How Hard Did Cycling Use To Be? | Modern Cyclist, Retro Bike, Classic Climb

[@gcn]

Would you give this a go?!

[@davidharrington6273]

Definitely, and I am think you should try an event like L’Eroica in the future!

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

No. Give me 5 minutes to switch gears in the rain. Still no.

[@garrettturbett593]

I did Paris-Roubaix on a steel single speed last year. That’s either downhill or flat other than a couple of bridge crossings, so I’d rather not tackle any major climbs without my Di2 and a nice wide block!

[@amfearliathmor8213]

Just got to learn to dance on the pedal technique rather than to spin on the climb. It does require more upper body strength like Greg Lemond had though.

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Not on a single speed, no. Mad. My Das was a club racer in the 50s... Single speed, steel frame, 100 mile TTs, no support...hills and all. Bonkers,

[@barriewilliams4526]

One of those was my everyday bike lol, I am 82 now though :)

[@80beanz]

That's why your still alive😅

[@jeremyemilio9378]

@TigerLizardz Gaming or he could be lying about his age

[@KiaBlessYoTrap]

God bless you

[@Cloobornius]

Woohoo barrie!

[@erichaheidrich4593]

Cool

[@christopherfisher6293]

My late dad always rode fixed gear of 48+18 all his cycling life ,and could give me and my gears one good kicking all the time. Tough times made very tough men used to pain and discomfort on a daily basis, and that went into cycling. Well done dad, well done!!

[@joshnicholson2934]

I do that now but with 50+16 and I love it! 😁 Usually beat roadies

[@samh2023]

@@joshnicholson2934 Me too, but with 54-14. Usually beat motorcycles

[@Shivasyn13]

@@samh2023 Me too, but with 58-13. Usually beat cars

[@bullyborg]

I do 62 11 everyday on commutes usually beat f1 cars.

[@Hambonebodi]

I guess I am a wuss at 42/18 😂

[@M3T2W01f]

Rumor has it that the camera crew only had to walk to film Ollie.

[@gcn]

Not all that far from the truth...

[@LaughingSaint66]

Amer J. 😂😂😂

[@gcntech]

@Savage Poet using the dark room, aka the actual night, whilst Ollie still continued to ride up the hill.... Jon.

[@juilescieg]

probably stand.

[@iwritechecksatthegrocerystore]

As somebody named Ollie this hits to close to home.... 🤣😂

[@veloriderkm]

Are your videos now produced by Christopher Nolan with a score by Hans Zimmer? Honestly fellas, who ever is behind the scenes.. you moved me with the sights and sounds. Thank you.

[@Velofil]

This was like watching a TOP GEAR episode ....for Cycling! EPIC editing and kudos to Ollie

[@bonolee07]

Velofil I was thinking exactly the same lol

[@giuseppe8844]

This video takes the GCN cinematography to a whole new level. Anything less than this will now be disappointing....

[@gcn]

@@giuseppe8844 Uh oh... 😬

[@chuckpietro]

Velofil, I agree completely. Excellent production 'Top Gear' style. And Ollie has the best timing with his words, hand down. Jeremy Clarkson eat your heart out. Keep it up GCN!!

[@powersturbo]

This video was the boring version of Jeremy clarkson taking a dump uphill.

[@geeano9232]

Ollie is undoubtedly one of the funniest and natural presenters on GCN ⚡️

[@marcelopadilla842]

capo...!!!

[@pavels470]

Channelling Jeremy Clarkson for sure

[@rap4live39]

Just love this guy. Such sympathic this man...

[@JohnBatty]

Ollie clearly putting in the effort, grinding away, but still narrates clearly - not out of breath at all. Kudos, fellah.

[@genuine74boomer]

I must congratulate GCN again on another superb video - it is so refreshing to subscribe to a bike channel that doesn't just talk about the latest gear but also gives fascinating insights into the heritage of this amazing sport/hobby/pastime/passion that we all love. Editing, filming and the script were all spot-on and (although obviously you shouldn't tell him this!) Ollie is a great presenter - engaging, versatile (great RP accent on the 'vintage commentator' bit) and professional. As one other commenter put it below, GCN is the 'Top Gear' (in its heyday!) of cycling channels!

