Is is as easy now as it was back then in the on topic years to spend a lot of money for a very lightweight bike that is too fragile for hard riding. It also is as possible to build a very light bike that will be very, very reliable and sturdy now as it was then. Only the weight has dropped significantly... (I could post you a link to a 5.9kg/12.8lbs bike that is ridden 10k+ km/year under every condition.) The trick is to pick the right parts (and pay their price), and arguably nowadays more light and still reliable parts are available than ever.
Not everything is better on new bikes, that is part of the fascination old lightweights have for me. But comparing classic lightweights with modern bikes for competition performance is futile, in my opinion. Both have their merits and are a joy to ride, thats the main point :)
Martin Appel Munich, Germany
--- *looking for "Automoto" fork crown medals! please send mail :)
*visit the search engine for classic racing bike related stuff:
http://www.google.com/
*view my classic vintage lightweight bicycles at:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Lee Levitt schrieb:
> At 09:04 AM 3/16/2008, you wrote:
>> Donald Gillies <gillies@cs.ubc.ca> wrote:
>>
>> Bike weight, with an equivalent margin of safety, has probably dropped
>> only 2 lbs since the 1970's. If you rode a 21 lbs bike in the 1970's,
>> go ahead and pay $1500 for a 19 lbs bike today. If you want something
>> lighter, imho, you are taking large risks with your health and life,
>> imho.
>
>
> Don,
>
> My first racing bike, a 1972 Atala Competition, weighed 21 1/2 pounds.
> Cost $200 new (on sale from $250. I shoulda bought the all Campy Atala
> which I think was $300! At the time, the Raleigh Pro was $385.)
>
> My current everyday bike, a '99 Merlin ExtraLight, with Campy Record 9
> components, a Reynolds carbon fiber fork and Ksyrium SL wheels, weighs
> 17 1/2 lbs.
>
> It cost a bit more than $1500 (or would have if I were not a savvy ebay
> shopper!).
>
> I don't feel any less safe on that bike than on the Atala, and in fact,
> the Merlin is a *lot* more stable.
>
> The CF fork may have a different set of fatigue and failure
> characteristics than the Atala's steel fork, but I'll take the better
> control in exchange.
>
> Just my .02.
>
> Lee
>
>
> Lee Levitt
> Needham, MA USA