How "old" is "old"?

[Grip]

Reading many of the threads on Farkin, I'm surprised at how NEW some of the gear is that people are referring to as OLD STUFF... things like '02 models, equip/gear and even clothing etc.

Thought it might be interesting to ask a few simple questions...

"when does ANY piece of cycling gear/equipment etc cross the line from being new to OLD?"

"are you a FIXER or a REPLACER? Doesn't matter whether you do it yourself or get it done, but what's your FIRST instinct with ANY piece of cycling gear/equipment etc? Do you try and FIX what you've got (and maybe love) or do you immediately want a newie?"

"is the NEW/OLD issue REALLY about performance only or does fashion and dick size come into it at all... HONESTLY?

[125PHIL]

hm i realy say somethings old skool when there has been some significant changes made.....eg i ride and old skool 125 (2001) i say its old skool coz 1 nobody has really seen the model before and the 2002 model had some changes like bmx bb, and 24 inch wheel brake mounts, and the 03 model has had significant frame design changes, so i class mine as old skool,
its also oldskool if its been outdated and they dont make it anymore, ie. lobos and LTSs, though they are rad there defiatley oldskool compared to DHi's
my self i am a fixer and a replacer, but mainly a fixer.....
cheers

[shmity]

I say its old as soon as i dont want/need it anymore. I always try and fix things, but if its a major operation on a mid to low end product, then chances are itll never be as good as it can be again.

[monkeymajik]

For me stuff becomes "OLD Skool" when you bearly see it around anymore, or like 125Phil said, the newer model's of the bike or part are significantly different from the "OLD Skool" part in question :)

I am usually a replacer. Rather than sit there fiddling trying to fix somthing, I'll usually have a go a fixing it quickly then replace it ASAP (funds allowing of course)

[Rik]

To me:
"Old" is defined by age, but whilst I ride alot of old components, it isn't an issue to me.

I will replace things only when they become non-functional, incompatible with my setup, or if they're just in need of an upgrade. I'd rather fix things than replace them, and to me as long as it works with its intended job, I'm happy with it.
Fashion isn't part of the equation IMO, but I must confess, I have a fetish for "retro" or "classic" equipment, such as my steel ht with cantilever brakes, or my roadie, which are both running 8-10yr old equipment and still work beautifully. It's funny when someone will comment about the components I run, because when they say "oh, thats old and crap" I just laugh, knowing that my classic piece of cycling history still performs as good now as ever (and probably better than what they'd suggest as a replacement), and it makes me smile because I know I'm not a bike wanker.

There's no use criticising a componet on basis of its age alone, that's just a silly thing to do.

[Gutty]

I think OLD is generally when something is updated or superseeded. This doesn't mean i won't ride OLD stuff though. Some parts on one of my bikes are 99 model but i'm still happy with em as they still work fine.

[S.]

Dick size definitely comes into it.

[naz]

dont forget thickness....haha
i rekon whenever a product is superceded....

[Az]

I prefer to fix stuff if I can but that might be more the fact that Im an out of work poor pleb of a uni student.

As for old stuff, I think the older you are the further back old stuff still seems new. For me old stuff is anything older then like 99, like the good ole un breakable stx-rc dearailer.

[lupine128]

i've always figured old skool meant that it had undergone a major design philosophy since. the way bombers did with the arch.
i don't realy call bombers old till you get to the bolt on arch, and anything less than '01-'02 is new almost.
but i got bikes with stx v's. the ones that took canti pads. hell i still got an old biopace shimano crankset round here somewhere.
i'll keep fixing it till it's really broke, then buy anouther.
as for clothes, i'm still wearing skinny puppy band shirts and cut-off cams so i refuse to comment on matters of sartorial elegance being as how i got none.

[Brett]

Go the bio pace i've still got mine off an old ritchey P21....still good too :)

[curtisrider]

maybe 2-3 years.

[SpectRe]

My frameset is old skool :) 00 Giant DHTeam, oh and maybe my "now condemned to be hacked up into shorts" Fox180 pants from when i first started racing (2001 or so)

[Grip]

Hey SpectRe, off topic I know (but it was my topic anyway) but is there a big MTB scene in Tumut and do you guys ride extra hard or what. We've had quite a few customers from up there?

Cheers

[Ty]

i reckon it's all kind of relative (like everything) if you started riding in 2001 then 99/00 parts are going to seem "old school." i started in 95/96 so i'd consider biopace to about the end of the purple ano era old school. i bought one of the first pairs of Z.1 bombers in australia and i can still remember people telling me how 4 inchs on a single crown fork was nuts (Judy DHs had 80 mm and DHOs had 100mm and boxxers weren't released to the public yet)

[sprucas_fab3]

nothing is ever old cause someone somewhere always wants it - its only old to me if it is stuffed and broken beyond repair - it really irks me to find some people refering to peoples stuff as "old skool" or "old style" trying often to make themselves look better - well i think suck on it you tossers that refer to things like this - often times it comes down to not the age of the equipment but to the style of the rider - you on't need new stuff every 20seconds something new comes out to be good - and you don't need to replace everything just cause it ain't the in thing anymore - ride what you want the way you want and when it breaks fix it, if you can't fix it then toss it and get something that may not be new but suits whatever the hell you throw at it

---my 2 cents worth---
i still ride my 10yr old XC bike - at the time i bought it it cost $1500 which was a lot of money in those days - but it is great bike and still does the trick - only ever changed rear derailleur and chain cause they just stuffed up and blew into a million pieces - anyway its all good

[Ryan]

Yeah, I've been riding mtb since 95-96 so I consider anything that was 'in vogue' around then to be pretty much 'old-school'.

My DMR frame is plenty old, has cable stops for a front derailleur, no disc mounts, mtb bottom-bracket and horizontal dropouts, my best guess it's from around 98-99. The thing is an absolute tank, the geometry is spot on and if it ever broke I'd buy another one, so for me the age has nothing to do with the performance of it.

I'm also a habitual fixer, I won't replace something until it's been flogged to the point where the dodgy repairs I've carried out on it are no longer enough to keep it together / working.

I don't see the need to endlessly upgrade my bike in search of having the newest and trendiest set up. If my gear works and allows me to ride downhills and carve up some dirt jumps and skatepark I'm a happy man, regardless of how old said gear is.

Dick size is definitely an issue.

[bazza]

herm old school eh. i would call an atx1 old school for sure. they are still awesome bikes but they have been as yous say 'superseeded'. i agree with the major points that its only really old school when the components are made much more differently or undergo name changes and things like that. as far as fixing goes i hate it. it wastes sooo much of my time but i still enjoy it somehow. i try and fix everything, atm my forks are in about 10 different parts so there you go. but i am poor and cant afford to get new things. but if someone offers me a decent amount for old stuff i would probably sell and get new mainly for the fact that i know it will be stronger and 'should' last even longer. shimano stx is old school though. lobos arent yet.

[Ryan]

Stx isn't old school, stx-rc is old school ;)

[Fatman]

I still use STX RC,but purple anno, Farmer Joes Cousins, Biopace, Girvin Suspension stems, height rite springs, 5 speed clusters with torque shifters,joe breeze frames,GT RTS,Mag 21's, that is old to me.