The King Reunited With His Vintage Vitus Pro Bikes | Sean Kelly Pro Bike Check

[@gcntech]

Which other vintage pro bikes would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below!

[@kevinmckechnie456]

Bernard Hinault's Gitane, Jacques Anquetil's Helyett, Raymond Poulidor's Mercier, Eddy Merckx's Colnago and Miguel Indurain's Pinarello.

[@santiagobenites]

Please do the 1986 Look KG86 La Vie Clair team bike, if you can find one.

[@rothbj1]

Sarronni era Colnago

[@jascollinscork]

Please do a bike from Stephen Roches world record winning year........ please..... I bet he still has them!!!

[@keithmccallum1054]

Would like to see a video on Flandria bikes.

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

I always get the vibe that Sean Kelly isn’t an emotionally verbose kind of guy, but that full shouldered sigh before he said the second bike was “just perfect” was such a wonderful, whole story kind of reaction.

[@Fetucinee]

Well put, my sentiments exactly. Sean's just not naturally emotive or forthcoming but he came close to cracking with that sigh. ;-) For those that missed it, it's at the 6:50 mark.

[@And-rc9yy]

Yeah I noticed that too.

[@trevornoonan1063]

Typical Tipp, deadpan in the way they talk but lethal at there craft/sport......just look at their hurlers (and this is coming from a Cork man) Brilliant King Kelly, I don't think we will see a pro rider coming near to the Palmares this man achieved

[@kennymilne2176]

Your absolutely right Kimberly , I had a little hair standing up on the back of my neck moment at that point

[@And-rc9yy]

@James Smith I'm no huge fan of Chris Froome, but watching him talk in hospital after his crash on stage 1 of this years TdF gave me some admiration for him. A cyclist who could never be described as a snowflake. The dude takes a big crash, gets heavy bruising to the chest and leg, is up all night in hospital, yet races again the following day. I think it's fair to say that no era of cycling has had its share of snowflakes. But yeah, Kelly was exceptional.

[@johns3106]

Unlike so many retired pros, Sean obviously still loves everything about the sport...from re-living his glory days, to discussing current races, to still getting out on the bike himself. Long live the King!

[@DennisNowland]

Sean Kelly, what a fantastic all-round bloke. Down to earth and not all ego at all. Talk about humble. Brilliant.

[@jascollinscork]

I’ve cycled with Sean Kelly in 🇮🇪 with his local club a few years ago!!! He was so much fun always joking around and was cycling better than when I was cycling well at the time!! Top man!!

[@jaycahow4667]

@@jascollinscork That is weird as my name is Jay C as well and I rode with Shawn years ago right after he retired when he was doing a promotional stop in Minneapolis. He did a Q and A later in the day and I got an autographed video tape of his racing career. He seemed like a real nice guy in person.

[@cdemo1186]

Sean Kelly, what a legend. One of our greatest sports stars and a childhood hero of mine. 🚴️🇮🇪🚴

[@ricksnyder6318]

This may be the best video that I have seen on GCN in all the years I have watched. Sean was visibly moved by the bikes. Bravo, GCN!

[@cutback747]

Those Mavic retro friction shifters were actually super high quality, amazing shifters for their time. In fact, lots of racers, including many pros, would have Campy Super Record bikes but with Mavic Shifters. They just worked better than the old Campy ones which were sluggish and at times would break. So great to see Kelly and his reaction to these bikes. He was one of the most pure and dedicated riders in the field. When he broke his collarbone in one Tour de France, he cried as he was forced to abandon. His dedication to the sport was rivaled by no one, and his sprint in the 1986 Paris Roubaix to win is just a must see.

[@ralphc1405]

MAVIC already had the sealed cartridge bearings by then. Campy SR and C-record hubs had grease ports in the center and L and R of the body. C-record dustcaps were the coolest! You just pop it off gently and clean and repack!

