Who actually rides their retro bikes?

[scant]

"Why do you need disc on a steel frame .

Disc breaks are usefull for freeride or downhill , for Xc no interest"...

wooaaahh! pretty sweeping statement there! I live right on the edge of the brecon beacons (think mountains, 1in4 gradients etc). then think wales 39in of rain a year. 5hr ride in general winter conditions can rip thru a brand new set of V brake pads! Disk brakes rule in these conditions! If anyone wants to come on a ride with me, PM me. I can guarentee you'll be washing your brake blocks off the tyre sidewalls @ the end of the ride & looking worryingly at your rim sidewalls (I've been there!)

I love retro bikes, I appreciate the styling, thought, history & everything else that comes along with older bikes. But bikes have progressed, where-as the bikes of today to me at least generally arent as beautiful, they're generally stronger, lighter, more reliable, faster. An example, my 1990 yeti weighs 30lbs fully rigid, my 03 XC FS bike weighs 25lbs, front & rear disk brakes, 4in of travel & every single component on the bike works better & the overal bikes descends AND climbs faster; what would you expect!

If you ride retro Kudos to you, hats off & all that.... sorry it took a long time to get to the answer! Do I ride retro? Nope!... but if my house was burning I'd be grabbing the 1990 rig over the 03. It may be a bike, but theres totally no shame in having "garage queens"

 

[cchris2lou]

I agree with you Scant, in some specific conditions , disc brakes are better that v brakes . But I think that for a general xc use good v brakes are still a good option .

I only have been riding in this country since the beginning of the year , and I have to say that the conditions have surprised me a lot . Most of the paths I use are used by horses and it makes them very difficult when wet . Last week end I had to stop to clear the mud to be able to carry on ( first time ever ) .

Anyway , I am not anti disc brakes , just thinking that v brakes still do the job .

 

[tangent]

yes.

all the time...as my recently broken bontrager ti will testify.

exploring the cost / possibilites of a repair, but think will probably spend the £££s on getting my old steel bonty rennovated (including a disc mount) Ironically the titanium version was going to be a rustfree longlife replacement for the steel one.

btw Ceramic rims (with the right sort of pads) have always given good perfromance in my neck of the woods.

 

[scant]

...been using ceramic rims since 97. yeh the sidewalls last a tad longer than normal rims (unless you use green kool stops which actually eat ceramic!).. now I get 2 years until the sidewalls blow out

 

[tangent]

ride retro? cermaic rims...

should you ever need to rejuvinate a ceramic rim (they can glaze over) don't waste ££s on the special mavic 'rubber' thing. I have found that products of a very similar composition tend to be availible in modelling / art / craftshops for only a few quid...

I'll be riding, (maybe ruining , hopefully not )retro equipment for quite some time, as although bikes technology may well have progressed, my perosnal riding styles haven't quite kept up with the pace of change :!:

 

[gump]

ooo almost a thread in itself with the disc brakes!! I kinda really like them, second only to sus forks as a great step forward for me.

Will be riding my new and only (at mo!) retro bike for the first time tomorrow - figured if I go out early all the mud will be frozen!!
Now I have checked it all through, should be OK - Not sure if the Pauls mech is too great though :?
hey, if stuff breaks, it breaks Won't stop me crying though..

After seeing some of Jez' bikes, can see why you wouldn't ride them!! Keep the retro for special rides only

 

[tangent]

I'm thinking the same about the mud, just got in from a very chilly shed where my bike is all NZ'd up (ie. very, very, clean) and ready to go in the bike bag. Need to do a gentle cruise over some frosted grass, and around some country lanes tomorrow to make sure all's good

 

[rody]

All I have is old stuff...

I guess I still ride "retro" bikes all the time because I have not invested in new technology.

My project bike will be the first new bike in sometime (10 years) but even it is getting some retro parts (still work awesome, no need to change)

I went out for a ride on both my mountain and road ss today...since it is sunny, I may even take some pics and post them in the bike gallery.

cheers,

rody