Can A Vintage Superbike Survive A Killer Climb?
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- Опубликовано: 19 май 2022
- Top level bikes have changed a lot over the years. Modern-day superbikes are now lighter, more aerodynamic and have a wider range of gears to help you get over the climbs. But can a retro superbike from the 1960s survive a killer climb with gradients od up to 25%? Si took a re-creation of Eddy Merckx’s 1969 Faema bike to our local wall to find out.
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Which bike from history would you most like to ride?
Nino schurter Scott from 10 minutes ago… I mean it counts doesn’t it?
S-WORKS TARMAC SL7 DURA ACE DI2
Gios Torino Super Record of Roger De Vlaeminck 😍
@@tonyvaldiconza3914 I have one. Good choice indeed.
1997 Cannondale Caad3 with the Spinnergy wheels Cipollini rode.
I've learned two things from watching GCN videos:
1. The Brits never quit
2. Their energy comes from complaining, every second, about everything.
🤣 About right..
I’d say 95% of my riding is spent complaining! It is absolutely fuel😜
Or saying very bad things about your mate when he gives you totally inaccurate Komoot mileage/elevation 🥴😂 to follow
Don't get me wrong, I would never go back, but shifting those levers was something of an art. Like learning to play a musical instrument where you instinctively move the lever just enough without thinking about it. And if you wee really good, you could shift silently to sneak up on someone. Same goes for the toe clips. After you've done it a million times it comes really easily. Great video. Great bike (in it's time).
Old bar end shifters were also available back then and you could still shift on the drops, on the gas, out of a corner, like a modern bike!
@@mikebarnshaw8125 yeah. And the same skill levels were need too. To be accurate, silent. Like I said, I would never go back. But you gotta admit, it was an art.
I almost hit a horse when shifting gears once 😳
I looked down for a second!
😄
I dunno if you guys are making me feel good or bad. I've ridden my 88 Trek for thousands of miles, and I never give the downtube shifters a second thought. To the contrary, I've ridden my nephew's carbon superbike, and flapping that contraption behind the brake levers back and forth in order to change gears seems like the clumsiest thing in the world. Perhaps I qualify as an 'old dog'?
As someone who has a collection of old racing bikes and rides them a lot, I should point out that for hill like that a 14-24 freewheel would have used as that was standard on many bikes of the era. This is also the maximum recommended size for Nuovo Record rear mech. On another note, at that time some riders were using 6 cog freewheels to give more gearing options. This was not common however. As others stated, proper shoes with cleats could have made a big difference as well as properly tightening the quick releases.
In my experience, the only thing substandard to a modern bike is the poor braking compared to a modern caliper.
Totally agree. It's incredible how well old bikes still work, if they are maintained. Only thing I improved on my Koga Miyata from 1982 were the brakes and it still works like a champ. For your daily riding steelframes and old tech are more than sufficient.
@@hobbybaschtler7896 That and maybe a 39-T chainring? Didn't they make those for Nuovo Record? I have a 1990 Cannondale that has a 7-sp 13-21 on the back. I put a 39 on the front and can grind the thing up Alpe d'Zwift or Ventoux on when the urge sets in. It's not fun, but it will get you to the top if you pace it right.
@@babygerald4645 42T was the smallest that fit on the NR crank. However, correcting on @John Ferren The NR rear derailleur could handle 30T (the older Gran Sport was limited to 26). While a rear cluster that big wouldn't typically have been used in racing, it could have been fitted.
@@robertmyers5269 Yes, 42 chainring was the smallest. That is unless you want to try a 41 by a small after market brand. The chainring bolts are almost in the valleys of the chainring teeth! My '73 Campagnolo rear derailleur works up to 27 teeth. 28 and the pulley teeth contact the cassette/ freewheel teeth. I believe that this derailleur was made for decades without change. 30 teeth sounds like fantasy. The freewheels were available in that size though.
@@robertmyers5269 Thanks for clarifying Robert (and David below). A 42 sure is a tough bottom ring even with 24 or 26 teeth.
I built my wheels on old Record hubs for NYC riding about 15 years ago, thus my 21 top cog. Getting freewheels isn't as easy as it was back then or I would have socked away one with a 26-tooth top-cog.
My first ‘10 speed’ was a 1971 Motobacane Tour de France that my dad bought at a police auction for stolen bikes. There was no place I didn’t ride that bike in the late 70s :)
What a beautiful bike. I’d love to see more classic/vintage bikes on GCN!
agree. and not presented as unusable antiques. a 14-28 freewheel on that bike would make a huge diffrence. beautiful bicycle.
