Getting back into cycling
 

I retired and moved back to Arizona from a 18 year stint in California. I turned 56 not that long ago and I've been twiddling my thumbs since I moved back home. I started to go over to my sister's house every morning to walk the dog with her. It was a way to get out of bed and start my day since I no longer have to get up at 3:00 and do a 112 mile commute. We walk 2 1/2 miles and it definitely helps.

I was thinking about the El Tour de Tucson. Its a 100+ mile fund raising bike ride held in November. I did it once in college and once right after when I was working at the local bomb factory. The last time I rode it was at least 25 years ago.

I bought a Cannondale road bike around 1988 when I was in the Navy. I rode it on both Tours but it hanged on the wall of my garage the entire time I was in California. Sunday I pumped up the tires and rode it up and down my street. There is no way I can do a hundred miles on the bike the way it is now. The bike was too small for me when I bought it but when your young you can adapt to it. I will have to make some changes.

option 1: Tweak the Cannondale with mountain bike bars. Bring the bars back and up 4 inches and it probably will be comfortable enough to ride.

option 2: Build a "new" bike from a vintage steel frame and parts I can find on Craigslist.

option 3: Buy a new bike off the rack or maybe have one custom built.

I want to start riding over to my sister's for the dog walk. Its a 9 mile round trip to add to the 2 1/2 mile walk. There is lots of time to get ready for the Tour in November.

I decided to take option 1 and 2. I can't touch my 401k for another 3 1/2 years so I have to be careful with my spending so no new cars, motorcycles or Rolexs.

I was browsing Ebay and I found a vintage Andy Gilmour frame for sale. It is a 26" frame and thats about 66 cm. My Cannondale is 59 cm so the top tube of the Gilmour is about 2" taller than my Cannondale. My inseam is 84 cm so the Gilmour should fit me.

Andy Gilmour is a local bike builder. He moved to Arizona from Scotland, maybe in the late 60s and may still be building bikes. My sister used to race bikes in the early 70s and she had Gilmour build a bike for her. The Gilmour bike is going to be a bit of a Frankenbike. I'm just going to scrounge used parts off of Craigslist. It's a vintage frame so I don't think many new parts will work on it and there are lots of good vintage parts out there.

If the Gilmour bike doesn't work out I'll just hang it above my fireplace as art and I'll probably move on to option 3.

Why are people so hung up on steel frames? Oh, I like 'em too, 30 years ago. I just built a Colnago Master Light for my 15 year old out of my old parts bin so its period correct. You know how many times he has ridden that? Once. He has a brand new modern Trek full carbon with electronic 12 speed Ultegra (we built together) so when he can get up early enough on Sundays, that's the bike he wants to ride.

How tall are you and what size is that Cannondale? I raced on a CADD 3 Cannondale in the early -mid 90s. While it was a great bike for the typical US crits, it rattled my filling loose on the drawn out torture training rides. I didn't care then because I can take a lot of pain. Now, I rather not ride that for more then 50 miles. How much money do you want to spend? A typical modern bike with 10-11 speed mechanical will set you back 1500-2500 bucks? https://www.ebay.com/itm/314455091460?hash=item4936fbe904:g:zQoAAOSwT6FkANi c&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAwJi9GFhmIqDJxz%2FnBbiezBPW0 S19btEQjtSvL7GHYSXVe0BatafSkyMYzXnVjzswlTfP2BF1DM1 TS3sKxIISiNh6UCAYvn1L2TH0paY6X3Vf8O5ss2lF8WP%2FKT9 L6cQwf69Fb7fcXmx%2FlrVM8u1gYdUB0p0rC%2BBp3I6dw6gbz jSR3U7kMtLDh0ccsG%2BbbzJOICYIvjmsFDDblXsaDnrKBor0y t3ocOr%2Bo1pspt0RuY8D93ETPOjl85xzSJ%2Fi3HusfQ%3D%3 D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8iH8pTdYQ
This thing will run circles around an old steel bike.

