Blog Dis
They call it vintage
2024-08-27
Vintage is a word I generally apply to furniture, clothing, antiques or rare fine wines, the kind that are locked behind glass cases, kept away from the nimble fingers of the public. If I had a slew of vintage wine, I'd probably lock them up too, especially seeing that I love to crack open a bottle of wine with friends and vintage wine... well, let me just say that vintage wine goes faster than vinegar plunk.
But a bike? I used to own a vintage bike, a Norco racer, which I bought back in the late 80s. It was built like a tank, weighed plenty, and was made with a degree of steel that could endure pretty much anything; bumps, raised curbs, potholes, and I can't even recall when parts were replaced, if at all. I loved this 12-speed racer like a baby. But back in 2020, I suffered a head-on collision with a car (his fault) and my vintage bike was mangled; the front frame was warped badly and couldn't be repaired by the bike shop. Now I ride a new bike, bought the day I survived my dust-up w/ the car, and this one is German-made, 16-speed racer, CUBE; a light frame made of titanium that allows me to take hills with less strain.
I've since been schooled on the difference between steel and titanium; one is an alloy (steel) and the other a chemical element (titanium). According to my mechanically-inclined friend, steel is considered to be stronger than titanium, tho' not going up against a car, which I learned the hard way. However, bikes made with steel frames are meant to last a lifetime, as are their parts, but I've discovered this doesn't appear to be the case with my new titanium bike. I've replaced the chain twice, the cassette, the pedals, the break pads (twice), the outer tires (twice), inner tubes (three times), to include an overhaul on the bracket, which collected dirt and began to squeak, and which drove me to distraction. Apparently, too, I've been advised that I need a full overhaul on the entire bike, to have each cable, nut and bolt, checked and replaced, if necessary, and everything checked to ensure soundness. The frame appears to have remained intact so far (touch wood).
Whereas, my old Norco was coveted even by the shop repair guys. The breaks may have been old-fashioned but they worked like a charm. The guys would often offer to buy my 'ancient' bike, as they referred to it, obviously recognizing the value of an older bike that was built to last for decades. The guys would state, "They don't make bikes like this any more!" To which I'd say, "You got that right... vintage bikes are meant to last. New bikes are meant to degrade as quickly as possible." [This is how industries keep on generating profits by rapid turn over].
My mechanic friend took the time to explain to me that the formulas for steel were developed and held by the Chinese and by the end of 2011, China was the top steel producer with a total output of over 680 million tonnes of steel, representing over 1/3 of the world's share of steel production. Wowzers! Now, they have competition from Russia, Japan and India. If you travel into the arctic, specifically to a small island north of Baffin Island, you'll find Chinese steel workers mining iron ore which is used in the making of steel, and they mine upwards of 64% of all iron ore for the production of steel products. That's a lot of iron ore. So when I used to bring my old bike to the shop, and the young bike repair lads would ogle my oldie, and regard it as a catch, my mind immediately reflected on the value of old vs the new.
We are enamoured with new - new music, new art, new ideas, new cars and clothes and new attitudes, as opposed to prevailing attitudes or second-hand clothes or yes, even vintage bikes. I never thought of my old bike as vintage. I just knew it was special and I took care of it, which probably explains why I was able to rely on it for 30 years. The passage of time doesn't necessarily mean everything and anything that comes out now will be better than the old. New only means the passage of time has not left its mark... yet. So, I have to ask, what constitutes vintage? I'd love to be able to ask an authority at what point do you set the demarcation line that separates new from old or to be more precise a vintage piece of equipment.
I don't feel particularly smart and sassy when I ride around town with my new bike because everyone else is also riding around town with new bikes. Some bike repair guys tell me they own multiple bikes, in case their favourite ends up in the shop. I'm leaning toward this position in future, bcus I really can't tell you how long my new bike will last.