@@matthewdoyle5645 they can't get much advertisement revenue from such things saddly
Check out Officina Battaglin bikes. They are brand new made to order but with classic steel tubing and looks.
Probably the most beautiful road bikes made today!
@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 yeah bespoke steel bikes are beautiful. I’d like to order one someday :)
@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 You should check out Yasujiro, hand-made steel frames, real beauties.
I can't believe I used to climb my local climbs in gears like those back in the 80s. It's hard enough on a modern bike with plenty of gears. I was also lighter and stronger back then but I wonder how much faster I could've climbed with modern gears?
That is why I sucked at climbing back then. It was the horrible gearing. Yep, that was it. I knew it couldn't have been me. LOL!
I know! The sport had such a high standard to even be able to train!
I never used to see hardly any other cyclist out whilst riding back in the eighties, you had to be committed to finishing a ride back then🤣 now you can just granny gear your way home🤣 at 54 I probably wouldn’t be riding now if it wasn’t for a compact chainset 🤣
@@julianmorris9951 I too ride the compact and I barely use the 11-14 when in the 50 unless going downhill. 😂 I’m 52 and can’t quite climb as I used to. I’m also about 40 lbs heavier. 😞
@@randomsorts Drop the 40 lbs, you'll be fine. Isn't the 52. I finished my last Death Ride at 52. And I'm nothing special.
I have built up essentially this bike several times in the last 50 years. John Farren (below) is right in that the standard low gear on this bike for this climb would have been 24-42, the limiting factors being the Campy rear derailleur really doesn't work right with freewheel cogs larger than 24. Also the 42 tooth ring is the smallest that will fit the Record crank. Note that there were some French rondonneur cranksets that had somewhat smaller chainrings. It is still a wonder to me how we got up those hills.
In building that bike today with true period vintage components I think the most difficult challenge for me would be matching my Italian threaded Record low flange hub with an Italian threaded Regina freewheel. Italian threading was by far the most common (in the eastern US) on both the hubs and freewheels in 1970; but the standard settled on British threading in the late 70s (I think) which caused Italian threading to go mostly extinct. You can't find 14-24 Italian threaded Regina freewheels on every street corner nowadays..Although, it is said you can mix Italian and British thread freewheels and hubs (in one direction but I can't remember which), that climb would have likely stripped such a hub-freewheel combo-- a major bummer: I've done it. By the way, you can tell Italian threaded Campy hubs and Regina freewheels because they don't have any symbols as to the threading, while British, French and Swiss threaded have some kind of marks..If you are trying to buy rare "new/ old stock" parts, you can't count on what the box says the threading is, either.
Building up a bike like this is a pure joy, and the result is NOT as lousy as the presenter suggests. Eddy's bicycle was an exquisitely simple, precision machine. Today's super bike is a fiendishly and unnecessarily complicated precision machine.
I may be wrong but I. do have a 39 Campy ring...
Seeing Si struggling with toe clips reminded me of watching Matt with modern cleats on early GCN😂
Bloody good giggle that back In the day 🙁😂
First, hats off to Si and GCN for the wonderful content and a walk down memory lane for many of us, including seniors from the US like me.
Many of us grew riding bikes like this with friction shifters and very tall gears and uber skinny tires. I rode Campy for decades and remember the old stuff and this really brought back memories. For those wondering, Si is about the same size as Eddie Merckx is or rather was and me too FWIW and ride a similar frame size. Look how geometry has changed and most notable how shifters of that era were positioned well over and down the crest of the curve on the drop bar which places the wrists in an awkward, unergonomic position. I remember it too well. Now handlebars are lower with shallower hooks and levers pushed up higher for more natural wrist position.
A last whimsical reference. How many see that magnificent Merckx recreation which can only be described as pure cycling art...a masterpiece...how many remember those U clips on the top tube to hold the brake cable housing in place? Memories and thanks to Si and GCN. Great stuff.
Did someone say "give this bike to Andrew Feather, who will ride it up that 30% climb from some of Ollie's videos"?
Well done Si. I could feel your pain all the way over here in Canada. Now to switch over to my GCN+ and watch that episode!! Thanks GCN for another look into the past. Can't get enough of this content.