[@davidbee9563]

Thirty years ago, I was at the Montreal world cup race. My friend had a press pass and rode on the back of the motorbike to take pictures during the race. On Saturday we were able to get into the pits area of the hotel where the bikes were prepared. I saw Phil Anderson walk past.. then sat down on the steps for a minute. Suddenly, next to me was Sean Kelly tying his shoes! They were giants in the day and seldom ever came to North America let alone to Canada. The chance to see one of these heroes in person that only were in the magazines or posters. What a day! Later, we had a good chat with Shelley Verses who was also famous at that time, having defected to PA's team.

[@danielomalley4394]

I was at that race as well! That same circuit up and around Mont Royal was used in the 1976 Olympics, and (pre-covid) for the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Montréal.

[@michaelwright1001]

Sean Kelly was, and still is, awesome.

[@villegasdezsmondmiguel7341]

Sean inhaled and pauses for a minute and says just perfect in his blue mavic classic bike so much emotion and love .. you can see in his eyes that he had a connection to the bikes he used 😢. MAN thats whay i called a cyclist ... cycling doesn't die in our life it just becomes beautiful memories

[@trevornoonan1063]

King Kelly is and will forever be a hero here in Ireland and the rest of the cycling world...I had the honor of sharing a sportive with him 6 years ago (Tour of Lough Corrib) and with over 350 riders, he made it his business to drop back and jump forward to speak to as many riders that he could that day. Wonderful guy. Also, he put most of us to shame as he held a perfect, breathless, conversation up all of the hardest climbs that day (I'm pretty sure he had to knock off his effort just to stay within earshot of most of us) Kudos King Kelly

[@XNTN808]

I still proudly ride my Vitus....steady and straight as an arrow....

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

Fantastic episode Ollie. Great to see Sean’s emotions and hear his recollections.

[@OFFSHOREDOUG]

Back in the day. Real men doing stuff we couldn’t imagine doing. Total respect to all the cyclists gone by.

[@GCNuser123]

Cheers Tom!

[@roxfoot]

The status of this man is hard to explain, in Ireland he is right up there with Saint Patrick.

[@kevinmckechnie456]

GCN should do more interviews with pros from the past. It was incredible to see and hear Sean's reaction to his old bikes and the memories it brought up for him. Hearing the stories directly from other living legends would be amazing!

[@ck23j]

What a great guy. What a legend.

[@jimbojet8728]

Sean Kelly is a great ambassador for the sport. I’ve ridden with him holidaying in Spain, he was a joy to be with. Great to see those bikes looking pristine. Thank you GCN.

[@hermjen1]

When I was growing up Sean “The King” Kelly was a king on the bike. Now, after seeing this poignant interview, he is a king of great men. Brilliant!

[@PhilippeMarchand-xw1zp]

I'm 55 now and was doing amateur competition in the 80s. It was quite emotional to see this video... First because Sean was one of my favourite rider. Although as a french fan I cheered for Alain Bondue, I still have fond memory of is Paris-Roubaix victory in 84. For those who disn't see him racing I woudl describe his racing style as a mix of Sagan and Alaphilippe. Second because this was typical bikes we were using for racing at this time. Well... as you said these ones were cutting edge. With it's full aluminium colombus frame my bike was 10.2kg (and it was a good one). We were using much bigger gear indeed. When I was 16, I climbed the Tourmalet with 42*26. Today it looks crazy. Also the gear change makes quite a difference as sean said you had to change while seated but also in case road became suddenly steep (in mountain curve for instance) you had to anticipate changes.

[@pauloh4571]

King Kellie.... A true bike racer. I watched him crash out of the TDF and he cried with such heart-wrenching disappointment. It was to be his last Tour and he wouldn't be able to finish. I almost cried with him.

[@MrWrob32]

Thought I saw Sean get a bit emotional. Showing my age, but used to have posters of Sean on me bedroom wall. Ollie I'm so jealous (you're still my favourite presenter though......after Dan. But he just pipped you in a photo finish, only because he's been excellent during the Giro) Think you should have more episodes like this, reuniting old pros with bikes they rode on.

