Why I Ditched My Super Bike For This 1980s STEEL Road Bike
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- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
- What would make you ditch you modern road bike? Well, for Joe Baker, there were a number of reasons which made him make the switch to a custom built 1980's Massi steel framed road bike. It wasn't just to do with style, but for him it went deeper, it was how the bike made him feel. Would you ever ditch your road bike for something from yesteryear?
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I was beginning to think the biking community was insane with their obsession with menial gains, good to see some common sense .
My Mercian Prolugless (2004) with Record 11 set up, Mavic rims (32 x 3) is 8.3 kgs with everything but water in the bottles. Oh, it is 61 cm and I am 69 years young. Am I as fast? Not like when I was 75kgs and 23. But then I am an old goat. Also, stopping power with rim brakes on carbon is not great period, try an aluminum rim.
steel is real, but best for gravel. Too heavy for consistent speeds
Bicycles of this era were built during the apex of my cycling journey. As such, they have a special place in my heart. It's nice to see a younger generation appreciate these frames despite not being cutting-edge.
Same here, and the are beautiful in a way frames these days can't match. Even though they outweigh todays bikes they appear so sleek and slim.
External cables and rim brakes (use alloy rims mate ) are game changers when it comes to service time and lack of headaches.. Nice bike it has great character .
[ (use alloy rims mate ) ] For a bike like this, I couldn't agree more. What this machine is besides the retro look is durable. And the carbon rims aren't that, let alone stopping power. It's serendipity that you mentioned that, as his calipers are dual-pivot, and on my Eighties Classic Reynolds 531 (Renovated by Argos late Eighties, original builder unknown) one of the best upgrades was to dual-pivot brakes and appropriate levers. And they work well in the wet. I built up my present wheels (36 db spoke for strength, I do cross county gravel as well as trails, back roads) on Mavic A319s some twelve years ago, running 28c 4 Seasons. Wheels have only needed one slight truing in that 12 years.
For many people, a "racing bike" is the last thing they need, or can afford.
For the shifter clamps, just replace them with a pair of old ones meant for the size of handlebar. They’ll bolt through the Ultegra shifters just the same.
Just perfection. I’d still go for aluminium rims though! I do like my brakes to slow me down when necessary!
Nice. I still ride my 1981 Miyata 1000, bought brand new. It's been upgraded to 105 and SPD and still rides like a dream. I'm 66 now and ride about 25 miles a day. Cantilever brakes, with proper pads, stop quite well, even when wet. I'm sure that they make pads for your carbon wheels that work well when wet, also. I upgraded my Kuwahara tandem in the same manner. Great bikes, all the way around.
any bike is a good bike if you actually ride it
Rim brakes for the win in 2024❤
Long Reach Brakes like Velo Orange Grand Cru Long Reach or TRP RG957 and you can use big tires even with fenders, easily 700x32c and without fenders you can fit even bigger ones.
@@PP-cm4re I ran a set of Fulcrums with their recommended pads for years and they were fine for everyday riding wet or dry - out-performed a friends Zipps with aluminium breaking surface.
Long live rim brakes!
@@PP-cm4re They're fine
@@PP-cm4renever had an issue with braking on my 404s ever. Plus they sounded like a turbine spooling down vs dog shit like my disc brakes sound and I never really had to mess with my brakes or live in fear of getting something on my rotor. Would gladly go back if I could be assured I’d be able to get components in the future.
For a mortal as myself a bike that weights 9.5kgs is still very light. Love the build! And you probably love it because it is your own creation. 🍻
Hard to believe somebody would just throw an ultegra groupset and not sell it
If you're pretty new to cycling, it's possible you don't know what you're throwing away.
Talk to non cyclists or new and they don't know anything about groupsets and how much value the word "ultegra" adds to those parts.