All new bikes are made w/ titanium, and the evolution of breaks has meant that all of these new bikes are fitted with disc breaks, not the old variety, bcus disc breaks sit at the centre of each wheel, and stop the wheel by squeezing a break pad against the rotor which is mounted around the hub. If you've been wondering... steel is better than titanium, with higher tensile yield-strength (the maximum amount of strength that can be applied), whereas titanium boasts higher strength-to-weight ratios, which means frames are lighter, and more resistant to bad weather.
The day after the dust-up, all the bruising came out. I was in excruciating pain and could barely breathe: sore ribs, sore body, sore shoulder, cut below left eyebrow that needed stitches. Luckily, I didn't suffer broken bones or a concussion, which kind of mystified the doctor who took my X-rays. The importance of wearing a helmet cannot be overstated. Helmets too are only designed to be effective for up to five years, so be mindful; replace your helmet when it's time. Your safety depends on it. And should you be in a similar position, when you suffer an injury like this, it's important to keep walking every day. According to the follow-up visit with my health clinic, when your diaphragm is too sore to laugh, cough or breathe, it means fluids will build up in your lungs, bcus you resist expelling things like mucus, the way you do when you blow your nose, or sneeze. Not doing these normal functions with this level of injury means you can develop pneumonia. So, it's important to move and, if yo have to cough, take a pillow and hold it against your chest and push hard to alleviate some of the discomfort while your coughing. Also too, and immediately following your injury, use a cold compress for the first 2-3 days to bring down swelling, and then switch up to a heated pad to help the surrounding tissue to heal.
My other recommendation during the healing stage is to avoid watching stand-up comedy. I was off for a few days to recover and I queued up Bill Maher: Live from DC and I thought I was going to die; the pain was beyond excruciating when I burst into laughter. Boy or boy! Pain reminds you that you are alive. Pain also tells you that your body is working. Whereas, numbness should worry you greatly because it means that your body has stopped healing properly.
Thankfully, and bcus I work-out regularly, I was back out cycling 10 days after my accident, riding my new bike, tho' perhaps a tad more tentative than before. I took the same route where the accident occurred to get back up on the horse, as they say. It felt like it really took me one year to make a full recovery bcus I wasn't able to complete all of my free weight exercises for this period of time. I healed eventually back to normal and, most definitely yes, I still adore cycling.
Don't let fear guide your future actions. Cycle safe!
But a bike? I used to own a vintage bike, a Norco racer, which I bought back in the late 80s. It was built like a tank, weighed plenty, and was made with a degree of steel that could endure pretty much anything; bumps, raised curbs, potholes, and I can't even recall when parts were replaced, if at all. I loved this 12-speed racer like a baby. But back in 2020, I suffered a head-on collision with a car (his fault) and my vintage bike was mangled; the front frame was warped badly and couldn't be repaired by the bike shop. Now I ride a new bike, bought the day I survived my dust-up w/ the car, and this one is German-made, 16-speed racer, CUBE; a light frame made of titanium that allows me to take hills with less strain.
I've since been schooled on the difference between steel and titanium; one is an alloy (steel) and the other a chemical element (titanium). According to my mechanically-inclined friend, steel is considered to be stronger than titanium, tho' not going up against a car, which I learned the hard way. However, bikes made with steel frames are meant to last a lifetime, as are their parts, but I've discovered this doesn't appear to be the case with my new titanium bike. I've replaced the chain twice, the cassette, the pedals, the break pads (twice), the outer tires (twice), inner tubes (three times), to include an overhaul on the bracket, which collected dirt and began to squeak, and which drove me to distraction. Apparently, too, I've been advised that I need a full overhaul on the entire bike, to have each cable, nut and bolt, checked and replaced, if necessary, and everything checked to ensure soundness. The frame appears to have remained intact so far (touch wood).
Whereas, my old Norco was coveted even by the shop repair guys. The breaks may have been old-fashioned but they worked like a charm. The guys would often offer to buy my 'ancient' bike, as they referred to it, obviously recognizing the value of an older bike that was built to last for decades. The guys would state, "They don't make bikes like this any more!" To which I'd say, "You got that right... vintage bikes are meant to last. New bikes are meant to degrade as quickly as possible." [This is how industries keep on generating profits by rapid turn over].
