Thinking of getting a road bike

[BikerB]

I have a couple of retro mountain bikes ,but am thinking of getting a road bike,last racer i had was an 80's raleigh equipe.
To be honest i was looking at a new bianchi,but the looks of a classic road bike does make me smile.
Just not sure what to look for?
Is there any parts issues to worry about?
I would like some reliability but do understand parts can wear out.
Also are older racers alot harder work riding compared to a modern bike?
I'm assuming they are.
Thanks for any help.

 

[pigman]

IAlso are older racers alot harder work riding compared to a modern bike?
I'm assuming they are..

now there's a question. There are those who will swear blind that they are just the same and that modern stuff is just faddy, with no discernible difference and there are those that will notice a world of difference. It depends who you talk to.

My experience is there is a fair difference. For those steelmen that tell you they keep up on rides with the carbon brigade, you have to ask,
- how fit they are relative to those they are riding with
- what terrain do they ride on - the hillier, the bigger the difference will be.

Then there's the wag that says that Merckx won numerous titles, on steel, so it must be good. Ask yourself would he have won more had he been the only one on carbon.

I love the romance of steel bikes, but objectively, there is a big difference. IN the same way, I may love a Lotus Cortina, but I have to concede, that the modern Focus will probably be better car.

If you're riding alone, it won't really matter. Riding never gets easier, you just get faster

 

[mattr]

but objectively, there is a big difference.

Technically it's a lot of small differences. They are slightly lighter, slightly stiffer, slightly more compliant, slightly more aero etc etc

Makes them feel very different to ride. The numbers say they are different as well, but they are very small numbers (in the grand scheme of things).

TBH, my go to bike is still a 16 or 17 year old 853 raleigh (with pretty bang up to date geometry). Have had lots of shiny new carbon as an option. They have *mostly* been better in some way or other than the raleigh, but i still prefer it. The complete (frame) package does it for me.

If you go really old, the differences will get bigger and bigger. But anything from the last ~20 years, performance will be fairly comparable.

 

[mattr]

And as an aside, the biggest performance gains are wheels and tyres, which you can easily put on anything. As long as its compatible.

 

[legrandefromage]

I was on and off with road bikes since the dim and distant. Now I take it a little more seriously (but only a little), its tyres that can kill a ride. Modern rubber works very well.

Compatibility isnt much of a problem but older frame drop-outs often dont quite have the room for the teeth on the last sprocket on a 7/8spd 130mm width wheel and may foul the frame when the chain is on. Older, quality frames dont seem to have this issue. I have a 1974 frame running 130mm width 8spd - but bare in mind many old frames are 126mm at the rear stays.

I have a 1979 frame that doesnt suffer this issue and will be wearing 8spd components quite soon. But cheaper frames often have shorter dropouts and can only seem to fit a 6spd rear wheel.

For ease of use and building, make sure the frame you choose has braise-ons for downtube shifters or at least cable guides, then you can fit STI or bar-end shifters. Frames with a little 'dimple' for band on shifters can have previous damage from over tightening or the band slips during rides buggering the gears up.

Aside from that, its only very recently that standards have changed without backwards compatibility. You can fit an external BB to just about any older frame, plenty of quality threaded headsets and quill stems are now available from the hipsters and fixie brigades.

Old steel frames can sometimes feel 'dead' - not much you can do about this. I had one that just felt awful then one day there was a twang and off it went, all springy and compliant again - probably just a myth but...?

Older aluminium frames can be quite corroded from the previous owner's sweat and often crack at the headtube. Frames, as with MTB, can feel quite harsh

Carbon frames - check carefully for debonding of tubes, delamination on later frames, reactions to nasty incompatible lubricants and cleaners. Make sure seatposts move!

9spd chains work lovely with 7/8spd cassettes. 9spd chainrings are fine with 7/8spd

Watch for brake drop/ reach. Dual pivot brakes are great but check the frame for the distance between the bridge and the wheel rim as some frames are designed for bigger wheels with 700c leaving a big gap.

These are the pitfalls of building cheap and cheerful roadbikes that I have come across so far - If I think of anything else I'll add it to here

*Planet X do some very good value road bikes, I almost gave in to carbon!

 

[pigman]

Good summary LGF, just about sez it all

but beware ..