@@markj.a351 You could guess from the price, you wouldn't be getting any type of ultegra bike for less than a couple of Grand even 5 years ago
I almost stopped watching at that point. It's disgusting someone could consider doing that
I found a broken carbon frame giant with an ultegra groupset on the sidewalk in a rubbish pile , been sitting in my loft for years awaiting a project.
Stunning. As someone who recently refurbished a steel bike I found at the tip for the total cost of £190 to commute to and from work on. I love channels and publications like 'The Weekly' showing that you can really create a beautiful bicycle for a much more modest budget than the usual new off the peg bike in '24. Long live steel bikes and long live second hand gems.
Good on you, my friend. Steel is still real.
I honestly hope this trend continues. These bikes are gorgeous especially with one or two modern components swapped on to them.
Love the ingenuity to get this bike on the road. That’s a beauty. Thanks for sharing.
Welcome to the Vintage Bike Club, good to see a youngster willing to try something different and loving the ride quality of steel.
Steel is real.
I ride my dad's old steel bike from the 80s with downtube shifters^^ with 11 kilos and relatively heavy gearing it's a bit of a hustle going uphill but on the other hand I love the retro feeling and the look of it!
Yes, it´s good! I´m cycling a 90s steel frame with r7000 groupset, Ritchey classic parts, Campa Zonda wheels and Columbus 1" carbon fork. Also owing and cycling a Spezi allez sprint, with same wheel set.
Weight difference is only about 600g (steel bike 9,6 Kg, Spezi 9 Kg) but the whole ride experience is different. For daily rides I prefer the steel bike. The Spezi I´m using for climbing days, not only because of the minimal weight difference but more for the stiffness. As riding bikes in XL, I´m 193cm and about 95 Kg heavy, it´s noticeable stiffer at less weight.
I bought booth bikes used and upgraded with some new parts. The steel frame cost me about 160€ with steel fork, upgrades were Columbus carbon fork (220€), wheels Campa Zonda (250€), Richtey parts (80€), saddle (60€) and the groupset (350€). So realistic is a price around 1000€, everything below is bombastic. Also the Spezi cost me used 550€ and needed some new parts for change, the whole price was around 950€.
I picked up a red Colnago 1990 Super steel 8 speed road bike for less than 500 pounds. With some equally retro kit I love taking it out for a cafe ride down the Adelaide, Australia beaches. 😊🚴
I've been using one of those as a commuter bike for the past 7 years now, they are truly great. You go a lot faster than usual and maintenance is always easy! Up to now i've always fixed it my self by using youtube clips, much better than integrated braking and cables.
I'm the proud owner of a one-of-two, custom-built, steel road bike, hand-built by a local builder in 1989. It was one of his first frames, and he offers to buy it off me every time I come in the shop he works at (and that I used to work at as well). I don't think I'd sell it for any amount of money, unless he would trade me for one of his later frames in a different color (mine is bright, glossy yellow). It handles excellently, weighs 21 lbs (9.5 kgs), looks flashy, and only cost me $350. It even has an early 2000s Ultegra groupset (partially-- the front derailleur is 105, and the crankset is a 600 from the eighties). I get comments all the time when I'm out riding. Everybody loves it.
25yr old '88 Peugeot rider here, daily. Keeping parts maintained and riding as fast as possible 😎
What a beautiful bike, I still ride my mid 90s steel when I don't need to keep up with others
I recently rode a century on my green with chromed dropouts 1974 Raleigh Grand Prix 10 speed upgraded with a Suntour cyclone groupset & 700c wheels with Shimano 600 hubs on 25mm GP 4000 ii tires. I did it in 5 hrs 19 min. A well spec’d steel frame bike is an absolute joy to ride. They can be just as fast as newer bikes, ridiculously reliable & guaranteed to turn a few heads at large charity rides.
My custom Reynolds steel bike weights 9.5kg too! Except mine is with alloy rims and down tube shifters, but I really like the idea of “the modest protest” against ridiculously expensive super bikes.