I think the steel bike recreation is really great. However I think you have demonstrated how exceptional Eddy Mercx was in his racing career and others like him. New tech has made cycling more attainable for everyone without exception. I'd like to see you compare a modern steel bike with a modern carbon bike which is accessible to everyone. If you are not racing, as most of us do not, is there really that much difference? I recently sold my carbon bike for a steel bike (carbon fork) and find the same level of performance and enjoyment.
I have four bikes here at home, my 2012 Masi Alare road bike and 2003 or so Trek Hilo time trial bike are both aluminum, a Gary Fisher Mamba mountain bike is steel and so is my Lemond Reno road bike with my components from my Lemond Buenos Aires frame which I still have. The only carbon on my bikes are a few forks.
My first proper road bike was a 1988 Schwinn prelude. 53/40 front 30-11 rear I climbed some of the steepest roads on that bike (in my area anyways) I couldn’t believe the difference when I got a carbon bike with 50/34 35-11 I could actually sit down and spin away as opposed to standing for 3-5ks straight to get to the top. I loved that bike, it was a shame I got sideswiped and it messed up the dropouts to the point of no repair. But I’m in heaven with a modern bike, you can actually get parts (sometimes). Keep cranking out watts, gang! Don’t stop until your knees explode!
Seeing Si fumbling with toe-clips is priceless....don't miss those at all.
I think a good test for this frameset would be to build it up with modern components and wheels... then see how it does vs a modern bike.
The smugness of many people who rides these bikes and put down any tech made after 1979 means…No, no you don’t put anything “modern” on it. Own your ugly old bike and ride it as God intended.
my favourite road bike is an 1982 koga-miyata gents racer with a 2×7 shimano rsx groupset (46-36 front and 11-24 rear), tubular wheels. we don't really have mountains in hungary but it climbs hills like a goat :)
Many modern components wouldn't fit, so we'll never know. I did have a limited go at it. Nothing too crazy.
@@davidburgess741 at least you can have the same gear range with less sprockets on the rear and switch to a long arm rear mech. that would be a much more fair comparison.
also, i would be curious about using tubular wheels instead of clinchers :)
@@domonkosscheiling5809 I still ride a Miyata 610 with very low gearing. 42-32-22 with a 7 speed 13-30 in the back. Of course I changed a lot of the stuff . :)
Great video. Super effort. Having a bike with toe clips I shared the pain of seeing Simon getting his left foot in the clip. I can often spend half the journey time attempting to get the feet inside !!
The superb riders of yesteryear had it tougher on the bikes available to them for sure than today’s riders but the overall quality of abilities and strength in depth of the riders today means that winning a race is as tough in 2022 as it was in the 50’s / 60’s / 70’s / 80’s etc talking everything into account. Men were men then ... and they are now too.
I can relate. For three weeks I rode my Colnago with 42/21 through the Alps in 1985, including the Gavia when it was dirt. I switched to a 24 on my '86 tour and that made for a more enjoyable ride.
This video makes Eddy Merckx achievement all the more amazing!
Every time I watch you guys, I go out and get a brand new bike.
So inspirational!
I like how you are maxed out and still talking
Gorgeous Eddy Merck's replica, apart from the rear brake cable should have been routed around the quill into the top tube. I have a modern carbon fibre racer, but prefer my cooler vintage steel racers.
Now you know my friend, that past bikers of 70s, 80s were BEASTS vs today's bikers for riding on mountains with these bikes. And bikers of 40s, 50s (and before that era) were GODS for climbing with past reneration bikes that gear lever was down to the right seat stay! And they had tubes and tools with them! These people had a soul and passion for racing, like no one else today!
How about a GCN tutorial by a top rider from this bike's era on pro techniques for down-tube friction shifting? I have a great bike from the early 70s and would love to learn to ride it better. And how about a show on the L'Eroica rides that feature these classic bikes?
There is no trick to shifting, turn the pedals but stop pushing hard, shift by ear, adjust until the noise stops, for hills, pick your gear way before you need it, crank like hell until you slow and if you must shift uphill, get enough momentum so you can release pressure and shift fast. Practice that in medium hills. Picking your timing to get off the seat is crucial even more than a modern bike.
@@alaingiguere9197 I'm talking about advanced pro techniques. Since my post I've learned a few, like shifting both front and back at the same time with one hand, and thereby taking a well-designed 2X6 drive train smoothly through 10 distinct gear ratios in smoothly ascending or descending order.
Standard gearing for me back in the 80s was 42 53 and 13 to 18 block. I’ve ridden that round Matlock and up Critch. I’m not sure what all the fuss was about.
