Retro or Modern - What do we prefer riding?

[BikePimp]

For the heavy duty riding where there's a lot of rocks & drop offs, I prefer my modern bike with 4" front & back full suspension (Ventana El Saltamontes). Hydraulic disc brakes & a good modern Fox front shock are are hard to beat.... Though I still ride my GT RTS hard it's just enough to take the edge off...but my body does tire out quicker than on a modern FS bike.

On trails that are not as rocky, I still love riding my vintage bikes.

Sometimes I just have to ride an older vintage bike to get that essence of what it's all about (back to the roots thing)....kinda like driving an old Triumph TR-6 or Austin Healey 100.

 

[jimihendrix]

I only have my 96 LTS and 92 Clockwork at the moment, would'nt mind a modern as a commuter/hack though, nothing fancy, something i did'nt give so much of a toss about and keep the Orange and GT as fair weather rigs

 

[john]

Pretty subjective and open ended question.

My modern ride is a gas pipe steel hardtail with a longish fork, mid range components and disks. Ride is acceptable, it's a tool for a job.

My retro (ish) riders include a Yo Eddy, Mountain Goat WTR and Litespeed. I love riding these 3. It doesn't take a genius to see they're a league above my gas pipe special.

This isn't to say if someone gave me a high end 08 frame with modern parts I wouldn't enjoy that equally (or more :shock: ) than my older stuff...

 

[Augustus]

My main rides are an '06 Lemond and an '02 Merlin. Both modern I'd say. But then they are both built with retro in mind and both have an inherent retro soul without a doubt.

Retro is a state of mind as many of us have no doubt said countless times.

 

[sunchaser]

Like most of you guy's my harts retro but, if I had to go back to just one bike I'd keep my modern HT. Steel frame, 100mm fork disc brakes, tyres that grip & a decent riding position (good for aging bones)

A modern bike earlier today

 

[cherrybomb]

I don't own a modern bike so by default I'll have to say retro.

 

[messiah]

Prefer neither, love them all.

If it had to be one for the rest of my life it would be the modern one that I can ride off HUGE jumps and dwon boulder fields etc. Much as I love my old bikes they are for a different kind kind of riding... things have moved on :twisted:

 

[Eddie_The_Head]

Hmmmmm!!! that is a very hard one to answer I have a mixture of retro and modern rides that I alternate regular and I have noticed that the acceleration of the older rigs is much quicker than the modern rides. I think with me though I am collecting all the bikes I was dreaming about when I was younger and could never afford. All that I own now seem to be everything I dreamed they ever would and I enjoy every minute I spend in the saddle. I have found though that I sway more to retro than anything else and have started to whittle down my modern rigs to increase my retro rides (much to my wife's displeasure :cry: ).Anyhow I would say retro over modern for me as I just can't see the difference that much apart from the stupid amounts of travel on modern bikes. Out of all my modern rigs though my Saracen Addiction is the one that does the job better than anything else .RETRO RIDES FOREVER for me .

 

[Huntso]

Some older frames are nice to ride, but in general the newer components are so much better.
No way would I swap my rapidfires for those awful thumbies and todays Grips are so much better to name but two items.
As much as it doesn't seem right to some, my favourite bike is a M2 Stumpy with modern kit

When I compare an older bike like my old 1992 Clockwork to todays bikes I realise just what a rotten thing to ride that was.

Bit like comparing so called retro cars, would I swap my current Honda for the Morris Marina of thirty years ago. I don't think so

 

[jango]

I always find myself reaching for my retro rides....