Road Bike Revival?!

I’d watch the video of the conversion work Don’t just show us the finished product Tim!

Yeah, I don’t take my helmet off cause once that fit lifts off, it becomes a waterfall, 🤣

Can we get a bike check on Erins ride?

I ride a modern road/endurance bike ultegra-level (2019). Love it, however the gravel bike with fat tires is very interesting to me b/c as I'm getting older I am placing alot more focus on comfort.

👍👍👍

I ride a marin lombard from I belive 2016. It seems to be marketed as an all rounder/commuter and it really is a great bike for my needs.

You could reverse the question. Why remove your helmet? Then all the reasons will seem petty and vain for removing it. :)

My daily ride is slightly upgraded 1983 Fuji Team Fuji.

I have two vintage road bikes that are functional both with wider tires. The trek 420 has 700c x 32mm hybrid bike tires (the max width you can go). The Fuji Del Ray has 27 x 1 1/2 tires on it. Gravel roads are definitely a challenge on both of them. It’s still doable but a lot of effort. They work great for packed limestone though. Even on rough pavement the bikes are pretty capable (steel frame helps a lot though). I don’t think I’d buy a modern road bike. I’d probably just buy a gravel bike and buy additional wheel sets for different purposes.

Sup Tim and Erin! Tim my car got rear ended today with my bike on the rack. Car is ok but bike is mashed. The bike shop felt bad for me and let me take out a high end dual suspension mountain e-bike for the day. First time I ever ride one. I rode that thing for about 5 hours through single track, back roads, and carriage roads. This thing was an absolute unit. Unreal. I need one now!

Congratulations. I have a 25 yr old Marin bobcat trail, I purchased road bike recently to ride faster & further. Gravel bikes weren’t available during Covid but I want an all city. Love your channel & technique of filming. 👍🏾

my old road bike is a Schwinn Paramount with Paris-Roubaix 28s. I have upgraded to 10speed Force drivetrain. Still have the Shimano 600 brakes. I still ride it for fun rides that never make it to strava

For my own riding I consider an endurance road bike to be the ultimate bike. Gravel is fun now and then for a change of pace, but nothing's better than going fast down the road on a bike that's comfortable enough to do it all day.

I have a crap load of bikes, vintage and modern, mostly road bikes, and if and when I get down to a normal number of bikes, I'll build road wheels for my cross bikes and use them for road rides.

I love riding road bikes off-road. It requires more mental focus, full-body coordination, and finesse, but induces a state of flow where every moment is rewarding. Big tires and suspension can make things too easy, even boring. When things get too rough or sandy, I just do the hikeabike thing, which is a nice variation.

Excuse my ignorance, you said 33 or 40 width what measurement is that

I have a old.....sorry vintage Giant Cabiolet with 27 wheels. I didnt think I could put a 700 on it. I tried to searched for wider tires for the 27 but couldnt find any thank you for any info

Hmm, I don't take off my helmet cause I get quite sweaty riding hard so taking off the helmet feels similar to taking off a sweaty shirt and putting it back on after finishing the coffee 😬

I don't really find narrow tyred steel vintage bikes uncomfortable at all. I have vintage steel bikes with 700x25c and 700x32c. Also have modern gravel and road bikes with bigger tyre clearances. From my experience, the narrow tyred road bikes only became uncomfortable once they went overboard with the stiffness and everything was wide profile aluminium or carbon fibre. However, I absolutely love vintage rando bikes, wide tyres, full mudguards, polished mechanical groupsets and the most creative and minimal front racks carrying massive front bags. The minimalist aestethic is absolutely gorgeous, especially on japanese vintage rando bikes.

for me, I leave my lid on when stopping in coffee shops as a matter of conveniece - one less item to worry about either laying it on the table (taking up table space) or hanging on the bike outside. Also a good place to park your cycling glasses (front of helmet) while indoors.

I'm the same Vintage Road bike for the win 🤙 🤙
DownTube Shifters & Rim Brakes.
Peugeot Perthus Pro Reynolds 753r

What I call my “pure road bike” is a 2013 Salsa Colossal Ti w/ Campy super record/record with 28s, but then my Midnight Special with 700x38s is super dope. I do have some Campy in a drawer that my friend traded me & I’ve been thinking about picking up a vintage something road bike to put that set on 🤔

Just built up a converted 80's Univega as a fixed gear at my local co-op, 700x32 front/28 rear. Only have it for how fast it feels, not for any practical reason. My other ride is a heavy Salsa off-road steel tourer with low gearing and a relaxed riding position, so basically the other end of the world

Poseidon x gravel bike here and love it. Had it now for about 2 yrs.

