Vintage bike vs modern bike

[derrick]

I went out on a old bike. The only question i got asked was why have you not got a new bike.🤣 I have got two carbon bikes and niether of them rattle or make any other noise. Both smooth as silk.

 

[Blue Hills]

As several have written, index shifting has been around a hell of a long time, into what is now (to my slight surprise) classed as vintage.
My two favourite most ridden bikes are from about 97 - and when I get round to it will be building up another 97 bike - all classed as vintage.
I find the idea that the average rider will be slower on an older bike a bit odd.
I do have more recent bikes (last new bike bought about 3 years ago) but those are pretty old-school in design as well.
New bikes?
Most of them I don't like - I like steel and simple smallish round tubes.
Many new bike frames put me in mind of hotwheels cars from my distant childhood, or the more adventurous matchboxes - wacky for the sake of it.
Was in an upmarket bike shop in Skipton a while ago - there was a carbon MTB in there - the frame profile looked like several girders bonded together. One of the ugliest things I'd ever seen. Wandered over the road and one of the market stall holders had an old steel US made Dale racer - he used it to get around - a thing of beauty it was compared to the carbon girder collection - and no doubt simpler to run/maintain.

My main concession to modernity? I do like a sloping top tube - all mine (getting on for ten) but one are - but sloping top tubes were around last century as well.

 

[Cycleops]

I have got two carbon bikes and niether of them rattle or make any other noise. Both smooth as silk.

Just like my nineties steel framed Schwinn

 

[Drago]

Comparing my 1983 Claud Butler 521 to my 2014 Felt triple butted alu job (I could compare my 2019 Boardman Road Team carbon, but I'm a bit ambivalent about it and much prefer the other two).

The Felt is undoubtedly quicker, or at least goes quicker for the same energy output. It's lively feeling, responsive, sharp handling, not too bad comfort wise.

The Claud is slower, but is no slouch. It feels a little more languid, not so sharp for cornering but is surefooted and stable so it can be pushed with confidence right up to its limit, and is supremely comfortable.

The biggest difference to me is ergonomic. The brifters on the Felt are very convenient and it does take me a mile or two of readjustment on the Claud, and the Claud's original bars are narrower than the 44cm jobs on the Felt, so the steering feels a lot more different than it actually is.

I like them both and if I had to choose one it would be difficult indeed.

 

[raleighnut]

I've only ever ridden a carbon jobbie with 'brifters' once didn't get on with them at all but tried some on my TT bike (10 speed Campagnolo) and didn't like those either so went to 'bar end' shifters and tried 'aerobars' didn't like those either.

As for downtube shifters 3 of my bikes have them, 2 friction only and 1 indexed,

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.

Also the indexing can be 'switched off' by rotating a little ring by half a turn if things get a bit clattery on a ride.

Weight wise well 2 of them are quality steel tubing one 531c and the other 653 Reynolds tubing so they're pretty light but even the 3 with standard 'hi tensile' Raleigh tubing aren't that bad but they do seem to have loads of crap bolted to em (racks mudguards etc) and my most 'comfy' is the Ridgeback in Tange CrMo tubing but that's a hybrid so doesn't really count in this.

 

[matticus]

I don't have much to add to the pros-n-cons list already well-explained here. But I would say:

There are plenty of modern bikes that are slower than the better "vintage" bikes.

(It should stand to reason, really; there are vintage Ferraris that can easily out-perform brand-new Kia Ceeds! )

 

[wafter]

From my experiences of my first road bike (an ancient, tatty steel offering whose only ID was the Reynolds sticker on the frame; and something I now wish I'd kept) by far the single biggest issue was the hassle of using downtube shifters - slow, awkward and particularly difficult during climbs.

Despite owning a modern CFRP road bike (which on the face of it does the job extremely well) I have little love for them as I don't believe they'll last anywhere near as well as steel bikes and the failure modes of the material make me uneasy.

From an idealogical perspective at least I think my perfect bike would be an old / old-style steel frame with a modern hydro disc groupset... which is pretty much what I have in my CdF although it's hardly a lightweight racing machine. I have toyed with the idea of replacing my Boardman with a Genesis Equilibrium Disc, however I don't like the use of composite forks, couldn't afford it and would feel a bit bad binning the Boardman as so far it's really served me very well.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

@I like Skol mentioned bar shape. It does seem quite pronounced. I must say, I would like to try the modern dinky little drops but I don't want to lose the elegance of the quill stem.

I have just rebuilt the front end of my Graham Weigh 531 after an accident with a car. Had the bike been carbon, it undoubtably would have been a write off. It has downtube shifters in friction mode and what I refer to as my compact gear set up. 50/38 and 12-25. I am finding myself changing gear less often and rediscovering the older way of riding. There is a hill coming up. Put the bike in the gear you think you can get up the whole hill on and go for it... It is interesting/fun seeing if you guessed right.

Like some others, I only ride solo but for the huge majority of people, on the road; a decent bike is a decent bike. As long as bits aren't falling off and it has a good frame and wheels, a vintage bike will do all you want in style.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Here is my newest bike. Custom made from 853 7 or 8 years ago. Modern steel, 9speed, DT shifters.
I have a couple Holdsworths, a mid 80s and a late 50s. @rogerzilla has it spot-on, the modern version is slightly lighter and notably stiffer.

