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Retro bikes versus New bikes. (After decades of New Improved Designs, how have mountain bikes really improved)?
In a moment of madness, I decided to take my 1983 Cleland' Aventura along for a local 30 years plus, Sunday ride at Aspley Heath, near Woburn Sands and Milton Keynes. I was told I had to wear a helmet because the ride would include fast technical downhills.
At the start of the ride I was not so sure this was a good idea. All the other riders had exotic modern bikes, mostly hardtail, and in a variety of modern steel, aluminium and titanium. And all fitted with suspension forks and disk brakes. My bike weighed in at 36lbs with each of its prehistoric 650b tyres weighing 3lbs each. The lightest modern weighed only 22lbs.
Not wanting to hold anyone up, I followed on at the rear. Which proved to be useful as the chain jammed on the first climb, a jockey wheel was worn so the chain came off it from time to time. Half way up I was exhausted from catching up. This wasn't a good start. However I managed to overtake a back marker and arrived at the top a few bikes from the back. For the rest of the ride I alternated from riding in the middle of the field to falling back on the hills where the 36lbs, took its toll. I was able to keep up on the narrow, windy and some times technical singletrack. And to my surprise, even on the fast downhill sections where I expected my lack of front suspension to make more of a difference. It was only the hills where I was overtaken.
The Cleland was designed for muddy, soft slippy conditions and uses 650b Finnish' snow tyres, run at 15lbs/square inch, and enclosed hub brakes. But this was dry and traction was good. That was until we hit some soft sand which caused havoc with the modern bikes. There was much cursing and swearing as they repeatedly lost control. Some gave up and walked this section. I however, couldn't see what the fuss was about, and rode past them through the deeper sand in the middle of the track. They weren't that interested in my bike, but after that they became interested in its tyres, and how low I was able to run them.
We arrived at a very steep and sandy technical decent. Clelands are good at these because of the downhill style high handle bars and its extremely progressive brakes. So I went down no problem. A few of the modern riders thought better of it and walked down. After that the phrase "If Graham can ride it on his shopping bike then why can't you"developed.
All in all an enjoyable but tiring ride.
So how have the modern bikes improved over the 27 years since My Cleland was built?
Well, they have got a lot lighter. Suspension has improved handling but not necessarily efficiency. The frame' step-over heights are lower and the tubes fatter and stronger. The derailleur systems change more precisely and quietly.
However there were three areas where things had not improved:
*Brakes: The Clelands' French moped' Hub brakes were far more progressive and controllable than the hydraulic disks that tended to lock out when it wasn't helpful.
*Mud protection. Though the Clelands' numerous guards and flaps were not needed on this ride the modern bikes have not been engineered with mud in mind.
*Low pressure tyres. Modern tyres do not appear to be able to be run almost flat with the large footprint needed to cope with very soft ground.
In a moment of madness, I decided to take my 1983 Cleland' Aventura along for a local 30 years plus, Sunday ride at Aspley Heath, near Woburn Sands and Milton Keynes. I was told I had to wear a helmet because the ride would include fast technical downhills.
At the start of the ride I was not so sure this was a good idea. All the other riders had exotic modern bikes, mostly hardtail, and in a variety of modern steel, aluminium and titanium. And all fitted with suspension forks and disk brakes. My bike weighed in at 36lbs with each of its prehistoric 650b tyres weighing 3lbs each. The lightest modern weighed only 22lbs.
Not wanting to hold anyone up, I followed on at the rear. Which proved to be useful as the chain jammed on the first climb, a jockey wheel was worn so the chain came off it from time to time. Half way up I was exhausted from catching up. This wasn't a good start. However I managed to overtake a back marker and arrived at the top a few bikes from the back. For the rest of the ride I alternated from riding in the middle of the field to falling back on the hills where the 36lbs, took its toll. I was able to keep up on the narrow, windy and some times technical singletrack. And to my surprise, even on the fast downhill sections where I expected my lack of front suspension to make more of a difference. It was only the hills where I was overtaken.
The Cleland was designed for muddy, soft slippy conditions and uses 650b Finnish' snow tyres, run at 15lbs/square inch, and enclosed hub brakes. But this was dry and traction was good. That was until we hit some soft sand which caused havoc with the modern bikes. There was much cursing and swearing as they repeatedly lost control. Some gave up and walked this section. I however, couldn't see what the fuss was about, and rode past them through the deeper sand in the middle of the track. They weren't that interested in my bike, but after that they became interested in its tyres, and how low I was able to run them.
We arrived at a very steep and sandy technical decent. Clelands are good at these because of the downhill style high handle bars and its extremely progressive brakes. So I went down no problem. A few of the modern riders thought better of it and walked down. After that the phrase "If Graham can ride it on his shopping bike then why can't you"developed.
All in all an enjoyable but tiring ride.
So how have the modern bikes improved over the 27 years since My Cleland was built?
Well, they have got a lot lighter. Suspension has improved handling but not necessarily efficiency. The frame' step-over heights are lower and the tubes fatter and stronger. The derailleur systems change more precisely and quietly.
However there were three areas where things had not improved:
*Brakes: The Clelands' French moped' Hub brakes were far more progressive and controllable than the hydraulic disks that tended to lock out when it wasn't helpful.
*Mud protection. Though the Clelands' numerous guards and flaps were not needed on this ride the modern bikes have not been engineered with mud in mind.
*Low pressure tyres. Modern tyres do not appear to be able to be run almost flat with the large footprint needed to cope with very soft ground.
