Not to start the thread about using old bikes again, I still would like to report on yesterday's ride.
For the Seattle International Randonneurs' 400 km brevet (250 miles), I used a 1962 Singer randonneur, complete with Nivex rear derailleur, rod-operated wire front derailleur, Singer cam-actuated brakes, etc. (The bike looks more like a 1952 bike, so it was "retro" already when it was ordered.)
The course goes through the Cascades, over 3 passes (Snoqualmie, Swauk/Blewitt, Stevens) and encompasses over 13,000 feet of climbing. It was a splendid day, if one doesn't count the relentless headwinds (The wind blows out of the interior in the morning and from the coast in the afternoon, so we faced it most of the time).
The Singer worked great. The lights are good enough (5 am start), but the bottle generator creates some drag, so it was nice to turn the lights off soon after the start. The Nivex shifted as always: perfect. Remembering that you pull the lever toward you for a shift onto a smaller cog (inverse of modern) took a few miles to get used to (I had ridden the bike for a total of 50 miles total). The front derailleur is a joy to use - you tap the lever, and the chain moves to the next chainring. The smallish gears (46/32 with 15-17-19-22 freewheel) were perfectly adequate, although I usually use a straight block (with triple), so the gaps between gears were a bit big at times. The 40-year old Brooks B-17 was soft, but not broken in for my behind - it took about 100 miles to get really comfortable, but was fine thereafter.
The bike handles great, whether negotiating twisty switchbacks or descending in full areo tuck at approx. 45 mph. It was a long ride, but the bike was on my side, urging me along. The hardest section was 40 miles of short, relentless, steep hills (8-15%) after 11 hours of riding. The bike helped me along with easy, predictable handling (I was getting tired) and smooth shifts when I had underestimated a hill.
There were no mechanical problems, except once I pushed the lever for the front changer too far and the chain fell to the outside. It was easy to put back on the chainring.
We finished first, in 15:30 hours, a full 105 minutes ahead of the next randonneur. But then, the Singer was one of only two purpose-built randonneur bikes at the start (and the other was a fixed-gear!). Previously, I had done the ride with 2 other guys, on modern bikes, in 15:35. I will not say that this is proof of the superiority of old material, but it isn't slower, either.
Jan Heine, Seattle