*Planet X do some very good value road bikes, I almost gave in to carbon!

a close mate had one of these and he never rated it. Finally he got round to buying a Scott frame and putting all his PX components on that and it has transformed his cycling. He can't give the PX frame away (but he's a shortarse, so the frame won't suit most). Now maybe, he just wanted an upgrade and this has made it palatable to him, but Carbon is not Carbon full stop. There's different methods of manufacture, different quality levels etc, so don't be tempted with "budget level carbon" - better to get good aluminium from a good brand.

 

[legrandefromage]

I did wonder at Planet X frames. I bought the Bobbin Scout instead. Have had a lot of smiles per miles out of that and dont feel the need to scowl or wear Sky team gear.

 

[NeilM]

Re:

Try the best of both worlds, in other words a nice 1980's or 90's steel frame and newer components, as that is where an awful lot of weight is.

I have just built up a 1980's Keith Coppell 531 frame, with SRAM Force components and Shimano Dura Ace wheels, it is running 10 speed compact gears and weighs in at an impressive 8kgs ( maybe a little more, as the scales cost £5.00).

I have done something similar in the past with an 853 Raleigh and a Concorde Astore, each time ending up with a nice lively ride, but with that retro look and feel.

As for which rides better, carbon or steel. I have a 2002 Rourke, which I built up with SRAM Force22 components and hand made lightweight wheels, it weighs 8.2kg and rides like a dream. I also have a KTM Revelator 3500, which I chose for it's spec and the fact it weighs.... 8.2kgs. The Rourke has the smoother ride, what it sacrifices is possibly some stiffness, which can mean wasted effort when climbing, never the less, it is the best of my fleet of road bikes.

As for much older bikes. This year I built a 1978 clubmans racer, based on a Dave Lloyd frame, but with all age related parts. Tyres, tubes, brake blocks, chain cables etc are all new. It's a lovely bike to ride, hence the KC, as I am very taken with 531, but it is much harder work, mostly due to gearing and weight.

 

[Mike Muz]

Re:

If I could only have one road bike, it would be steel. Easy to mend/replace tubes/add or take off braze ons.
With a mid '90's Shimano Ultegra groupset, ( equivalent to XT mtb group ) 9speed. Easy to source, decent quality and reliable. And some light wheels. Bontrager do some nice Race Lites, with - as mentioned - decent tyres on them for extra speed!

Mike

 

[Ajax Bay]

Lgf and Mattr have covered much ground and Neil's added to the mix. I’d like to add and/or reinforce a few points (assumes that the type of bike that makes you smile is 25+ years old and not a relatively new one eg some of those in Neil's stable).
That the rear OLN is often 126mm has been mentioned. A steel bike can be ‘cold set’ up to 130mm. But at 126mm you would need to use hubs with a freewheel not a freehub (which would take a cassette). I run a 14-28 6 speed freewheel which gives me a 34” to 104” range – good enough for me in Devon. You can get 7 speed freewheels with ‘ultra’ spacing which can go in 126mm OLN dropouts but suggest that would cause the stock/spares restrictions you alluded to in your first post. So the 126mm restricts one to a 6 speed cassette (without stressing the frame in the way lgf may have chosen to). Rear wheels (ie with 126 OLN hubs) for a ‘road bike’ with a 126mm OLN will mostly be second hand or NOS but see here:
http://halorims.co.uk/products/part/WHHARSF
Given this means a screw-on freewheel rather than a cassette, Sheldon Brown is worth reading:
http://sheldonbrown.com/freewheels.html
I make the assumption that drop handlebars are part of your ‘road bike’ definition. If so the above restriction will also affect your method of shifting which will need to be either down tube or bar end, indexed or friction: STIs or ergos are therefore out. Down tube shift levers will mostly be second hand or NOS – lots available on the appropriate Retrobike forum.
Finally, depending on age, the brakes on an older bike will likely be single-pivot caliper brakes and I suspect you’ll be taken aback by their ineffectiveness (certainly relative to the MTB cantilevers or discs to which you’re used). Sure you can replace them with dual-pivots (more modern) ones, but will that affect the quality of the smile to which you refer.
As far as the effect of likely additional weight of a steel frame (and forks) of an older bike (cf one of modern design made of aluminium or carbon), the variation in your fellow riders' bodyweights dwarfs the odd few pounds we're talking about: your MTB power will sort that out up the hills.
Hope that helps.