My last old-style road bike was a 1989 Raleigh Team 753, a Reynolds 753 steel bike with 53/42 chain rings, 21-19-17-16-15-14-13-12 rear sprocket (DuraAce gruppo). It was the same year Lemond beat Fignon by 8 seconds in the TdF. I was 37 years old when I bought that bike, likely close to Si's age right now. It makes me feel better seeing that some things never change - a 42/21 low gear is positively hard to ride up any double digit climb. I eventually refitted the Raleigh with a 52/39, with a 27 tooth rear cog. The shifting was noticeably more sluggish, but it was worth it to my knees. Thanks for this clip!
I remember riding a changang or two with an older veteran. Rocked up on one of these with probably 5 gears on the cassette, all with super tight ratios and crazy high. Racing must've been a mc grind back then.
There should be a cleat on the shoes which was basically a piece of nylon with a grove that fits into the back portion of the pedal. You had to place your foot into that grove then tighten the strap.
Or metal. Had to nail on. Called shoe plates. How do they not know this? There is a three bolt modern equivalent for tow clips too.
That's what was in common use when I first started riding in the 1980s. I had a pair of Cinelli leather shoes with brass cleats on the bottom. They engaged with the back of the pedal, then you had to ratchet the toe strap down tight. At traffic lights or junctions, you had to reach down, slacken the strap, then extricate your foot by lifting and pulling back. It always makes me laugh when new cyclists nowadays are scared of going clipless... it's so much easier than getting the hang of clips and straps!
@@ragwort3369 Yes I used these racing crit in the 70's. If you had to make an emergency stop there was simply no way to get out... It is analogous to the ski binding from that period. What we have today is insanely better.
Well, actually in 69 the cleat would be a metal T.A. cleat, nothing nylon. And we would properly tighten the quick release, so the rear wheel wouldn’t pull out of position. And the Nuovo Record could accommodate a 28 tooth freewheel. And the routing of the front brake cable around the stem is a sign that other things might be wrong in the set-up.
@@tomdebevoise Release ski bindings pre-date release pedals by at least 20 years.
That was my gearing back in the 80s and 90s. But I used to change for really steep climbs. 36 x 21 for Fleet Moss, and I only just made it
Rode through my teens and Uni years wth friction shifters and gearing like that. We used to ride out to Marllow for the day to go up and down Winter Hil for the shits and grins. Happy Days indeed. Thank you GCN for taking me back to my childhood.
That looks like my first road bike from 1970. It was fun to see Si try to get in the toe clips.
I look back and can't believe back when I got my first bike, 13-23 7 speed rear cassette with 42/53 chainrings, and did my local hill climb time trial for the first time. 21 miles, pretty much all of it uphill, the last five miles at about 7% grade. I can't imagine climbing that in those gears today.
That sounds like the set-up that I had on my 1979 race bike. I would ride a local hill that reached 26% twice a week. At 180 pounds, it did hurt but I always felt good after the top.
Glad to know I'm not the only one that has mastered the zig-zag technique. Of course I would use now that with a 34/34 on ramps over 20%. My first road bike had the 42/21 too but there were not a whole lot of options in the mid 1980's.
Well done, Si, a Herculean effort! Chapeau!
I ride a 1971 Peugeot PX-10E 20 miles to work at least 2-3 days a week. Last month I convinced myself to look for a replacement and that a newer carbon bike with hydraulic brakes would be leaps and bounds better. I went to the local bike store to Test Ride the best gravel bike and road bike they had within my budget and even their best road bike overall with di2 and carbon wheels. I ended up leaving with a snack and the reassurance that my steel bike is still the perfect fit for me. There’s a lot of character in sqeeky Mafac racers, large leather Ideale saddles, and simplex downtube shifters
Liked every minute of this video and the GCN+ one. Would love to see how the retro frame compares with a modern groupset and wheels
I'm old enough to remember those bikes. I don't miss them. Not even a little. I did have to rewire my brain for clipless pedals since with clips you lift up and pull back to get out (after releasing the strap if you had it tightened). Of course I fell over the first time because I was frantically trying to lift up and back. I might be old, but I am not very nostalgic.
I would like to see a classic ride, where pros ride these older bikes.
Epic climb! Would love to see the same climb with the same gear ratio but on a modern bike to see how much everything else contributes.