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Dan & Matt seem to be the only ones to reply to any comments directed to them on social media as well. They are both extremely modest about their achievements in racing as well.

[@BikeItUK]

Ive been fortunate to meet Sean, and also restore a Vitus 979 on the channel. Honestly one of the best retro road bikes Ive ridden. Nice interview and great to see the man himself going through this amazing collection and also showing some emotion, top bloke. Thanks to all concerned bringing so much cycling pleasure to so many.

[@brandyyarbrough1948]

Sean Kelly is an icon and those bikes are absolute works of art. Thirty years from now I doubt anybody will be holding "modern bikes" in such high regard. The old bikes were elegant, simple and just more special-- "made to measure" just like The Man said-- and this made them unique. The new bikes are like modern cars-- they work wonderfully but have converged on the same design cues and have become platforms for exploiting the latest electronic gew-gaws. In short, they're technological marvels but aesthetically anonymous and decidedly un-charming. Anyway, this was the best GCN Tech video I have seen in a long while. I nearly got choked up with The King's genuine reaction to the unveiling of the bikes.

[@PrettyGreenVinylGuy]

Sean Kelly, what a legend!! Who the hell would thumbs down this video? Well done Ollie.

[@neil7769]

No one, surely. But you're going to get that 0.25% thumbs down just from random mis-clicks I reckon.

[@taichihead42]

The reason is kelly sold out to the carbon sloping bar mountain bike cross over racing bike trash. He is an ambassador for the vitus brand and has done nothing to get the company to make an anniversary model of the bike he rode in the 1980's. People really want these old classic bikes back in the shops and to be given a choice. We all don't want crap from Taiwan you know

[@hughmellerick4417]

I did,and I say that with no rancour. All they did was yet another clichéd comparison between era bikes. Barely nothing was said in comparing these two very different Vitus' and the other leading bikes at the time. It's fair enough to compare technology from different eras, but in all fairness how many more of these do we need? The 979s for example, were considered to be a bit ropey and too flexible. Also we got no idea as to what these early aluminiums were like compared to the steels of the day, and next gen aluminiums of the 90s. All we got was "Perfect" and the usual "Oh my God Harold how did you ever possibly manage to live with friction shifting on the downtube?" The same aul rubbish. Ffs... that's been discussed to death at length at this stage, and no, it really wasn't that terribly awkward either. It became extremely second nature very fast, and no Sean, you did NOT have to look down every time. You could feel where you were in the gears, and very quickly learn to judge how much you needed to adjust the lever to affect the amount of gear change you needed. Additional fine tuning was easily done by sound and feel through the frame. Such utter rubbish. Same ole nonsense drivel. It'd be like future generations saying "Oh man you had to use your own teeth and chew your own food??? However did you manage??" Cripes the tosh of this interview. Also, Sean isn't really emotional. He's level and deadpan. Thatsyfine, that's the way he is. All these guys 'seeing' emotion are only imagining it for themselves, or else just seeing Sean trying to force it, which is something that he shouldn't have to feel pressurised to do. I love love love Sean, and always tear up when I look back at footage seeing him surging on, a farmer's son from a very humble part of the World winning big on the big stage, but this interview was silly.

[@gregp8220]

You could really tell how much Sean appreciated those bikes he got chocked up a bit seeing them. The bikes of that era are on a different level than bikes of today. Great video!!!

[@ЛадаЙовович]

I still drive on friction switches without clicks. I'm so used to it that I don't see anything complicated. In fact, you gradually get used to it, and already instinctively get into the right gear (especially since it is still felt by effort). As for the chain line, even in headphones, you can hear by ear when the switch is set almost correctly, and by the feeling of vibrations and how the pedals are going, too. Only sometimes you have to look down backwards to accurately determine the position of the chain on the cassette. But these switches are very simple and reliable (as well as cheap). It is quite a good solution for a training bike. Given today's prices for bicycles and components, if you want to reduce the cost of the distance traveled in training, such vintage bicycles are quite relevant and have their advantages. They are reliable and durable.

