Mountain Goat wrote:
A nice good quality touring bike. I much prefer the late 80's to early 90's bikes as they give the best of old and new cycling technology without the silly fashion crazes we have today. The older bikes had the more desirable level top tube type frame angles which were better for climbing hills, hence why I suggested early 1990's rather then later bikes. Also, they started to cram in too many cogs at the rear which mean things wear out and cost more to replace. The old 18 or 21speed bikes (Preferably with a freewheel rather then a cassette) usually gave an acceptable gear range without going silly. Today's bikes need so much extra maintenance then they used to need. Also the parts wear out noticeably quicker then they used to.
Boy, I couldn't disagree more. Newer bikes are way superior to the older ones -- being far lighter is the main positive. More cogs on the back is a good thing, because you have fewer gaps that can rob you of momentum. Cassettes are far superior to freewheels. They're easier to change. I used to routinely bend rear axles with the old freewheel system, too.
As far as maintenance goes, I spent more time repacking the old bearing systems back in the 80s and early 90s. Today's hubs and bottom brackets don't require as much.
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What do you call a hot dog in a gangster suit?
Oscar Meyer Lansky
31 May 2019, 11:57 am
