Viewing 12 posts - 41 through 52 (of 52 total)
  • Road bike = Racer ?
  • ransos
    Free Member

    But mountain bikes were meant for off road and bikes with drops were meant for on road. So the distinction was better expressed by the term “road” bike.

    Given that the vast majority of mountain bikes never go near a mountain, I think you’ve undermined your own argument.

    convert
    Full Member

    Given that the vast majority of mountain bikes never go near a mountain, I think you’ve undermined your own argument.

    Bring back ‘ATB’!

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    convert – Member
    Not if you are old enough. 53T+ on a ‘racer’ is relatively recent in the grand scheme of things. A 10T difference was the max front mechs could handle until the early 90s.

    My bike was 52/48 with 13/21 (5 speed block) on the rear. I’m pretty sure that was not unusual at the time (1960s) and it was the bike that did everything, touring, mtbing, commuting.

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    ransos
    Free Member

    Bring back ‘ATB’!

    Ha!

    Come to think of it, I’ve raced my road bike on a mountain, but never raced my mountain bike on a road.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    mountain
    ?ma?nt?n/
    noun
    noun: mountain; plural noun: mountains

    1.
    a large natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level; a large steep hill.

    I go up Box Hill, which is a large natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level, AKA a large steep hill, on my road bike most weeks.

    I think I might start referring to my road bike as a mountain bike.

    And Box Mountain might be a more appropriate term for that large natural elevation of the earth’s surface next to Westhumble Rail Station.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    My brother’s racer which I borrowed occasionally had a speedo with a little wheel pushed onto the tyre to turn a metal wire(rod?) that made a needle go up n down against a proper old style circular guage on the handlebars. It also had a mileage counter in the middle.
    At that time (mid 80s?) I had a grifter XL.

    ransos
    Free Member

    I go up Box Hill, which is a large natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level, AKA a large steep hill, on my road bike most weeks.

    I rode Box Hill last week. It is neither large, nor steep.

    ghostlymachine
    Free Member

    AFAIK box hill doesn’t have much elevation either.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I rode Box Hill last week. It is neither large, nor steep.

    I think you might be confusing a large steep hill with “the largest and steepest hill”.

    Box Hill isn’t a small hill, although it isn’t the tallest hill. And an average of 5% gradient is steep but not very steep, Ditchling Beacon which is widely considered to be a very steep hill has an average of gradient of 8.7%, and a much lower elevation than Box Hill.

    I agree that Box Hill is remarkably easy to ride though, if that’s what you meant to say. In fact last week I did it straight after doing Ranmore Common Road and it felt like a walk in the park 🙂

    BigButSlimmerBloke
    Free Member

    captain slow – Member
    you’re not old fashioned until you ask what tubing it’s made from

    and the correct answer is Reynolds 531

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    BigButSlimmerBloke – Member
    ‘you’re not old fashioned until you ask what tubing it’s made from’

    and the correct answer is Reynolds 531

    Wrong, the correct answer is 531c. (That’s what my Flying Scot tells me 🙂 )

    convert
    Full Member

    The ‘c’ was very important. My ’87 Raleigh Quadra was only 531 – I felt dirty propping it up against the cafe wall with all the other ‘real’ bikes (but way superior to those with only 501).

    But it was a real racing ‘racer’ I actually road raced, yet still had mudguard eyes and clearance for winter club runs- them were the days!

Viewing 12 posts - 41 through 52 (of 52 total)

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