Where does a classic road bike fit in your cycling life?

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by choke

I have to disagree with this. I get that most people aren't willing to take a pure road bike on to the dirt but they will survive it. I've done Cino twice on bikes that wouldn't fit anything larger than 26mm wide (Merckx and Pogliaghi) and they worked just fine. A lot of people have done Cino on 23s.

They'll survive it, but when has this forum been about surviving?

I'd also counter that Cino and Eroica are really looking back farther, to an era when most bikes would fit 27 x 1.25 or even 27 x 1.5 tires. Most bikes from the 60's and 70's (or even the 40's and 50's) for the re-enactment rides handle dirt with aplomb. But many riders already own a lugged steel bike from the mid-eighties or later (or those are what are easier to find on the used market) and while those are technically legal, they're not necessarily the aim of the events. (Not trying to gatekeep here; come out and ride whatever you've got!)

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Kirk007

I think you will be thrilled with both, often on the same ride. But there are plenty of long road loops - Cascade Lakes etc.- where the nice zing of a pure road bike might be really nice.

You'll be welcome to bring a couple with you on your next trip down..

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by Smitty2k1

I think this is what I want as my first "real" road bike. Got any suggestions on frames/bikes that are affordable?

Here are some prior discussions/posts/threads:
Late 70's and early 80's semi-vintage steel frames with clearances.

Thread with plenty of suggestions.

[galgal]

Interesting thread and my short answer to original question would simply be that yes, a classic road bike is always going to be central part of my stable. Question in return: is a C40 a classic road bike? It's not steel and has a carbon fork and yet...
My current stable has a C40 along with a C59, a Moots Vamoots RSL and Colnago Conic Spiral SLX w/Precisa fork. I rode the last one yesterday after a week of of riding the RSL, and it felt great, not a let down after the Moots at all. It's all good really, I feel fortunate to have these choices, and it's about enjoying the ride right?
So about the C40, to my mind it's a classic road bike, even though it's carbon and has a carbon fork. It has the classic Colnago lines, looks and rides the part, is super comfy and paired with Hyperons (and oh those horribly narrow Corsa 25s) is heaven to ride all day - on roads.
Reportedly is ok on cobbles too, though I haven't tried

[Kirk007]

Originally Posted by galgal

\is a C40 a classic road bike?

one of the most classic in my mind.

[akelman]

I was able to get back to riding after a long health-related hiatus by buying a gravel bike. I mostly roll 35s and can keep up with my buddies on road rides. It's a wonderful bike, and I very rarely feel like I'm missing something when I'm riding it. That said, I did decide a couple of months ago that I wanted to see if I can make a more traditional racing bike work, so I bought something here. It needs a new stem and some other minor tweaks. Once I've got everything in place, I'll report back about my experience.

I anticipate feeling like an idiot for cheating on my gravel bike, crawling back and hoping it'll accept my apology, and then living happily ever after (until the next frame catches my wandering eye, and I make the same horrible mistake again).

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by galgal

Interesting thread and my short answer to original question would simply be that yes, a classic road bike is always going to be central part of my stable. Question in return: is a C40 a classic road bike? It's not steel and has a carbon fork and yet...
My current stable has a C40 along with a C59, a Moots Vamoots RSL and Colnago Conic Spiral SLX w/Precisa fork. I rode the last one yesterday after a week of of riding the RSL, and it felt great, not a let down after the Moots at all. It's all good really, I feel fortunate to have these choices, and it's about enjoying the ride right?
So about the C40, to my mind it's a classic road bike, even though it's carbon and has a carbon fork. It has the classic Colnago lines, looks and rides the part, is super comfy and paired with Hyperons (and oh those horribly narrow Corsa 25s) is heaven to ride all day - on roads.
Reportedly is ok on cobbles too, though I haven't tried

In my mind all of those are archetypical road bikes - geometry you'd see at the road races in the '90s-'10s, tire clearances from the later end of that era, meant to be ridden on good or better pavement, etc.

