last year for not staying were I had lots of parts and tools that go with older bikes and not many (any) that go with the newer 10 speed threadless, the crankarms were too long for me and I didn't have replacement ones (outboard compact type), but think mainly I was used to working on and riding my lugged steel bikes and was very familiar with them.

I know I didn't give it much of a chance, and I have been talking recently with some friends who used to ride lugged steel with me over the years and they are trying to get me to give it another try. They do more riding than I do (but definitely less bike stuff buying and selling so I guess that makes us even ;) ) and said it took them a while but they would not want to go back to the older bikes and bike stuff.

Any of you go from your vintage lugged steel threaded fork steel bikes to more modern threadless carbon fiber forked bikes and wouldn't go back?

[coylifut]

i go back and forth. there's nothing un modern about today's best lugged steel bikes. i race one every weekend from mid September-December.

[sg8357]

Nope, I am heading back to the fifties, Racelite, Harden and Cyclo-Benelux.
I started in the modern, and keeping finding out the older stuff works fine.
I do just as well with a 6 speed friction setup as I do with Centaur.
Ride a fixed gear for a while and you realize that you don't need so much stuff on your bike.

Scott G.

[goonster]

My main issues last year for not staying were I had lots of parts and tools that go with older bikes and not many (any) that go with the newer 10 speed threadless, the crankarms were too long for me and I didn't have replacement ones (outboard compact type),

Dont get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of lugged steel. But those are not compelling reasons not to ride a plastic bike.

Lugged steel frame vs. CF frame . . . ride what you like. It's really not a maintenance issue. :confused:

[swoop]

fit is timeless.

atmo.

[benb]

There haven't been all that many things that required change & new tools and skills to maintain the last 10 years or so.

Disc brakes & the ever increasing # of crank designs are the biggies that seem to make for maintenance headaches.

[eddief]

now in the garage are ancient steel rockhopper for bombing and shopping, giant ocr-c, custom filet Steve Rex, and coupled all steel kogswell P.

for my most typical daily cruise of 20 miles or more, more often than not, the giant gets the nod. but all the others get good use too.

gone are the rambouillet and the bleriot. they were fun and feisty too, but for most of my riding i like light, comfortable and fast-ish. in a pinch, the kogswell can take all the tire i think i'll ever need so recently the herd got thinner.

[Ray]

fit is timeless.

atmo.
Bingo.

I rode lugged steel for years, and still have the option available. But my two main bikes at the moment are ti and I love them because of the fit and the handling, not some mythical properties of the metal. I know I could get a bike that handled and fit like these bikes made out of steel and I might someday, just because I like the look of lugged steel. I'm sure I could get something that felt similar enough from alu or carbon too, if I wanted to (but I don't). Material isn't much more than an aesthetic preference in my world. A good designer/builder can make any of the materials work.

As for parts, I prefer modern, but only up to a point. I'm pretty well locked in on nine-speed because you can mix and match road and mountain groups, which I like to do. And it lasts, which ten-speed seems to be developing a reputation for not doing as well. But I like brifters and hyper-glide or whatever the shifting 'systems' these days are called. I like smooth and easy shifts that are occasionally possible under load more than I like the really old classic stuff.

-Ray

[J.Greene]

I still have too many inch pitch chainrings and wood rims to wear out to move up to a modern bike with derailleurs just yet.

JG

[Tom]

Like somebody said, a good lugged steel bike is as modern and as fast as any bike that was popped out of a mold. If it fits, it can be as fast and as fun as one's abilities.

[Fixed]

bro how do you improve upon the penny far thing?
cheers
here is the link to my new race club
http://homepages.tesco.net/~D.A.Y/national.html

[Elefantino]

fit is timeless.

atmo.
I second.

It's not about the bike (material).

Did one of those Specialized Body Geometry scan things, where they measure you and put you in a computer and out pops your perfect measurements. Every one of my measurements, with the exception of saddle height (and that was close) was right on.

