Vintage bike vs modern bike

[LemonJuice]

I have a few questions for anyone on here who rides a vintage bike (say up until the late 1990s) and a modern-day bike.

1) What is the biggest difference you find between them when riding?

2) Do you find downtube shifters difficult to use?

3) When you are riding your older bike, are you able to keep up with other people who are using more modern bikes?

My modern-day bike is getting sorted next week, but I am looking on eBay for an old school bike from the 1980s or 1990s. I really like the old school look on bikes.

 

[johnnyb47]

Hi, I have an old 80s Peugeot road bike and a modern Specialized road bike. The biggest difference i can say between them are the gears. With a modern bike it's so much easier to quickly change gear in any situation. A big hill appears just after a sharp bend for instance, and you can change gear whilst still hanging onto the bars through the corner. With friction shifters you have to take your hands off the bars and forward plan a little
I do find the old bike much more comfortable though. The steel frame really absorbs the road buzz compared to the more modern alloy bike. I would use the old bike any day over the new for touring. Its more comfortable and less complex and easier to fix if things go wrong.
Friction down tube shifters are real easy to use. The more gears you have though on the back wheel the more accurate you have to be with the levers. A 5 or 6 speed block though is really easy to trim levers to. You change gear and if hear the chain chattering on the block you just move the lever a smidge more.
Cycling with people with more modern lighter bikes is easy enough. Even though you're old bike maybe heaver, once you have got the momentum up it's easy enough to ride with others of a lightweight bike..It's just when you come to steep hills you start to notice the difference or when you hit a technical bit. You could find yourself reaching for gears whilst the modern day bikes gears have changed.
Saying that though, this only happens if your both feeling a little competitive on the day.
I enjoy riding both bikes for different reasons. The old bike always gets lots of attention from nostalgic fans and seems to have an endearing "runs like clock work" "feel to it.
The modern bike is great for really stretching your legs and lighting up the road and attacking the steep climbs.
All the very best and hope you enjoy your bikes 👍👍

 

[rogerzilla]

1. They're steel so they're a bit heavier and they twang over bumps.

2. No

3. Sometimes I leave them behind. On the flat, with the same quality tyres, there is no difference.

 

[biggs682]

1. You don't change gear as much
2. Easier and more reliable than sti's
3. I ride solo and who care's as i ride at my pace .

Older bike's are more enjoyable to ride and look after and say more about the rider than a new bike

 

[sleuthey]

I have a few questions for anyone on here who rides a vintage bike (say up until the late 1990s) and a modern-day bike.

1) What is the biggest difference you find between them when riding?

2) Do you find downtime shifters difficult to use?

3) When you are riding your older bike, are you able to keep up with other people who are using more modern bikes?

My modern-day bike is getting sorted next week, but I am looking on eBay for an old school bike from the 1980s or 1990s. I really like the old school look on bikes.

1. Less rattling when going over bumps

2. WTF are downtime shifters! All the 90s bikes iv had were gripshift or thumbshift. Even better my current one below has no shifters at all.

3. I don’t think bike age is significant for that question, more to do with bike spec surely. So no.

 

[Dogtrousers]

WTF are downtime shifters! All the 90s bikes iv had were gripshift or thumbshift.

Autocorrect for downtube shifters. Friction (or less frequently indexed) shifters on the down tube. Pretty much universal on derailleur bikes until the advent of brifters and other indexed shifters.

 

[Oldfentiger]

I have a number of bikes, the majority of which are pre 1987.
I have an all carbon Merida, a very nice bicycle which cost more than 10 of my old bikes collectively.
No-one has ever admired the Merida or engaged me in conversation about it, whereas the older bikes always seem to attract attention.
I mostly ride alone so any performance difference is irrelevant. The old bikes make me smile more.

 

[Dogtrousers]

My old Dawes handles differently to my more modern (but still steel) Spa. Just feels different. A bit "sloppy" maybe. May be due to being heavier.

DT shifters take me a short while to recalibrate my brain/arms but once done they are no problem.

I rarely ride with other people, but when I do people (myself included) are considerate enough not to ride away from others so not a problem on either bike.

That said I almost never ride the Dawes. It just takes up space. The Spa is a better bike, set up just how I want it. One bike is enough for me.

 

[DCLane]

+1 to @Oldfentiger's comment. My 'nice' bike cost more than my car - but the NeilPryde's sat anonymous with similar ones.

Go out on an old bike and there are questions, memories of "I had one of those", etc. As long as you're fit enough you will keep up - remember that the new brifters are heavier than downtube shifters and brake levers so a group ride is fine unless it's a pace line because shifting is a bit slower.

 

[I like Skol]

I had a lovely old 1991 Raleigh steel roadbike for a while.
I think the main difference between that and modern bikes were the handlebar shape and the downtube shifters.
It certainly wasn't noticeably slower than my other bikes and as I grew up with downtube shifters it wasn't a big shock going back to them and you can make as quick or quicker gear changes once used to them (changing down through multiple gears in one movement when encountering a sudden climb). I can see that downtube shifters might be a huge obstacle to someone who has only experienced brifters before.

 

[rogerzilla]

For the uninitiated, we should point out that downtube shifters have been indexed since the late 1980s. Some people think they're all friction-shift.

 

[nagden]

I have a 1969 Motobecane tourer. It is my profile picture. I love it. It is comfortable and uncomplicated. I have other bikes but this is my favorite.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I grew up riding road bikes in the 1980s and 1990s. The difference between a typical road bike from that era and a typical road bike from now, is massive ( generally speaking).Whether the engines are capable of exploiting the differences is where there is a debate to be had:

 

[Fab Foodie]

1. They're steel so they're a bit heavier and they twang over bumps.

2. No

3. Sometimes I leave them behind. On the flat, with the same quality tyres, there is no difference.

In a nutshell!

 

[Cycleops]

Not a lot, no and yes. Their main advantage is you can also use them as a towel rail as @sleuthey cleverly illustrates

Go ahead with your old Skool bike purchase @LemonJuice , after its sorted it’ll be a thing of joy for a long time.