Road Bike Revival?!

Erin and I decided to ride our road bikes on 32mm tires. It got us wondering about road bicycles in general. Outside of road racing is there a point to own road bikes in 2024? Endurance bikes, rando bikes, touring bikes...just buy a gravel bike instead? Do you ride vintage road bikes, vintage road bikes with conversions, or modern road bikes with wider tire clearances?
#cycling #bicycles

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[Tim-ot]

Really enjoy the content Tim. Keep it up. Thank you.

[klarkolofsson]

The placebo effect you’re mentioning is very real and to me that’s the most important thing. That’s why a good looking bike is also faster (and you want to use it more). You cycle with your heart after all.

[JohnsonBully]

For my own riding I consider an endurance road bike to be the ultimate bike. Gravel is fun now and then for a change of pace, but nothing's better than going fast down the road on a bike that's comfortable enough to do it all day.

[gmadruga]

I've just restored a 1974 road bike (a brazilian Caloi 10), with 27in wheels, 32mm tires.
Beautiful, agile, graceful.
Best bike in more than 30 years of cycling! ❤

[tommyb]

Vintage for me and on a budget. 79 Univega Gran Turismo. I ride slow and nap sometimea. Take streets, rail trail, and old forest roads. 27" x 1 3/8 swift produced tires. 6 speed vintage suntour with triple front, 11/34 suntour freewheel, early center pull diacomp brakes. Albatross bars. One pannier with coffee and snacks, parts, tools, and a small rain fly if I get caught out or need shade. Use the bike to hold up the fly so we are both well covered. Nothing better than a nice cup of coffee during a passing rainstorm. Sometimes soaked riders join me, so I carry a spare clean cup and a fruit bar for them. Just how I roll in my 60s. I used to ride fast bikes.

[johnmcshea]

Hey Erin, I also have a Surly Pacer and love it.

[TechTraction]

Definitely still a place for a road bike. Everyone has their personal reason/use-case. Mine is hooked up to my smart trainer where it spends most of its time. For outdoor riding, I'm re-discoverying trail riding on my 29er and loving it. No cars, and much safer for me. All that said, you can NEVER have too many bikes. 😀

[greg]

I'm 75 thus very vintage. And yes, I have ridden vintage road bikes before they were vintage. 😂I still appreciate their looks. But I absolutely love my Ti Lynskey 250 GR . And the vintage road bikes look great hanging on a wall of the local brew pub or out on an occasional tweed group ride.

[ronbell]

My first time to your channel. As a "roadie" I do appreciate the speed that comes with a "racing style bike". That being said, back in 2006 I purchased a cheap hybrid, it was the new "Raleigh" brand. Cheap, cheap, cheap, did I say cheap? I put new cantilevers on it, a drop bar, and bar end shifters for bullet proof longevity. I put 32mm tires on it for "all road" capability along with a front handlebar mounted bag and a rear rack. This worked great for commuting and I find myself riding it a lot more than I used to. To get to the YMCA for a workout, just cruise around the frame is aluminum and stiff as a brick. The 32's make it comfortable enough and the bike puts me into a "Zone 2" mindset! I need to ride in Zone 2 more so this bike fits the bill. Good job on your presentation on this video. Thanks!

[dmorgan]

I have a few road bikes as I've gotten serious and addicted to "road" cycling this year.
First road bike I purchased this spring for $300 is a 1992 Trek 1400 Aluminum with Shimano 105, RX100 hodgepodge groupset. Very skinny tire bike when purchased, I think it had 19mm tires on it. I installed 25's which helped a little but the rims were too narrow to make the tires true 25's. I have since upgraded to new boyd wheels, 10 speed ultegra 6600 groupo and modern cervelo seat...the fastest bike in my collection. Kept quill stem just because i like the look so much.

Second road bike is a 2024 Cervelo Soloist 105 Race. Its a full carbon bike minus bars. It is more comfortable to ride than the 92 trek but also slower. I ride both equally, but still prefer the trek over the cervelo.

