I think the CR category in the 508 is just a neat way of promoting the bikes we love. Rules? Who cares - yes, aluminum frames, triple cranks, etc. all date back at least to the 1930s. Riders in the technical trials used 24-hole front wheels. It doesn't matter - it's about the spirit, it's a celebration of the bikes we love... If you think 7 cogs on the rear give you an advantage, you probably won't enter this category, anyhow.
That brings up the question: Will the CR category guys be slower than those on modern bikes? Well - it depends. Aerobars will make a large difference, and I assume they aren't allowed in the CR category. Our research has shown that everything else won't matter - a good bike fit and good tires make more of a difference than a pound or two in weight. However, the professional or semi-professional riders rely on sponsors for money, and thus they'll enter the "standard" category on modern equipment. The CR-type riders will be amateurs who have to make a living. They won't have as much time to train, and thus likely be slower than the pros. (And then there is the question of doping. Are CR-category riders allowed to take only substances that were available in 1983?)
In Paris-Brest-Paris 2007, they did not have a CR category. And my 1973 Singer would not have qualified, because I used clipless pedals - like Emily did in the 508. Beyond that and the lighting, my bike was pure 1973. It had 2x6 speeds, but I never even used the smallest two cogs, yet nobody passed me on downhills or the flats. My bike weighed a few pounds more than most, but nobody ever passed me on a uphill, either.
No, I did not come first. I was caught behind a crash and did not have the energy to chase back, and once, a guy rode me off his wheel in a cross-wind. Hard to blame the bike in each case! See the full report at
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/
So much to the potential drawbacks of my bike. The old technology had real advantages, too. Just to name a few:
I had a real leather chamois in my shorts and a 1980s Brooks saddle. I had no saddle problems, unlike many riders on more modern equipment. I also had the benefit of relatively classic tires, which had a lower rolling resistance than most modern tires you saw on other riders' bikes.
Perhaps we should issue a challenge? Find a CR-class rider who'll beat all true amateurs in the modern class, defined as those who don't have any sponsors?
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.bikequarterly.com