What would you do? Retro Vs modern.....

[brocklanders023]

Re:

That's what I am looking at mate, 27.5 longish travel steel fun bike. 29ers are ace but there's room for something a little more playful.

 

[Mike Muz]

Re:

How about a plus bike, you can use 27.5, 27.5+ and 29er wheels in that. Like the one I tried out.

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=367228

Mike

 

[xxnick1975]

Get rid of all of them but the orange and don't buy a modern hard tail.

Ride the orange and the fs everyday

Think about a new bike if and when you wear either of them out.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

I just think the ht could fill a gap the others don't. I love the Clockwork but don't want to use it very often, hence the thought that I don't need the rest of the retro fleet.

Had considered a plus bike but my full suss is boost so I could convert that. I see them and fat bikes as niche, like retro so think I would end up in the same position.

Not much support for keeping the retro stock up! :shock:

 

[marc two tone]

Re:

I feel your pain, ed.

Deciding what bike gets culled is harder than deciding which toe to cut off first.

You will find a reason to keep them all.

End of the day though, ride whatever gets you out and be honest with yourself. Retro bikes can be punishment to ride and, take a month to recover from the episode. I know that.
Keep your clockwork and have a comfy modern bike so you have the best of both worlds for whatever terrain you are tackling. Most guys in our region ride modern now.
My solution is to ride less, running and swimming has taken over and requires less kit and planning. Shorts, towel, trolley coin for the locker and i'm sorted.
As I don't generally do suspension and effective brakes, I choose routes to suit my bike rather than the other way round. Which, can be a roother
cause of having 10 bikes. 'Bike for each purpose' phenomenon (don't get me started about single speed). Marc says "buy a bmx, then"

Good luck in your course of action,

Remember.

Keep off eBay.
Hide old retro bike related pics.
Avoid readers bikes >1997.

 

[cherrybomb]

Re:

I have a couple of retro rides which are really just for occasional fun in nice weather. My go to bike is my Cotic Solaris; a steel 29'er hardtail with 120mm fork.

I can't say enough about how good the Solaris is without sounding like a gushing fanboy, but they really are fantastic bikes. Think the modern equivalent of the original Clockwork.

I had an 26" Anthem, which I thought was just about the perfect all round full sus, but that doesn't get used anymore and has been sitting gathering dust for over a year now.

Anyone who thinks 29'ers are a gimmick needs to try a decent modern one. Oh, and I'm a shade under 5'10" and around 67kg so there!.

 

[widowmaker]

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Riding a retro makes me feel a little rebellious

 

[catf]

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imo the "super retro" plan is the one to go for. something nice and rare with a bit of provenance, if it sits there doing nothing but look nice, at least its not gonna depreciate faster than uk govt bonds after brexit.

that titanium serotta ss fits the bill perfectly for me, but maybe a little bit too pricey. still tempted

 

[The History Man]

Specialise. Keep the one or two you love. Ride them on sunny days. Experiment with hardtails and rigids of the 29 variety. Have the best of both. I recently rode the same short 8mile off piste woodland route back to back on a fs 29er and 33 year old 26" rigid. Both very satisfying but for very different reasons

Warning! You will just end up with more bikes though.

I'll defo be keeping at least one retro for the odd bimble or if I ever get chance to do a group ride.

The idea is that a modern HT will be suitable for a quick blast with limited kit where as the full suss dictates more kit and bigger days. Would love to experiment but just don't have the time.

Thing is, finances are not really an issue as I could keep the lot and still get a modern HT. I simply don't have the room though and keep tripping over bike stuff in the garage. It would be nice to be able to access it all easily.

Shame you're so far north of me. Five and a half 29ers here. 2 rigid, 2 hardtail, 1 fs, 1 69er. Nothing here is precious. You'd be welcome to try any and all. (6'3" and 19st)

 

[M-Power]

Re: Re:

imo the "super retro" plan is the one to go for. something nice and rare with a bit of provenance, if it sits there doing nothing but look nice, at least its not gonna depreciate faster than uk govt bonds after brexit.

that titanium serotta ss fits the bill perfectly for me, but maybe a little bit too pricey. still tempted

Like the term 'Super Retro', which wil still handle well and put a smile on your face. You still need skill to ride them on sketchy trails. I mainly ride a 97 Ti HT and thats more than enough for me.