Where are these beautiful roads at?

I don’t take off my helmet unless it’s a long break. The shades go over the helmet. So that has to come off first. It has straps to keep them from slipping off. Less effort to just keep it on if I’m going to grab a rice krispy treat and coffee.

I really like your older bikes and cobbled parts that work together. Dig yhose sidepulls. Your rides lok lok mine being mostly paved. I still ride my 1981 Trek 710- Reynolds 531 but feeling too big (60cm) for me now at age 74. Some updates, 42/28 crank, Velo Orange Grand Cru sidepulls, Ritchey bars, but still has a 6 spd freewheel with indexed bar ends. I use a much shorter and taller stem as i see you do.The old Maxic MA40 rims with DuraAce hubs built by Schwinn are still true and lok great. But a higher stack and wider tire options and a smaller frame would be great especially with a quaiity steel frame. I'm considering buying an older steel RetnoldsTrek frame in a smaller size and run 32c tires and use my current parts but perhaps go 8 or 9 speed rear. I already use Shimano Claris brake levers. I'd love a Montabello but cost is an issue.

I ride almost exclusively on paved roads and trails for "medium" distances, typically from 20-30 miles, so a road bike makes the most sense for me. I occasionally ride for longer distances of 30-70 miles, also on paved roads and trails, for which a road bike also makes the most sense.

I might eventually go on some relatively short bike tours with it, like a weekend, a week tops, and if I travel relatively light and don't try to tackle really steep and long climbs, my road bike should still be fine. It's only if I go off-road or bike tour for weeks or months at a time that I might need a different kind of bike, but I don't see doing either any time soon so I'm good.

Also, I strongly suspect that, as with "off-road" SUVs that few people actually drive off road often if at all (short gravel or dirt roads don't count), relatively few people actually ride gravel bikes mostly on gravel, mountain bikes on mountain bike trails, endurance bikes for long distances for days on end and possibly with touring kits. I suspect that most people buy a certain kind of bike for reasons that have much more to do with marketing, what's trendy and peer pressure than their intended uses.

Also, when did road bike come to mean race bike? I always thought that road bike just meant drop bars, narrow saddle, classic or semi-classic geometry, no active suspension, brakes, and some sort of gear selection using a rear and maybe front derailleur, that was meant to primarily be ridden on paved roads, thus the name road bike, and without regard for whether it was primarily for racing, touring or everyday leisure, fitness and perhaps commuting riding, and thus encompassed all three categories of bike.

So when you say road bike, you can mean race, touring or everyday bike, or some sort of compromise between the two. My road bike, 21 years old now, is probably closest to the third, everyday road bike category, with somewhat but not full racing angles. So I guess you'd call it an "endurance bike" these days, but it could also be used for light to moderate touring, or occasional racing. But I just think of it as a road bike, as opposed to mountain, hybrid, track or BMX bike. Is this now obsolete?

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My favourite setup is: Road bike with 460mm flat-bar & inner bar ends, 700/32 to 38c tires, frame/top tube & saddle bags instead of panniers.

I can comfortably haul a week's worth of shopping or enough gear for a long weekend camp in the mountains.

My 1997 Lemond Zurich is the best bike I own. Still total confidence (in the bike) going 60mph down mountain roads. Great steel road bike. 28c is the widest tire I can get on it. Lots of races and perfect roadie position fit. Nowadays I prefer to ride bikes with a more upright position and brooks saddle. Back in the day we raced on 23s or 25s. No more. Never a snappy sprint bike but comfortable for the long haul and fast group rides. Now I have the Surley Straggler. Keepin it steel. I think pros keep their helmets on a lot for sponsorship commitments. I keep mine on because if I take it off, I might forget it someplace and not notice it till I start riding and feel the wind in my hair.

That woman’s bike is way too small for her. Also she has her seat way too low to be comfortable.

i have a gravel bike and a touring bike. both are steel. none are vintage but they're both comfortable and take me where i want to go. in the years i've had these bikes, i've ridden my share of quick road bikes with carbon frames and 23c tires. those bikes were fun, however it wasn't enough to convince me to get one. i'm happy with my two fat tire drop bar bikes.

Vintage Peugeot 27 x 1/4 not sure why road cyclists wear helmets indoors. Most of the time I leave mine at home.

From a former roadie, unless I am sitting down I will leave it on so I don't have to deal with holding it in my hands or moving it around. Love your channel btw.

I ride a recumbent trike. You can't beat the comfort.

I saw you guys run those stop signs. Not a very good example.