When Si was having issues getting into the toe clips, I kept thinking of Matt, a previous presenter who ALWAYS struggled to get clipped in!
9/10 times it was never first time with Matt was it 😉🥴😂
This video must have more campagnolo featured than the entire GCN library combined! Despite the allergy to real Italian componentry elsewhere on GCN, this is a sterling effort.
Looks unbelievably hard. Congratulations 👏
I have a 1995 Moser. Campagnolo 8 triple racing with Ergo shifters, modern Clip-less pedals and duel pivot Campapnolo rim brakes. With a few mods gear ratios from 23" to 100". This is the sort of vintage bike you should be using to make a fair comparison with modern bikes. Vintage just lacked the range of gear ratios, indexed bar changers and clip-less pedals, otherwise they are not as different as made out.
Always liked the fillet brazed tubes on those 90s Mosers
Gorgeous bike and like you mentioned Simon these men were giant heroes.....grtz from Flanders... 👍🏻🍻
Kudos mate! 👍
Well done man that was tough.. Watched the gcn movie was great
I think the vintage 10 speed road bikes build up your leg muscles so when you switch to a modern bike, it's easier riding on the big chain ring. I only switch to the small chain ring when climbing steeper hills on my modern bike. When I ride my vintage bike, I anticipate hills by building up speed at the bottom and don't depend as much on the lower gear being enough. If it's a long climb, keeping the cadence is the trick, or else you stall. On the vintage bike, I use the drop bars quite a bit more both when climbing and descending as it gives me more control and usually only use the top bars for flat terrain or slight hills. On a vintage bike, you never ride on the hoods.
Thanks for suffering for us, Si. This was really enjoyable.
Yes I've climb Toys hill in kent on that gear.An old steel frame with modern sti gears compact of course is the way to go try that its amazing.
This video shows me that in my day I wasn’t as bad as I thought it was partially my bike’s fault . The reason Eddy never had that problem he always hit the hill at speed. Toe clips were a bit of a tricky thing and getting in was easy for me once I learned the trick .
Great video now build the same bike on a current frame and notice the difference in efficiency
Would be great to watch a race with current pros on classic bikes
The initial take-off reminded me of both Matt's constant trouble with clipping in and the joy off replacing the toe-clipped pedals on my steel Bianchi with my first set of Campy Pro-Fit pedals. I recently replaced the 13-23 cassette on my nine steel bike with a 13-28 I had lying around and was both elated with the transformation it made and shattered to find out I was unlikely to ever be able to source anything other than a 13-26 for it in the future. The cogs big Ed and riders through to the late nineties were pushing were absolute knee shredders.
My thoughts exactly. I was waiting for a comment on that from Si after bashing the bit with "vintage bikes are like GCN presenters" 😀
So, I'm not riding this grail, but my current ride was built with this madness in mind. 1984 fuji touring series 3. granny ring on the front rocks me some easy climbing . The campag break levers were a cool touch on em.
Eurobike vs Eddy replica? the next challenge....is it worth buying a top quality vintage bike vs a modern low end bike? that is the burning question come on GCN let's see it!
Eddy, Eddy! I have a 1986 Eddy, I’m the original owner, I ride it once a month on nice days only. Love it! Long live the rim breaks and steel frames!
Shows that old bikes were about leg strength, modern bikes are more about cardio
just to show how modernity makes modern humans more weak!!
Combine the two and ...Bamm!
My hubby rides a Peoguet Athena 653 complete with Campy? 53/39 chain set and a 12/28 rear block, he tends to keep o the flatter parts of the West Midlands but he enjoys it!! , his 68 and should know better!! Stay Safe !!
Only vintage bikes for vintage riders will do. All one has to do is compare the physiques of classic car enthusiasts and classic cyclist to know he actually DOES know better!
Thanks Si, I enjoyed that. I am impressed and terrified in equal measures! I recently tracked down the (actual) bike (Carlton Criterium) I had in my teens (40 odd years ago) and had it brought back from the dead. Only good for 'cafe rides' now for much the same reason as you demonstrated. But love it nonetheless.
And who bloody doesn’t love a cafe/cake 🍰 ride 😉
Saw the GCN+ video as well and it was brilliant! I admit I was surprised you didn't replace the brake pads and use newer tubulars just for safety's sake. I finally replaced my 1990 Pinarello with C-Record bits and tubulars a couple of years ago, going for carbon fiber, Di2 and tubeless. Wouldn't ever go back. I do wonder if your experience explains why guys like Merckx were a lot more muscular looking than today's GC riders? The strength and pedaling style needed to grind out these giant gears might have called for a different body type. Just a thought...
