I was beginning to think the biking community was insane with their obsession with menial gains, good to see some common sense .

Bicycles of this era were built during the apex of my cycling journey. As such, they have a special place in my heart. It's nice to see a younger generation appreciate these frames despite not being cutting-edge.

For the shifter clamps, just replace them with a pair of old ones meant for the size of handlebar. They’ll bolt through the Ultegra shifters just the same.

External cables and rim brakes (use alloy rims mate ) are game changers when it comes to service time and lack of headaches.. Nice bike it has great character .

Just perfection. I’d still go for aluminium rims though! I do like my brakes to slow me down when necessary!

any bike is a good bike if you actually ride it

Rim brakes for the win in 2024❤

Hard to believe somebody would just throw an ultegra groupset and not sell it

For a mortal as myself a bike that weights 9.5kgs is still very light. Love the build! And you probably love it because it is your own creation. 🍻

I'm the proud owner of a one-of-two, custom-built, steel road bike, hand-built by a local builder in 1989. It was one of his first frames, and he offers to buy it off me every time I come in the shop he works at (and that I used to work at as well). I don't think I'd sell it for any amount of money, unless he would trade me for one of his later frames in a different color (mine is bright, glossy yellow). It handles excellently, weighs 21 lbs (9.5 kgs), looks flashy, and only cost me $350. It even has an early 2000s Ultegra groupset (partially-- the front derailleur is 105, and the crankset is a 600 from the eighties). I get comments all the time when I'm out riding. Everybody loves it.

Stunning. As someone who recently refurbished a steel bike I found at the tip for the total cost of £190 to commute to and from work on. I love channels and publications like 'The Weekly' showing that you can really create a beautiful bicycle for a much more modest budget than the usual new off the peg bike in '24. Long live steel bikes and long live second hand gems.

Nice. I still ride my 1981 Miyata 1000, bought brand new. It's been upgraded to 105 and SPD and still rides like a dream. I'm 66 now and ride about 25 miles a day. Cantilever brakes, with proper pads, stop quite well, even when wet. I'm sure that they make pads for your carbon wheels that work well when wet, also. I upgraded my Kuwahara tandem in the same manner. Great bikes, all the way around.

Good on you, my friend. Steel is still real.

Welcome to the Vintage Bike Club, good to see a youngster willing to try something different and loving the ride quality of steel.

I honestly hope this trend continues. These bikes are gorgeous especially with one or two modern components swapped on to them.

My custom Reynolds steel bike weights 9.5kg too! Except mine is with alloy rims and down tube shifters, but I really like the idea of “the modest protest” against ridiculously expensive super bikes.

Love the ingenuity to get this bike on the road. That’s a beauty. Thanks for sharing.

I ride my dad's old steel bike from the 80s with downtube shifters^^ with 11 kilos and relatively heavy gearing it's a bit of a hustle going uphill but on the other hand I love the retro feeling and the look of it!

25yr old '88 Peugeot rider here, daily. Keeping parts maintained and riding as fast as possible 😎

Yes, it´s good! I´m cycling a 90s steel frame with r7000 groupset, Ritchey classic parts, Campa Zonda wheels and Columbus 1" carbon fork. Also owing and cycling a Spezi allez sprint, with same wheel set. Weight difference is only about 600g (steel bike 9,6 Kg, Spezi 9 Kg) but the whole ride experience is different. For daily rides I prefer the steel bike. The Spezi I´m using for climbing days, not only because of the minimal weight difference but more for the stiffness. As riding bikes in XL, I´m 193cm and about 95 Kg heavy, it´s noticeable stiffer at less weight. I bought booth bikes used and upgraded with some new parts. The steel frame cost me about 160€ with steel fork, upgrades were Columbus carbon fork (220€), wheels Campa Zonda (250€), Richtey parts (80€), saddle (60€) and the groupset (350€). So realistic is a price around 1000€, everything below is bombastic. Also the Spezi cost me used 550€ and needed some new parts for change, the whole price was around 950€.

