IMO bicycles probably reached their zenith in the late 80s. The frames were made with beautiful lugs, and they had down tube shifters. Frames with lugs were brazed together with low heat, and the tubes were not damaged. With down tube shifting the bike were clean of cable flapping around, especially if you had your brake cables under the handlebar wrap. And they already had click shifting and clipless pedals. Bikes didnt get any better than that.
The bicycle zenith
- Thread starter rydabent
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
I must concur with my learned friend, the Hon. Elton Frog.
Then tell us what has gotten better.
Rusty Nails
We remember
- Location
- Living in the slow lane
If you are talking solely about the aesthetics of bicycles then you might have a point, although with aesthetics it is a subjective rather than objective and many people will disagree.
For practicality and ease of use bicycles have always been improving.
Jameshow
Veteran
5 speed friction shifting obvs!!
Succinct and nail on the head.
biggs682
Touch it up and ride it
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Harsh
@rydabent lugged steel bikes will always appeal to us people who only had steel or gas pipe choice of frame materials when we first started cycling back in the day , whilst these whippet snappers have multiple choices of frame materials these days.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Cantilever, V, disc and hydro brakes.
Suspension.
Tyres, in terms of grip, longevity, comfort and puncture resistance.
Massive choices in frame materials with all the benefits to speed and ride they bring.
Huge advances in drivetrain range.
Then theres mountain bikes, gone from barely being a thing to being hugely capable off road machines.
One may prefer bikes from the late 80s (although one could equally argue that they were fundamentally little changed from those of the early 70s) but to suggest they haven't got any better since then is the funniest thing I've heard in ages.
Suspension.
Tyres, in terms of grip, longevity, comfort and puncture resistance.
Massive choices in frame materials with all the benefits to speed and ride they bring.
Huge advances in drivetrain range.
Then theres mountain bikes, gone from barely being a thing to being hugely capable off road machines.
One may prefer bikes from the late 80s (although one could equally argue that they were fundamentally little changed from those of the early 70s) but to suggest they haven't got any better since then is the funniest thing I've heard in ages.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Very un-80s. Your classic 80s brake lever would be a Weinmann "red dot" lever, with cables coming out of the top, and possibly with "suicide" levers. That's not to say that "aero" levers with under-the-tape cables weren't available at the time but if they were they certainly weren't very common. I don't remember them.
I have to say that I'm a bit sympathetic with the OP's view from a sentimental/nostalgic point of view - as 5 speed friction shifters, and bikes completely free of allen bolts, with steel rims and brakes that didn't slow you down much were what I grew up with. But really I prefer my modern bike.
There was a similar thread a few years ago that I might try to dig out that argued almost exactly the same thing about 8-speed being the zenith, or the sweet spot or something, and that it had been all downhill since then. It's just nostalgia. If CC had been around in the early 20th century there would have been people blaming the freewheel and the safety bicycle for all the ills of cycling.
Last edited:
Whilst I am a fan of 1960's 70's and 80's classic looking bikes, of which I have several, I also have a couple of more up to date ones that I like just as much for the frame style and equipment on them.
Beauty is and always will be in the eye of the beholder.
Beauty is and always will be in the eye of the beholder.
I am glad you started with IMO, for it is certainly different to my IMO, I am 68 and no youngster but I do not wear rose tinted glasses.
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
Ahead sets are a retrograde step! What could be simpler than a stem which can be raised or lowered. They sometimes seize but due to lack of grease on assembly. Ahead sets have to have a stack of spacers. If you somehow lose one you are stuck! If you lower your stem you have a lovely hard object projecting for you to hit if you go over the handlebars. Water entering the stem by the handlebars is channeled directly towards the bearings causing them to rust. Brilliant idea!
Indexing of gears isn't without it's faults! They need adjustment from time to time. The old clatter, clatter, silent variable down tube gear shifter didn't require constant adjustment. There can be confusion with indexed gear changers from one side up and down the gears is opposite to the other. This can sometimes bring you to a grinding halt on a steep hill where you have accidentally selected the high range gears.
Non standardisation has crept in . Manufacturers like to bring in their own systems which aren't interchangeable with others. I often swap bits from one bike to another on my old bikes . It makes sourcing spare parts so much easier.
DogmaStu
Senior Member
I recall with fondness my Alan with Campagnolo C Record from the late 1980's. What a glorious machine!
That utterly beautiful, shiny groupset. My Italian bike dream!
Now I compare it to my Pinarello Dogma F which is very much an exercise in function over form in the most part of its design albeit still beautiful to many, myself included. I prefer the lack of lugs, the cleanliness of a modern carbon frame with zero visible cables. The Dura Ace groupset, whilst nice is not as beautiful as my old C Record, however. I do prefer the look of the Zipp 454 wheels.
Overall, I admire my modern Italian bike just as much as my 1980's one to look at. To ride however there is zero contest for me: the 2023 bike is leagues better in every way. Lighter, stiffer, aero, more agile, more comfortable (28mm tubeless at 60PSI vs 23mm tubes at 100PSI), stronger (yes) better braking (disc), greater number of gears with smaller increments between them, faster gear changes etc.
Then there is my 1980's MTB vs my current MTB...literally no contest. MTB's have truly moved on massively.
There are truly lovely bikes from the 1980s but they are absolutely not peak bike, far from it, they are a part of a wonderful evolution that continues to this day.
That utterly beautiful, shiny groupset. My Italian bike dream!
Now I compare it to my Pinarello Dogma F which is very much an exercise in function over form in the most part of its design albeit still beautiful to many, myself included. I prefer the lack of lugs, the cleanliness of a modern carbon frame with zero visible cables. The Dura Ace groupset, whilst nice is not as beautiful as my old C Record, however. I do prefer the look of the Zipp 454 wheels.
Overall, I admire my modern Italian bike just as much as my 1980's one to look at. To ride however there is zero contest for me: the 2023 bike is leagues better in every way. Lighter, stiffer, aero, more agile, more comfortable (28mm tubeless at 60PSI vs 23mm tubes at 100PSI), stronger (yes) better braking (disc), greater number of gears with smaller increments between them, faster gear changes etc.
Then there is my 1980's MTB vs my current MTB...literally no contest. MTB's have truly moved on massively.
There are truly lovely bikes from the 1980s but they are absolutely not peak bike, far from it, they are a part of a wonderful evolution that continues to this day.
bobzmyunkle
Senior Member
Well argued case from Elton.
Hydraulic disc brakes, the devil's work. I know what sort of brakes I prefer descending out of the Alps in the rain.
Brifters, broken cable ends stuck inside. Surely I want down tube shifters - less shifting, stronger legs. (No).
And while a fully rigid MTB was ok in 1990 (partly due to the lack of alternative) my 2024 body reject the experience totally.
Last edited:
Similar threads