13 to 18 and 52 42 was the gearing on my first road bike. But I avoided hills like that one. I tried a 13 to 21 6 speed cluster and the old guys in my club said that's touring gearing. Those toe clips where killers of the feet as well.
Amazing story! Thx 🙏
Great ride Si.
As a hopefully average cyclist, it is great to see some top cyclist have struggles with a mile long climb.
Know it's the hill from hell but every hill for me is a hill from hell. Great motivational video.
my first bike was somewhat similar to that, at least same age, it was my dad's bike. now i use a gravel bike with Ekar, I can ride almost everywhere with enough ease. I remember even my biceps hurt after an hard ride!
Every year I ride my vintage Jan Jansen bicycle on one of our group rides once I refresh my down tube shifting skills I'm amazed how well it handles the hilly Addington forks road in Antigonish County
Brillent video top class thank you
That's such a beautiful machine!!
That gear ratio is insane! And there’s me bemoaning my short cage derailer doesn’t let me have anything bigger than a 28 tooth cassette. At least I have a 34 tooth option on the front derailer.
it would be amazing to use this bike and compare to a high end superbike from 2022 in a video, and then compare this vintage diamond to a modern cheap bike like a Carrera with Shimano Sora groupset for example. I would be interested to see how old school high tech compares to modern low budget for sure.
I think many people who buy second hand bikes have the question which is better.
I sold my rx 5700xt graphics card just to buy roadbike with shimano sora groupset and you said its cheap. OUch
@@saintupid7034 how much did you buy it my man?
@@elosmunk8285idk around more than 500 usd in my country we consider this mid range we consider cheap here is 200usd below
Gearing alone would change the game. And I just came in from riding my brother's 1987 Cannondale touring bike. 3x6. Biopace rings. Shimano 600. Quite light! My main ride is a Zinn Project Big titanium frame, Alpha Q fork, and Ultegra 10sp. Beautiful. But back in 2003, I rode Bike Tour of Colorado and a 1979s Schwinn Traveler, mildly updated. 2x8. 39/26 was my smallest combo. Ouch. I remember when some riders were using triple cranks on the Angliru in the Vuelta a España.
I should have been more specific, by old school I mean something from the 90s or early 2000s.
As an example, I have bought a Cannondale Caad 5 with Ultegra 6600 groupset (10x2)for around £350 second hand.
That bike I believe is from the early 2000s so how that would compare to a new 2021 Carrera with Sora or Claris set that you can pick up for a similar price range.
I really enjoyed this particular video.
42 x 21 is clearly too high for challenging climbs. My one speed is a 34 x 15, and I have a 40 x 18 which is lower and gets me up most hills but I do the zig zag a lot too.
Just last month I acquired a 1979 Panasonic which only was ridden for a few weeks by my friends Dad who passed away last year. I have renovated it somewhat but most importantly I have fitted it with a seven speed freewheel that features a bail out 34 cog, much bigger than the closer grouping of the other cogs.
My single ring up front is a 40 tooth Sakae unit . I ground off the large chainring and it looks really cool. An India - made leather sprung saddle and a French simplex derailleur of even earlier vintage. The Dia come centre pull brakes are fabulous.
I would contend that vintage bikes, depending on what they've been through can be sweeter rides than alot of what's out there. Especially as you age. I don't need as responsive and light a rig. I was a road racer and time trialist since age 11.
Eddy Merckx was the undisputed number one of bike racing when I started out. I think my sister watched him race in the 76 Montreal Olympics as she was a much more active racer than I was and she really followed it.
Merckx's hour record, Moser's new record in 84 and then Graeme Obree's for me are three of the greatest highlights in cycling.
The most recent bike I have in my modest collection of 13 bikes, is a 2011 Kona aluminium with a carbon fork. Problem is I can't fit bigger tires on it.
Anyway thanks for your efforts to find fresh new subjects for the world of cycling.
Suggestion: over here in North America we had a love affair with banana seats and high handlebars, back in the seventies. How about doing some service towards that world of bikes? Like how fast could you do a 15 km time trial on a fastback 100 or a CCM mustang?
Cheers dave in Canada
what a lovely machine. Youngsters of today are too molly coddled with their 11/12 speed superlight carbon bikes. We used to ride all over the place with that sort of gearing, it explains why Merckx rode so aggressively, hunched over the bars bobbing from side to side.