[@jacksquat2067]

I love how sarcastic Ollie was in this one. It was "positively magical!" XD

[@gcn]

Laugh or cry eh?

[@hoser7706]

That was seriously smart wit. How many times have we all searched for that next gear only to discover, damn, that is it!! Lol. Brilliant video

[@truthseeker8483]

Made me smile all the way through this video :-)

[@lemonpaper]

Wow this guy describes my actual bike and then says “Rubbish! Tick!”

[@JaredArchbold]

I was thinking the same thing. Jealous of the opportunity to ride that bike on that pass.

[@KandiKlover]

I'll pass on that pass but I would love to ride the old road bikes too.

[@BushidoMusicOfficial]

He literally described mine too (a fixie) minus the brakes

[@em_oh_why_oh]

Lol I could only afford a second hand steel bike from the 80s and I keep up with $5000 bike cyclists in local group rides 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@wretchedgrey]

It's because 95% of the performance is in the person riding and not the bike. The extra 5% only matters in races where taking off a few pounds with a $5k full carbon frame actually matters.

[@jen3800]

Ollie's my fave presenter. like a boy still, in his enthusiasm and humbleness, and funny as hell.

[@markmurphy854]

I had a friend 40 years ago that used to race with Tullio. He said the same thing that the video did that Tullio was a better engineer than cyclist, but he was always coming up with new ideas to try. Great video GCN!

[@ilCantaluppi]

If you turn he volume up and listen closely you can clearly hear Ollie’s kneecaps pop

[@imgonnabuss]

noooo way! ah man that must've been gnarly to experience

[@lst1nwndrlnd]

I think mine popped too.

[@andeez4663]

I love Olly's presenting style and great content too. Well done GCN

[@richm.3477]

He's been a nice addition to the crew.

[@ojanssensande]

5:08 The brakepad is almost 1 meter away from the rim. Ridicolous! But you got a bell to warn other people of the crash that is to come.

[@albr4]

could be way better adjusted but I've restored my own 1950s road bike and it's got some kind of lightweight steel tubing that means the bike is so flexible I had to loosen the brakes massively to stop them from rubbing when I put force into the front fork

[@ojanssensande]

@@albr4 oh interesting. I've got that in my bike while sprinting hard. But my pads are very close. Mabye it is your wheel, as well?

[@albr4]

@@ojanssensande I've got the original wheel on the front so it probably does have a bit of play, but I looked at it and held the wheel in place and put pressure on one side of the bars and I could make it touch, looks like the fork flexing. I have the same issues even on my aero road bike but it's just my "training wheels" deflecting so I have to loosen the brakes so they don't rub. High end wheels shouldn't have much deflection. That old frame is like riding a bike made of jelly compared to my aluminium frame.

[@alexbrown1995]

I noticed that and cringed. A lot.

[@terencej72]

@Olaf J Arf arf arf.

[@U20101954]

my knees exploded just by watching this...

[@geoffdelperdog8838]

Was this a short film? The cinematography is getting incredible at GCN! Keep it up, team!

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

I know, right? GCN doesn't have the goofiness it had when Matt was around, but the cinematography is outstanding and the hosts are up to the challenge of presenting that the film quality demands.

[@lennymccartney1]

yes, and the twist was that ollie wasn't dropped!

[@geoffdelperdog8838]

I'm guessing this comment was the springboard that led to GCN+ documentaries.

[@matthewkitchen10]

It’s amazing how a phrase like “it’s positively magical” just comes to life out of Ollie’s mouth.

[@emrebaloglu1744]

Best thing happened to GCN is getting Ollie on board , always a charm watching episodes featuring him

[@milescorporosus4058]

I have to admit, there's something about the old style cycle that I find really appealing in that stripped-down way. Not as a _replacement_ to more modern tech -- there's a reason it developed in the first place -- but it's interesting to see how much you can sacrifice and still call it a road bike.