That sounds like a false dychotomy. Between 9.5 kg steel bike and modern superbikes there are bikes that are fairly light, good quality and aren't ridiculously expensive.
Carbon Gaint TCR Advanced 2 could be found on discounts for about 1600 euro; Merida Scultura 4000 for about 1800 euro; Look 765 optimum for 2000 euro, just for example.
@@user-ep6iw9he7e yes you’re right, but I built it myself and it only cost me about €700 in total, plus I really enjoy building it. Every part of the bike was chosen by myself.
You might say it's not the latest, but it can complete for the greatest part. Nice looking bike and sensible mix of modern parts into it. Cheers!
Sweet build! That's a bike that starts conversations with old guys like me.
That’s one beautiful BIKE, I bet that ride is so smooth, best of luck with it!
I don’t understand these complaints about rim brakes. Ok, you need to pay attention & think ahead in the wet, but if you can grab the grips & throw yourself keister over pie-hole off the bike you’ve got about all the brakes you need, & you can do that with decent rim brakes.
The exception, of course, might be long mountain descents where you’d probably prefer not to heat up your rims. Since my career’s not riding on doing that hill at 11/10ths, I just keep speeds under control to begin with - no problem.
I went to a steel bike a few years ago. Still have the same times up Mt Lemmon, still can hang just like I did in the A group, don’t race anymore but based on my number I’d still be able to mid pack a 3/4 road race with an I’ll advised breakaway attempt early. The only functional innovations in cycling over the last 20 years have been proliferation of low cost power meters and training plans, deep section wheels, clearance for wide tires, good clincher tires and low bb/increased trail that I think Lightspeed pioneered? Would rather the brands put some of the R&D budget into QC and manufacturing vs gimmicks.
Yes, 15k-20K USD for something with an out of round, creaking crunchy carbon bottom bracket shell is flat out CRIMINAL!! 😡
The bike looks fantastic. It's good to see someone who used to race that knows it's not about the lightest & fastest bike that is important. Riding a bike is about the joy & exercise that it brings. Classic bikes are like classic cars - they have a certain quality that the "latest & greatest" just don't have. Amazing that having your bike stolen brought you to a new sense of awareness when it comes to riding. Remember how it felt as a kid riding a bike? It didn't matter what kind of bike it was to have fun!
bike nirvana. What a beauty. 💛💛
the non matching bottle cages give me anxiety though. 😂
Thanks for showing us your bike, she is a beauty. I am also going back to old school you might call it. There is a frame builder here in the US that makes custom steel frames with a few personal design features that wins him awards at NAHBS. I'm on the list and expecting my bike in May. I've purchased NOS Campy Centaur group and built my vintage style blingy silver wheels. I'm glad you pointed out the fit of the shift levers on the bars because I need to check that because I also bought vintage type bars and quill stem. Anyway, that's a great bike you have there, I'm happy for you.
So cool! Nice to see a bike with a bit of individuality!
Who cares how much it weighs. It is amazingly beautiful. Back when bikes were works of art and not plastic crap. You can upgrade to more modern bars and still keep the same aesthetic. Too many non pro racers feel they have to have the lightest and fastest bike. I dont know why. That Massi is freakishly beautiful and will outlast and outclass any modern plastic bike. As for rim brakes, they work just fine and have for a very very long time. Just last year there were still Tour riders running rim brakes in time trials.
Plastic - exactly what I call carbon fiber bikes!
I am currently riding a restomod, 1986 Specialized Allez SE frame. The original bike was bought by a friend right after graduating college in the 80's. I have built it out using 2012 Shimano Sora/Tiagra mix (from my daughter's bike she out grew), Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheelset, a 1997 Profile BRC carbon fork, and bits from my carbon "wonder" bike that I am selling. I absolutely love how it looks with the 35mm deep aero wheels and the skinny steel tubes, plus it rides so much smoother than my carbon Masi Evolusione ever did.