What a beautiful bike, I still ride my mid 90s steel when I don't need to keep up with others

I just bought a 1966 mercier bike in pink. I am so excited. Going to get it serviced and ride my new baby till I am too old to ride. I love vintage bikes. Cant wait to strap up my toe clips. Your bike is pure beauty on two wheels. You should be proud.

Well done mate! You're so young to have made the change to a 1992 bike lol! I love it!! I am only riding steel bikes and rim brakes as well. I am a bike shop owner that can ride a top tier bike from Basso, Bianchi or De Rosa but choose to ride my Ritchey Road Logics and Tommasini XCR steel bikes. Coke cans are incredible for shimming. Get yourself some HED Ardennes Black Alloy wheels with a textured brake track the braking performance is incredible. Carbon rim brake wheels in the wet were never a good idea hence why everyone thinks disc brakes are better. Alloy wheels and rim brake will give you the stopping power you need in the dry and the wet.

I did this with a 1992 Cliff shrubb 531,i put 10 speed Dura ace on from 2008 & Had some hope hubs wheels made up.I had the frame refurbished & spray McLaren Orange.I already had the Groupset & frame so cost was £1400.Weight is 9.1kg now when i had the bike set up in 1992 with 8 speed 105 it was 10.5 kg.I love riding this bike on a sunny day in summer.

In the past year I've switched from a Pinarello Dogma F10 to a pair of hand built Mercians. Best thing I ever did.

I recently rode a century on my green with chromed dropouts 1974 Raleigh Grand Prix 10 speed upgraded with a Suntour cyclone groupset & 700c wheels with Shimano 600 hubs on 25mm GP 4000 ii tires. I did it in 5 hrs 19 min. A well spec’d steel frame bike is an absolute joy to ride. They can be just as fast as newer bikes, ridiculously reliable & guaranteed to turn a few heads at large charity rides.

I was curious and read all the comments. I saw only one negative comment. People seemed very enthusiastic about the steel bike. The bike seems durable, practical and fun.

I picked up a red Colnago 1990 Super steel 8 speed road bike for less than 500 pounds. With some equally retro kit I love taking it out for a cafe ride down the Adelaide, Australia beaches. 😊🚴

I went to a steel bike a few years ago. Still have the same times up Mt Lemmon, still can hang just like I did in the A group, don’t race anymore but based on my number I’d still be able to mid pack a 3/4 road race with an I’ll advised breakaway attempt early. The only functional innovations in cycling over the last 20 years have been proliferation of low cost power meters and training plans, deep section wheels, clearance for wide tires, good clincher tires and low bb/increased trail that I think Lightspeed pioneered? Would rather the brands put some of the R&D budget into QC and manufacturing vs gimmicks.

It's fillet brazed, not welded and I believe, built in Italy for Massi. If you store for any length, grease up the chrome.

Thanks for showing us your bike, she is a beauty. I am also going back to old school you might call it. There is a frame builder here in the US that makes custom steel frames with a few personal design features that wins him awards at NAHBS. I'm on the list and expecting my bike in May. I've purchased NOS Campy Centaur group and built my vintage style blingy silver wheels. I'm glad you pointed out the fit of the shift levers on the bars because I need to check that because I also bought vintage type bars and quill stem. Anyway, that's a great bike you have there, I'm happy for you.

I bought the exact same Frameset NOS from eBay maybe 15 years ago for about £90. Workmanship on the fillet brazing is as good as any I’ve seen and if it was Italian branded would be many times the price. That’s the price of cycling brand vanity I guess.

Sweet build! That's a bike that starts conversations with old guys like me.

The bike looks fantastic. It's good to see someone who used to race that knows it's not about the lightest & fastest bike that is important. Riding a bike is about the joy & exercise that it brings. Classic bikes are like classic cars - they have a certain quality that the "latest & greatest" just don't have. Amazing that having your bike stolen brought you to a new sense of awareness when it comes to riding. Remember how it felt as a kid riding a bike? It didn't matter what kind of bike it was to have fun!

I've been using one of those as a commuter bike for the past 7 years now, they are truly great. You go a lot faster than usual and maintenance is always easy! Up to now i've always fixed it my self by using youtube clips, much better than integrated braking and cables.

