Re:
Great post by Paul above.
I have also tried to find the facebook stuff. I 'liked' the RB page but never see any updates from it. I don't use FB much so that could be part of the problem. Some sort of link from the site would be useful.
The time I was most active was the era Paul mentions. Great times, great rides, great turn outs and rarely a modern bike to be seen. For me it simply comes down to time at the moment. I work 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off so get stung for plenty of weekends. The weekends I'm free tend to be taken up with family stuff.
I prefer to ride my modern bike if I'm honest so the few times I do get to ride tend to be localish, hastily arranged and on the big bike. When I get more time I would like to join in on retro rides but life tends to get in the way atm. As an example it's the Yorkshire Weekender this weekend. I'm on days. :roll:
Another issue is that Retro is a niche, a hobby and a strand of cycling. This means people come and go as interest hits a peak then fades away. Even some of the most enthusiastic people from the past (Mark, Paul, Dr S, even the Gaffer) end up moving on. Vern is a freak, the exception that proves the rule!
My two main riding pals used to be very active here and used to attend rides. We used to spend loads of time together on builds, sourcing parts, etc but both have very little interest anymore for no other reason than the itch was scratched.
I've banged on it the past about how much quieter the site seems but to be honest I think it's picking up again. Bring on the new guard!