Hi Jan,
I think this was the post below was the culprit:
Grant McLean Toronto.Ca
Charles "old, but not yet worn out completely" Andrews wrote:
"One serious problem with modern gear is that it doesn't seem very durable. For a racing season, or two, maybe, sure. But, you tell me, how many heavily-used index bikes will still be useable 30 years from now?
I can go find a 30-year-old Nuovo Record bike that's been heavily used, without much fuss, and with a few modest adjustments and some lubricant I can probably have it working flawlessly.
Maybe it'll need a new freewheel, or chain, or cables..all easily and cheaply found and installed... but that's it.
I have the sense that modern indexed racing bikes are all but useless after a season or two. Everything wears out quickly, and is expensive and/or difficult to replace.
On a bike used exclusively for professional racing, this is a non-issue (you just go get a new one from your sponsor)...but for any other kind of use, this kind of performance is unacceptable. Of course, some old racing stuff was like this (early alloy freewheels for instance, which lasted for one day of racing, if you were lucky)... but you could take any bike from the pro peleton in 1972, ride it regularly for 20 years, and other than chains, freewheels, chainrings, brake pads and cables, it'd need nothing but regular cleaning and lubrication
This is all obvious, I know, but worth remembering in this context: the old stuff really IS better than the new stuff, if performance *and* longevity are the standards..
From: Jan Heine <heine93@earthlink.net>
I have not seen anybody on this list say that new bikes are junk (but I don't read every message!). The original question was whether new bikes were better and faster than older bikes. By saying they are not, one does not say they are worse or slower. They might just be the same.
Of course, as has been pointed out, one has to define "old." There
have been distinct improvements since the days when there were no
bikes at all. Any bike probably is faster than walking! But this
undisputable fact does not mean that the latest Japanese oversize BB
spindle with outboard bearings will make an impact on how fast you
get from A to B, compared to the "horribly outdated" design that a
certain Italian manufacturer continues to peddle.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.mindspring.com/
>snipped:
>"Enjoy and ride old bikes and new bikes and let's move off this idea
>that "only our old bikes are cool" and "modern bikes are soul-less
>junque"