[@robertnicol113]

What a lovely segment! I nearly burst into tears upon Sean’s emotional reaction at each bike reveal. Well done, guys. Really great.

[@seanoreilly6551]

Getting Seán's reaction was good thinking. The green jersey king.

[@murphyspattaya]

🍀💚🍀👍🍀👍🍀🍀🍀👍🍀Trained with Kelly in winter as a teenager in Waterford, I remember seeing the virus fir the first time WOW , it was mindblowing He rode track bars for years , and that plastic tape used to wreck our hands , We Rode the same magic group sets on Gitane bikes at ACBB Paris in 86 and 87 , they looked class, 👍🍀👍🍀👍🍀👍🍀👍🍀👍🍀👍🍀🤝 KING KELLY

[@jshepard5840]

Ollie wasn't prepared for Sean's emotions and tried to rush past the unveil. It was so nice to see Sean's emotions as he saw the bikes. You could tell his mind went straight back to his days riding those bikes, his youth, his victories, his career, it all came rushing back. I know how he felt. Every time I see a Playboy from the 70's I feel the same way.

[@twinpiperzed7222]

When I get the “Vitus are flexy “ I say Sean Kelly , I have a 979 and a PY10FC Peugeot and both are delightful

[@ralphc1405]

he won the P.R. on one. 1986 I think. Bet he had stiff 36h straight gauge spoke wheels as well.

[@thornto888]

Those sealed Mavic hubs were amazing. I used them as a junior in 1986 with GEL280 rims. I then switched them open CD4 clincher rims for training and probably put 100,000 km on them. They made it to reflex rims in 1996 and were still as smooth as when I first got them. Two years ago I gave the reflex rims with 1986 sealed Mavic hubs to a work colleague and he still rides them on his beater bike. He says they are the best wheels he's ever had.

[@colinricketts1415]

Sean Kelly's reactions to the bikes was great - love that someone that's raced and worked in the sport for as long as Sean has can still be as much of a fan of stuff like this as the rest of us.

[@Smaug1]

One thing I like about him is how he listens, waits for you to finish before replying, rather than cutting in. Pure class.

[@mancello]

A word too often used but applies to Sean: LEGEND!

[@Nosh_Feratu]

absolute hero, one of very few genuine titans of the sport. Long live the King!

[@simongoh9461]

I still remember Kelly using toe clips and straps, when everyone else was using clipless. He had such an out-turned foot position and I thought that was the reason he didn't upgrade the pedals.

[@daraghfinnegan]

Sean was my sporting hero growing up. His hard working style, pure grit and determination is still an inspiration to me.

[@SimonHarlow]

From memory, the charitable description of those Vitus bikes was "whippy". I remember stories that the bikes supplied to pro riders like Kelly would have a steel assembly in the bottom bracket, extending into the surrounding tubes, so that the frame did not fail too soon.

[@ralphc1405]

Very interesting theory! So maybe in the Spring classics his VITUS would have a steel BB shell to limit the flex. Do you think bonding the aluminum down and seat tube and stays would have been harder to do?

[@SimonHarlow]

I do not know anything about the practicalities but Vitus frames were well-known for coming un-bonded. Alan frames were screwed and glued, while I believe TVT also made rotor blades for helicopters and, hopefully, did a better job than Vitus. From memory, Look initially worked with TVT to produce lugged carbon frames. The story about the Vitus came to me from a bike mechanic called Steve Chambers. The cycling photographer John Pierce got hold of one of Kelly's ex team bikes and brought it into the shop we worked in, which was in Bristol. Steve said that the bike was f**ked, as you might expect, and that it had steel reinforcing at the BB. I have no reason to think that this was a made-up story and it would seem sensible given the type of rider Kelly was and the type of races he did. Flex would probably be one issue but the other might have been that they did not want the bike to fail during a big race: bad for publicity. Kelly is a proper pro and I think he would tend not to comment on such things, just as he keeps tight-lipped about all the dodgy things he sees while commenting on CGN. Also, was Kelly not linked, in some way, to the re-emergence of the Vitus name by Chain Reaction Cycles? Not sure about the last part but I would not expect Kelly to be forthcoming with information, possibly just a wry smile.@@ralphc1405

[@donaldryder5534]

Sean Kelly is The Man! Great interview.