Wow, when I was a child, Eddy Mercks was my HERO ! Great !
I'll have OCD for weeks over the cable runs, at my best a shorter 1 in 5 hill was as much as i could do and i had much lower gears. Love these old bike tests, they make me feel more competent.
I can remember as a junior, riding my old faithful 501 steel Peugeot 52/36 bike in club runs, Box hill to Eastbourne and the hills round there and back home with similar gearing. It's what we were used to and I remember my achievements back then very fondly! As the commentator said the old boys were ruddy tough!! We're spoilt these days to an extent!
Another great film. It would be interesting to see which GCN presenter would be best suited for that bike. I would potentially guess Hank for the similar body shape and build! 🤷🏻♂️
Absolutely awesome concept and really hard work for this video. Impressed. Also raises the question if one can truly compare modern riders' achievements with the era of Merckx? Science, technology, diet, physique and the level of competitiveness almost makes it absurd for me. For example, I truly believe a guy like Pogačar has to work twice as hard to win because the number of super-competitors are twice as intensive than it would have been for Merckx. Look at the current Giro and the insane average speeds now achieved. The old era may have had to work harder due to low tech, but today's speeds and sheer persistent intensity equals things out.
A brilliant episode but doesn't it remind us how incredibly strong and determined those champion riders were? I began my time trialling and racing on bikes like this and 14-24/26 with a 52/42 ring set were the norm and without the many benefits of modern bikes - lightness. brakes, geometry, balance etc. If you haven't ridden a decent vintage bike please give it a go - it really is humbling. I have a collection from the 70s and 80s including a 1995 Giant Peloton but when I ride my Specialized Allez Elite I certainly appreciate it.
well done Si. steep climbs are the hardest. I always say the same to motivate myself not to stop: you can do it!
I have a 1981 Dawes road bike with 10 speed (52/42 and upgraded 14/28) and it’s pretty decent up steep climbs now but it was tough with a 14/24 freewheel!
Dawes Giro?
That's a beautiful bike and both Si and bike survived the Hill from Hell, you've done a fantastic job again GCN!
At age 17, in 1997, I went into a 120 km bike race on a bicyle like this. A Monark (bicyle brand, steel frame and those lever gear changers) I had borrowed from my older brother. On a bet from classmates that where upcoming semi-professionals. I finished right around the 6hrs, after having refused car-draft support around the 90k mark. When I finished, the arrangers had all about gone home except the brave souls that stayed around to clock me. It was a very inspiring moment in my life. Later I finished Vasaloppet (skiing) and Vatternrunden (at age 39).
Man these skinny tubes/level top tube bikes look amazing, slap some modern gears on it and off you go
You certainly know how to set a challenge, I know that hill and I can't think of one tougher.
The extreme zig-zagging brings back memories of climbing Hardknot Pass in 42/21 when a zag became a u-turn
42- 21 ... NASTY 🥵
Although as we all know - riders of yore would screw on different blocks for different races/terrain. (Probably a massive pie-plate of a 13-24 for a climb like that?!)
For climbing like that, yeah a 24. It was really all that was available.
Oh god, that cable routing around the handlebars!
Horizontal drop outs weren't rubbish - you just beed to make sure the wheel is locked in tight. What I remember was a problem was diagonal lateral frame stress which cause the chain to jump into a harder gear when grinding up the steeper parts.
I have a huffy santa fe from 70's. This is 17 kg. Massive as hell. I would like to climb with it the Kékes tető in Hungary. I love this bike.
Fun to watch as Si hasn’t really used clips and straps and down tube shifters you just get used to it. This was just what we had it wasn’t that bad really but we were all just really proficient I used to use one hand to simultaneously shift the big ring with my thumb and forefinger and palm to shift the rear in races, yes you had to sit down but I didn’t need to look just felt it, 42x21 and in the 90’s luxury 39x21 but I put a 23 on for Winnats pass in the tour of the peaks, obv much easier now keep practicing young man
I built up my Brent Trimble Kestrel back in the day 1988 with full Nuovo Record. I recall that the gearing was six speed cassette and that it would self shift to a harder gear when climbing. Still I was in heaven on that bike. I sold it to friend who still has it to this day Chapeau Is for cranking up that hill even if you had to Paper boy the steep bit. Old tech was great in the day but todays tech makes a world of difference.