1984 Raleigh Marathon!! If only I liked to ride road more.

I have a more modern gravel bike. It a Trek Checkpoint ALR5 and I love the bike. For the longest I told myself that I would never get a road bike. I was able to keep up with many of the roadies, but I came to realize that I really had to push the bike just to keep up with some of the riders. I recently picked up an Allez sprint comp. I just wanted to see if a road bike was actually that much faster and man was I blown away by how much faster it was. Keeping up with the group rides was a breeze with this bike. I can honestly say that both bikes have their place. I enjoy the versatility of my gravel bike and I will continue to go on adventures with that bike, but I will no longer try to keep with roadies on that thing. And for the Allez, I can definitely say there is nothing like having that get up and go speed on a road bike. At the end of the day, I love riding both of these machines and they definitely both have their purpose.

Surly Pacers are great bikes! They clear good sized tires with the long reach calipers.

I have a 2017 Jamis Renegade Expert - which was marketed as an "all-road" bike. After about 7000 km, it's pretty thrashed, and the small chainring has bent catastrophically. Now I am negotiating with the wife about spending USD 6600 on a Look endurance road bike with Rival 12-speed electronic drivetrain and Red shifters and brakes. Oh, and reusing the upgraded Hed alloy wheels from the Jamis. I'm 62, diabetic, and need to return to the physical state that can do 200 km of easy riding in 10 hours. Having a NICE bike will help.

Sure, call it the placebo effect.

Rocking an early 80's Bianchi, which just barley squeezes in 700x28's, but with SRAM 1x.
Got the Nitto Technomic for a more relaxed fit.
Love the look and the feel of the bike, but I know using it as an everything bike, rim brakes are eating through the rims slowly, and then sometimes wonder if something slightly more supple would be nice.

I'm broadly on the same page. There are all sorts of reasons why people choose to ride a bike recreationally, but even roadies aren't doing it just because they have a need for speed -- otherwise they would choose faster alternatives, such as e-bikes, recumbents or motorcycles. Aesthetics are probably a big element as well. From that viewpoint, I understand that for some people a road bike is the best way to scratch that itch. That said, as an cheap old bastard that wants a bike to run errands and explore the city in all weather, a racy road bike with narrow tires doesn't suit my needs.

Yes! Be a pioneer and put it on the stand, walk us through the conversion. Make it interesting and try to do it while having a bottle of wine or something 😆

Modern endurance road bikes are underrated. The relaxed geometry and pretty generous clearance on the newer endurance road bikes are a great option for a lot of folks who will never ride their gravel bikes off-road. As for your question... have you tried walking around coffee shop floors in road cycling shoes. It's dangerous. Gotta keep your helmet on. lol.

You really do make good content and I like your narrative style. I've had several bikes in the past, road and off road but I only have one now and that's a Soma Wolverine which was a frame and fork buy and sourced all the parts during covid. When riding roads especially, the wheels and tires make the biggest difference which you mentioned in the video but I will disagree that the lighter sets are not as delicate as you might think. Leading up to the summer I had plans to ride more than I did sadly so I'll be watching more of you in hopes of getting inspired. I will mention that I just turned 73 and after a few crashes ( off and on road ) and that I never used to crash when I was younger makes me less willing to go out. Lastly it doesn't surprise me that you have 20.8 subs. You should be getting a lot more. Your filming is very authentic and you travel with a good group.

We used the 'Gravel bike with 2 wheelsets' for a long time but in 23 we picked up a couple of Endurance Road bikes because the tyre clearance gave us comfort options. The biggest difference we found wasn't tyres but the jump from Ali to CF. Very efficient, not so much faster but noticeable easier long days. Unfortunately not beautiful, slim tubed steel frames of course.

I ride a '95 r400 cannondale with a 700x25 up front and a 700x23 on the rear (gonna see if i can get something slightly bigger in the rear) with a modernish 2x10 106 groupset. I use it to commute to work, primarily road/bike path with a very small patch of gravel/grass.

Why do I ride it even though its an ultra stiff aggressive position, uncomfortable skinny tyre weapon?
Like you mentioned, I just love how it looks. It makes me want to ride more when I see it leant up against the wall in my house. I used to ride a supersport motorcycle to commute to work as well, that's not the best tool for the job but it is the tool that gives me the most smiles.

Definitely still a place for a road bike. Everyone has their personal reason/use-case. Mine is hooked up to my smart trainer where it spends most of its time. For outdoor riding, I'm re-discoverying trail riding on my 29er and loving it. No cars, and much safer for me. All that said, you can NEVER have too many bikes. 😀