[@raykleiner3151]

Sean is such a legend. Great idea to interview him with those bikes.

[@simmo26]

Stunning bikes. King Kelly’s emotional response to them just shows how a bike moves the soul and the memories it generates

[@framedman]

Long live the KING. What a legend! His genuine reactions were great.

[@guypool7524]

One of my cycling heroes...and I still use the Simplex friction levers...really smooth...

[@davidryan4053]

Simplex were the best.

[@msives]

wish youd asked about the mavic groupset. Kelly's team was one of the only ones that used Mavic. other teams all used campag

[@itarry4]

Totally agree. It's possibly the most interesting detail of the whole story from a bike tech stand because hardly anyone knows anything about the Mavic groupset... I'd love to get a break down of the electronically controlled gear shift mechanism called Zap that Mavic released at the 1992 Tour De France. Sean retired 1994 but I don't know if he was still on Mavic then.

[@stevec6232]

Only Boardman used zap i think. Pretty sure it wasn't available when Sean retired. But mavic is very cool. Those 501 hubs were art!

[@itarry4]

@@stevec6232 yhea I didn't think it was connected to the road bike idea especially with Sean. Just I'd like to find out more about it and the actual stuff seen in this video.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

@@itarry4 SK spent the last few years riding Shimano. I Remember an article in an American cycling magazine from 1994 that stated that SK's last season was his first where he would use integrated shift/brake levers and clip-in pedals. He was forced to do so by his then team sponsor because they were not pleased with him still riding clips-and-straps pedals and down tube shifter when their new stuff was already available.

[@And-rc9yy]

@@itarry4 Ah the Zap gearing, way ahead of its time, but it was actually utter crap.

[@tubbytoast2]

Oh wow Kelly s bike from the 80's the same weight as Wout van Aert' s Cervelo of 2021

[@S.Prestage]

But one is super aerodynamic, a lot stiffer and has disc brakes.

[@coreygolphenee9633]

@@S.Prestage more comfortable tires and geometry as well but that thing is gorgeous

[@okantichrist]

@@S.Prestage I wouldn’t say disc brakes are anything to write home about 😂

[@bakedmacaroni7078]

@@okantichrist why not?

[@tinmachine693]

@@S.Prestage dude, you're back! When's the rapture? Is it worth going to visit my mum this afternoon?

[@flashfit332]

They are two beauts a credit to whoever restored them, even got the king emotional

[@nickallen589]

🙏

[@johnandrews3568]

Lovely to see Sean reunited with period correct bikes. Friction shifting was an art. I raced on Super Record friction (and ergo) and really my old SR shifted super fast with my set up. But in the old days, getting ready for a sprint, reach down, tighten your toe straps and preselect your gear.. one does it and everyone else follows suit and waits. Good times.

[@36moto]

This is why Sean’s commentary so valuable to us mortals... this man has more than just a tea shirt... I hope you let Sean take the bikes for a spin.

[@tomrachellesfirstdance7843]

The thought of those climbs in the Vuelta with those gears makes me shudder I don't know how they do it. Amazing bikes though I'd love to ride one

[@leelemarc2839]

Everything is so old-school and so beautiful. Perfect!

[@JasCar1967]

I remember riding my local hills with a 42/52 13-18 combo and down tube shifters, on a bike that weighed 22lbs…seriously don’t know how I did it

[@Abnsdllnnlosnfd]

I was riding 53/42 - 11/25 as a teen. Nowadays I sometimes struggle riding 34-32 on a climb ;-( We´ve become weak, I guess...

[@phillori4678]

I was riding a 52/42 - 13-23 Motobecane in my younger years, maxing out to a 55/39 - 11-17 Norco in my brain-damaged phase, now I struggle to push a 53/39 - 11-21 Kinetic on flat country roads. Good times, brought out to sharp relief by Sean Kelly's rather verbose (he replied to a question with a nod during a radio interview, I remember reading somewhere) and winsome words. Great video.