To fit the newer 10 spd groupset and wheels just required me to cold work the frame by spreading, realignment of the dropouts, and aligning the derailleur hanger.
Looks Glorious!
I bought a 1990s Peugeot carbon bike on eBay for about 250 quid. Amazing condition and looks fantastic. Rides beautifully. Sometimes I choose it over my 2021 Venge for a casual, fun ride. There’s alot to be said for “older” bikes. 🎉
Couldn’t fault this build, well done
Retro bikes and Contemporary, both are fun and make me smile.
It's fillet brazed, not welded and I believe, built in Italy for Massi. If you store for any length, grease up the chrome.
I own a MASSI...are you talking about this model or in general ?
@@user-ne9ml9ko8j that exact model, I've had two and still have one. I know it's fillet brazed because it has been resprayed and I've seen the unpainted frame
@@harryrowland4734 It is an extremely pretty frame ! Love the fork so much ! Kind of reminds me of some Colnago geometries ! Do you have information on where the frames were built beside the one you have ! I don't care much if it was build it Spain or Italy but I am curious ! Have a great day !
@@user-ne9ml9ko8j I'm a bicycle dealer, and when Massi discontinued this model, I bought up the clearance stock.
The Columbus Brain model came in two colour options, plus a few in yellow with Italian bottom bracket shells.
There was also a cheaper Columbus Thron frameset in Salmon Pink / orange, it was a strange colour and some people saw orange and some saw pink.
I was told that they were built in Italy, possibly the same as Sab and the Pinarrelo training frames
@@user-ne9ml9ko8j It does have the low bottom bracket ,typically Italian, which is why they look smaller than they actually are
Old steel frames are better in any cross. winds too, compared to fat tubed glam bikes. Good for you for breaking the rules and being sensible, not insecure as a roadie. Enjoy, and enjoy all the money you saved.
Nice bike! I have a soft spot for steel frames and currently have 3 late 80s converted fixies - a Bianchi, Puch, and Miele. They all ride fantastic. I also just recently did what you did and added Ultegra 10 speed groupset to my 89 Merckx Corsa Extra. As you say, not the lightest but rides like a Cadillac
In the past year I've switched from a Pinarello Dogma F10 to a pair of hand built Mercians. Best thing I ever did.
I did this with a 1992 Cliff shrubb 531,i put 10 speed Dura ace on from 2008 & Had some hope hubs wheels made up.I had the frame refurbished & spray McLaren Orange.I already had the Groupset & frame so cost was £1400.Weight is 9.1kg now when i had the bike set up in 1992 with 8 speed 105 it was 10.5 kg.I love riding this bike on a sunny day in summer.
That DEDA stem is sick!!!
absolute beauty, i want my next project to be a steel retro mod!
I was curious and read all the comments. I saw only one negative comment. People seemed very enthusiastic about the steel bike. The bike seems durable, practical and fun.
This is something I've been contemplating for a long time. In the late 80's I had my very first good road bike stolen after only owning it for 2 weeks. It wasn't insured and I was a student, so it kind of turned me off riding for a long time. For the 2 weeks I owned it, though, I loved that bike and I *still* dream about it. I don't even remember exactly what it was (pretty sure it was a Bianchi and I paid $800 in a crazy 50% discount sale, so it was a relatively good bike). I keep thinking of buying a frame and building it up in a similar hybrid way. The problem I have now is that I live in Japan and people who rode bikes in the 80's and 90's treasured them and kept them in practically mint condition. It's hard to buy anything from that era for a reasonable amount of money...
I bought the exact same Frameset NOS from eBay maybe 15 years ago for about £90. Workmanship on the fillet brazing is as good as any I’ve seen and if it was Italian branded would be many times the price. That’s the price of cycling brand vanity I guess.
I am also in this brigade. My bike is a 1980s vintage, and I love it.