[@szabiakanich]

Really loved this one. The cinematogprahy, the music, the old bike, the old cycling gear, Ollie's "announcer voice". Fantastic video.

[@booklover3959]

superficial garbage and uninformed on vintage bikes

[@edwardkerrigan5356]

I found the music a damned invasive nuisance.

[@ClassicalPan]

Haters gon’ hate!

[@giannislazatube]

one of the best videos of GCN!!!

[@nathanphillips875]

You guys are become a cycling version of top gear... you might even be better! Great filming, editing, presentation and story telling. Well done Ollie and the team 👍🏼

[@neilcaress9036]

I assumed you meant that as an insult until the last bit!

[@justinlee463]

I was thinking the same thing watching this haha

[@LOCKEYJ]

Gcn is entertaining though

[@mazdaman2315]

Nah they aren’t better nobody’s better than old top gear

[@neilcaress9036]

@@mazdaman2315 I can't agree I'm afraid. I can't stand any version of the bloody show!

[@mitchrapp9727]

This was very entertaining Ollie, I'm glad you're with GCN.

[@jaredkieser9317]

The production quality has definitely gone up, most noticeably the score. Oli is also a world class presenter. Chapeau guys.

[@gcn]

Thanks Jared - glad you enjoyed this one. Big team effort 👍

[@engineergaming4295]

This is like Jeremy Clarkson giving a history lesson while driving a really old Range Rover on a narrow road

[@craigpaterson5085]

Ollie still pedaling at 60rpm even at 2x speed - great video

[@ronroman3536]

I greatly enjoyed learning some cycling history. More please!

[@DrewKime]

And you just know there were dude-bros back then who would give you a hard time for switching to the "easy" cog.

[@ljrandom147]

Lmfao

[@thebelly925]

“Oh, look at young Bridgewood! Switching to the 18 tooth cog? Why don’t you just trade your jersey for a corset and a dress?”

[@newttella1043]

"first one to switch gears buys beers"

[@gcn]

Hahaha this is so true!

[@jthepickle7]

Back then you were lucky to find a 24t cog. 36 - 24 was the best you could do.

[@23bogarka]

Top Gear of the biking channel.. Best of the best.. 👍👍👍

[@tepperpepper1047]

My knees hurt from just watching this.

[@gcn]

There were many collective hurting knees at GCN HQ too...

[@RasPutintheGreat]

My thigh hurts.

[@grandrenard]

You are my absolute favourite gcn host!

[@wy3131]

Brilliant! Still remembering back in the late 70s when I was still a boy, looking and admiring those Campagnolo components in a local bike shop, drooling and not even close in being able to afford it, let alone a basic road bike. It’s just beautiful!

[@chaosbreaker657]

@Tom Smith Must've been a bargain of a lifetime you made.

[@chaosbreaker657]

@Tom Smith How's your experience? Judging from your post, you enjoyed your bike, yes?

[@chaosbreaker657]

@Tom Smith Yeesh, that stings painfully. You alright now?

[@davidmurray3685]

Brilliant video, and gorgeous background music. Great guys ;)

[@rogerlindley3095]

I rode a Jack Hateley steel bike with a fixed gear when I was about fifteen years old. The club I rode with mainly cycled throughout the UK Derbyshire Peak District, pretty hilly. If I moaned a bit to the guys with Campag gears they would tell me, the only way to get really fit is to ride a fixie. It may have been true because at seventyfive y.o. I'm still riding about three times a week in both Peak District and The South Pennines although now with gears. ,incidently the Jack Hateley o ly had a front brake which occasionally made descending quite exciting.