[@jaycahow4667]

I used to run 13-17 5 speed freewheels on those chainrings....

[@bolandbohlecke]

Three and a half legends in one room!

[@PumpkinVillage]

What an epic video. Wonder he didn't take them home with him. What a pro. You can see his love for the bikes. Really enjoy his commentating at the Tour of Italy. Outstanding video. Thank you, Al

[@martinstaveley6525]

Sean Kelly, my sports hero and the main person who gave me the cycling bug. Can never thank him enough. I use to ride a 979 with Shimano SIS 600.

[@Ob1sdarkside]

This vid is a thing of beauty, well done GCN

[@justcycling7870]

Sean Kelly a legend! And those beautiful bikes! Vitus was one of the true innovators doing the ground work to get us off steel and onto carbon, and Mavic also releasing the worlds first electronic group set a little later in the 90s. Wonderful to see the the bikes, and Mr. Kelly, in such good condition. Thank you Ollie!

[@robvan6527]

GCN has warmed me up to King Kelly. I used to scratch my head and roll my eyes when he spoke because I couldn't understand him half the time. Now after hearing him so often I get his tight Irish accent. The man's an icon.

[@jascollinscork]

Jesus kinda touching for Sean to have these bikes beat?? 🥲 Epic....... best bike review ever 💪🏻🇮🇪😍

[@COM70]

Man is a font of knowledge and a gentleman. Great idea for an interview. Very orignal.👍

[@babygerald4645]

Beautiful machines and a wonderful conversation with one of cycling's living legends. I had a friend in high school who rode a 979 because Sean Kelly was his hero-- the bad-ass of the era. 42-25 is a murderous gear ratio for a 10%+ incline. Thanks GCN!

[@MichaelWSteyn]

Thank you for a trip down memory lane. When I started my cycling career in the mid 80's we had to take a cyclist, a famous and renowned one. And make him our hero, someone we idealised. We had to study that cyclist. The way he rode, the way he sat on the bike, his body position etc. They way he trained. Even the way he wore his cap. I choose Sean Kelly. What a phenomenal cyclist to base the start of one's career on. And yes I loved climbing hills a or mountains. The steeper and the longer the better. And cat and mice games were enjoyed. Unfortunately I was to tall for a Vitus or Alan aluminum framed bike. I did however make use of Mavic rims, bottom bracket, hubs and head set bearings. As they were needle/roller bearings and not the conventional ball bearing type. So no pitting. Unfortunately here in South Africa it was not easy to get ones hands on a Mavic group set. We had Shimano available and Campagnolo. The frames that I rode was Reynolds 501 tubing and the other bike was Columbus SL tubing. Gearing was 42/53 front chain rings and the rear was either 13-21 or 11-19. We could build up our own rear clusters. I spent 95% of the time on the 16 or 17 rear tooth sprocket and on the 42 front chain ring if I was spinning or if I was rolling then on the 53. Cranks were 175mm. Tyre width was either a 19mm or 23mm high pressure. No more tubies thank goodness. Regards Michael

[@whateverbikes]

Funny how Ollie is surprised to feel how smooth the cranks turn on that old bike. As a guy who is used to old bikes (and still rides a ‘94 myb as his daily and only bike), I am always equally baffled how much friction modern day botto brackets have (and pedals too). Cup&conus ball bearings FTW!

[@whirving]

Such a fine tribute to one of my hands down favorite riders is a treasure. Thank you.

[@davidrees1840]

It was great to see Sean again -you guys should do a ride with him, talk about how training, tactics, etc. compared to his time. He looks very fit, but you didn't ask him about his riding now!