I am currently riding a restomod, 1986 Specialized Allez SE frame. The original bike was bought by a friend right after graduating college in the 80's. I have built it out using 2012 Shimano Sora/Tiagra mix (from my daughter's bike she out grew), Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheelset, a 1997 Profile BRC carbon fork, and bits from my carbon "wonder" bike that I am selling. I absolutely love how it looks with the 35mm deep aero wheels and the skinny steel tubes, plus it rides so much smoother than my carbon Masi Evolusione ever did. To fit the newer 10 spd groupset and wheels just required me to cold work the frame by spreading, realignment of the dropouts, and aligning the derailleur hanger.

That’s one beautiful BIKE, I bet that ride is so smooth, best of luck with it!

Got a MASSI MASTER + Campa Headset / BB for 125EU ! One of my favorite bikes to ride ! Aesthetical perfection !

bike nirvana. What a beauty. 💛💛

Who cares how much it weighs. It is amazingly beautiful. Back when bikes were works of art and not plastic crap. You can upgrade to more modern bars and still keep the same aesthetic. Too many non pro racers feel they have to have the lightest and fastest bike. I dont know why. That Massi is freakishly beautiful and will outlast and outclass any modern plastic bike. As for rim brakes, they work just fine and have for a very very long time. Just last year there were still Tour riders running rim brakes in time trials.

Looks Glorious! I bought a 1990s Peugeot carbon bike on eBay for about 250 quid. Amazing condition and looks fantastic. Rides beautifully. Sometimes I choose it over my 2021 Venge for a casual, fun ride. There’s alot to be said for “older” bikes. 🎉

Really nice bike ! You might try experimenting with brake pads. My Campy Bora Wto wheelset stops fine in the wet, one revolution to clear the water and the next is good braking. There are a lot of us out here riding our mechanical rim brake bikes with no need or desire to change.

I don’t understand these complaints about rim brakes. Ok, you need to pay attention & think ahead in the wet, but if you can grab the grips & throw yourself keister over pie-hole off the bike you’ve got about all the brakes you need, & you can do that with decent rim brakes. The exception, of course, might be long mountain descents where you’d probably prefer not to heat up your rims. Since my career’s not riding on doing that hill at 11/10ths, I just keep speeds under control to begin with - no problem.

Couldn’t fault this build, well done

Reminds me of my first nice bike. A small Italian brand named Faggin. Columbus SLX tubing, with a mix of Campy Chorus and Suntour Superbe Pro. A total tank at 23 lbs but it had that super smooth feel of a steel bike.

As someone who has built up the lightest, fastest carbon mechanical bike I could afford, thing I want most next is a steel bike. I'm probably going modern though, Soma or Ritchey. But this bike is gorgeous, great video. Rim brake steel bikes simply are the most beautiful bikes.

You might say it's not the latest, but it can complete for the greatest part. Nice looking bike and sensible mix of modern parts into it. Cheers!

Nice bike! I have a soft spot for steel frames and currently have 3 late 80s converted fixies - a Bianchi, Puch, and Miele. They all ride fantastic. I also just recently did what you did and added Ultegra 10 speed groupset to my 89 Merckx Corsa Extra. As you say, not the lightest but rides like a Cadillac

Retro bikes and Contemporary, both are fun and make me smile.

This is something I've been contemplating for a long time. In the late 80's I had my very first good road bike stolen after only owning it for 2 weeks. It wasn't insured and I was a student, so it kind of turned me off riding for a long time. For the 2 weeks I owned it, though, I loved that bike and I *still* dream about it. I don't even remember exactly what it was (pretty sure it was a Bianchi and I paid $800 in a crazy 50% discount sale, so it was a relatively good bike). I keep thinking of buying a frame and building it up in a similar hybrid way. The problem I have now is that I live in Japan and people who rode bikes in the 80's and 90's treasured them and kept them in practically mint condition. It's hard to buy anything from that era for a reasonable amount of money...

Old steel frames are better in any cross. winds too, compared to fat tubed glam bikes. Good for you for breaking the rules and being sensible, not insecure as a roadie. Enjoy, and enjoy all the money you saved.

