Switching pedal bikes?

I have been riding a Fuji Cross bike with a road setup for the last couple years. I have ridden bikes with sti/105 shifters and have gotten acquainted pretty well with them. On vacation this past weekend, I saw someone riding a vintage aqua green Bianchi road bike with down tube shifters and it got me thinking. Would I be crazy to take a chance and sell my modern sti shifter equipped bike and go back in time and find a vintage Bianchi with downtube shifters and give it a shot?

Depends on the downtube shifters, really. My 1980's era Bianchi (Celeste Green, of course) with downtube shifters uses Campy components. Campy hadn't really figured out the index thing quite as well as Shimano had at the time.

It's a whole lot easier to make little tweaks to a downtube shifter. Need to move that front derailleur in or out a touch? No worries.

I'm with Keith, but I can say my wife did the opposite and is far happier with the STI shifters than she was with old friction downtube shifters.

I'd ask this - do you know much about bikes with the downtube shifters? Difference between friction and indexed, and which you want? They actually make modern indexed downtube shifters believe it or not.

It's a big difference in shifting, and in the act of shifting. You'll find you shift much less with the older setup because it isn't as convenient. That could be a good or bad thing depending on your riding. I prefer STI or bar-end shifters myself, though the downtube shifters do look hot on a vintage bike. I actually really wish I had my old Fuji back with the Campagnolo downtube shifters.

I ride a super cool 1970s Cilo racing bike with Campagnolo everything including downtube friction shifters, and I really like it. They just seem cool and simple to me, but I also dont have a lot of shifting to do since I am usually taking it for long rides in the country.
In college though I have my mountain bike and I would probably say if you have a lot of stopping or speed changes I wouldnt go with downtube shifters.
A lot of people don't like friction downtube shifters and is a common reason why people throw out their old bikes so it might not be hard to get one for cheap and you might not have to sell your Fuji Cross which you could use for in town.

Never going back. Also have limited nostalgia for toe clips and straps, threaded headsets... Though when I think of the old C-Record Delta brakeset, my heart does go pitter-pat, so it's not like I hate everything about non-current bike parts.

If you dig the retro look, have fun. I'd say ride one before you chuck away the current bike to go back to that full time.

I was about to say I'd do a separate retro-style bike for riding to the coffee shop, but the coffee shop involves a bunch of stop-and-go city riding, making inconvenient shifting an even bigger downer.

Upon further examination of the pictures, it looks to have bar end shifters: http://southjersey.craigslist.org/bik/2514698885.html

I think it's important to separate friction vs index and downtube vs weird brake levers. Two different things. You can get index or friction downtube shifters - or, with the Campy stuff, you kinda get a little of both at the same time

One thing I always liked about the downtube (roadie) and thumb (mountain) shifters was the ability to go back to friction shifting. Great way to get home if you've bent your derailleur hanger and only one or two of your index gears still line up. I used to ride 5 hours a day in the mountains in random directions on my mountain bike, the ability to get home after a breakdown was important to me!

I have two road bikes in the shed right now, one with STI and one with Campy index downtube shifters. Since I tend to ride in aero clip-ons, the downtube shifters are actually a bit more ergonomic. I can change gears without getting out of position.

Shifting aside, don't discount the increased weight of the older bike. Low-mid end steel frames are heavy compared to modern alum/alum+carbon combinations.

Of course, that may be a non-issue, depending on your riding style and current bike, preferences etc .

edited for terminology: aluminium, not alloy.

i ride an early-70s Mirella with campy downtube friction shifters. i have spread the rear triangle on the frame to accomodate a bontrager hub with 9-speed Ultegra cassette, and have mounted the Ultegra derailleur as well. there is enough travel in the old-school campy shifter to span the entire cassette, which is cool.

In reply to 92dxman:

If you like riding old crap go ahead and do it. Otherwise, no. If you want to be different build a fixed gear and ride that too. Notice I did not say "fixie". A fixed gear is built with regular drop bars and two brakes. A "fixie" is for people that ride with their saddles set too high.

ransom wrote: Though when I think of the old C-Record Delta brakeset, my heart does go pitter-pat, so it's not like I hate everything about non-current bike parts.

They were awesome looking and about two pound each. I want to bring back Mavic MA-40s.

I've got old Campy Nuovo Record equipped Columbus framed bikes: A reparto Corse Bianchi for road and a team TI Raleigh track. And a Raleigh Rush Hour fixed gear, a Specialized Stumpjumper Epic Marathon MTB, and a gaggle of vintage things including a 1981 GT 26" BMX cruiser.

What I ~ride~ is a 2004 Trek OCLV frame w/ 10 speed Dura Ace and Ksyrium SL wheels. It fits, it's better than I am or will ever be again, and if I get run over on it there won't be a 3 year wait to get a new one.

Fortunately the last time I balled up a nice artisan built steel bike, Richard Sachs was just a guy in Chester, CT and he had it for 6 weeks and it came back new for $350. Not anymore...

motomoron wrote: Fortunately the last time I balled up a nice artisan built steel bike, Richard Sachs was just a guy in Chester, CT

I LOLed.

I ended up buying the bike and brought it home tonight. It turns out that it is an early alloy frame instead of steel which I originally thought. More pics to come.

Early alloy? I still want a Vitus. I don't know why. I really don't.

Let's see it! I too wanted a 979 Vitus for a long time.

In reply to bastomatic:

I haven't done it, and it would probably have to be the next instance of stumbling across one. Though at this point I wonder a little about the soundness of a flexy aluminum frame that was bonded together 25 years ago with '80s adhesives. Is it a race between fatigue in the aluminum and decomposition of the adhesives?

For my next bike, I hope to take the UBI framebuilding class. Or maybe just try it on my own.

ransom wrote: In reply to bastomatic: I haven't done it, and it would probably have to be the next instance of stumbling across one. Though at this point I wonder a little about the soundness of a flexy aluminum frame that was bonded together 25 years ago with '80s adhesives. Is it a race between fatigue in the aluminum and decomposition of the adhesives? For my next bike, I hope to take the UBI framebuilding class. Or maybe just try it on my own.

It think either might be excess. I have built frames by the knowledge gleened from some hardcover book sold in the eighties and phone conversations with Henry James. This was pre-Internet. Now, all you need two know can be had from your keyboard.

Build you own bike! It takes a lot of time but, it is not that hard. Your homebuilt will easily have more Mojo than all of your other bikes combined.

Those Vitus 979 are pretty rad looking. Here is the long awaited pic:

I had a Vitus 979 in blue/silver.

It was light.

I'm a masher, and weigh over 200lbs.

It is suggested that such a combination can result in the bottom bracket shell being pulled away from the triangle...catastrophic.

I sold the bike for a hefty profit.

I'm also old-school: Suntour Cyclone groupo on a 1986 Cannondale SR400 frameset.

It's a pity Aluminium bikes had to get so ugly (...and stiffer, and stronger ), but those early Cannondale, Vitus et al. frames are really beautiful.

Ah yes the Suntour Cyclone. Great rear derailer. I use one on my Bridgestone XO-1, it has a great feel. I still prefer barcons to downtube shifters though.

I have been thinking about possibly switching the barcon shifters out and the drop bars for a set of bull horns with tt brake levers and down tube shifters. Am I crazy?

As long as you go everywhere doing a Moser impression, you'll be fine