I have been slaking off this year due to rain and my lazy ass. I am bearly able to hang on in our local training rides of about 50 miles. In exactly 5 weeks, we registered for the Levi ride up in Santa Rosa. I am doing the 80+ miles with, I think, 4000' of climbing. Tell you the truth I don't want to know how many feet of climbing because I just want to get through it and go and enjoy dinner with a few guys.

If you are disciplined, and know how to train, you have plenty of time to get up to those miles. If you rode 3-4 days a week with plenty of rest time in between the big heavy days, you should be able to do 50 miles within a month. I am 56. Went out to beat myself up last Sunday did 5o hard miles. Flat going out, hills coming back with a bit of wind. I found my power off the saddle lacking so I have to work extra hard to keep up with the fooking 30 year olds that are kicking my teeth in on the fast steep hills.

I am sure your sister will be able to give you training tips.

Please spin easy gears, about 85 and work up to 95 rpm for the first 3 weeks. The power will come without much effort after that.

I’ll add that thinking mountain bike handle bars will make you more comfortable will probably make you less comfortable on a long ride.

They put your hands in an unnatural position- hands want to be in line with your arms, not turned 90 degrees like on a straight bar. I get hand pain in less than 20 miles on a straight bar. The curved bar gives you lots of options to move your hands around.

Good for you on taking on more exercise- you’ll live longer and those years will be much better.

You could spend years building a custom bike. Most of the custom frame builders are a year or more behind. The new bikes are just better. Especially brakes. Just better.
Get a "relaxed" fit bike- less reach and a higher stack.
Go ride NOW, especially if you want to do 100 miles in 6 months.
Then take your time and build your custom piece of art.
Two different processes.
Enjoy the journey
gary

Same reason we like old steel cars. :D But if you're racing, absolutely go plastic.

Post a pic or two of the Gilmour frame.

Consider building a retro-roadie, modern components on a vintage frame. It’s cool and you get a very usable bike with all the mod cons, plus if you get a carbon frame you can move over components.

I built a Look 753 frame with carbon Campagnolo (mix of Record, Chorus, etc), HED carbon tubular rims, carbon bars, etc. It’s light and groovy.

I'm as old school as it comes, but, go try some new bikes- Specialized roubaix, etc.

1. If the cannondale doesn't fit, it never will. (edit- I shouldn't have said that- with enough tinkering, it might- but consider new tires, tubes, bars, stem, stem adapter- you'll be in hundreds at least. I've got a whole drawer full of misfit stems, so it's easy to go grab one, if you are starting from scratch, it's more hit/miss.)
2. I've done some retro builds on vintage road bike frames, and they are fun, but not as fast or comfortable as some of the newer frame designs. The newer frame designs let you have your cake and eat it too. Faster, more responsive frames, AND more comfortable. Specially for a 100 miler. You need something you can get on and get out and ride on, not tinker with.

Even if you don't get a new bike, try some out. I generally try to avoid the 'next big thing(ie- gimmick)' in bikes, they are just two wheels and a frame after all, but, things really have come a long way. When I went from a 1980's viner to a 2000's fondriest, I was in heaven (and this being said from someone who still uses a flip phone. ) :D

Idea to get that old bike to fit:
- mtb bars on race bike really suck, too twitchy and dangerous. I’d did it and regretted it.
- you can get 46cm road bars, I found them very comfortable for my shoulders. I like the fizik cyrano bull. Retape with nice tape, the sram super tape is cheap and good.
- get a new style ‘ahead’ stem that normally bolts to fork steer tube, you can try a bunch of open face stems quickly
- to use ahead style stem you’ll need a quill to ahead adapter

With that quill adapter you can raise/lower bar height and quickly iterate stem height and reach. You’ll find you will want to get lower as your fitness improves.

I still have my 86 cannondale and while stiff I think it has a great ride.

Get wider bars and Ride that cannondale for a few months to regain cycling flexibility and fitness, at that point you’ll be ready to acknowledge a good bike fit.

