![]() ![]() words like freedom, exhilaration and fun come to mind.īut the modern "ultra race" bikes - all black, all carbon, electronic shifting, tubeless, ultra light To me its not so much "mechanical" as "repairable"Īt it's core the bicycle is a simple machine that when integrated with your body enables you to travel long distances with great efficiency. Sooner or later somebody's going to be right". My dad once said to me "people have been predicting the end of the world for a long time. I can remember in the sixties when every bike rack at school was loaded with ten speeds, it was too cool NOT to have one. There will be plenty to go around when us old guys go. My daughter is 26 and still loves vintage steel bikes ( she has three) and she gets to sort through whatever I have when I am no longer here to enjoy them. His opinions are based on a completely different set of standards than a small time collector/ rider. Grant is a good guy, but strongly opinionated and has been in it long enough (struggled) to see what's coming for most manufacturing of bikes. I still see $100 or less complete bikes out there that I buy occasionally to fill my bin with parts and donate or trade the frame. I have mostly 700c, but a few still run 27" and I buy at least twice what I need when I buy. I now have to buy most of my consumables online because it makes no sense for my LBS to stock 32mm stem tubes or 27" tires. As meziac stated, most of us have back ups to keep our beloved, old bikes going. With the availability of classic bikes and components, I think we are safe. Most people my age seem to be embracing modern bike design without much worry. There ought to be a supply of parts available for a long while since most people of my generation and younger don't really care as much about vintage bikes given that steel was a thing of the past by the time we were grown, and demand probably will never be as high as it was these last 20 years. ![]() There is an amazing array of parts from the 60s-current that work on bicycles from the 70s/80s/90s that follow the usual standards. In general, I'd say the outlook is optimistic in terms of being able to put together C&V bike using mechanical parts that are new and old. Axles, external quick releases in certain lengths. Not relying on cartridge bearing hubs/bottom brackets/headsets/pedals/etc. 9 speed chains? I've already started on freewheels, a bit.though probably safest to just grab a couple nice 126mm hyperglide cassette compatible hubs right now. Stocking up on certain parts, like a few choice front/rear derailleurs. What happens when Jim from Soma/Merry Cycles retires? Grant? Who has the connections and the desire to carve out the mid/high end mechanical bicycle parts business?Īs someone who is only 29 years old and in love with bikes that are at least that old, more often older, I do wonder about my ability to find parts in the more distant future (i.e. I'm not sure if the doomsday scenario Grant predicts will come to pass, but I do wonder about the next 'keepers of the flame'. Well, all the way down to Shimano 105 groupsets, actually, now that it's gone electric as well. There has been a clear break with 20th century bicycle design these days, at least in the higher end. My initial thoughts.there have been legacy components created for decades now, but mostly because road bikes stayed much the same, despite threadless headsets and brifters, until about 10-15 years ago. ![]() I didn't see any thread about this quite yet.so I thought I'd bring it to this forum's attention! ![]()
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