Steel reigned until the 90s
O.F.S. Wino said:
it will mean different things to different folks. for me?
1988 or earlier
6, possibly 7 speeds, generally friction shifters (though I would consider the 1st gen D.A. 6 speed indexed downtubes "classic" and probably go as far as the 7 speed....nothing Synchro was classic (it has be good to qualify as classic in my book).
No way is anything 8 speed or more considered classic in my book.
The oldest brifters = not classic.
Look pedals circa 85 definite classics.
Original Mavic SSC componentry definite classics.
Quill pedals, binda xtra straps and christophe clips...now we're talkin(campy too!).
Same with benotto tape and ofmega stuff, etc,etc (if it's no longer made, it's easier to be considered classic...as long as it was decent).
Araya red label tubies. Classic.
Un-aero brake levers (with gum hoods)= very classic.
The original Turbo R's and Avocet folding clinchers= classic.
Original AC threaded hubs=classic (stuff that was not "hip" at the time but now is "hot" makes classic status easier)
Having said that, I'll give the original mavic hubs (86ish) classic status even though they were sealed bearing. Despite the fact that the rear axle bent too easily....
If its "replace the bearing cartridge" no way is it classic(original mavic hubs being an exception. silky smooth after nuuuuuuumerous miles).
If you can't work on it its not classic.
Most people these days probably wouldn't know what a cone wrench is if it hit them in the forehead.
....I know some of you true old schoolers are laughing YA'sO...(mafac dual pull action brakes, 70's and earlier raleighs, etc)
You've got us to the ballpark, but I'd go even furthur.
Classic cars used to be the finest representations of the materials and designs of the period in which they were built. One thinks of 1954 Ferraris, or pre-WWII Rolls Royces. Junk from the past might be cute or retro, but one wouldn't give it the status of "classic."
So I'd say classic would mean lugged steel, hand brazed by craftsmen for riders they often knew--well that might be pushing it. These bikes would be raced or ridden in brevets, and of course there were a few "touring" models. Lugged steel, for 50 years the material of choice for lightweight bikes, was pretty much perfected by the 80s. Some of the finest examples of steel come from that period, so they'd be "classic." By the late 50s Campy was dominant in professional racing, so anything with Campy would be classic. In the 70s and early 80s, before Shimano got up to speed with their Dura Ace line, Campy Record, Nuovo Record and Super Record were the equipment of choice for all serious racers and their fans. Nothing else could hold up over the miles and on the rougher roads back then. Campy was bullet proof. Nothing else could come close to it until the late 80s.
My ideal classic bike would be a late 70s Cinelli, Columbus SL tubing, investment cast lugs and fork crown, chromed at points of abrasion like dropouts, drive side chainstay. It would be all Campy equipped: 6 speed 13-21 freewheel, caged pedals with toeclips and straps, cotton or that thin plastic Benotto handlebar tape, cables that looped up from the brake levers one fellow rider referred to as "banana catchers." Tubular wheels until the 80s when clincher rims and rubber came close to the weight and quality of tubs, and 36 spokes for everyday riding, 32 for racing. And oh yeah, box section rims. They rode better than v-section rims then used only for TTs.
One might date the demise of classic bikes around the time click shifting came in. So any bike with downtube friction shifters would be "classic." I knew a couple of old guys who had bikes they raced on in the 30s, yes the 30s. They'd upgraded components and wheels, but the frames were the same lugged steel Reynolds 531 that could be bought new in the 80s. That's gotta be "classic," a technology that couldn't be bettered in 50 years, and to some, still can't to this day.
Below courtesy
http://www.raydobbins.com/
