Retro bikes are beautifully crafted works of art with timeless designs! But there’s one major issue: they’re old and, compared to modern bikes, technologically outdated.
That’s why Alex is on a mission to breathe new life into a retro bike! With the help of Shimano, he’s fitting it with the latest rim brake Dura-Ace 9200 groupset and taking it on an epic ride. And he’s chosen the perfect bike for the challenge—a vintage Pinarello!
In collaboration with @RideShimano 🤝 https://gcn.eu/Shimano
00:00 Can a retro bike handle a modern groupset?
01:35 What was Alex looking for in his bike?
03:35 The bike
04:54 Shimano’s 7700 Groupset
05:51 Alex’s inspiration for this build
06:38 What new components have we got?
07:13 Taking the bike apart
07:56 Frame Weight
08:39 What this project is all about!
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What do you think of Alex’s bike build project? 🚲✨ How would you tweak this bike?
Watch more on GCN Tech…
📹 Can a Retro Bike Handle a Modern Groupset & Disc Brakes? 👉 https://youtu.be/hFT5IOtJWq0?si=09lIT9-gkgtuhh4M
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📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency
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22 Comments
What do you think of Alex’s bike build project? 🚲✨ How would you tweak this bike?
should have got an actual old frame
The bike looked much better before you butchered it…what a waste of money
I did fitted my Planet X bike with Di2 group set with no way of fitting it internally, I neatly ran the cables outside the frame and popped the battery into a drinks bottle, drilled a small hole to run the cables inside.
I am 100% with you approach, but yes it is criminal too, to rip it apart. 😆
It ain't very "VINTAGE" if the stem clamps on like some plumbing project! I built-up a vintage steel (Columbus SLX) frame from an Italian artisan who learned at Cinelli with Campagnolo Centaur 11 awhile ago and totally love it!!! Shifts/brakes like a modern bike but rides like a dream from when bikes were steel and shorts were wool!
If U don't need the old Dura Ace group set, I'll be the happiest cyclist if U give it to me. 😁 I need exactly the same parts for my genuine retro project! Nice video, as always!
this is a ten minute video where zero components are installed on the bike
Well, that's ten minutes of waffle out of my life that I'll never get back! How about actually making a video where you actually do something? That would be a first!
Just the vid I wanted to see. I have a 1988 Raleigh Supralite bike with a chrome molly frame that has been sitting on my garage wall since I traded up in the late 90's. The reason was that the group set and drive cogs were well worn with the teeth on the drive cogs looking like shark fins. Now I get to see if my fantasy is realistic with a modern rebuild. You might give us an idea on parts so I can set a budget.
Replace the fork as well 😊
Sorry.. a lovey bike butcheted tp the bone why did you just a good fra.e only and built this up.
5:11
Holy desecration Batman! Why wasn't a 12 speed mechanical groupset used? Drilling holes in a cool vintage frame is not legit. Modern technology is mostly about lighter weights, more gear options, and better functioning components;. However, whoever won or lost a race because they didn't have electronic shifting?
80s steel friction shift, adjustable rear dropouts, forged brake bridge, lugs…
OMG that stuff blows my hair back big time!
If it's made before carbon fiber it's vintage, of it's after carbon fiber it's retro
Shame it is aluminium, better to invest in steel
Spare dura ace cupboard 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. How the meme has grown 😂
I’ve done this to many frames over the past 2 years. First was an early 1980’s Zeus Supercronos 2000, frame built in Eibar, Spain. I put mechanical new Campagnolo Chorus 12 speed gearing on it, got some original Zeus cranks and brakes. Built 32h clincher wheels with Campagnolo Record hubs and H+Sons rims. I like Look KEO pedals – they’re on it.
Did the same with an early 80’s Guerciotti. Built up an old Ciocc San Cristobal as a 1x, with electronic shifting thanks to Archer Components. It has Campagnolo Ekar 13 speed, 9-36 cassette. Did the Mt Baker Hillclimb last year on that bike.
Also built a Kotter all chrome frame from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It has Campagnolo Chorus derailleurs with 11 speed cassette. I kept the downtube shifting, got a set of NOS Galli break levers that route the cables along the bars for a clean look.
They all ride great, they are all a little different. I can build an excellent, modern road bike for about $1,500 USD.
Only a young person would suggest an old bike is mechanically inferior to a modern one
And that isnt even a old bike !
The need to publish coupled with the enthusiasts
to consume info . OK I get it. For arguments sake I grew up with friction shift and never missed a shift. In those day I claimed that every race I lost was not the fault of my bicycle. When we had only 10 gears, I realized that I never used all 10 in any one event.
But of course, your story is valid and needed. We fall in love with this sport and its machines each in our own era. In a couple of innovations, we will watch a new generation marvel at a new update of this old story. I remember a 1970s article in Bicycling! magazine comparing Coppi's bike to the current one of Mercx. I read that piece several times. Personally I love all bikes and enjoy them as they are. I made a replica of a 1905 racer once and took it out. I was amazed at the performance. I still have that one in my stash.
Upgrading biplane into jets? Or enjoying each as its own. All good stuff . The love affair with a bicycle is very powerful and all your stories are worthwhile. Thank you.