This sounds like a lot of fun, and it will help you transition now that you're retired. Your idea of commuting to the dog walk is a good one. Any base miles will help.

Keep us posted and we'll help you get this century under your belt!
Are you exceptionally tall? a 66 is a big bike. (A 59 is a big bike!)

The only advice I can add right now is that I don't recommend flat bars. At all. Not enough hand positions. Modern drop bars are well designed to give you many comfortable options while you put the miles in the bank.

If you want to have some fun, go to several bike shops and ride some bikes. You don't have to buy a new one but you might find one that has a comfortable fit that you can try and replicate with your new frame.

It looks like a really nice route! Some climbing, and a downhill slide back to the finish!

https://eltourdetucson.org/el-tour-de-tucson/route/

man... I'm feeling the love today, thanks guys

You guys convinced me to not go with option 1, so no mountain bike bars on the Cannondale. I'm 6'-4" so I need a big bike and I'm not going to find my bike on a show room floor. I made that mistake in 1988 with the Cannondale and I won't do that again. I remember while riding it I would switch positions often, on the hoods, then on the corners and then on the straight parts and then back to the hoods. I didn't use the drops that much.

The Gilmour frame should be on my porch by Saturday. It has a lot of "patina". If I can get new decals from Gilmour I'll paint it baby blue or orange and if I can swing it maybe I can get him to sign it again.

The Gilmour bike is a project and I have a rule of not starting a new project until I finish my current project and I'm breaking that rule now. My 76 911 is still on jackstands with the motor on the floor but I had to grab this Gilmour. I always wanted one of his bikes and if I waited it would be gone. I was worried it would be too big but I took a tape measure to my Cannondale to see where the top tube would be and I should fit it.

I never heard of gravel bikes until a couple days ago when I started researching a new bike. I really like the tires on those bikes but I don't know about the gearing. Tucson has lots of good bike paths and I have always rode on asphalt. I'm thinking a road bike with the wheels and tires of a gravel bike is the way to go.

New bike vs old bike. I have a 1975 BMW R90S and a 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14. I like riding both but for serious touring a new bike is better. A new 2023 BMW R1250RT is probably another leap.

I need to get going and walk that dog now..

Food for thought.

You know, if you are open to gravel biking, go take a look. They are fun as heck, and if you get the 2x in the front, you will probably won't outrun your high end gearing in any meaningful way. Avoid the 1x setups. Good news- the 2x (what youd want) is usually on the lower / mid end $$$ anyway.

You can always go to narrower road tires than the stock 38-42c setup if you wanted too, then switch back to wider tires after your 100 miler.

Most road bikes have gone up in tire size so much 28c+ to the point where the line between a road bike and gravel bike can get blurred. A lot of times I have to get up really close to something to figure out what the heck it even is.

I haven't really touched my road bikes since going gravel bike. Most of the roads here are so bad, they are more gravel like anyways.

As for size, some of these brands do have 61,62, 64 size bikes---which most stores arent going to stock in house, but, I bet you could get one discounted mail order if you knew what you wanted. I see a lot of bike companies will have some online ordering and some sizzling great deal, BUT the only bikes left are the largest sizes.

You could also try what the local bike store has, and if you like the model, see if they can order the larger size for you.

You are a big dude. Unless you have some leg/torso discrepancy, it seems like one would be close.

Seriously- go ride some new stuff. Just to get a feel.


This is a random size chart I pulled off the net, ignore the circled items. Not every brand/model goes to 64, but there are a lot of 61's out there.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1678978395.JPG

This showed up in my feed today.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0jWzjdueA2w" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Just get a modern bike and be done with it already. Technology, fit, ride quality, etc has changed sooo much over the last 35 years. If you want to keep your vintage bike, cool, I have some too. They get ridden once a year just to remind me why they hang on the wall the other 364 days.

BTW, modern doesn’t exclude steel. All of my modern bikes are steel.