Also, this bike will cost almost nothing to maintain, in financial and temporal terms. You could reduce your rolling and air resistance by swapping out the 25c's for 20c's, the steel frame will afford the compliance required. You will also get better acceleration due to the reduced rotating mass.
Well done mate! You're so young to have made the change to a 1992 bike lol! I love it!! I am only riding steel bikes and rim brakes as well. I am a bike shop owner that can ride a top tier bike from Basso, Bianchi or De Rosa but choose to ride my Ritchey Road Logics and Tommasini XCR steel bikes. Coke cans are incredible for shimming. Get yourself some HED Ardennes Black Alloy wheels with a textured brake track the braking performance is incredible. Carbon rim brake wheels in the wet were never a good idea hence why everyone thinks disc brakes are better. Alloy wheels and rim brake will give you the stopping power you need in the dry and the wet.
Beautiful dude I did the same a few years ago.. never looked back.. rim brake, mechanical, steel what a great combo 😊❤ Pete 🚴🏻👍
Really nice bike ! You might try experimenting with brake pads. My Campy Bora Wto wheelset stops fine in the wet, one revolution to clear the water and the next is good braking.
There are a lot of us out here riding our mechanical rim brake bikes with no need or desire to change.
Good on you, Mate...it's a beautiful bike. Thank you for posting this video, given new bike price-points have traveled beyond the stratosphere.
1988 Miyata 712 here.
105 BR-1055 rim brakes , 600 BR-6403 levers, & DuraAce SL/FD/RD/FC-7401 transmission, DuraAce PD-9100 pedals. Converted from 6 to 7 speed freewheel. I built the wheels myself using Mavic RD-500 hubs & O4-CD rims. 9.5Kg & 52-42T chainrings keep my 63 year old body honest. It's my favorite bike of three, the other two being "modern." Hydraulic disc brakes & tubeless tires are solutions to problems I've never had. Good day.
No way is there 3 km/h difference. I bet it is almost as fast unless you chose to set up your position more upright but that's not the bike's fault.
I'm surprised it's not more. Especially compared to the Factor, which is a very fast bike. Wider tires, some aero features and 2 kilos less make a huge difference.
3 km/h is a lot of watts. No aero features of the frame or wheels (which is not even the case here), nor the wider tires can give you that kind of gains. 2 kg of weight difference? That's six watts and only on a steep climb. You can play with a bike calculator to get a feel of power requirements for different scenarios and of course try and do some testing with a power meter. Nice bike btw and it's much faster than you think :)
@@Al.2 I was thinking something similar and I plugged it in to my favorite power calculator: the difference between 27 and 30 km/h in the drops is over 40 watts on the hoods. It looks like the Factor had deeper section wheels, which will account for part of that, but that can't be all bike. In fact, you can see that he's got a massive drop from the seat to the handle bars on the Factor, but barely any on the Massi.
Oh, he actually set it up different in terms of reach and stack? So there you go. That invalidates the comparison. However, he can now comfortably ride on the hoods with bent elbows in the so called aero hoods position and be very fast now on the Massi. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if he could produce more power on the climbs while seated in the more comfortable upright position.
Awesome bike. I have an 80’s/90’s Columbus tubing SOMEC and a BASSO. Both have fairly modern Campy group sets, they’re great and will last for years.
Great video. I was given a 1983 Raleigh Quasar last year and with a few parts replaced have been happily riding it through the winter. I have stayed with the downtube shifters but changed the gearing to suit my local hills. Wheels had to be replaced as they were showing signs of cracking so it now rides on some new wheels with tan sidewall tyres. Gets comments and interest from cyclists wherever I go.
I just bought a 1966 mercier bike in pink. I am so excited. Going to get it serviced and ride my new baby till I am too old to ride. I love vintage bikes. Cant wait to strap up my toe clips. Your bike is pure beauty on two wheels. You should be proud.
