A question of feel?
A question for all the roadies out there.
With the demise of my commuter I have finally got my mid 80's racer (with which I'm rapidly falling in love) on the road.
To my surprise, instead of shaking my teeth out on our rough nth est roads it's actually smoother than my commuter was on 700x40c's.
Can anyone explain to me how this works?
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Pursuit.jpg, 176 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stig of The Dump on -
I have a Ricardo Elite SX waiting for me to true the wheels and fix its spokes... i've seen a Pursuit with shimano 105 going cheap, so tempted to buy just for the wheels... not sure how they compare together - the Pursuit came in a few different types of tubing it seems.
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Permalink Reply by Rob (Chewbacca) on -
Perhaps could be the wheels if they are traditional 3X Spoked as they tend to give a softer ride. Most old steel bikes have a fairly relaxed geometry and dont tend to extend the body forward on the bike. Lots of people seem to be snapping up old steel frames for a retro or fixie project....I tend to like riding fixed in the winter as much easier to maintain the bike and less parts to wear out :)
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Permalink Reply by Dstone on -
I have two steeel roadies. An 86 colango and 98 coppi both of then are silky smooth. Both with modern groupos and wheels. Recently I have been riding around on an Avanti Team Quantum which is fantastic and like the steel bikes super smooth. They have a very simmilar ride feel just with a weight penalty and maybe a little bb stiffness. I also have a alu Scott CX bike and thank all the Gods for the 700x35 rubber and 80psi. Two steel mtbs a surly 1x1 and a Shogun trail breaker with Super Prestige cro mo tubing SS comuter with a little longer then normal rear stays to give a nice bit of give.
Nearly all the guys I work with are on steel frames for something. We are doing lots of resto jobs at work from hard rubbish Classiques to high end boutique roadies. Steel frames are making a big resurgence with new suppliers poping up all the time. Stay on it, put in the hard ks on the old rig and watch your fitness go through the roof and then you will be dancing if you go for a modern light weight CF bike.
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on -
There has been a number of articles (and a review in this month's BA mag) of Gios bikes that are making a comeback and a year or so ago a really interesting article in Rouleur about Champion steel who are also seeing a resurgence in demand. I was surprised to learn that they were an Italian company that made steel tubing for chairs in the 1930s before a cycling mad son said they should go into bike frame parts.
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Permalink Reply by Dahondude on -
As others have said its a combination of steel frame, relaxed geometry and that nice rake on the front forks. Compare your front forks to those on a modern CF framed bike and you can see how much extra "suspension" there is in the raked steel fork. I've now got a Surly steel frame roadie with 700x32 tyres at 80 psi and its a beautiful ride.
It's a nice looking bike - what's the story behind Pursuit frames? I've never heard of them.
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Permalink Reply by Rob (Chewbacca) on
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@Dahondude....just like a classic french bike with the long raked forks and longer wheel base which puts the backside more forward of the rear wheel rather than directly over it :) harder to corner through tight hairpins is about the only disadvantage :)
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Permalink Reply by Paul Inglis on -
I may be wrong about this but I believe Pursuit bikes were hand built by Wayne Roberts, father of current Saxo Bank pro Luke Roberts. They were built for racing and sold mostly from Super Elliots. I've seen quite a few around but that may be because I bought a second hand one myself. It's been through quite a few set-ups in the 18 months I've had it. Raced CX, retro roadie, fixie. That Pursuit above looks to have a relaxed seat tube angle which would account for the comfortable ride.
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Permalink Reply by Don (Who's lost?) Nairn on -
It was probably made to be comfortable and well behaved rather than ultra fast.
In an era when bike were still made for regular transport.
There is no black magic in this it is just that.
It is just that marketers have got obsessed with turning cyclists into pro-cyclist wannabes.
"if you don't have a bike just like the pros you just won't keep up"
How may people would be better off with a placid soft riding bike with 3 chain rings on the front would be an interesting thought.
While it may be a few minutes slower over 10 Km after sitting on the bike for 5+ hours you may feel a lot fresher.
Quality steel bikes are still available new but the demand is modest and the salespeople push the fastest, lightest. shiniest because most bike shops only stock cheap steel bikes.
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Permalink Reply by A.V.O. on
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steel is real, plastic is fantastic, I've had no problems with carbon after 10 hours in the saddle.
each to their own, it's much better to be out riding (how ever you do it), rather than frowning upon it in internet forums
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Permalink Reply by greg looyestyn on
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+1
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Permalink Reply by Derek Hasel on -
Clearly your opinions are your own but all in all your comments always appear to smack the 'Tall Poppy syndrome' aimed at people who ride bikes that you obviously can't afford. I have ridden a steel bike for 1000km over 7 days (SYD to Surfers) I have also ridden carbon mix frames SYD-MEL, MEL-ADL and the carbon is no better or worse than the steel frame for comfort. I guess if we all used your analogy we would all still be driving Model T Fords. Oh and I have just returned from a 120Km ride and feel really fresh after alighting from my Carbon framed Colnago.
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