10 Things We Miss About Road Bikes (And Some Things We Don't!)

Sometimes we get a little nostalgic about old road bikes and what they offered to the world. In this day and age simple steel frames brandishing local names and aluminium wheels feel like a far cry from what is available to buy today. So, tech writer Simon Smythe took a trip down memory lane to reminisce on some of his favourite things about old road bikes but also a few things which he doesn't miss as much!

00:00 - Intro
00:17 - The Classic Looks
01:13 - The Feel Of Steel
02:11 - Local Names
02:47 - Standards
03:32 - Simplicity
04:15 - Rim Brakes
05:09 - Skinny Tyres
05:56 - Aluminium Rims
06:33 - Price
07:17 - Longevity
08:17 - Toe Clips And Straps
08:55 - Big Gears
09:27 - Downtube Levers
10:04 - Outro

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[kenmunozatmmrrailroad]

I don’t miss these things because I’m still riding one. I’ll never give up my exposed cables, rim brakes, and threaded bottom bracket! Great video.👍🏽

[inpanman]

I'm a youngster, but I love vintage bikes and tech. The beauty of these bikes is their simplicity.

[Frank-tvff]

Agree with all of this. The single greatest innovation in cycling over the last 30 years is effective LED lighting. Good modern lamps on a steel road bike makes for the perfect machine.

[martynm.]

I love the simplicity and ease of servicing rim brakes.

[jasonyoung]

You hit every nail directly on the head. Too many casuals trying to emulate the pros and the big companies benefiting from their indulgences. Enjoy your ride and understand that you don't need to go 75km/hr to do so. Ride on your budget. I still have mechanical, cable actuated components and i love them

[belperflyer]

I had a bad cycle accident way back in 1990 which has left me with some movement problems so on-bar indexed gear changes are a blessing for me - I now ride with flat bars for the same reason. Also, as a one time very enthusiastic tandemist the gear ranges now available, coupled with indexing is a pleasure. Gear change mechs are much better now. On our Cannondale tandem I can change front and rear gears simultaneously and reliably.

Rim brakes are OK on a touring bike - provided it's dry! Disc brakes work so much better and mechanically operated ones are much cheaper than high quality rim brakes; The one on the back of our tandem will lock the back wheel whilst still being controllable - I've never been able to achieve that with any type of rim brake (including cantilevers)

Steel is certainly comfortable. I have a 1949 Mercian 531 frame with a bottom curve fork on which I managed 400km in under 20 hours with no aches and pains pre-accident.

The greatest improvement to cycle safety after dark was the LED rear light - supremely reliable. Unlike the Never-Ready battery lights they replaced!

Wheels? Couldn't agree more. I build my own and I know I can fix any problems when far from home. Very rarely get a problem because I always use top quality components.

The big improvement I've made to my wife's and my bike is fitting electrical assistance - well we are in our 80s :)

[PaulLundgren]

Completely agree on the standards. When I built my road bike in 2008, I chose a titanium frame from Moots with standard tube diameters and so on so I could pick and choose my components at will. Love it like the day I brought it home.

[michaelclements]

One thing I miss about old bikes is cone & ball bearings. Serviceable, adjustable, and when properly maintained they are ultra smooth and last a lifetime.

[CreosoteChris]

I've acquired four bikes over the last 10 years or so, all very different - and having learne to live with them, I find that my favourite is the the one I bought as a cheap commute ride (because it had full muguards and a pannier rack) - a '79 Claude Butler tourer. Now fitted with (1) vintage-look pedals, useable with flat or MTB cleated shoes, and (2) vintage-look polished alloy wheels to replace the rusty old ones. It's gorgeous, comfortable, practical, and of little interest to thieves. It gets more use than the others combined.

[spooky]

I'd add to the list "Old Brakes" they really seem to have jumped up in quality since the 90s. When I pick up a vintage bike, usually the first things to get replaced are the brakes.

[ThreeSpeedBikes]

I love old bikes especially. I'm still happily pedaling along on my Sturmey Archer three speed equipped Raleighs and Schwinns.