In the engineering world we call this "analysis paralysis"

Once you go gravel you never go back.....
Well maybe... Built up a Ti gravel frame last year ...and added a 50/34 Ultegra chainset driving an 11-32 cassette. Hydro disc braking. All running on 48mm deep carbon aero rims and WTB Exposure 36mm tires @45psi.

After more than 10,000 miles in 360 days I'm pretty sold on it. Mainly ridden on roads and country lanes and it is fast and comfortable. At 55 comfort is a priority and it's fast enough for most club rides and fun and games.

As comparators I have:
i) 2016 carbon race machine with Ultegra Di2.
ii) 1986 steel framed (531c) Raleigh Road Ace (ridden since new) with Shimano Golden Arrow group set.
iii) Alloy framed gravel machine 2014 with Shimano 105 groupset.

The ti gravel frame is faster than all of them.... the carbon machine might be far more responsive and accelerates better but it lacks the flow of the ti machine. The steel is just sublime... but slow comparatively slow... I have ridden it for decades so it feels good, but the data doesn't lie. It's slow and with a full race position no longer that comfortable for a longer ride. Love it though.

The more relaxed position of the gravel bike, even with a longer stem than would be expected is far more appropriate for the type of riding I want to do and the weekly 120km rides are pretty much always done on the ti machine. The carbon bike's slim outright speed advantage is insufficient to overcome the ti gravel machine's additional comfort.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1678998660.jpg

And… frame from ebay… complete ultegra group set as well. Wheels are ex demo models … carbon seat post Facebbok market place.

New chain, tires, bar tape and saddle.

I'm as old school as it gets, but Jim and Look are giving you the best advice you will get. I let my Iron Horse go for a Guru and also have a carbon fiber Felt. Major improvement over my Cilo and Iron Horse. You just can't beat the modern technology.

here is the Cannondale, vintage mid 80s

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679010214.jpg

I've been riding a bike *daily for decades. :)

Just go... Get started. Don't over think it and make it fun.

(*I wont set off if it's raining)

I'd rock that just they way it is. :)

It doesn't fit, Otto is a giraffe!

Lovely Cannondale. Impressive drop!

Damn, that is a beautiful bike. And the fact you've made it your main steed speaks volumes to me. My gravel bike and my road bikes are worlds apart. I did 55 miles / 4000 feet today on my winter road bike and I was so glad that I decided to take it instead of my gravel bike, just for the speed differential. (I'd thought about taking the gravel bike because there's still so much garbage and crap on the roads here.)

Yup. That's what I was afraid of. You could raise the stem, and even raise the levers with a shorter reach/shorter drop bar more like MFAFF's but that wheelbase is gonna be tight!

I say... I say... Whatchu need is a 36'er:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679013757.jpg

The Gilmour frame has been shipped according to Ebay.

I bought paint today. A quart of generic Ace Hardware Rustoleum clone Safety Blue. I may experiment with a little bit with some white to make a baby blue.

66 cm frame is very large. Are you measuring your 84cm/33 in inseam bare footed to your, for lack of a better term, taint? If so, you’re very long torso’d so the long top tube may work for you but the saddle will be pretty low.

Last year I accidentally bought a metric tape measure. It was in the grab bin at Ace and I didn't notice it was metric. I got home and saw my mistake but decided to keep it any way. Here it really comes in handy. I put the tang in the slot of the cap on the crank.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679017579.jpg

that frame is gunna be YUUUUGE

Getting back into cycling
 

You’re forgetting the “Soul” factor. The R90s has the Kawi beat in that department.

That's why I never got rid of it. Its on the list of projects I have. It was crashed a couple times when I bought it from a guy on my ship back in the day. Its going to be a partial restoration back to its original daytona orange.

A 6'4" guy on a 58 frame? That will look like a circus bear on a little bike. Its a bit small, but if push comes to shove, it should work with a long stem and angled stem with a long seat post.

That R90 is nice. The old bikes just look right. My mid-80's Peugot still hangs in the garage, ready to go - it's just not comfortable to ride for more than ~10 miles anymore.