DT shifters are simple, reliable and as said, lighter than Brifter types. Threadless 1&1/8 Headsets and non-quill stems are simple and more readily adjustable.
Modern cartridge bearing BB, wheel bearings etc are simple to change/adjust.

But otherwise there ain’t much difference ridewise except a little weight and a lot of stiffness.

Look at ‘Light Blue’ in Cambridge, they do modern retro roadbikes, one complete with traditional he-man 53/39 gearing.

 

[Fab Foodie]

@I like Skol mentioned bar shape. It does seem quite pronounced. I must say, I would like to try the modern dinky little drops but I don't want to lose the elegance of the quill stem.

I have just rebuilt the front end of my Graham Weigh 531 after an accident with a car. Had the bike been carbon, it undoubtably would have been a write off. It has downtube shifters in friction mode and what I refer to as my compact gear set up. 50/38 and 12-25. I am finding myself changing gear less often and rediscovering the older way of riding. There is a hill coming up. Put the bike in the gear you think you can get up the whole hill on and go for it... It is interesting/fun seeing if you guessed right.

Like some others, I only ride solo but for the huge majority of people, on the road; a decent bike is a decent bike. As long as bits aren't falling off and it has a good frame and wheels, a vintage bike will do all you want in style.

Bar shape is certainly a moving-feast, notably that they are wider and shallower than of old.
Re: DT shifters, I agree that you end-up shifting gears less and find a more (poncey alert) fluid riding style. Also once used to them regarding hills etc. you can traverse a whole block in one move and use the same hand to shift fronts as well. DT shifters also trim better at the front. As I don’t race I have no need for anything else.

 

[Blue Hills]

my most 'comfy' is the Ridgeback in Tange CrMo tubing but that's a hybrid so doesn't really count in this.

I think I know which you mean but don't tell anyone what it is

Why doesn't it count?

 

[rogerzilla]

I've seen a couple of TLB bikes and they are very nice. Bit pricey considering the frames are Taiwanese* and you could have an old 531DB racing frame refurbished for less.

*this means they're probably very well-built, but you're still paying through the nose considering Taiwanese labour costs.

 

[Chris S]

If you buy a 1980's bike make sure it doesn't have chrome rims. It won't stop in the wet.

 

[Specialeyes]

If you already have a modern carbon fibre bike, then I can’t recommend trying a nice vintage road bike enough – they’re an absolute joy. In addition to all of the points above, something else worth noting is that a vintage steel bike opens up a whole different style of riding – at least for me.

To explain, my carbon road bikes are all equipped with SPD-SL pedals. SPD-SL pedals dictate road shoes, which in turn dictate donning the Lycra and riding fast. Put the other way around, I’m unlikely to ‘go for a potter’ on a carbon fibre road bike with 60mm carbon wheels. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like there’s an ‘obligation’ to go hard on my newest carbon fibre bikes (more fool me for succumbing to peer group / marketing pressure maybe?) but which isn't there on a steel-framed bike. They're perfectly capable of going (almost) as fast as the more modern bikes and I've completed plenty of group rides and sportives alongside modern bikes, as well as the fabulous retro events. Be prepared to get involved in a lot more conversations with fellow riders when you're on a steel bike than a homogeneous carbon fibre one!

On downtube shifters, even in friction mode you just get a feel for them. As others have mentioned upthread, the ability to drop through the entire cassette in one fell swoop is ace. You can also switch chainrings at the same time by operating both levers in one movement through the frame - very handy for unexpected climbs and descents. It's not quite as marginal gainsy as a DI2 but you'll smile more.

Can I keep pace with myself on a CF bike? On the flats, absolutely. On hilly or rolling terrain marginally slower on the brifter-equipped steel bikes and marginally slower still on the downtube shifter-equipped bikes - where I'll tend to pick a gear earlier and stick with it, whereas on a modern bike you can make that decision much later and again mid-climb. There is something immensely satisfying about absolutely blatting along on a well-maintained vintage bike.

Just my 2 'penneth.

tl;dr horses for courses

 

[wafter]

Like some others, I only ride solo but for the huge majority of people, on the road; a decent bike is a decent bike. As long as bits aren't falling off and it has a good frame and wheels, a vintage bike will do all you want in style.

Indeed - unfortunately the industry revolves around setting somewhat arbitrary standards and up-selling products to the masses based on said standards. So, everyone thinks they want a CFRP road bike as they're the next best thing; lighter, faster, stiffer (yet more complaint!) - it's what the pro's use so it has to be great.. Except that the needs of the pros and amateurs rarely align (despite how marketing teams thrive off the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" mentality).

This results in people buying stuff that's potentially not that well suited to their needs. Not to take away from the benefits of composite frames, but if you're not competing or ride alone, are these really of any value over the material's drawbacks for the average rider?

Don't get me wrong I'm not against progress per se - I love integrated shifters, through-axles, disc brakes.. but IMO not all change in the industry is of benefit to the consumer and I reckon for a lot of people steel would still be an ideal frame material.

Fundamentally bikes haven't changed that much in the past 50yrs and as you suggest, if it does the job it's all good