when and how did your retro obsession start

[roadking]

Re:

I should add, for fear of being upstaged by Mr Bodie , that I have been following pro racing (particularly the TdeF and the Vuelta) since the early 1980s, visiting France at least every other year to see it live - although I first saw it as a schoolboy in France in the 70s when on holiday.

In the old days it was very exotic, jerseys with sponsor's names you'd never heard of, and cars you didn't see in the UK. Now with the internet, globalisation and the corporatisation of the TdeF in particular, much of the romance has gone.

Saying that I'm off to Cherbourg with the bicycle for this years start, and have a young friend who may be riding (if selected) - he's in the Cannondale squad.

Jon.

 

[JSH]

Haha an interesting "Top Trumps" of retro credibility.

I suppose the root of my interest comes from When I was a kid and worked part time in Rourkies (1979?). You were surrounded in high end components and hand built frames and occasionally a bit of exotica like a Gios frameset or a Moser bike. Phil Griffiths was a regular as was Les West and occasionally Barry Hoban. Life got in the way and I dipped in and out of cycling for 20 years or so until it bit me again in about 2002. It then became all about MTBs, modern bikes and carbon.

It was only last year that I started to re-appreciate the artisan nature of hand-built and I suspect that the Eroica trend has fuelled that for many like me. I wish I'd kept my old bikes but alas they variously went to new homes. My tastes are limited to a window of late 70's to mid 90's - I don't tend to feel nostalgic about bikes before my time.

This forum has been a great source on info and help to me.

 

[Deleted member 24574]

For me by accident; I have always wanted and ridden the best bikes I can afford ...

Then an unloved Montello came up for sale in the club newsletter; I only looked at it because it was the bike I wanted in the 80s but I could not afford ... so I bought it on a whim and did it up ... spending quite a bit along the way ...

Now it is finished I have had some great rides on it and many people have commented how nice it is and it has also taken me to two festivals and a few bike jumbles/shows....

I'm now on my 2nd Montello but I am on a strict one-bike rule so the red one will be going ... well ... in bits ...

 

[rfjshepherd]

Always been into bikes got my first racer an 18 inch falcon from Nicholson's of Dundee,the cock of the north, followed by a Peugeot pr10l, sold to my brother in law in a moment of poverty,still miss it.
Had matching Holdsworths an Elan,stolen during the great Brechin budgie raid(in fairness didn't notice for over two years,I was abroad) and a track Holdsworth still got it.
Started going out cycling with kids and felt a prat in my cleats so bought a Raleigh Wayfarer 19 inch,haven't grown much, for £15 at Stratford dump, original tyres and brake blocks,I'm sure the kid wanted a chopper.
Three years later a shed full of bikes, well they will be when put together, a good knowledge of cycle jumbles and 8 speed campagnolo components I am an addict and can bore people at twenty paces talking about old bikes, it's sad but passes the time.

 

[JSH]

For me by accident; I have always wanted and ridden the best bikes I can afford ...

Then an unloved Montello came up for sale in the club newsletter; I only looked at it because it was the bike I wanted in the 80s but I could not afford ... so I bought it on a whim and did it up ... spending quite a bit along the way ...

Now it is finished I have had some great rides on it and many people have commented how nice it is and it has also taken me to two festivals and a few bike jumbles/shows....

I'm now on my 2nd Montello but I am on a strict one-bike rule so the red one will be going ... well ... in bits ...

I saw it at EB last year and it certainly drew the admiring looks. Have you had no luck selling? There certainly seems to be a glass ceiling wher value is concerned. It's a real shame to have to split it.

I was lucky with my Gios SR - the guy just loved the process of searching but wanted it to go to a good home ;-)

 

[Deleted member 24574]

For me by accident; I have always wanted and ridden the best bikes I can afford ...

Then an unloved Montello came up for sale in the club newsletter; I only looked at it because it was the bike I wanted in the 80s but I could not afford ... so I bought it on a whim and did it up ... spending quite a bit along the way ...

Now it is finished I have had some great rides on it and many people have commented how nice it is and it has also taken me to two festivals and a few bike jumbles/shows....

I'm now on my 2nd Montello but I am on a strict one-bike rule so the red one will be going ... well ... in bits ...

I saw it at EB last year and it certainly drew the admiring looks. Have you had no luck selling? There certainly seems to be a glass ceiling wher value is concerned. It's a real shame to have to split it.

I could have sold it in the end but by the time a genuine buyer had surfaced I had decided to use the group to build up my new frame.

Seems the price of 50th components has gone up further so it was a better plan to split it. I will sell the frame, stem and bars.

 

[ORS]

Like a few folks here have mentioned, I too was out of the game/sport for about twenty years. I still can't really comprehend that absented time period nowadays. I got lucky, tho', about five years ago via involvement with the great folks at Stirling-based Recyke-a-bike and ended up with a decent chimaera, a donated 'Fiori', in Columbus SL with OM mid-80's 'Victory' groupset and a wee bit later, some GP4's/Record and Cinelli 65's and later still, some ebayed GEL280's. Tho' clearly no thoroughbred, it's a fine rider for current needs.

Keeping the brilliant 80's spirit (at least a bit) alive... .

 

[bigfatron]

Re:

Back in 1984 I watched Robert Millar finish 4th in the TdF, taking the polka dot jersey, I thought he'd come back in 1985 and win it.
What did I know - nothing!
The rider who won captured me 5 years later. He lost to Craig's hero, but in what magnificent style! Allez Fignon!
And on a 'Raleigh' too, so I was sold.
I now have three of these magnificent Raleigh frames, all made by Cyfac in France, all shod with Campags finest and wolber rims. And I always wear the jersey.......nothing compares to U!
Richie

 

[JSH]

Re:

I'm loving the stories

 

[ORS]

Re:

Rustie b's post is quite the memorable dawgs... Re Millar in Glasgow Kellogs C4 - a polka dotted Scottish jersey cruising up George Square. Just because that's not deemed possible, here it is <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/04yQ2QaR8r4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>