Vintage bike vs modern bike

[johnnyb47]

Funny enough, I've just been for a ride out on my old Peugeot today and was thinking about this thread on the way round. As said before the old pig iron frame of the pug is lovely and smooth. It vibrates along the road like my modern bike, but it does it in another way that I can't explain.. It almost feels kind of mutted if that makes any sense.. It's also quieter too. The big tubing and deep section wheels with 700c x 28 tyre's on the Specialized give off a hollow sounding roar but the pug with it's skinny frame and tyre's let out a very quiet hiss along the road.. It definitely feels more sluggish but once the momentum is up its just as quick.. It was very pleasant relaxing ride tonight in between the showers.
One thing that escaped my attention is that the rear cassette needs replacing. The chain keeps on skipping on the 4th cog down. Looking at it, it looks rather worn. The chain is new and is not properly meshing in on the worn cog anymore 👍

 

[Gravity Aided]

Mid 1890's Trek Elance 400, with Shimano 600 group set. 531 Reynolds CS, silver brazed frame,cast lugs. Try and find something that finely made nowadays that doesn't cost a king's ransom. A fine ride, tracks wonderfully and rides smoothly. Will take up to a 700x35. Actually, I just came in from a ride on this bicycle now. Stormy weather about. I choose this one when I may have to outrun some weather.

 

[Gunk]

That looks very modern for 1890

 

[Gravity Aided]

1980's for sure. I blame the mysterious typing disease for that one...

 

[All uphill]

I've just built a bike up from a 1956 steel frame. The ride quality is miles ahead of my road bike, which is less than a year old. Both are on 700x28 tyres.

The newer bike (Orro) is quicker and I enjoy it, but the oldie makes me smile. Shame I've sold it really.

 

[Gunk]

I restore older stuff but ride modern stuff, I like the smoothness and precision of a modern 11 speed groupset, but I love working on the older stuff.

 

[LemonJuice]

What about the Boardman?

I’m getting it fixed next week and I’m going to keep it.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I intentionally installed 9 speed dura-ace bar end shifters on my 2018 DIY build steel frame and get on just fine with them. The straggler is a bit of a retro style bike anyway. It suits the frame material. Not a great leap of difference between bar-ends and downtube shifters. It took about 5-30 minutes of riding to get used to reaching down for the shifter, coming from modern STIs. After that, I don't think about them any more. The planning ahead bit is only true whilst you are not used to them, then it becomes completley subconscious. Some morons have argued they are unsafe, but they clearly haven't mastered their balancing yet, as I've never had reason to feel in danger as a result of using them.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

vibrates along the road like my modern bike, but it does it in another way that I can't explain.. It almost feels kind of muted if that makes any sense.. It's also quieter too. The big tubing and deep section wheels with 700c x 28 tyre's on the Specialized give off a hollow sounding roar

Modern carbon fibre bikes have similar acoustic properties to a hollow guitar body, but sadly lack the ability of a guitar to produce any sort of pleasing sound. This characteristic is inherently engineered into all big-tubed frames that have a large air volume, both CF and aluminium. Watch a couple of Hambini's bike engineering YouTube videos and pay attention to how much sound the CF frames in particular produce when just being handled to show them to the camera!

 

[Drago]

You can get carbon fibre backed acoustic guitars.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

You can get carbon fibre backed acoustic guitars.

For weight weeny players.....

 

[Dogtrousers]

My experience of the sounds of other bikes as they overtake me is that it's deep section wheels, and esp super duper TT bikes with disk wheels that make a rumbling noise. I don't think the frame material is that significant.

That's from my highly scientific peer reviewed survey. That I just made up.

 

[rogerzilla]

For weight weeny players.....

For people with unlimited money! Ovation have some very wacky, and very expensive, models with CF bowls and multiple soundholes.

 

[philtalksbx]

Maybe it's the tinkerer in me but I just love the quiet hum of a well tuned bike (that I tuned!).

The mid-90s 531 7 speed downshift Claud does it so well and is easy to keep there. The carbon Orbea does it occasionally (and is faster) although the modern 10 speed Campag can be a bit fussy sometimes.

 

[LemonJuice]

Am I right in thinking that riding a vintage bike will mean you will feel more of the bumps in the road?

I’ve read contradictory statements. I’ve read that a steel bike will be more rigid on the roads and I’ve read that a steel bike will make you feel every bump in the road and be more uncomfortable compared to newer bikes.