As a steel fan I bought a Temple Cycles Road a few months ago. For me that thing combines the best of two worlds: classic looks of a steel frame with a steel fork and modern disc brakes. Weight is about 9kg and it rides like a dream…

My road ride is a 1990 Bianchi Rekord Cromor, it comes out only when the sun shines and the experience is a bit like driving a vintage Alfa Spider or a Dino - of course, any modern hot hatch is faster. But it is just pure bliss and makes me smile the whole ride.

So cool! Nice to see a bike with a bit of individuality!

OMG I too got my Specialized Roubaix stolen from my garage and went with the steel frame as a replacement. Got a brand new steel frame and new modern components. Like you I'm very pleased with the outcome.

No way is there 3 km/h difference. I bet it is almost as fast unless you chose to set up your position more upright but that's not the bike's fault.

Vintage steel bikes ride great on 23mm wide tires at max pressure, proof modern bikes are overly stiff, poorly riding faff-mobiles.

rim brake mafia for life

Also, this bike will cost almost nothing to maintain, in financial and temporal terms. You could reduce your rolling and air resistance by swapping out the 25c's for 20c's, the steel frame will afford the compliance required. You will also get better acceleration due to the reduced rotating mass.

Great video. I was given a 1983 Raleigh Quasar last year and with a few parts replaced have been happily riding it through the winter. I have stayed with the downtube shifters but changed the gearing to suit my local hills. Wheels had to be replaced as they were showing signs of cracking so it now rides on some new wheels with tan sidewall tyres. Gets comments and interest from cyclists wherever I go.

No braking power: "It's a small price to pay" I'd argue that's quite a big price personally haha.

Awesome bike. I have an 80’s/90’s Columbus tubing SOMEC and a BASSO. Both have fairly modern Campy group sets, they’re great and will last for years.

Great bike! Back in the day, we climbed (and descended) alpine passes on similar things. The only thing I would not be happy about was the one you mentioned - carbon wheels with rim brakes. If only you could find open 4 CD rims again! Although Shimano Ultegra level wheels from the 00's were really good and bomb proof.

Really nicely done. Classy and very individual. Plus, you clearly love it! Great to see you young fellas warming to something from my generation.

Beautiful dude I did the same a few years ago.. never looked back.. rim brake, mechanical, steel what a great combo 😊❤ Pete 🚴🏻👍

Wile I love my modern 2022 Vitus, I also love my 97 Olmo Giro, there is still a lot of enjoyment in a good steel road bike

Just picked up a cheap Marinoni with the same idea. Lets start the bicycle resto mod revolution!!

Nice bike. The angles of the handlebars and the hoods are a bit odd, but it’s cool how you updated an old bike

I recently bought an older (90s?) KTM but with new (almost too) wide Kenda gravel tires as my first bike I'll ride just for fun (hadn't really done that since I was a teen). These retrofitted bikes also just look cool and it gets more looks than I imagined.

Looks awesome! Great build.

Nice bike! Look at the "Procraft RR Compact 26" handlebars. Its a modern shaped, 70mm short reach, shallow drop handlebar with a 26mm clamping diameter. Fits perfect in the deda murex. An alternative is the Deda Piega RHM 26. 75mm rach and more drop.

I was ready to ditch steel until I finally built the Breezer Inversion frame I had hanging my wall, with heavy Paul engineering disc brakes and 32 mm road tires. I cannot explain why it glides and climbs and feels better than the weight weenie bikes.

My 80s race bike is fast, really fast. It gets raced in hilly time trials where aero isn't so important and its quicker than the aero carbon bike on really steep stuff.

Restomod. Very cool. I recently built up a 1x10 indexed downtube shifter race bike with modern brakes wheels and gears on a 90s frame

Really nice bike. Personally, i'm about to build modern road bike, but i'm happy rider and owner of "mostly" (in look deparment) period correct bikes from '94, '87 and '74 with matchning kit. I love that throwback and aesthetic. It isn't for everyone, but wintage builds have their fans, it's same with classic cars.

