I personally believe that old bicycles are designed to be much more practical than new ones; I think this is because the bicycle has transformed from a utility vehicle into a pure sports device
by SBCProductions
I personally believe that old bicycles are designed to be much more practical than new ones; I think this is because the bicycle has transformed from a utility vehicle into a pure sports device
by SBCProductions
10 Comments
Plenty of modern utility bicycles available
Another comment said „there are modern utility bikes“ and of course, they often have loads of features that make some ot the old bikes pale in comparison (good lights, hub dynamos, better braking, more gear range, etc).
However, modern bikes often lack one thing that the old ones had: repairability!
With hydraulic brakes, interior cable routing, modern (complex) gear hubs, high-speed derailleur drivetrains with narrow chains, electronic components, etc., modern bikes have become very challenging for normal people to maintain.
I have bikes from every decade from the 60s to the 2020s and the sweetspot for ease of maintenance and repairability was around the 80s-90s.
Too old isn‘t great either (cottered cranks, narrow hubs, some old national standards, etc), but give me a bike from the 80s or 90s with a 7/8-speed cassette drivetrain, square taper crankset, cup and cone bearings, caliper rim brakes, external cables throughout, and I can disassemble, overhaul and reassemble the whole bike in no time.
Modern bikes aren‘t there anymore, and they‘ll likely never get there again. The bike used to be historically the invention that got the masses of common people to be mobile, and everyone who wanted to could mostly take care of their own bike and have self-sufficient basic mobility. We have regressed on that front.
Chain hanger
reliability, simplicity, longevity
Drive shaft.
Before people go hooting and hollering, the annual antique & vintage bicycle auction in Copake NY is a real eye opener. Learned that a whole bunch of modern stuff is a hundred years old.
There are plenty of practical, utilitarian bikes out there. It’s just that the fancy sports bikes get all the attention.
Riparabilità
Downtube shifters. Love taking my hands off the bars to shift gears lol
full chain guard/ chaincase.
Very difficult to get aftermarket in the US, and only a few brands ship with them in the first place.
one option is the SKS Chainbow, which I’ve been wanting to try
Most modern bikes are a horrible joke. Stupid sports geometry when 90%of riders need an upright hybrid style frame. Disc brakes internal routing and other non serviceable parts. Electrica and electronic bullshit that will be obsolete in less than 20 years. And the prices are stupid high. Just get a 90s ATB and watch enough YouTube to learn how to keep it on the road.