[@TumblehomeBoatshop]

I started racing when Sean Kelly was winning Paris Roubaix. I remain a huge fan 40 years on. So inspiring to me, a high school kid. Even in the 1980s we were tech geeks too. I rode Campagnolo, which ruled the pro peloton then, and steel frames. Here are a couple tech stories: Greg Lemond, at the 1982 worlds, finished second in I think a 44x12, because he would never have dared try a front derailleur shift in the final meters of a race. Another, more personal, in a local club race I started a field sprint in a 53x15 but realized close to the line I was in too short a gear. Luckily, those old friction shifters auto shifted, and ka-bam, I got the 14. The bike went sideways when it happened but I collected it all right and won the sprint! I also note the Cinelli criterium bars. How come that shape ever went away? By far the best shape when sprinting but also when riding on the tops. And yes, Alfredo Binda straps. Only. But always two on each pedal.

[@ralphc1405]

32h or 36h wheels? How about when the Mavic MA40 clincher rims and Michelin Hi clincher tires came out?

[@jaycahow4667]

I used to ride double Binda Extra straps (the three ply ones) on each pedal with Cinelli Uni Blocks cleats (that fit down inside Campy Black pedals). No way you were ever pulling out of that arrangement.

[@robgerin1130]

I still ride my Vitus 979. Had a great ride today.

[@bukarin]

Funny that these 'old' bikes are roughly the same as Wout Van Aert's current heavyweight disk machine (8.14kg according to GCN). Its also intriguing that the pro peloton didn't use wide range cassettes and long cage touring derailleurs from the period, I've got a 32tooth Suntour Ultra 6 freewheel from the early 80s, the jump between gears is wider but sure helps spinning up hills. Great vid!

[@ruicalado1859]

The great Sean Kelly.One of the best.

[@AngelGonzalez-hc4zw]

Great to see Sean Kelly and those old legendary bikes. In the early 80s Sean was my favorite European pro rider and happy to have met him 92.

[@jonathanfroggatt5865]

Fantastic seeing the king Kelly on GCN ..... maybe Stephen Roach next ♥️♥️♥️

[@michaelmontague3667]

Great to hear from the legendary King! I had the privilege of meeting him once at Giro d’Italia in Belfast. A gentleman and an exciting rider to watch.

[@Yaketyyak21]

I remember back in the 80’s when Sean was out on his bike training,he passed through our village in tipperary often.we used to stop him to get his autograph,he would always stopped with no problem and have a chat with us,great memories and a lovely man...

[@jimlewison1150]

I have enjoyed hearing Sean's commentary on this year's Giro. Getting to see him react to these fine vintage bikes was a real treat. Being a retro-grouch most of my bikes are steel with friction shifters on the down tube, so it does make me feel a bit of a dinosaur. Thanks for this!

[@prestachuck2867]

More Sean Kelly! Please.

[@user-uh6lm5wv6n]

That 979 is absolutely glorious. Fkn gorgeous piece of machine.

[@paulhowell7103]

in paris nice they would make his bike as light as possible for the time trial up the col d"eze fitting silk tubulars and even a full titanium free wheel. great vid

[@chrispig7748]

Legend, lucky to see him race a few times

[@LtStone1]

"Its just perfect" you'd think he was commenting on his newborn in his wives arms.... Respect! I remember the older guys having entire trainingsessions on clipping in with a flying start and shifting. Bonkers looking back. The Tempo Brutes all liked Sean and what a humble guy after what he has achieved he wavers all bragging rights and quietly tears up at the sight of these gorgeous bikes...

[@nerigarcia7116]

Sean Kelly is one of my fave riders of all time. Love to see him remenisce about the old days. Those were bikes I wished to have when I started riding and steel/downtube shifters are what I remember. Bike tech has some a long way but I still enjoy riding my vintage steel 1982 Olmo Competition with full Campy every now and then. It's so grounded in its ride feel and the parts are just so well built to last all this time and work effortlessly. This was a great watch.

[@itarry4]

So not actually reunited with his bike at all but a exact copy. Not quite the same but OK, especially after his reaction and emotions at seeing the second bike.... Just for that I'll let you off and give you a thumbs up. Brilliant to see the memories flash before his eyes like that.