I had to strategically chuck myself off my bike & into a ditch going down that road...brakes weren’t doing their job & I knew there was a junction at the bottom. Still have a hefty chain ring scar up my calf! Horrible hill.
What was the time taken to complete? (Granted there was a mechanical!)
When I started my lowest great was a 42/25. I climbed many of the high Colorado climbs on that bike. Didn't know any better, but then I weighed 35lbs less. 😳
I wouldn't mind having a go at whatever Hinault used at La Vie Claire. I'd also love to use whatever Binda, Bartali, and Coppi used to win their Giros. On that note, i'd also really love to try a pre-1989 TT bike with two disc wheels and the bullhorns.
I recently read a book by RM Patterson, a Canadian who wintered running a trapline on the Nahanni river in Canada in the 1930's and once snowshoed 250 miles in the Canadian winter (minus 40 F) to get supplies. His usual day was equivalent to the most extreme day experienced by almost all of us. The bicycle racers of the past were truly tough. I believe the racers of today are, also, but technology has made some things much easier for them. I would like more segments like this, only more dated to the time you changed gears by flipping the rear wheel, which had a sprocket on each side.
I don't understand why GCN couldn't come up with shoes with proper cleats for toe clip pedals. They bolt on these days: you don't even have to nail them in place. And a massive 24 tooth freewheel would have been period correct. That's without mentioning the toe straps tucked into the buckles. Wasn't Sean Kelly available as technical consultant?
Because ....new gear
Given that the pandemic has made it harder to acquire parts and accessories in general, I suspect that vintage parts and gear are even harder to come by than they already were.
Although there videos are fun they really do miss the obvious. Shoe plates of course and the bike would have been geared lower for a stage with 25%. Perhaps some older staff?
24T freewheels were available at the time but it wouldn't be period correct on this bike. On a pro-bike you'd have a 18 or 19t for flat stages and a 21t for hills. And if the hill gets really steep like in the video you could still downshift into the small chainring.
My first racing bike, an '83 Guerciotti, had a 12-19 block, 52/42 up front. We never raced anything steeper than 15% though, but I still can't believe some of the climbs I could do then anyway! I don't think I would have even tried that climb back then.
I have a colnago super, mine rides always uphill great.
And now neo retro makes perfect sense. All the steel frame goodness with a modern drivetrain and brakes. I still have a bike with dt shifters, but sensible gearing for old knees. All the others have 10 and 11 speed drivetrains.
The bike I already have - a 1978 Dave Moulton with the same groupset as the bike in the video. All new powder coated frame with replica decals. The wheels are modern clinchers aluminum rims. Cassette is 8 speed 14x27 with 10 speed cogs and spacing. The OLD has been reduced to 129mm so it's not much for the 126mm dropouts to handle. The crank spider has been milled so the 10 speed chain doesn't jam between rings. 9 speed Dura Ace bar end shifters set for friction. You couldn't get me to put those Campy pedals on even for an eroica! I know what it's like riding steep hills with this because I'm the original owner!
my 1st proper road bike came with 52/42 and a 13/18 6 speed at the rear now that took some effort at 12 years of age
Back in my early to mid teens l graduated from a Raleigh grifter onto my first ‘racer’ it was a Santana Danbury in two tone silver and gunmetal grey, if memory serves it was a pretty good bike but really very heavy, one thing that was unusual about that bike was that the gear shifters were mounted on the handlebar stem which l quite liked but then l didn’t know any better.
After that l got a Raleigh milk race special, which l just loved.
Looking at that eddy Merckx replica reminded me of that milk race special quite a bit, but I also noticed that from the 1960’s like that one there it looks like there wasn’t much technical advancement to the mid 80’s like my Raleigh, whereas nowadays technology seems to advance at an almost unbelievable pace.
I may be totally wrong here, I’m not an expert so don’t be too hard on me lol
Im in my fifties and one of my bikes is a 1980 Colnago Super with 42x28 bottom gear (with Super Record rear mech working without issue). 15% hills are common round here and I have tackled 20% hills on this, no problem... I also have a single speed bike with 66” gear - which really hurts at times. Only the Vintage Campagnolo brakes give me bother. They have great response and good power but blimey, do they need strong hands!
Right shoes would definitely help. The good old black vintage sidi cycling shoes design for toe straps. Aah the good old painful toe clips and leather straps of the days and the infamous of possible falling over getting your foot in and tightening the straps. A skill while still looking ahead in hope of not riding into a car or a tree maybe a fence when finally getting forward!