And yes, it's about enjoying the ride - my question was simply how and why and who is choosing to enjoy the ride on a classic road bike these days, vs. choosing gravel, endurance, or aero options..

[B4_Ford]

Interesting question. I’m sure I’ll always have a “classic” road bike, or two, or three, in my collection. I appreciate each of my bikes for what they are and the experience I have with them. My CIII is the bike that feels like it’s always ready to go faster than I am and is supremely stable and smooth at any speed. The craftsmanship that went into it is on par with the hand built Italian bikes that I’ve ridden. My Litespeed Tuscany is, well, a Litespeed. When new, it was the bike I always wanted but could never afford. When I had the chance to buy it used, I didn’t ask permission. I appreciate my LeMond Ti because of the history and uniqueness of that specific bike, even though it rides like 25 year old retired race bike. All my classics are instantly familiar. They’re essentially what I learned to love cycling on. They’re mechanically simple and I’m comfortable doing almost all required maintenance on them. Having said all that, I love my Giant XTC Composite mountain bike because it’s the first mountain bike I’ve owned in nearly 30 years. It’s got me fooled into thinking that I can do the same dumb stuff on a bike that I used to do on my old Rockhopper, only this time with better health insurance. I love my Specialized Diverge for the fact that I can easily ride across terrain that I previously would have found alternate routes around. I’m still not comfortable turning the screws on it, but it’s forcing me to learn the finer points of modern components. It might be the bike that keeps me evolving.

Simply put, my classic bikes keep me grounded in why I love riding, and the modern ones show me more reasons to love riding.

Edit: I just reread what I wrote. I realize that I probably sound like grandpa reminiscing about days long past.


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[choke]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

There's a difference between "I can ride that" or "It's a fun challenge to ride gravel/dirt on 23s/25s" and being able to truly enjoy it in a sustainable and less risk-prone way. The margin for error is very slim when you're riding narrow tires off road and the toll it takes on your body can be large. One wrong line choice or some unseen sand or a hidden square-edge rock and it's game over, where's the life-flight gonna land time. I'm not saying you can't do an Eroica/Cino ride on narrow tires, obviously you can - but that doesn't mean those tires or the bikes they're on are a good day-in day-out substitute for modern gravel wheels/tires/frames.

I can't say that I have ever felt unsafe riding on dirt/gravel with skinny tires. They do feel less capable though, as well as less comfortable. But I do prefer wider tires and usually pick a bike with them.

Originally Posted by Clean39T

And yes, it's about enjoying the ride - my question was simply how and why and who is choosing to enjoy the ride on a classic road bike these days, vs. choosing gravel, endurance, or aero options..

I'm not sure if the Strada Bianca qualifies as a gravel or endurance bike but its certainly the closest thing that I have to one. Most of the time I'm on it or the Losa, which will fit 30mm tires, and probably 85% of my riding time is on dirt/gravel.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by akelman

I was able to get back to riding after a long health-related hiatus by buying a gravel bike. I mostly roll 35s and can keep up with my buddies on road rides. It's a wonderful bike, and I very rarely feel like I'm missing something when I'm riding it. That said, I did decide a couple of months ago that I wanted to see if I can make a more traditional racing bike work, so I bought something here. It needs a new stem and some other minor tweaks. Once I've got everything in place, I'll report back about my experience.

I anticipate feeling like an idiot for cheating on my gravel bike, crawling back and hoping it'll accept my apology, and then living happily ever after (until the next frame catches my wandering eye, and I make the same horrible mistake again).

Looking forward to seeing your new ride!

[ridethecliche]

Is this classic enough?

[Mike V]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

Is this classic enough

It's big enough

[robt57]

Classic Tarmac getting maiden tire voyage tomorrow. Glued rear up this morning. Oldpotatoe method...

Looking forward to these 25mm LGG tubeless toobies on some Rolf CX58s I got recently.

[robt57]

Nm

[reuben]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Where does a classic road bike fit in your cycling life?

Not high enough.