[@cicli]

Probably the best video on GCN channel. Less making a hundred of boring videos about tubeless or single chainring and more quality material like this.

[@thecovidprisoner]

52 / 39 X 12 / 23 was my gearing on 23'' inch Columbia Reynolds 753, took 1 in 4's to Alpe D'Heuz etc on. Lived, breathed and ate only for ' the bike, miles and pain ' character building , No Pain No Gain was the mantra back then. Did all my own mechanics and still have my bikes / tools / kit when I do ride.

[@ILYWAMBFH]

Still have my Vitus 979 hung on the living room wall. It's a work of art and the only one of my bikes that I truly cherish. Part of the reason for that is the thought that I was riding a bike that had been ridden to so many victories by the likes of Sean.

[@matthewbaynham6286]

It's good to see a video that is not an advert. I understand that at some point GCN has to pay the rent and it's bills just like anyone else, so it needs videos that are just adverts. But it is nice to see a non-advert video. Ollie was admiring that bike so much perhaps he should do enter a BCF road race with 1980's technology. Box section rims, the down tube shifters, I'm sure it would be a interesting experience. Maybe not the museum piece that Sean was riding.

[@stevemawer848]

I'd rather have an advert video than be interrupted at random times with irrelevant youtube ads.

[@36moto]

Er.... park tool!

[@pramagetable]

he is as humble as he is a great champion

[@anthonyharris483]

Kelly is one the greatest and I raced bikes like this in the 80s hated gluing my tires on the rims

[@ralphc1405]

Because the MAVIC MA40s weighed a bit more for sure.

[@daviddjerassi]

Sean Kelly one of the all time greats one of the strong men of cycle racing ,Thank you for a great video bringing back such memories that will not be forgotten .

[@keithmccallum1054]

Of all the GCN videos I have watched this video was one of my favorites!!

[@polderfischer8565]

It is so cool to see my former idol Sean Kelly again! What a gentle man!

[@tobitobi5496]

Wonderful to see Sean Kelly's reaction to seeing these bikes - quite touching. Thanks Ollie and GCN.

[@steelcrazy409]

A true gentlemen,legendary rider.This was a really enjoyable discourse between Ollie and Sean.It was great to hear about his friction gear changing techniques,same as me when I take the old steelies out for a spin.Whenever I miss a gear or look to see what gear I'm in I'll think yep that's what Sean did.Mavic groupsets look sensational.

[@Thetoad738]

Sean is amazing. Thank goodness as a kid I got to experience the Golden age of cycling. Thank you King Kelly.

[@davidhuck1683]

Dear Bridgewood, i am kind of sentimental at times. That Video is such a great piece of work. The Bikes, Kelly, i loved his Irish Accent on Eurosport. "Bravo Olie" Clint Eastwood would have said said :) and me too :) Greets... Dave from Vienna/Austria...TOP!!!!!

[@khuplian9542]

As new generation it's like listening grandpa era 😢 so touching

[@fikretekeste8940]

Wonderful interview Ollie!! Great to hear about the past history and GCN did amazing job to surprise him looking back and appreciate the older bikes! Thank you again!

[@davefitzpatrick4841]

Can we have more of these videos, x pros reunited with their bikes ? would make a fantastic series !

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

Agreed.

[@jimlewison1150]

Yes please!

[@jimlewison1150]

Yes - how about Bernard Hinault and a couple of La Vie Claire era LOOK bikes? 753 last generation steel and a KG86 early carbon frame. That would be an interesting discussion!

[@davehollingworth5537]

Top man is Sean!

[@wouterarts4732]

8,3kg is really respectable compared to modern bikes. Especially compared to the aero frames. Earlier this year Wout van Aert's Cervelo S5 weighed in at 8,1kg!!

[@jaycahow4667]

Anyone else ever use a Phil Wood FreeWheel injector? It screwed on the back of the FreeWheel and had a grease gun port to pump in grease to the bearings instead of using oil. Your FreeWheel would spin and not make any noise when not pedaling, made a super quiet bike....