What is YOUR favourite era?

[john]

Know it can be hard to narrow in down but think most will favour one particular era. Interested to hear what era people on here favour.

For example I own stuff from the 70s and 80s. But the era I favour (which I realise some might not consider 'retro' in road terms) is the early 90s. This coincides with my own interest in cycling and borderline obsession with the TdF as a huge stash of VHS videos of the C4 coverage will attest to. Although of course history would show this won't perhaps go down as a classic or even good era for the sport....

 

[pigman]

gotta be the 80's - the time of my competitive cycling career and the time when it mattered to me what bike i rode. It was a period of transition between primitive components (ie 5 speeds, toeclips) and high-price technology. Simple, but effective improvements (indexed gears, look pedals) were introduced to the mass market, but it never got to the point where silly money had to be spent to have an effective racing bike, which came along with STI's, carbon, 9/10 speed etc.

Emphasis of bikes was on durability and style. Lots of chrome, 531 and SL/SLX/SPX was used on pro-issue bikes with no mention of weights. If it was strong, it was good and many bikes had an eclectic mix of components, each chosen on merit, rather than just hanging a gruppo onto a frame.

I'm rambling guys, sorry....

 

[legrandefromage]

I like the simplicity of the late 70's/ early 80's.

 

[gibbleking]

i like right now.....i had no money in the previous decades nor could i hope to afford what i have now....parts are cheap ,i have lots of free time ,spare cash and gadgets are plentiful. and i have a great job...so i choose now instead..

 

[keithglos]

I was personally involved in bike repair from 1950 to 1966. I know very little of post 1980.

 

[pigman]

I take it we're talking favourite era as far as cycling / cycling technology goes, as opposed to personal circumstances, state of society etc ?? If not, I may have to reconsider .....

 

[john]

I take it we're talking favourite era as far as cycling / cycling technology goes, as opposed to personal circumstances, state of society etc ?? If not, I may have to reconsider .....

Yes, specifically in regards to road bikes. I think mr gibbleking may have the wrong end of the stick. Of course if he likes modern road bikes then go for it, however this forum may not be the one for him....

 

[gibbleking]

footnote...after reading again the title i should add that the late 80s era of road stuff from campagnolo was by far the best...athena was equipped on my mbk tri that i rode for a while...the 90s style lost its soul i think and the 70s stuff i tried never worked properly(super record gruppo mostly)..

 

[OldTel]

The golden period of the British bike has to be the fifties, the frames from this period are still some of the most collectable. I still find my Sun Wasp from 1952 the best ride in my small collection.

 

[dbmtb]

60s and earlier were just too far back in time for me to be able to get a grip on as I wasn't born at the time.

For me the Mid 70s- Mid 80s are the most iconic and legendary. The world of bike racing was so far removed from my real world that the stuff I was reading about Eddy Mercxx was almost of fairy tale proportion. The small amount of footage on TV was enough to keep me very hungry for more. Bikes from this period hold a mystique and unattainabilty for me that later bikes just don't have. It's also a well-documented period filmwise which gives you enough insight into the myth to be able to feel closer to it, even if you were too young to really remember it.

Late 80s were a transition period where to me - all the kit just looks wrong. Over-engineered, overbuilt, too experimental to work perfectly.... A necessary and interesting period. But not one I can fall in love with.

90s were good. Mistakes from the 80s were pretty much sorted out. Aesthetics were greatly improved - so much so that little changed over the decade except that frame material of choice changed from steel to alloy. The Obree legend still manages to overshadow the EPO scandals that dominated the decade.

2000s. Armstrong. Carbon. More EPO. Boring.