[@edwardkerrigan5356]

I don't understand what all the fuss - and fearmongering - is nowadays about fixed gears. I'm a lot older than you and joined my first cycling club (CTC) in about 1948 and EVERYBODY rode fixed wheel. The only reason anybody had a derailleur was to bolt it on for a couple of weeks holiday tour each summer, and that was all. The rest of the time - club runs, solo riding, time trials, hill climbs even, they rode a fixed wheel. As I remember they ranged between 66 to 72, perhaps 74 inch. We always rode with front and rear brakes, though. For various reasons I stopped cycling in about 1954 but I don't remember any significant switch to gears by that time - presumably they became more widely used soon after. I returned to cycling on my retirement twenty years ago and am still riding, like you with gears now, although I tend to seek out flatter terrain nowadays, gears notwithstanding.

[@jessicaduncan9347]

Edward Kerrigan ?

[@edwardkerrigan5356]

I'd forgotten I'd posted this - just put another one up top - oops!

[@bigwheel9127]

One of the best GCN videos ever; a historic, folkloric and funny sufferfest. Ollie, you da man!

[@UNSCPILOT]

It's like Top Gear for bikes... with only 2 gears XD

[@bhumiriady]

This is super awesome and fascinating! That vintage bike and kit is a time capsule! I like it!

[@anselmo5x]

Awesome. "Inspirational music" around 9:15. Got off my 1970s Colner bike at end of final climb of Lincoln GP Sportif 8 days ago. And Ollie is able to talk while pushing uphill ..

[@ethyhayes]

THIS is the sort of content we love GCN!

[@booklover3959]

Garbage. Uninformed and superficial.

[@armouredoutlaw1537]

@@booklover3959 you forgot, FUN!

[@souloftheage]

I LOVE riding in that kind of weather.

[@lmc333]

Sorry but I was laughing all the way through the video... You are way too funny Ollie !! Priceless... Thank you GCN for another awesome video !

[@powersturbo]

Please tell me what was so funny, I missed it.

[@jacquesmalecaut4956]

Ollie is a legend.

[@danielday713]

Simply breathtaking footage and great commentary. The group of you are really great at what you do. Your humour and knowledge... bellissimo!

[@tristramwilson2661]

Great vid production, very creative and as you said Dan, next level!

[@FATTYDH216]

Brilliant Ollie . I know its now been a while but You are a tremendous addition to GCN . Best Cycling KZbin channel without question . Good job lads.

[@spleen123]

Ollie brings so much contagious enthusiasm to his videos! ...also that vintage shirt collar is on point

[@stealthmermaid40]

Right! The velour track shirt was the cherry on top

[@WaechterDerNacht]

It's positively magical watching that video after a bike ride while relaxing on the couch...

[@gcn]

Haha best place to be!

[@TomAbramoff]

Ollie suffering > Si suffering. You had me in stitches multiple times, Ollie!

[@richardcroft9475]

I got a contest for you: Ollie suffering versus Si suffering versus Lasty suffering versus Hank suffering.

[@Biking360]

Music and cinematography are truly awesome. Hard to believe this is a KZbin made video. Kudos to all the production team.

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

Ollie Pain Face + wide aspect ratio (2.35:1) = awesomeness. Kudos to the videographer for giving us such a wide aspect ratio.

[@GregTheGuitarist]

The quality, topics and content of your videos is getting better and better. Moreover, i would choose it over any programme broadcasted in TV. Keep on guys!

[@dannylo4807]

Very well put together episode. One of the best gcn piece no doubt.

[@gcn]

Cheers D. Lo!

[@GeordieHandle]

I love the old bikes and kit style.

[@newttella1043]

This was a great piece. GCN retro jerseys anytime soon? You have to admit how stylish Binda looked compared to Froome.

[@gcn]

Thanks Newt! We'll see what we can do on the jerseys 👍

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

@@gcn Oh... sign me up for one! I have two other GCN jerseys in the mail and on their way here but I think I could fit a retro GCN jersey in somewhere.

[@benedictearlson9044]

A quite remarkable and beautiful tribute to Campagnolo, and suitably so as he helped enable the joy of riding. Whoever edited this is a genius. I'm sure many recall the agony of tackling hills on their first heavy bike, small hills then were a small battle, mental and physical. Maybe spinning up now in our compacts we are missing something, has it become too easy?