Wile I love my modern 2022 Vitus, I also love my 97 Olmo Giro, there is still a lot of enjoyment in a good steel road bike
As someone who has built up the lightest, fastest carbon mechanical bike I could afford, thing I want most next is a steel bike. I'm probably going modern though, Soma or Ritchey. But this bike is gorgeous, great video. Rim brake steel bikes simply are the most beautiful bikes.
I vote for Ritchey. Triple butted steel😁🚲
Maybe if enough people start upping the demand for NARROWER rim brake wheels (even alloy braking surface, deep section carbon ones like the first gen Cosmic Carbones) by building/sourcing vintage style/configuration steel and Ti frames, these asshole, recalcitrant, could not give a shit, wheel companies will start producing and offering wheels we can use once again (instead of solely mile wide, only cross spoke pattern, disc brake shit!)?!?
Really nicely done. Classy and very individual. Plus, you clearly love it! Great to see you young fellas warming to something from my generation.
Just picked up a cheap Marinoni with the same idea. Lets start the bicycle resto mod revolution!!
Reminds me of my first nice bike. A small Italian brand named Faggin. Columbus SLX tubing, with a mix of Campy Chorus and Suntour Superbe Pro. A total tank at 23 lbs but it had that super smooth feel of a steel bike.
Got a MASSI MASTER + Campa Headset / BB for 125EU ! One of my favorite bikes to ride ! Aesthetical perfection !
Looks awesome! Great build.
Restomod. Very cool. I recently built up a 1x10 indexed downtube shifter race bike with modern brakes wheels and gears on a 90s frame
it looks freaking amazing😲
Nice bike!
Look at the "Procraft RR Compact 26" handlebars.
Its a modern shaped, 70mm short reach, shallow drop handlebar with a 26mm clamping diameter. Fits perfect in the deda murex.
An alternative is the Deda Piega RHM 26. 75mm rach and more drop.
Really nice bike.
Personally, i'm about to build modern road bike, but i'm happy rider and owner of "mostly" (in look deparment) period correct bikes from '94, '87 and '74 with matchning kit.
I love that throwback and aesthetic.
It isn't for everyone, but wintage builds have their fans, it's same with classic cars.
No braking power: "It's a small price to pay"
I'd argue that's quite a big price personally haha.
Back in the eighties, we were dreaming of better brakes 😂. As long as my dentist doesn't go back to 1980, it's all good for me.
Nice bike. The angles of the handlebars and the hoods are a bit odd, but it’s cool how you updated an old bike
Excellent video, well said!
So happy for you buddy, welcome to the family of people who love tradition and steel. Happy riding and God bless you.
I have a Colnago Tecnos with Dura ace 9100 mechanical and Bora wheels. It weighs 8.5kgs.
I reckon you could get a big performance gain with another (ligher, stiffer) crank and better wheels that have a textured braking surface. You can easily shed 0.5-1kgs and the bike will have a better stiffness while accelerating while retaining the plush steel ride comfort.
With regards to 25mm: on steel bikes, you really don't need 28-30mm as the frame itself already takes away a lot of the road vibrations.
beautiful bike, enjoy your ride!!
Absolutely vital for me to be able to work on my own bikes, and I don't think this is easy with the latest proprietary designs. I've taken to buying good vintage steel-frame bikes and restoring them. And nine times out of ten, those are the ones I reach for when it is time to go for a ride.
I was ready to ditch steel until I finally built the Breezer Inversion frame I had hanging my wall, with heavy Paul engineering disc brakes and 32 mm road tires. I cannot explain why it glides and climbs and feels better than the weight weenie bikes.
Breezer Venturi here & luv riding it. Not into carbon fiber - don't think it's worth the cost. Steel will outlast the carbon fiber wonder bikes as witnessed by the bikes for sale on Ebay, etc.
Love this build. I just Aquired a basso gap old school yellow/red paint job and I prefer it over my more modern disc brake bike. The loss of speed is easily outweighed by the enjoyment of the ride !