And I've been using the same fit specs on all my bikes for a number of years.

Fit rocks.

[William]

I'd be willing to wager that my steel fillet brazed effin cross bike would be just as light or lighter then any other material custom built for my size and strength requirements.

What is "Mo-dern" anyway?



William

[Elefantino]

What is "Mo-dern" anyway?
Bruce's younger brother.

[William]

Bruce's younger brother.


The one they don't want talk about. ;)




William

[stevep]

i agree w/ william.
whst yr definition of a modern bike?

i had ( for one ride ) a perfect vintage schwinn paramount from the mid 60s.
my size, nice bike.
rode it one time... never would ride it again, sold it.
the stuff was junk ( early campy ) brakes barely worked, shifted like shiite, front der rubbed without even any pressure on it. horrible.

i could and will be perfectly happy riding a current lugged steel bike w/ current or recent parts...or a carbon wonder bike like i sell... ( time ).
current stuff is vastly better... whether it be steel, carbon, ti, maybe aluminum.
its like comparing a 65 datsun to a 07 lexus.
not the same...

[djg]

I'm not sure where the "modern" cut-off lies. My fixed gear bike is a CSi from '96, lugged steel, and I'm keeping it, and my cross bike is TIG welded steel, but newer (853). If something happened to the fixie, I'd be glad to work around another steel road frame, including an earlier one, and I wouldn't necessarily see anything not to like about, say, an SL or 531 generation bike with dt shifters for around town, or bad weather, or commuting. But, really, I suspect that I won't go there, and while I can imagine special purposes, not my own, for preferring dt or bar end shifters, I think it's pretty unlikely that I'll ever again build up a road bike that's my main ride that uses '70s or '80s tubing, dt shifters, 6 speeds in back, etc. I've never had a Giant and I don't know if one of their 4 or 5 sizes fits me, but I like contemporary road bikes and Campag 10 speed and that's my main choice -- not going back any time soon. Like others, I'd distinguish this preference from the issue of steel or lugs. I think folks are building things today in steel, with lugs and without, that I'd consider contemporary and that I'd be happy to ride.

[Ti Designs]

It's not so much a question of modern or not for me, it's just a question of which bike feels like home. Since September I've been on my fixed gear and I no longer think about which bike I'm riding - it's "the bike". Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that it's got knobby tires so cornering hard could hurt, and I know I'm somewhat speed limited, but none of that matters. I could be on a 16 pound carbon bike or my 26 pound steamroller, after a month I don't know that I would notice that much of a difference. The tooling issue also doesn't apply to me, I fix my road bikes with a hammer, my mountain bikes with a rock and tandems just never go out of adjustment.

All that said, I don't know that I've made it out of the stone age in terms of modern bikes - maybe I don't know what I'm missing. My progression went Nuovo Record with 6-speed freewheels to Mavic with 7-speed freewheels to Dura-Ace 9-speed, all in just 30 years! Just what is modern anyway???

[soulspinner]

i agree w/ william.
whst yr definition of a modern bike?

i had ( for one ride ) a perfect vintage schwinn paramount from the mid 60s.
my size, nice bike.
rode it one time... never would ride it again, sold it.
the stuff was junk ( early campy ) brakes barely worked, shifted like shiite, front der rubbed without even any pressure on it. horrible.

i could and will be perfectly happy riding a current lugged steel bike w/ current or recent parts...or a carbon wonder bike like i sell... ( time ).
current stuff is vastly better... whether it be steel, carbon, ti, maybe aluminum.
its like comparing a 65 datsun to a 07 lexus.
not the same...


:beer:

[93legendti]

Anything after this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny-farthing

is modern. I never understood how people pick a random time in the 137 years bikes have been around and determine that anything after that is modern.

This: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_bicycle

was invented in 1885. Seems just right: 2 wheels, chain, bars, seat and stem.