[@hhansen3551]

Audio in the BW pictures is spot on

[@GCNuser123]

thanks! thats my retro voice

[@gcn]

Thanks H! Amazing team behind the productions too 👍

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

@Savage Poet I'm with you. I'm going to start asking for this in the comments on every "out of studio" video they do.

[@mothererich]

This might be the greatest GCN video every made. Maybe.

[@albr4]

wow Si looks different today

[@mykytajex2248]

@Savage Poet Silicon

[@BikeItUK]

Cadence, what Cadence, when men were men. Hats off to them all. As always GCN, a well put together interesting and very scenic cycling pleasure. Oh the pain in Ollie's face, one thing is for sure I'm sure he'll appreciate jumping back on his normal ride. Nice one Ollie well presented all the very best Andy

[@gcn]

Thanks Andy! After this anything would feel ace!

[@BikeItUK]

@@gcn Yes, very true defo worth doing to appreciate. So often is the world around us taken for granted in so many ways

[@EMC2Scotia]

This is probably the funniest clip I've seen on GCN in a while!

[@Icantfindtheanykey]

Wow. Well done GCN. This was a very nicely done video. Everything was smooth about it from the filming to the story telling to the commentary/effort by Ollie. Great work.

[@gcn]

Much appreciated!

[@kevp68]

Another great video... It make you appreciate how tough cyclists of old where... Each race was an adventure of legendary proportions

[@gcn]

100%

[@kieranself9844]

Ollie is the best thing to happen to GCN since someone said” let’s start a Global Cycling Network Channel”

[@jordyd8916]

Love you Ollie! How many times did they have to cut you swearing?

[@GCNuser123]

Every other word. We have some talented editors.... haha

[@deswhite8268]

Ollie have you throttled Si yet for dropping you in it

[@troywillis9873]

For a laugh I recently rode a 205km 2,200metre elevation gran fondo on my $100 single speed pub bike in similar weather. After that experiencd I commend Ollie on how composed he appeared during the video but I wouldn't be surprised if the editors are now in counselling.

[@MauiReyes-ep7mq]

At 57 I am fond of riding my classic bike like what I did a few hours ago. Thanks for bringing back the times of classic cycling.

[@richfi9576]

another spectacular GCN video! If they get any better we'll be watching at the cinema, or I'll have to get Netflix...

[@booklover3959]

low bar

[@kenblair2538]

Sir Bridgewater, GCN , owes you an award, for that climb. Nice going.

[@harisu0313]

Ollie never failed to crack me up , thank U.

[@_MrSnrub]

Ollie is the best GCN presenter :D

[@rockcycle824]

It's okay, Ollie, we enjoy your suffering more than Si's anyways 😂

[@TheFBIorange]

This video has the strangest editing and pacing but it works and I love it

[@gabrielghanem8253]

The entire quality of the video is so good!

[@fredmcgough748]

This video shows how fit retro riders were. How come Suntour and Campy are not discussed more.?

[@andrewpintar1620]

Great vid. Love this historic review of cycling. The riders were real HARD men back then. Retro bike is rad as heck too.

[@gcn]

It's a real eye-opener eh?

[@fahim113]

Already been said but the production values of these videos are Hollywood esque. Really top quality, nice one!

[@gcn]

Thanks fahim, the people behind the scenes here have done a stellar job!

[@ABFPV584]

My favorite presenter all day

[@UenoLocker54]

Single speed climbing is great. Makes the geared bike feel like a walk in the park when you go back to the same climb.

[@HR-ws1rj]

Legend has it vintage Ollie is still pedalling up that hill

[@gcn]

🤣 we've seen him since this shoot...

[@boredandnaked]

"Positively magical!" @9:10 made me laugh so hard!

[@asnow1990]

No idea what you've done differently, but this is beautifully shot!!