Third road bike is a 70 somethin Cilo bike. I bought the frame on ebay and currently in process of building. Its a skinny columbus tube, lugged frame handmade in switzerland. A classic looking bike with chromed fork and all that. I'm building with another ultegra 6600 groupo, it looks period correct and relatively modern. I can't wait to ride it. Never ridden a steel frame road bike.

I also have a 2015 ish Diamondback MTN bike that has been through many iterations. Its currently set up as an all road, gravel bike. 650b. Nothing special about it

[TenFalconsMusic]

.
*My favourite setup is: Road bike with 460mm flat-bar & inner bar ends, 700/32 to 38c tires, frame/top tube & saddle bags instead of panniers.*

*I can comfortably haul a week's worth of shopping or enough gear for a long weekend camp in the mountains.*

[bobgabel]

You really do make good content and I like your narrative style. I've had several bikes in the past, road and off road but I only have one now and that's a Soma Wolverine which was a frame and fork buy and sourced all the parts during covid. When riding roads especially, the wheels and tires make the biggest difference which you mentioned in the video but I will disagree that the lighter sets are not as delicate as you might think. Leading up to the summer I had plans to ride more than I did sadly so I'll be watching more of you in hopes of getting inspired. I will mention that I just turned 73 and after a few crashes ( off and on road ) and that I never used to crash when I was younger makes me less willing to go out. Lastly it doesn't surprise me that you have 20.8 subs. You should be getting a lot more. Your filming is very authentic and you travel with a good group.

[dtshifter]

When riding older bicycles, replace the handlebars every few years. Last summer i was nearly home after a casual 50 mile ride when the original handlebars on by 2001 Klein Quantum Race that I have owned since new . I ended up in an ambulance, a week in the hospital, a titanium rod in my ride femur along with medical bills that I will be making payments on for years. Any, replace old handlebars as failure happens in a nanosecond and could kill people.

[Triplecenturies]

I've done my PB 24 hours on a Surly Pacer. Officially finished with 415.5 miles at the 2018 National 24-Hour Challange just SE of Grand Rapids, MI. Like the Pacer, the N24HC no longer is around.

[bikerjoe]

I bought a 1972 Bridgestone about a month ago. I'm not even sure what model it is. I bought it from the original owner who bought it when he was stationed in Japan. It's the only drop bar bike I've ever redden. And the only true roadbike I've ever owned.

[johnnigri]

Surly Pacers are great bikes! They clear good sized tires with the long reach calipers.

[cicliolmo]

for me, I leave my lid on when stopping in coffee shops as a matter of conveniece - one less item to worry about either laying it on the table (taking up table space) or hanging on the bike outside. Also a good place to park your cycling glasses (front of helmet) while indoors.

[TheLankyCyclist]

Modern endurance road bikes are underrated. The relaxed geometry and pretty generous clearance on the newer endurance road bikes are a great option for a lot of folks who will never ride their gravel bikes off-road. As for your question... have you tried walking around coffee shop floors in road cycling shoes. It's dangerous. Gotta keep your helmet on. lol.

[ChrisCapoccia]

I have an Orca road race bike with 32c tires (max for the frame) and a Diverge with 47c (also the max for the frame. Usually I try to find mostly gravel routes on the gravel bike just like I ride my mountain bike on actual trails. So the road bike ends up with the most use because I ride right out of my door instead of having to drive somewhere first. The road bike can handle all the roads around me

[jazzman]

My 1997 Lemond Zurich is the best bike I own. Still total confidence (in the bike) going 60mph down mountain roads. Great steel road bike. 28c is the widest tire I can get on it. Lots of races and perfect roadie position fit. Nowadays I prefer to ride bikes with a more upright position and brooks saddle. Back in the day we raced on 23s or 25s. No more. Never a snappy sprint bike but comfortable for the long haul and fast group rides. Now I have the Surley Straggler. Keepin it steel. I think pros keep their helmets on a lot for sponsorship commitments. I keep mine on because if I take it off, I might forget it someplace and not notice it till I start riding and feel the wind in my hair.