The last road bike you'll ever buy ..

[Coalfield]

At 74 years completed, I have given this topic (best last bike) some thought and action.
Briefly: bought myself a 50th birthday present of a custom CF racer and it was so much fun that I knew I wanted that when I got much older. So,... a few years later, in 2003, I imagined - maybe a shorter top tube (height/flexibility), slightly extended & tall head tube to reduce spacers, maybe a lower BB for stability, no toe overlap = helps keep f-c longer and less prone to twitchy while favoring quick steering, my colourway selection, seatstay braze-on for rack attach, lugged steel frame for durability & nostalgia, 1 1/8" headtube for front-end stiffness, sturdy carbon fork, CKing headset, CampaRecord, etc... Clearly, I had to find a flexible builder for the frame. Below is what he delivered. A wonderful rider, stiff not harsh, with my custom requests for which I have yet to implement aging adjustments - still a 125mm stem and 1cm available on steerer to raise the bars. Jon selected the Columbus tubes and geometry after hearing my ride quality preferences.

In the intervening 20 years, a significant number of vintage classics allowed me to refine my preferences for fit and riding style. To be anti-climatic = assuming you know your fit and preferred riding style - get the touchpoints right given one's cycling history put bigger tires run at lower pressure for when 'old bones' want cushioning. Butt, don't underestimate quality 28mm tubulars for decent roads ...... the rest is mostly about Ego. [Just 1 opinion from an olde cyclist]

 

[Coalfield]

Without attaching C&V photos - C&V favorites worth "growing old with" (from the perspective of a purely pleasurable 1day ride) have been:
In no order of preference -
Austro Daimler VentNoir&Olympian, EM Corsa Extra, DeRosa Pro, MondiaSuper, Peugeot PX10, Holdsworth Special, Hugo Rickert

Interesting they come from such a range of countries.

Then there is the aspect of future needs. A step-thru?, tandem for a younger captain to drive me around? E-road bike? No recumbent or trike in my group, yet.



Trying hard to be more than a Dirt Disciple.

 

[VilaNova]

I'm not quite there yet, but in another decade I daresay I'll be buying the 'last bike', the one that I'll ride every day into my dotage while the old knees will still carry me.

I've been thinking about it a bit lately as my cycling friend from work is just about to retire and he's on the prowl for a suitable candidate. His weapon of choice seems to be a Look carbon disc with all the fancy Look fittings.

My pick, at this point, will probably be a steel framed bike (no titanium, no thanks) with SRAM etap gearing, I'm not sure if I'll go with disc or rim brakes, but at the moment I can get great performance out of rim brakes. If disc brakes evolve to something more powerful, controllable and easier to maintain I'll think about that if and when the time comes.

So my frame of choice .. That's a hard one. I'm torn between an 853 fast tourer and a Colnago Master Xlight. I'm not one for loading up a bike for commuting, all my needs fit in a small frame bag or perhaps a front bag, and I never use mudguards so it's a toughie..

Good condition Master XLights can be had for reasonable money here, about half what they retail for. I've got some parts for it already, it pays to shop ahead of time! For a saddle I'll be using a trusty Flite Transalp, I've always liked them and never let me down. The only problem I forsee is rust to the lovely Italian chrome, as we live in quite a humid part of the country so getting it dry after damp days essential. The other option I have is a stainless 953, but they don't seem to get a good rep for longevity, and I want a build that will LAST!

What's your dream bike for the 'last bike'?

A Colnago Master Xlight is a great call and am sure a great bike. Have you considered a Ritchey Road Logic as well? BikeInn has some of the smaller sized frames at a good price and they are supposed to ride well.

If you are concerned with rust my steel (Oria Chromovan) Moser Leaders appear to have been chrome dipped at the factory which shows through if a get a paint chip. They ride nicely too.

 

[highlandsflyer]

I'm not quite there yet, but in another decade I daresay I'll be buying the 'last bike', the one that I'll ride every day into my dotage while the old knees will still carry me.

I've been thinking about it a bit lately as my cycling friend from work is just about to retire and he's on the prowl for a suitable candidate. His weapon of choice seems to be a Look carbon disc with all the fancy Look fittings.

My pick, at this point, will probably be a steel framed bike (no titanium, no thanks) with SRAM etap gearing, I'm not sure if I'll go with disc or rim brakes, but at the moment I can get great performance out of rim brakes. If disc brakes evolve to something more powerful, controllable and easier to maintain I'll think about that if and when the time comes.

So my frame of choice .. That's a hard one. I'm torn between an 853 fast tourer and a Colnago Master Xlight. I'm not one for loading up a bike for commuting, all my needs fit in a small frame bag or perhaps a front bag, and I never use mudguards so it's a toughie..

Good condition Master XLights can be had for reasonable money here, about half what they retail for. I've got some parts for it already, it pays to shop ahead of time! For a saddle I'll be using a trusty Flite Transalp, I've always liked them and never let me down. The only problem I forsee is rust to the lovely Italian chrome, as we live in quite a humid part of the country so getting it dry after damp days essential. The other option I have is a stainless 953, but they don't seem to get a good rep for longevity, and I want a build that will LAST!

What's your dream bike for the 'last bike'?

A cheerful concept. I'll just keep on swapping about as I go. Let it be a surprise.