What's the attraction of Retro Bikes?

For me a few things,1. bikes my parents wouldn't buy me as a kid,2. I love jumping on one of my fully rigid retro bikes after being on my downhill bike all day and going for a blast along the local trails at the night time. You can obviously feel the difference between them and then you have to adjust your riding style to suit with the brakes,gears and no suspension and you still get a buzz from doing it,i'll never get tired of that

Many of us were the right age at the right time to surf a spectacularly exciting wave of a fabulous sport just starting to hit the meanstream and evolving quickly. Small bike brands many of which focussed purely and passionately on MTB - they were specialist machines, damn good in their day, and if you had one you were part of a killer cool movement. It wasn't all commercial hype on the cookie-cutter 'everybody's-got-one' scale like we have now. These were more than just bikes, they were adventure machines for daring explorations across terrain cyclists hadn't much tried before. We were blasting along forestry commission firebreak tracks long before they were even officially allowing or encouraging it. The XC trails plied by a zillion modern bikes now are the trails we discovered and broke open on our old steel hardtails. We might be old gits now but back then we were on to something and we knew it. Besides all the nostalia, classic bikes are simply beautiful in their minimalist and elegant design. What's not to love?
Right, time to remove the rose-tinted glasses and go out for a ride! See yas...

Just bought two late 80s British frames hand made by someone I can name. Enough said.

Fingers crossed.

The History Man":23uzdpg4 said:

Just bought two late 80s British frames hand made by someone I can name. Enough said.

Fingers crossed.

Click to expand...

Do you have frame numbers yet, the later one you showed me, I guessed at 89 to 90 based on the rear canti mounts, the first one being 88 or earlier(of course with this one being a full custom frame the rear brake mount position could have been due to the customers spec choices)

sinnerman":jzbkoppi said:

The History Man":jzbkoppi said:

Just bought two late 80s British frames hand made by someone I can name. Enough said.

Fingers crossed.

Click to expand...

Do you have frame numbers yet, the later one you showed me, I guessed at 89 to 90 based on the rear canti mounts, the first one being 88 or earlier(of course with this one being a full custom frame the rear brake mount position could have been due to the customers spec choices)

Click to expand...

May 88 and march 89 I'm told. On the money then

For me.... well I can buy any modern thing I want. Money isn't really the issue when you ARE the LBS.

When you're "industry", retro is actually one of the few ways you can actually have any kind of thrill of the chase that gives you the same feeling of desperately wanting something that is unattainable.

Common sense has no place in this kind of equation.

Modern bikes USUALLY ride better. Modern parts usually work better. Running costs are irrelevant for me. I have no illusions of doing well at a race.

What is truly great about retro is that
1) Turn up at an event with the only old bike - and EVERYONE looks at your bike -at least if it's clearly a statement of intent rather than all you actually had. If that bike is a square Pace in a territory where there were never very many to start with, then factor by 10.
2) Always a conversation point. My Dave Yates hangs above my workbench at the shop thesedays and always gets a comment first time a new customer sees it.
3) Sometimes there's just the surprised elation you get when you get out on a bike you've not ridden for a while, when you remember just how good it is. The Look MI-80 gives me that feeling, every single ride.
4) Others you think "how did people ride so fast BITD?" - My Alan cross gives you that vibe....

I grew up riding what must have been truly awful products from Nottingham, my best bike from the period was a brand new 5 speed Raleigh Arena. A gents touring bike disguised in flashy paint and drop handle bars. I hardly managed more than 10 miles without getting a puncture and either the rims or the tyre levers bent when I tried to get the tyres off to fix them.

I was too busy working when the MTB revolution came along, but after a few years, got to try the bikes and was blown away by something that was so tough, reliable and pleasurable to ride.

I like the simplicity, purity and ruggedness of some of the earlier designs. Once you have learned a particular level of technology and built up a few spares parts why move on, if it fits the bill?

I'd have to disagree about the modern components part - as long as its ratchets/ cables/ springs and an oily chain, not much has changed in the last two decades

But, it is very satisfying still, to pass some clobbered up cyclist on something very expensive, and be riding something that cost less than a round of drinks.

It may be a bad character flaw but there is still something deeply satisfying about it all.