Isn't it time to update the cut-off date for 'retro'?

wynne

Gold Trader
Feedback
View
Seems to me like bikes from the early 2000s are starting to look pretty retro. How was 1998 arrived at as the birth of modern?
 
For what it's worth I agree, but the date seems to be set in stone and it's really not getting into this again.
 
Retro shmetro!
Both of mine, from this century, are retro.
What is more retro, or desireable, than a skinny steel frame ?
It's just that pre'97 most of the components , particularly brakes and bouncy forks, were dangerous junk. Post '98, it usually does what it's supposed to!
;)
 
Why does everyone have such a downer on cantis? They always stopped me plenty well enough never had a problem doing endos.
 
Same here. With the aid of 25.000 brake boosters at the front and a broom stick between the spokes, I never had problems doing endos with canti brakes.

In all seriousness, Cantis are a pain in the you-know-what to set up, and even then they simply don't perform as good as a set of cheap Vee brakes.

As for the date, I'm fairly happy with that. 1997 marked a major change.
Manufacturers started doing less radical stuff and the whole industry started refining products more than inventing new ones.
The only radical change I can think of since 1997 is the Hollowtech system, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone proved me wrong there by showing a pre-1997 version.
 
Suspension has come a long way as has carbon tech (maybe frames too).
And brakes.

Foundations are there of course.
 
OK.
Retro: pre-1998
Neo-Retro: 1998-2008
Modern: 2008 on.

Neo retro can also be described more simply as 'obsolete'. :D
 
hamster":xzteaa3g said:
OK.
Retro: pre-1998
Neo-Retro: 1998-2008
Modern: 2008 on.

Neo retro can also be described more simply as 'obsolete'. :D
Yeah, maybe, but modern, 2008 on, has planned obsolescence.
 
Aha...the definition difference :LOL:

Nice one.
1 Retro = Didn't work very well.
2 Neo-Retro = Obsolete but works well.
3 Modern = No spares when it breaks and completely incompatible with anything else.
 
Back
Top