I decided to do my 48 mile round trip commute today on my 1980 Masi Gran Criterium rather than my typical carbon-framed modern bike. (I wont even tell you what type of bike it is for fear of getting "off topic").
It was a perfect day today, with temps in the high 60's to low '70's and mostly sunny. Following a day of rain, the early morning musk of late summer leaves reminded me that fall's turning colors are just around the corner. The ride in to work was glorious. With my 46 year old arse planted on the 26 year old Unicanitor suede saddle, the Masi's wonderful lugged steel frame soaked up every rut and ripple in the road. I looked down at the blue, benotto-taped, narrow 3ttt engraved bars, supported by the lovely yellow and blue painted Faliero panto stem, grabbed the campy gum hoods and thought, "this bike is better than anything made today". Friction shifting is a bit of a pain, yes, but how many gears do I really need?
Got to work and checked my watch: one hour and 15 minutes for the 24 mile trip in. Not bad for an old guy on an old bike. And not too much slower, if at all, than that carbon framed such and such with the 20 gears.
Jeff Pyzyk
Milwaukee, WI