Re: Why ride old stuff? Was [CR]Winning Today's Races With Yesterday's Technology

(Example: Framebuilders:Dario Pegoretti)

Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 17:05:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: "David Feldman" <feldmanbike@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Why ride old stuff? Was [CR]Winning Today's Races With Yesterday's Technology
To: "Thomas R. Adams, Jr." <kctommy@msn.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <BAY4-F10sGaMTCmTnGl0000fb15@hotmail.com>


How about those pesky neutral support cars with nothing but Shimano 9 and Campy 10 rear wheels in 'em?
David Feldman
Vancouver, WA


--- "Thomas R. Adams, Jr." wrote:


>
>
>
>
> >Chuck, (and others not snoozing yet...)
>
>
>
>
>
> >
>
> >I still think that lots of 50's to 70's stuff is
>
> >just a lot better looking than 99% of modern stuff.
> There's
>
> >no better looking bikes than those 70's Gios,
> Pinarello, Bianchi,
>
> >Masi, De Rosa and all those other pro racing bikes
> of that era.
>
> >(and I am "in the prime of life") BUT, I think
> modern technology
>
> >is better in every way, so I'm no retro-grouch.
> I'm not talking
>
> >about quality, or craftsmanship, I'm talking
> technology.
>
> >
>
>
>
>
> Well, certainly the modern stuff doesn't slow Lance
> and Jan down any. But how important is that last
> 10th of a MPH, in the real World (meaning my World)?
> And consider the following scenario as a reason to
> ride old stuff:
>
>
>
> Tom rides down the road, slips on some gravel, lays
> the bike down and breaks a brake lever and scrapes
> the frame all the way through the finish. Lance,
> coming along behind him, laughs at Tom, gets
> distracted and does the same thing.
>
>
>
> Cost of repairs:
>
>
>
> Tom: 1972 Gitane with Weinmann centerpulls and bar
> cons: $5 Weinmann lever at swap meet, $6 bottle of
> touch up paint. Maybe $25 at LBS to check alignment,
> if crash is really bad. (Band aids not included).
>
>
>
> Lance: 200x Trek Carbon fibre with Dura Ace 10
> Speed: Brake levers $269, Frame $2,500+. Plus the
> fork may be toast too. We'll assume band aids are
> the same in both cases. Even if only the brake
> levers are damaged, I'm too cheap to ride something
> that can cost 2 C notes if you break an exposed
> part.
>
> Now I would expect to average one tenth of a mile or
> so faster with the modern stuff for any given
> distance (a bit more aero, shift more to stay at my
> ideal cadence and lighter to go up hill), but the
> functionality and speed of my old bikes is enough to
> satisfy me, and they are much cheaper to keep on the
> road. Turning it another way, for what I'd pay Trek
> for the latest and greatest, I can buy 6 vintage
> bikes and have that much more fun. Would I ride any
> more if I had a "modern" bike? I doubt it. If you
> do race or if speed is a priority, then by all means
> chase every fractional improvement. If nothing
> else, it may be important to morale to think your
> equipment is just as good as the next guy's and it's
> good for the economy. But do you then suffer a let
> down when your opponent shows up with a SunRace 11
> speed cassette? Meanwhile, I'm saving my $ and
> waiting for old Sachs frames to drop into my price
> range.
>
> If the old style stuff was faster, then I expect the
> racers would use it. Witness Lance using the old
> Campy aero bottles and AX brakes as someone just
> pointed out. But I don't see any racers using down
> tube sifters or Barcons, even though Shimano offers
> both in 9 speed versions. A skilled user might be
> as fast with the older style stuff, but he wouldn't
> be faster with them just because of them.
>
> Of course this is an argument that will never end,
> and has no right or wrong answer. Everyone suit
> yourself, but as long as you're riding, you're okay
> with me.
>
> Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
>
>
>
>
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