[@darrencady4261]

That was a tough climb with high ratio gearing. I take off my hat-no! I take off Campagnolo's hat- to you for even attempting it let alone completing it. Well done. You are a Hero.

[@Michele-Baldini]

Thank's Ollie for this video, you are in our hearts!

[@dayjn]

This could be my favourite GCN video of all time, and I've seen nearly every one. Ollie nailed this, hilarious but also some seriously interesting content. I always wondered how they got over those mountains on essentially single geared bikes, Well done!

[@cheminremi7835]

Looks like slow-motion with normal sound.

[@gcn]

Haha!

[@inabit1956]

Great vid. Love the details like the bell on the stem and the backround music choices. Thanks Ollie!

[@SchumacherJoerg]

My deep respect. Great job Ollie. Again an impressively professional video! Great scenery!

[@paullewis6858]

Top vid Ollie, respect to you I drove up this on a family holiday in 2013 to watch the Giro. A young local rider was going up in the training ride. We gave him a wide berth overtake going up. Had a coffee at the summit and he came up and stopped pulled on his Cape, then a gillet & attached his go pro then gave it the beans on the decent on the other side.

[@danyp127]

Haha. Absolutely love Ollie. He's a great presenter

[@tmgrapplerszone]

As someone who has been trying to ‘earn’ my next road bike by putting miles on my 46x16 single speed, i can really appreciate this. Sometimes i feel like my thighs are going to explode as im climbing, hoping my chain survives 😂 great vid. Thx guys

[@theoverengineer]

Brilliantly thought out, well executed. Thank you for suffering for us, Ollie. Much appreciate the historical context, I find mindself celebrating Thanksgiving on May 30 this year, featuring the groupset and quick axle.

[@osimnod]

What a visual treat -- beautiful scenery, historically informative, pitch-perfect on the musical selections with humor and humility infused throughout. Recalling drooling over Campy groupos in the early 1970s and wondering who could afford such jewelry? Had to settle for Simplex, Universal, Dia-Compe and Champion "Gentleman" on my affordable Italian "Frankenbike".

[@thymenvuik8357]

God when ollie does these kind of videos im just laughing from beginning till end.

[@kaushikiyer3859]

This was sadistically funny! Enjoyed it. Back then it was solo riding, no support! Those men were legendary!

[@FlatSpinMan]

Kaushik Iyer The best kind of funny.

[@njm3211]

Well done Ollie. Your Italian pronunciation is very good for a Brit.

[@gcn]

Surprisingly good eh?

[@andrewdeanenglish901]

Much better presenter on this video, he's got a good sense of humour, and a good, genuine personality, unlike the others! Great video!

[@clearprop3633]

Epic! First GCN that made me weep a bit. Truly well done!

[@gcn]

Crikey, in a good way?!

[@rafaelbensi1104]

It was fun listening you talking while pedaling that kind of bike but it's good to look back from the gold old days nice vlog...

[@gregmuon]

That's pretty hilarious, and brave. I'm not old enough to have ridden in the 20s, but I am old enough that I was told to ride a fix in the winter to improve my spin and make me strong. I lived in a very hilly area, with climbs somewhat similar to that. Big climbs are possible, but the pedaling form was different that today's. You really do need to be able to pull up and pull up hard to get enough torque for the big gear. It's not a myth. It looks like the straps in this video were not pulled tight, and the shoes may have not been cleated. For riding a fixed gear up a steep climb with 10% gradients in sections, cleats are very useful - pretty much required. Obviously it helps to be super fit. I won't be attempting it again at this point in my life...

[@phillwhitlam6999]

I can remember using the cork helmets, woollen shorts with real chamois leather, woollen tops, but two speed is even a little before my time. Great video Ollie, full of Yorkshire grit and funny as hell.

[@mauroesse8353]

Your pronunciation of the Dialetto Veneto (the slang used by Campagnolo) made my day better!

[@gcn]

Win!

[@paulbata6459]

it is not slang! La xe na lingua.