why do you prefer a retro bike to a modern bike?
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Neil G
Old School Grand Master
retroyetirigid":3rvhdd7y said:
Disagree with the comment on discs...IMO they're one of the best inventions in MTB and very, very trouble free!
I do agree on modern bikes having no 'soul', they all tend to look like road bikes these days covered in lairy, slick graphics etc.
Personally for me it's nostalgia. Even seeing my retro ride parked up in the house brings back memories
gradeAfailure
Senior Retro Guru
I don't...! Depending on the type of riding, I can prefer either.
For those who say older bikes are more durable though, if I rode the Marin the way I ride my Giant, the Marin would last about two rides... You still have to pick lines on modern stuff, it's just that it gets much much harder as you're travelling that much faster.
Plus the comment about modern bikes having no soul - back when it was made, my mid-range Marin was nothing special, made in Taiwan, mass-produced, etc. Why now, does it have "soul" when it didn't then?
For those who say older bikes are more durable though, if I rode the Marin the way I ride my Giant, the Marin would last about two rides... You still have to pick lines on modern stuff, it's just that it gets much much harder as you're travelling that much faster.
Plus the comment about modern bikes having no soul - back when it was made, my mid-range Marin was nothing special, made in Taiwan, mass-produced, etc. Why now, does it have "soul" when it didn't then?
gerryattrick
Retrobike Rider
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It's not a nostalgia thing for me as I only got into MTBs a couple of years ago.
It started out as a cheap find in a second-hand shop just to get started riding again, and then I enjoyed the riding and rebuilding so much that I've now rebuilt more than a dozen. My latest bikes have been an '05 Gary Fisher Mullet and an '04 Carrera Fury, and while they are both good bikes to ride they are no better than my 93 Eldridge Grade or My 94 Merlin Malt and if I had to get rid of two of them it wouldn't be the EG or the Malt.
Looking forward to the winter when I can have the time to rebuild my 93 Marin Team Issue and 89 MS Racing, the two of which together cost me less than £50 and will probably only take another £100 to make really great rides.
I've got nothing against modern bikes at all, but as far as bangs for your bucks are concerned you can't beat retro - and you still get a quality bike.
It started out as a cheap find in a second-hand shop just to get started riding again, and then I enjoyed the riding and rebuilding so much that I've now rebuilt more than a dozen. My latest bikes have been an '05 Gary Fisher Mullet and an '04 Carrera Fury, and while they are both good bikes to ride they are no better than my 93 Eldridge Grade or My 94 Merlin Malt and if I had to get rid of two of them it wouldn't be the EG or the Malt.
Looking forward to the winter when I can have the time to rebuild my 93 Marin Team Issue and 89 MS Racing, the two of which together cost me less than £50 and will probably only take another £100 to make really great rides.
I've got nothing against modern bikes at all, but as far as bangs for your bucks are concerned you can't beat retro - and you still get a quality bike.
It's very simple for me. They look better than modern day bikes.
I loath all the hydro-shite, alu rubbish. They look clunky and badly made (even though I know there're not all bad). I hate disc brakes - they look clumbersome and heavy. Modern bikes just look shite.
Give me a clean, simple weld. A filet braze. A simple set of triangles. Slim lines. That's all I want.
I loath all the hydro-shite, alu rubbish. They look clunky and badly made (even though I know there're not all bad). I hate disc brakes - they look clumbersome and heavy. Modern bikes just look shite.
Give me a clean, simple weld. A filet braze. A simple set of triangles. Slim lines. That's all I want.
I remember a couple of surprised riders once pointing out that my bike had no suspension like it was something it had to have. They maybe just thought i was poor and could only afford one gear and an old rigid steel frame to hold it all together too, unlike their spanky hydroformed bikes of wonder. I couldn't even afford the black anodising on the handlebars. Heck, my seatpost doesn't even have a little cloth carry bag with some blokes name on it!
Who knows what they were riding, not sure i even noticed. Just another consumer upgrade. They're probably still paying them off with interest whatever they were anyway.
Yep, they had no soul and nor did the bikes. A bike is a bike to me regardless of price or the amount of labels adorning it. It's age is even less of a concern now knowing what i've learnt with the aid of this site. Building something different and built to last with quality parts is a prime ambition. Something modern bikes seem to fall behind on out of the box unless you're willing to spec the whole thing yourself and pay the premium. It'll still end up looking like most others with minimal character details.
The points of contact have barely altered over time. We still use legs for power, bums to sit on and hands to hold on tight once them wheels are rolling. My bike does what it does with no less vigour and will still be loved and ridden when others are crushed and reincarnated.
Little did them riders know... I certainly wasn't going to let them in on the cool secret. I left them my dust as something to ponder over while they gnawed on their high energy bars; Think i had a half melted snickers and a roll up waiting for me in the car.
Who knows what they were riding, not sure i even noticed. Just another consumer upgrade. They're probably still paying them off with interest whatever they were anyway.
Yep, they had no soul and nor did the bikes. A bike is a bike to me regardless of price or the amount of labels adorning it. It's age is even less of a concern now knowing what i've learnt with the aid of this site. Building something different and built to last with quality parts is a prime ambition. Something modern bikes seem to fall behind on out of the box unless you're willing to spec the whole thing yourself and pay the premium. It'll still end up looking like most others with minimal character details.
The points of contact have barely altered over time. We still use legs for power, bums to sit on and hands to hold on tight once them wheels are rolling. My bike does what it does with no less vigour and will still be loved and ridden when others are crushed and reincarnated.
Little did them riders know... I certainly wasn't going to let them in on the cool secret. I left them my dust as something to ponder over while they gnawed on their high energy bars; Think i had a half melted snickers and a roll up waiting for me in the car.
i walk into a bike shop and im bored to death.....everything is the same thesedays, and theres nothing stands out, bar custom bikes to me anymore.
i cant get exicted over new bike models now, hence i rarely go on modern websites and never read the magazines anymore.
as for retro......the looks, memories and details get me every time. im not saying they are nicer ride, some older bikes kill my body but they are definetly the more interesting bikes.
modern discs and suspension turn you into a faster rider, but more lazy at the same time, hence even my most modern bike (2010) has rigid forks and V brakes!
its just what i prefer and need for 99% of my riding.......i dont get these folk that ride full suspension bikes everywhere.
i cant get exicted over new bike models now, hence i rarely go on modern websites and never read the magazines anymore.
as for retro......the looks, memories and details get me every time. im not saying they are nicer ride, some older bikes kill my body
but they are definetly the more interesting bikes.modern discs and suspension turn you into a faster rider, but more lazy at the same time, hence even my most modern bike (2010) has rigid forks and V brakes!
its just what i prefer and need for 99% of my riding.......i dont get these folk that ride full suspension bikes everywhere.
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