Retrobike motivation

There are two "things": the trail (or road) and me. And the bike is the link between these two. The more simple, more reliable link the better.

I didn't get into retro; the bike scene moved forward and left me behind.

So, since I now find myself in retroworld, I thought I'd enjoy myself and like the OP I now have a few of the bikes I couldn't afford back then and never thought I'd have the opportunity to ride, let alone own.

bodrobert":v7hp92nu said:

There are two "things": the trail (or road) and me. And the bike is the link between these two. The more simple, more reliable link the better.

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Nice statement! Yes, like a simple old sportscar - for the purity not the sophistication.

Another reason - though a bit vain maybe - is the sort of "inverse cool" of it. Next month i'm riding a 45km MTB jungle night race / jamboree with 2000 entrants. Where i live nobody rides retro and most guys have not even seen a '90s MTB (the MTB scene hardly existed here at all until the modern MTB explosion a few short years ago) so everyone stands on the startline comparing their fancy hydroformed frames, 29er rims and long travel shock gizmos. Just for the fun of it i'm going to leave my full susser at home and take my '90s steel hardtail with rigid fork and cantis and actually race all the 20-something youngsters on it! I finished in the top third last year on a modern bike so what the hell - should be a gas and hopefully won't come last!

Chopper1192":1ml73lgp said:

An obsession with exercise, and I'm not built for running so it gives me my cardio fix, and old bike add interest to the brew. Already done 300 press ups and a session of barbell rows (pyramid sets to 120kg) before the rest of the house was even awake, and I now got a retro bike ride to look forward to later, albeit towing a child trailer with child for a good leg work out

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What is it with you RGJ's? We've got one at work and he's just the same!

...and I'm getting slow in my old age; only just dawned on me what your 'Location' actually says! :facepalm:

As for the OP; retro has 'character' apart from anything else

Reliving my youth for less than £100 and getting fit at the same time.

Owning some of my dream bikes, finally.

Annoying modern riders when I smash past them on the up and down hill sections on my old rigid and straight forked bike.

(One modern rider I encountered recently asked me 'What are those....' whilst pointing at my V brakes)

That's me done.

Like a lot on here, the bikes I have turned from modern cutting edge bikes I bought and road, to some seemingly old things they now call Retrobikes.

Why I go retro?
When I was 13 - 16 I raced for the local Mongoose dealer and every time I went to the store I drooled over the Mongoose Amplifier and the IBOC Team that where astronomically expensive at the time, I watched those bikes and promised my self that one day I would own them.

Now I do
Objects of desire.

Today its like the Ferrari Daytona, It gets every one out of their high tech modern ferraris and drool.


Now I just have to that Lamborghini I always wanted....

The other thing is connected vith the reliability. I've seen many broken aluminium frames during the last years at races, some friends have broken ones, too. I am using only steel frames and never had a problem with them. Two years ago one of my friend and me were waiting for the start signal of a road race when I realized that his front aluminium fork legs (both of them) are broken! Both legs was broken for a 3/4th of the diameter. He did not start that race.
And I don't see the real innovation after the early '90s in respect to the durability. After the MD (microdrive) came into play, the durability of the components are lower and lower from year to year.
For example my first mtb rear derailleur (Shimano Altus A10 in '93) served me for years, and I used it for more than 20000 kms. The next one, a new Deore LX (from '95) lasted only about 8000 kms, after it started to play and became useless. And this LX derailleur had a pull type of spring (instead of sipal srping), which was useless for me in really muddy conditions. The spring clogged with mud and leafs, and the derailleur did not want to shift to the lower cogs anymore...
The last really usable and durable sets are made in the year '93, I think. The M735 series, M900, and the most reliable Deore DX-s.

Besides the things mentioned above, I think that most modern bikes look so awful with extruded tubes, massive travel and huge discs when there's very little need for them. Open a Kona catalogue these days and you'll see monstrosities (IMHO) which are so far away from bikes as they used to be. Maybe I'm just a Luddite who's scared of progress.

These dudes in the Philippines have all the answers...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx07SFLowdA
The smiles say it all