Back on my Whyte JW4.

[Duxuk]

I must confess that I tend to put my 2 classic Whytes away in the worst of the winter conditions. Yesterday, though, I was forced to ride an oldie because I was waiting for some brake pads for the modern bike. So after a couple of months off the classics what were my impressions?
Stiff with no bobbing was the first thing I noticed. A feeling of speed on the first off road downhill, probably due to the shorter travel suspension though when I got home and looked at my Strava time on the segment I was actually fast
I was finding the triple chainset a bit of a pain. I had to decide which end to shift :? , a small distraction that I could do without.
With 40psi in each tyre I was getting much less grip on the slippery corner than I might have expected. Still, I like a slide so that's OK
When I got home I found that by tucking on the last road descent, I'd set a personal best. Lower rolling resistance worked to my advantage. Not that I'm even interested in the road parts of the ride.
Had a great time and can't wait 'til spring when I can ride the classics more often.
Which do you really prefer riding, modern or classic?

 

[fotorat1]

I use my JW2 as my winter dog walk bike (i.e. 4 miles twice a day)- I find that frame design keeps mud of all the important parts and the rear wheel has loads of mud clearance - when the trails dry out I will pack it up for the summer and use the Super V for the dog walk duty.

Classic bikes can really be as good or better than modern bikes in many aspects - I like riding my old bikes at events and club rides.