In case if gives you some ideas, here's a link to my foray into a gravel-like bike (older cyclocross frame with some newer components):

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/720544-ultimate-bike-thread-214.html#post11262591

Not quite full gravel; am running 700c x 35 tires which is cushy on bad roads. I tend to find taller frames with longer top tubes to be comfortable for longer rides.

Have you considered looking at recumbent bikes? They are usually reasonably-attainable used and it's super-comfy to start a trip with your lounge chair already deployed:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/720544-ultimate-bike-thread-211.html#post11075869

recumbents don't do anything for me

I'm going to look into the 35 tires. These tires must be new since I moved to California in 2002.

Anyone ever ride a carbon fork on a steel frame?

Yes and do it. After 10 years of killing myself working, I dusted off my old bike decided to blow off some steam. Suddenly, carbon forks were on every bike on our training ride. Talked with some of the guys and they swear by them so I install a Time fork. It made a big difference in the way the bike absorbed small bumps or worn out chipsealed roads. Is the Gilour 1" or 1 1/8" headset? 1" carbon steertube forks are extremely difficult to find especially ones that will fit your large bike. Last I looked about 10 years ago, Tom Ritchey still sold them. Not sure about now? 1 1/8" are plentiful.

If you want comfort, get a new set of tubeless wheels. Depending on your weight, they are pumped to between 65-75 lbs. They roll very nicely and fast too. I was a skeptic until I bought a set of Zipp wheels. I am never going back. There's no reason for you to buy a 3000.00 set of ultra light race wheels. A good set can be had for 1500 bucks or sometimes less.

Will 35's fit in that bike?

Wait, why don’t you move the Cannondale components to the Gilmour?

The rear dropout spacing might be a little different but steel flexes.

The frame clearance "might' work.. the rims almost certainly will not.
My Mavic M40 rims (1986) are so narrow that a 26mm tires feels to wide... a 28mm is really odd looking. I didn't measure it but reckon its about 17mm internal width.

The Hunt aero road rims on the gravel bike are 22.5mm internal (35mm external) and designed for 28mm tires. I'm running slick 36mm tires at 35 psi with tubes (or tubeless) to improve the ride. I "may" be leaving 1 km/h average on the road with that... I may go for 30mm during the summer to see what that gives me.

Changing to non aero wheels makes a significant difference in average speeds.

I agree with the advice to just ride, to start with, and not think about it too much. But I've got to agree with the modern-bike crowd. My old mountain bike (1993 Bridgesone MB-4) fits me rather than way that Cannondale fits you now. I rode it as my only bike for 13 years and I had no problem with the John Tomac 'Superman' riding position when I was younger but I've been over that for a long time. You could make the Cannondale fit better but you'll still be happier and more comfortable on something modern that you can pick up used for ca. $1600. If you're not comfortable for hours at a time, you're just not going to be happy on that event.

A couple of years ago I finally got religion on modern road bikes when I rode my friend's modern Focus CX bike for a week, including up and down Glendora. When I make the budget for it, I'm selling something to offset the cost and buying something modern with hydro discs and etc. etc. It was marvelous being able to descend confidently (I'm not a natural), enjoying the cush of 32mm tubeless at 35psi, and one-finger braking. I love my road bike (a Vendetta) and it's such a joy to ride I can't get rid of it, but when I take it to big hills descents aren't the most fun because the brakes aren't good enough. Picture for shameless attention.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679083514.jpg

Thats a possibility but I'm looking on ebay right now and it seems I can find whatever I need at a reasonable price.

First I have to get the frame in my hands so I know what the size of the chain stays width, bottom bracket, steering tube length and diameter.


So I got a question for the experts; I'm going to use vintage components for a vintage frame.

I don't know whats the difference between Campagnolo record and super record, and Shimano Duraace and 105, campy chorus?

I have a set of 20" BMX sew ups with campy hubs that I could use if I want to build my own wheels.

If I can fit the bike with campy gear that would be nifty