Love this build. I just Aquired a basso gap old school yellow/red paint job and I prefer it over my more modern disc brake bike. The loss of speed is easily outweighed by the enjoyment of the ride !

Sorry to hear about the theft, but fantastic video sir!! My steed is a steel 1983 Fuji “ Team Fuji”

I am also in this brigade. My bike is a 1980s vintage, and I love it.

Great bike. Shame you didn’t film building it. Maybe it’s something you would consider doing in future vids?

absolute beauty, i want my next project to be a steel retro mod!

This bike is still sub 10kg. My steel tourer is 14kg and I using it to chase modern road bike of my friends.

In my view, the weight isn't too crucial. What really counts is how the bike feels - lively, absorbing road bumps easily, good stable steering, and no speed wobble going downhill. I sold my carbon bike and went back to good old Reynolds 531 butted tubing.

Fun project. I’d keep an eye out for some nice alloy wheels though. With some of those red Kool Stop pads you get pretty good wet weather braking.

Bicycles are about bringing joy to the rider, and this one seems to do that to perfection.

Good on ya for reviving an old frame but personally don't think I could ever go back to a threaded stems or deal with square taper bottom brackets. They are nightmares to work with and tend to require more maintenance, more regularly.

Honestly, bro, your "steel bike" is a super bike in my measuring system :)

That bike is such a beauty

It is sad how something as simple, joyful and liberating became unnecessarily complicated, competitive and expensive. I loved my old West German steel frame city bike and I am thinking of getting it from my parents to use it occasionally, just as I was using it during my university years, when I bought it for a pittance.

beautiful bike, enjoy your ride!!

That DEDA stem is sick!!!

Road handlebars all use 23.8 mm diameter grip sections. The difference between a vintage and modern road bike handlebar is the stem clamp diameter (31.8 mm vs 26.0 mm or 25.4 mm. There may be a few other obsolete standards, but the handlebar grip area was always 23.8 mm, so whatever issue you experience on the shifters was not caused by a retro vs modern issue, and 26.8 handlebars don’t exist.

Excellent video, well said!

I have a Colnago Tecnos with Dura ace 9100 mechanical and Bora wheels. It weighs 8.5kgs. I reckon you could get a big performance gain with another (ligher, stiffer) crank and better wheels that have a textured braking surface. You can easily shed 0.5-1kgs and the bike will have a better stiffness while accelerating while retaining the plush steel ride comfort. With regards to 25mm: on steel bikes, you really don't need 28-30mm as the frame itself already takes away a lot of the road vibrations.

Absolutely vital for me to be able to work on my own bikes, and I don't think this is easy with the latest proprietary designs. I've taken to buying good vintage steel-frame bikes and restoring them. And nine times out of ten, those are the ones I reach for when it is time to go for a ride.

What an amazing build! I love vintage road bikes! Thinking of stealing this Idea from you 😅

My favorite practice is XC and I have an orbea alma od 2021. But also I practice a lot of working bike, gravel and small road sessions. I have a beautiful red faggin, he looks like an old ferrari bike. All the components are french or italian. As the wheels are not expansive (actually sometimes you can find some campagnolo or normandy competition for nothing) I have 3 games of wheel: cyclocross, gravel and road, and I love ride with him, the feeling is amazing, maybe he's not the most quick but it's not the feeling you have. With my italian gipiemme pizza 52-42 I take easily 37 km/h in the plates streets of my town. For more you have to push but it's so good.. And when you smoke a 2000 euros bike a with your well old steel bike it gives you a huge smile ..!

My commuter is a 1986 Fuji Sundance. Still one of the smoothest bikes I've ever ridden.

Congratulations on your beautiful 'neo-retro' bike. The braking issue you're experiencing has more to do with the rims' material than with the braking system itself. Many carbon wheels are fitted with an aluminium braking surface, which circumvents that problem.

Just bought a new rim brake bike. No part in disc on the road. 1 day a nice steel build needs to happen. Miss my old ones. -U10

Excellent! I fitted deore V brakes to my old canti MTB and noted the brakes where much better - more power and could still modulate well. Is it possible to fit MTB v brakes on this bike?