Excellent! I fitted deore V brakes to my old canti MTB and noted the brakes where much better - more power and could still modulate well. Is it possible to fit MTB v brakes on this bike?
Great bike. Shame you didn’t film building it. Maybe it’s something you would consider doing in future vids?
That bike is such a beauty
My 80s race bike is fast, really fast. It gets raced in hilly time trials where aero isn't so important and its quicker than the aero carbon bike on really steep stuff.
What a wonderful build. Well done!!!!
I did the same thing with my Faggin frame a few years ago, except i ve put the Red20 groupset on it and i got the last 1 inch carbon fork there was on the internet. Carbon rims and lightweight hubs, King headset, carbon handlebar and saddle. 8.7 kg and it is fast.
Fun project. I’d keep an eye out for some nice alloy wheels though. With some of those red Kool Stop pads you get pretty good wet weather braking.
nice ride love the older bikes built better
I simply must try another steel bike. Last one I rode was like 45 years ago. They must be something special to still feel compliant with 25c tires pumped of rock hard.
My favorite practice is XC and I have an orbea alma od 2021. But also I practice a lot of working bike, gravel and small road sessions. I have a beautiful red faggin, he looks like an old ferrari bike. All the components are french or italian. As the wheels are not expansive (actually sometimes you can find some campagnolo or normandy competition for nothing) I have 3 games of wheel: cyclocross, gravel and road, and I love ride with him, the feeling is amazing, maybe he's not the most quick but it's not the feeling you have. With my italian gipiemme pizza 52-42 I take easily 37 km/h in the plates streets of my town. For more you have to push but it's so good.. And when you smoke a 2000 euros bike a with your well old steel bike it gives you a huge smile ..!
What an amazing build! I love vintage road bikes! Thinking of stealing this Idea from you 😅
I have updated Chesini from early 80's.
105 brakes with aluminium wheela are very good
Nice. I'm not against super bikes (I can't afford them anyway), but I'm not a racer, so lightweight is not an issue with me. I have three bikes, but my very favorite is a steel alloy bike (a 2018 Specialized AWOL). It handles well on gravel surfaces and paved. It dampens the bumps nicely. It's not fast, but I'm not concerned with that. I bought it because it has a retro look to it, though the top tube does slope downward, unlike a road bike. In fact, the frame geometry matches almost exactly to my mountain bike frame. The bike has an old school aesthetic appeal that I really like, and I intend to hang on to it for as long as I can. Kudos on your bike build. It's a beautiful bike.
This bike is still sub 10kg. My steel tourer is 14kg and I using it to chase modern road bike of my friends.
Very good to see this. Would challenge the 3kph difference being due to cables and aero frames - a power-controlled test would be interesting. But comfort all the way!
Road handlebars all use 23.8 mm diameter grip sections. The difference between a vintage and modern road bike handlebar is the stem clamp diameter (31.8 mm vs 26.0 mm or 25.4 mm. There may be a few other obsolete standards, but the handlebar grip area was always 23.8 mm, so whatever issue you experience on the shifters was not caused by a retro vs modern issue, and 26.8 handlebars don’t exist.
Congratulations on your beautiful 'neo-retro' bike.
The braking issue you're experiencing has more to do with the rims' material than with the braking system itself. Many carbon wheels are fitted with an aluminium braking surface, which circumvents that problem.
That bike is way better looking than just about any bike in the pro peloton. Classy 👍
That is a beautiful bike..
The saddle is fine as long as it protects the family jewels 👌🏾
The combination of an old steel frame and modern kit makes for a sweet ride. Don't get hung up about the weight, my Reynolds 531 mountain bike tips the scale at 14.4kg, but I'm 120kg so % wise it's not much. Enjoy the feel of steel ✊
If you get the chance to try a Columbus SLX frame they're a sublime ride.