[xenaretos]

Interesting to see how a number of things like steel frames, rim brakes and unified standards still applies to a lot of cheap city bikes today.

[mikefule]

I was riding casually in the late 1970s and riding regularly with a club in the 80s. I never got on with toe cages and never bothered with old-style cleats. For many years I preferred pinned flats, but was eventually converted to SPDs which I now love. I liked down tube friction levers for their simplicity. Indexed gears are great but a pain to set up and keep adjusted. I never struggled to find the down tube levers. I was perfectly happy with 5 or 6 sprockets at the back, but I always felt that the 1980s chainrings were too big for real world riding. One of my 3 current bikes has discs: far better than rim brakes in the mud, but otherwise, nothing but needless complexity. I very much prefer the look of a classic lugged steel frame — I had a Mercian which I bitterly regret getting rid of. The silly prices for top spec bikes these days are just pandering to the egos of affluent middle aged riders. £1, 000 or so gets you a decent brand new bike. Most expensive bikes are far better than their riders can justify in terms of need and performance (unless of course you're competing). One thing I certainly don't miss is 1970s cottered cranks that always worked loose. Can't go wrong with square taper for most real world riding.

[robedmunds]

I do miss being able to walk into a small cycle shop and get any spare parts I needed with no built in obsolescence

[MrRuvimovich]

Very very proper evaluation of what non pro and not "racer"- road cyclist of certain age really need to care about in order to enjoy and appreciate never ending road, beautiful location, nice (or bad)) wether and pure peace of mind. Thanks for that.

[brianhagan]

I’m still riding late 80’s steel bikes with rim breaks and down tube shifters. Work great, and are easy to maintain, easy to use. I should switch to step in bindings instead of toe clips and straps, but never wanted to break up my record group sets.

[davidbee]

Here are a few more: proper drop bars. There were more hand positions and the tops was upright and drops racy. This meant less need to slam the stem. Bar end shifters are a good compromise. Some are indexed and others can be modified to work with 9, 10 and 11 speed. Not so good, loose bearing BBs. Which fits English, French or Italian threads? But they did allow adjusting the axle width to fit different cranksets. Short top tubes. Traditional frames were usually much shorter, requiring a longer stem. I used to ride a 62 or 63 cm frame with a 58 or 59 TT. A more modern 58x58 makes more sense. Finally, brake levers. New ones may not be pretty but work well and are comfortable. I recently had a Gitane TdF with original Mafac brakes including the levers. Too small, no padding just torture to use. And speaking of odd standards, French stem and seatpost just enough different to not work.

My "new" road bike with fenders is a 1970's Raleigh International with modern 105 11 speed components. A set of Shimano aero levers and bar end shifters work well. And it fits 32c tires with fenders. The feel of a vintage frame with some modern tech. Gotta love the chromed lugs.

[PureRainX]

Absolutely right. Thank you for reminding us that bikes have been pretty perfect for decades. I totally love my 1980 Schwinn Paramount. I have other bikes, but this one gets all the compliments. The shift levers are indexed, and they never miss. As a bonus, i can just look down at their positions to see what gear I’m in. This is not as important if you have a 1x 11 or 12 setup on a modern bike, but just a glance down takes just a split second to check. Although i always keep a spare set of brake pads, I can’t remember when i had to change them. The frame is steel, (red!) and the bike weighs 19 lbs. Also, through-axels take the fun out of swapping and changing your wheels.

[teasilverbankster]

Great I confess though that I'm one of those people that love the tube shifters with their smoothness and feeling out the gears as opposed to just clicking a button.
I personally have a 1995 Japanese/Taiwanese Bianchi that I bought for $50 at a thrift shop that's in immaculate shape. Love love love this bike.

[sky]

Great video. After 30+ years I still have my Schwinn 10 speed and love it. Besides the basic maintenance, it's been absolutely flawless in my opinion. I've rode some big races in it over the years. I'm the second owner and paid $40 USD for it. It may be gaudy and heavy, but it can hold it's own against the new stuff without a problem.