[Fixed]

my new kit cheers

[davids]

I'll definitely take a bike built today over one built in the past. But as far as a choice between steel, aluminum, carbon, titanium, lugs, brazes, welds, or glue - I don't think of one material or joining technique as more modern than another. The best contemporary lugged steel frame is as "modern" as the best contemporary bonded carbon frame, atmo.

I'll also take STI over friction shifting each and every day of the year.

[Kevan]

I used the Calfee. This morning's prework romp was on the Bridgestone.

Different characters, different days. The spectrum of my ridng experience is broarder having both bikes.

[jmeloy]

Couple of years ago I bought a Giant TCR Composite and started riding a lot more. Still had my 1971 Motobecane Grand Record that I bought new, with mostly all Nuevo Record. Decided to take it out for a spin one day and was blown away by how awkward it felt. Narrow bars were maybe the culprit. Ride it around the block, parked it, and sold it shortly afterwards (kind of wish I hadn't and should have kept it for wall art or maybe updated it.

Now looking for a "mo-dern" steel bike!
JAM

[Fixed]

the bike ..what counts is i'm flyin when i on the bike like a bird ..as long as it fits and is fixed i'm happy
cheers

[Dave]

I bought my last lugged steel frame in 1995, a Tommasini Sintesi (for about $850). It's by far the prettiest bike I ever owned, with bright metallic red paint, chrome lugs, fork and stays. In 1999, I bought my first frame with a threadless fork, a fully polished 1998 Litespeed Ultimate. It was much too stiff and rode like crap. Endured it for one season and sold it. From then on, it's been mostly carbon for me - two C-40's, LOOK 461, 381, 585.

As for the tool situation, threadless requires fewer tools, not more. The latest integrated headsets require only a 5mm wrench to tighten the top cap bolt. The crown race either slips on by hand or is built into the fork (LOOK HSC5).

Crank and BB designs continue to change. Octalink and ISIS came and went. Now we're into a variety of outboard designs and designs specific to one manufacturer. These only require a special bearing cup tool and it may be one that you already have. If not, they only cost $20.

Pinarello, Specialized, C'dale and now Trek all have their own version of oversized BB shells with special cranks and bearings to go with them. Most of these force you to buy repair parts from the original manufacturer, unless the bearings are a commercial standard (like most hub cartridge bearings). Some brands do have adapters to allow the use of traditional cranks and BBs.

[Tobias]

Anything after this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny-farthing

is modern. I never understood how people pick a random time in the 137 years bikes have been around and determine that anything after that is modern.

This: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_bicycle

was invented in 1885. Seems just right: 2 wheels, chain, bars, seat and stem.For me smaller design improvements can also suggest a modernization trend of the bicycle without having to reinvent the wheel (no pun intended). Not all significant improvements must be of the magnitude of the safety bicycle.

I view a threadless steerer as an improvement. IMO it’s better all around and adds to modernization.

Titanium is a more modern material than steel as applied to bicycles (historically and functionally); hence I’d generally consider that a more modern approach. Not necessarily better, just different and more modern.

Carbon fiber is even more modern than titanium. Again, not necessarily better when used for a simple bicycle frame. It comes down to personal preference.

I don't often go back other than to relive the past.

[redir]

IMO modern means clipless pedals and STI and even the early ones of those are considered vintage in some circles. I wouldn't use frame material to differentiate between modern and vintage.

I had a modern AL/CF bike that rode great until chain suck wore a hole in the CF chain stay. I now ride a modern TI bike which is great! I still race my 83 Guerciotti at least once a year. I race the old girl just for fun but in all fairness there really is not that much of a difference depending on the course. Campy Nuovo Record friction DT has a few limitations one of which is not being able to stand and shift. Even on the old girl though I ride modern clipless pedals.

[sspielman]

my new kit cheers


You pull off the tweed knickers well.....and the chicks clearly like it as well...the babe is hot....