Mia?

😕 Sorry but this is a very complicated subject. It sounds as if it is something that only long time LBS Owners and economists would be able to discuss with any authority.

I was looking more for a subjective rider's broad sense of the difference between two comparable bikes of two eras, based on the comparison of several such bikes. Not rocket science, but a rough comparison.

I'm considering a new road bike & wondering whether it makes sense to replace my '90 Peugeot. (aftermarket FX alu fork, Mavic SUP wheels circa '95. I'm a util/rec rider.

RedHotIron said:

I was looking more for a subjective rider's broad sense of the difference between two comparable bikes of two eras, based on the comparison of several such bikes. Not rocket science, but a rough comparison.

I'm considering a new road bike & wondering whether it makes sense to replace my '90 Peugeot. (aftermarket FX alu fork, Mavic SUP wheels circa '95. I'm a util/rec rider.

Suggest you go out to your LBS and do some test riding of bikes in the $1500-2000 range. Steel will be a bit hard to find vs aluminum and CF, but don't worry about the frame materials. Everything will have a CF fork anyway.

Believe you'll notice some differences in weight, shifting, handling and ride feel. Whether those differences are worth buying is a personal decision of course. One caution: if you can't afford a new bike now, test rides may be a bad idea 🙂

Thanks, that's the kind of answer i had in mind.

RedHotIron said:

I was looking more for a subjective rider's broad sense of the difference between two comparable bikes of two eras, based on the comparison of several such bikes. Not rocket science, but a rough comparison.

I'm considering a new road bike & wondering whether it makes sense to replace my '90 Peugeot. (aftermarket FX alu fork, Mavic SUP wheels circa '95. I'm a util/rec rider.

If you change your fork to a good carbon fiber fork, you can probably restore the ride characteristic to that of your bike's original steel fork (see atttachment) ... that is, the pretty-good LOOK fork did not change the ride characteristcs of the bike over the original "carbolite" steel fork (must be a heck of a fork).

Only the dropout adjusters are original to the bike ... some people don't think it is worth upgrading an old frame ... obviously, I disagree with that notion.

FWIW. I have to tell you that MY Peugeot (once deemed my "Winter" bike, but I ride it more often than not) rides ESSENTIALLY THE SAME as my Colnago -- the MAIN differnce is that the Peugeot (at about 22 lbs.) is heavier. The main triangles of the two particular frames have EXACTLY THE SAME geometry & dimensions. The only difference is that the Peugeot has slightly longer chainstays.

The ride-for-ride comparison (on consecutive days) was a revelation (to me) ...

Consequently, I test almost ALL new components on the Peugeot.

I suppose that beneath the right rider, the Colnago can be made to do more things ... but, I know I'll never dive into a 90º turn hard enough or fast enough where it might make any difference which of the two frames I ride.