My mechanic friend took the time to explain to me that the formulas for steel were developed and held by the Chinese and by the end of 2011, China was the top steel producer with a total output of over 680 million tonnes of steel, representing over 1/3 of the world's share of steel production. Wowzers! Now, they have competition from Russia, Japan and India. If you travel into the arctic, specifically to a small island north of Baffin Island, you'll find Chinese steel workers mining iron ore which is used in the making of steel, and they mine upwards of 64% of all iron ore for the production of steel products. That's a lot of iron ore. So when I used to bring my old bike to the shop, and the young bike repair lads would ogle my oldie, and regard it as a catch, my mind immediately reflected on the value of old vs the new.
We are enamoured with new - new music, new art, new ideas, new cars and clothes and new attitudes, as opposed to prevailing attitudes or second-hand clothes or yes, even vintage bikes. I never thought of my old bike as vintage. I just knew it was special and I took care of it, which probably explains why I was able to rely on it for 30 years. The passage of time doesn't necessarily mean everything and anything that comes out now will be better than the old. New only means the passage of time has not left its mark... yet. So, I have to ask, what constitutes vintage? I'd love to be able to ask an authority at what point do you set the demarcation line that separates new from old or to be more precise a vintage piece of equipment.
I don't feel particularly smart and sassy when I ride around town with my new bike because everyone else is also riding around town with new bikes. Some bike repair guys tell me they own multiple bikes, in case their favourite ends up in the shop. I'm leaning toward this position in future, bcus I really can't tell you how long my new bike will last.
All new bikes are made w/ titanium, and the evolution of breaks has meant that all of these new bikes are fitted with disc breaks, not the old variety, bcus disc breaks sit at the centre of each wheel, and stop the wheel by squeezing a break pad against the rotor which is mounted around the hub. If you've been wondering... steel is better than titanium, with higher tensile yield-strength (the maximum amount of strength that can be applied), whereas titanium boasts higher strength-to-weight ratios, which means frames are lighter, and more resistant to bad weather.
The day after the dust-up, all the bruising came out. I was in excruciating pain and could barely breathe: sore ribs, sore body, sore shoulder, cut below left eyebrow that needed stitches. Luckily, I didn't suffer broken bones or a concussion, which kind of mystified the doctor who took my X-rays. The importance of wearing a helmet cannot be overstated. Helmets too are only designed to be effective for up to five years, so be mindful; replace your helmet when it's time. Your safety depends on it. And should you be in a similar position, when you suffer an injury like this, it's important to keep walking every day. According to the follow-up visit with my health clinic, when your diaphragm is too sore to laugh, cough or breathe, it means fluids will build up in your lungs, bcus you resist expelling things like mucus, the way you do when you blow your nose, or sneeze. Not doing these normal functions with this level of injury means you can develop pneumonia. So, it's important to move and, if yo have to cough, take a pillow and hold it against your chest and push hard to alleviate some of the discomfort while your coughing. Also too, and immediately following your injury, use a cold compress for the first 2-3 days to bring down swelling, and then switch up to a heated pad to help the surrounding tissue to heal.
My other recommendation during the healing stage is to avoid watching stand-up comedy. I was off for a few days to recover and I queued up Bill Maher: Live from DC and I thought I was going to die; the pain was beyond excruciating when I burst into laughter. Boy or boy! Pain reminds you that you are alive. Pain also tells you that your body is working. Whereas, numbness should worry you greatly because it means that your body has stopped healing properly.
Thankfully, and bcus I work-out regularly, I was back out cycling 10 days after my accident, riding my new bike, tho' perhaps a tad more tentative than before. I took the same route where the accident occurred to get back up on the horse, as they say. It felt like it really took me one year to make a full recovery bcus I wasn't able to complete all of my free weight exercises for this period of time. I healed eventually back to normal and, most definitely yes, I still adore cycling.
Don't let fear guide your future actions. Cycle safe!
