From the Cluttered Bench: Why Does Cycling Keep It Retro While Other Sports Move On?
Have you ever noticed that cycling seems to have a special place for retro aesthetics? We started thinking about it the other day, and it led us to question: is cycling the only outdoor sport that still makes room for vintage gear and style? When we mentally surveyed other sports, few seemed to embrace older technology.
Take tennis, for example—does anyone still use a wooden racket? Or golf—who’s still swinging a wooden-shafted club? The closest comparisons we found were in the surf world with longboards—those traditional, 8-foot-plus boards that contrast with modern shortboards designed for sharp, radical turns—and the skateboarding scene, where retro 80s-style decks are making a comeback, at least according to our resident expert.
So why cycling and board sports? My best guess is that these "soul sports"—surfing, skateboarding, and non-competitive cycling—allow people to do their own thing. There are no strict rules, no judges, and no specific uniforms to adhere to. You can ride a bike with silver fenders and a rack, surf a classic longboard, or skate a retro deck, all while staying true to your personal style.
Once competition enters the mix, though, it’s a different story. The need to win drives technological advancements, which explains why racing-focused cycling is so tech-heavy—what I like to call the "1%." It’s the same reason no one gets extra points for playing tennis with a wooden racket. But in the non-competitive cycling world, riding a steel frame decked out with classic parts is almost like a statement. You see someone cruising with vintage flair, and it just makes you smile.
This vintage appeal seems to pop up in all sorts of ways today, even beyond cycling. Fashion and style are always cycling back—though I'm still waiting for the Roaring 20s to make a return! Right now, the 80s and 90s are making waves in clothing, décor, and even bike culture, as people look for ways to stand out from the sleek, performance-driven products that dominate the big brands.
Functionality is another reason retro gear holds appeal in cycling. Modern tech has made huge leaps—electronic shifting and hydraulic braking are prime examples—but they can feel over-engineered. Mechanical disc brakes give me reliable stopping power without the hassle of bleeding lines, and traditional cable shifting lasts forever with minimal upkeep. Plus, I never have to worry about charging my derailleur!
While big companies focus on racing performance at any cost—like a $4,300 wireless Campagnolo 13-speed drivetrain—I think the non-racing side of cycling will keep chugging along at a more relaxed pace, free from the need to adopt every new high-cost innovation.
So why do you think retro aesthetics thrive in cycling but not in other sports? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so drop a comment below!
The Cluttered Bench is a series of opinion pieces from VO staffers and guests on various topics that may be tangentially cycling related.
There are many reasons why “retro” bicycles are appealing — ease of maintenance, aesthetics, comfort, and simplicity. Quill stems, lugged steel, rim brakes, friction shifting, and threaded bottom brackets are a welcome alternative to the modern bike with internal routing, disc brakes, plastic frames, electronic shifting, and who knows what BB specification.
But why is the retro-bike appealing, almost comforting in a way? I would suggest that it is a sense connectedness and self-agency. The ability to adjust, replace, and repair (almost) everything on a bike is empowering and deeply satisfying. It’s akin to wood carving with axe and blade, film photography, scratch cooking, and relishing the pleasure of a “real” book.
While I’m no Luddite and appreciate many technological advances, I’m also quite skeptical. Not all that is new is good, nor is all that is old is better. Rather it’s process of looking for the best from both worlds and finding an ideal blend that enhances our lives and brings us joy.
I feel like everything runs the risk of tech creep, then an inevitable backlash. I saw a news story on CBS this morning talking about a resurgence of dumb phones – flip phones, or touchscreen phones that are glorified Kindles with the ability to make phone calls – because people are realizing that phones are eating time and costing too much in productivity and creativity over just having a way to be contacted.
Same thing with bikes. There’s E bikes, electronic shifting, hydraulic discs, etc. But there seems to be a growing trend of retrogrouch – old (or old style) bike frames, cable shifting and braking, friction shifted, downtube shifters, thumbies, leather saddles, etc. You don’t need a 5 lb plastic fantastic race bike that costs as much as a car to pootle down to the coffee shop, or to take in the leaves on a fall afternoon, and honestly, you lose something with the advances in technology. Maybe it’s the romantic in me, but I feel like you lose connection with the machine when everything is done for you.
Is the term Retro misused because of changes in materials and user interface? It is the need to sell new products, a plastic bike with pish button shifting and disk brakes is not an advance but a marketing strategy not necessary better than what has been used previously. There is a place and time for such creations but some of us prefer the tried and true that allow an one to choose according to his or her own aesthetics. We still get pleasure from building and riding machines we have built our selves. Collecting components and changing our bikes as we age is part of the experience. it is sad that our share of the market is shrinking, if it does not conform it is are being phased out. Yes, I have repeated what has already been posted but could not stay silent.
One of the puzzles the cycling industry has to figure out is how to sell people more products despite the original product – the bicycle – working just fine. A vintage aesthetic, in addition to tapping into a larger trend toward nostalgic thinking that shows up in American politics these days, too, provides a rationale for buying something new and additional. As much as I enjoy the turn toward the vintage, I recognize that it is part of a cycle in capitalism: in order to sustain growth by profiting in a market by satisfying demand, one must first create that demand.
Why does cycling keep it retro while other sports move on? Perhaps the answer is in the question. The “sport” of cycling has moved on. Riding a bike for practical transportation or pleasure and freedom doesn’t change. In fact, it becomes more appreciated with time.
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