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

So what was life like before the invention of the derailleur? How hard was it to ride a bike with only two gears over mountain passes? Thanks to Tullio Campagnolo we'll never know.... but Ollie found out.
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Leave us a comment below!

[@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

[@iTzzproclan]

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.

[@JohnBatty]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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...

[@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 :-)

[@Bv1nte]

Meanwhile fixie guys are laughing out loud of that Sisi complaining about having bad brakes and 2 gears

[@tepperpepper1047]

My knees hurt from just watching this.

[@gcn]

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

[@RasPutintheGreat]

My thigh hurts.

[@matthewkitchen10]

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

[@jen3800]

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

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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 👍

[@mitchrapp9727]

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

[@craigpaterson5085]

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

[@kieranself9844]

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

[@albr4]

wow Si looks different today

[@mykytajex2248]

@Savage Poet Silicon

[@grahamariss2111]

As a child of the 70s, there was a time when i was poor and my bikes had Hurret and Simplex gears and a time I was rich (ish) from when my bikes have only had Campag and only ever will have Campag kit.

[@henryjacobsen6873]

what do your bikes have now??

[@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.

[@Biking360]

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

[@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?

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@bhumiriady]

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

[@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

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

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

[@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

[@marktrousdale4763]

GCN always treats Ollie so mean. i now have mad respect for him.

[@GCNuser123]

thanks mate!

[@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.

[@WaechterDerNacht]

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

[@gcn]

Haha best place to be!

[@tristramwilson2661]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@hollridersanktgallen7618]

Dear GCN Boys, best vid you ever made!!! Have no more words to describes what I feel!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@kevp68]

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

[@gcn]

100%

[@arthurmcneal6421]

This would humble most riders in the peloton right now 2020.Always pay your respect to the old timers that we see on the road on a frequent basis in the summer here on the east coast USA.

[@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.

[@danielday713]

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

[@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

[@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?

[@flyingdutchmanROS]

That was fun. Well done GCN! Riding up steep mountain climbs in big gears is actually a training method employed by Japanese keirin racers for building sprint muscles. I learned it from my brother-in-law and his fellow keirin racers back in the early 80's and survived; it certainly improved my sprint muscles back then. The basic rule was no standing allowed; had to just suffer and keep moving forward. We also used fixed gear bikes (w/ brakes of course for the fast descents). Since learned that Francesco Moser also used the same method for part of his training regimen.

[@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.

[@Bubbles991]

I am still using this version and completing 200 km in each week

[@Nostalgiaforinfi]

Fixed teaches you to be one with the road and the bike. I learned to spin fixed.

[@AZ-FPV]

Wow.. epic videography, the aerials, the music, the effects.. all the way two thumbs up 👍👍 Kudos to Ollie too for making the ascent. I hope GCN has a good chiropractor to put his knees back together 😅😂🤣

[@BatSoup67]

The cinematography is amazing here. Production quality is ridiculously good

[@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?

[@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.

[@lwittrock1]

There are aspects of the old days I miss, but riding older tech is not one of them!

[@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.

[@caveboy9988]

When Ollie gurns on his old bike there is a striking Wallace and grommet feel to it

[@gcn]

Hahaha, Wensleydale!

[@seidljames]

1986 Schwinn world sport. Huge top end. Gear ratio does not offer comfortable climbing. However after parking schwinn for over 1 year to ride specialized Levo.. feels nice to ride a road bike with no restrictions. It feels wonderful to not be held back from accelerating!

[@asnow1990]

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

[@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

[@Psychedelic_Kat]

You forgot something that riders had back then, that you don't (maybe) and that's Cocain and Amfetamin xD

[@mrvontrips]

ah yes and then pictures of the riders at the finish with foam at their lips. Iconic.

[@KandiKlover]

@@mrvontrips Meth doesn't actually make you do that.

[@Pannemat]

Massive respect, also for doing that without any handlebar tape, in those wet conditions. You must have squeezed hard. (Clarkson voice: *What are you doing, man!* )

[@danyp127]

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

[@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 ..

[@njm3211]

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

[@gcn]

Surprisingly good eh?

[@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...

[@SchumacherJoerg]

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

[@grandrenard]

You are my absolute favourite gcn host!

[@clearprop3633]

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

[@gcn]

Crikey, in a good way?!

[@giannislazatube]

one of the best videos of GCN!!!

[@davidmurray3685]

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

[@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!

[@inabit1956]

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

[@sudduthjonathan]

I like how Ollie skipped the water bottle to save weight up the climb. Legend.

[@ernestwestphal1503]

Shout out to Ollie for showing us what the pain cave use to be like!

[@tradingwithshiv450]

I have a same copy of this bike and I still use it...

[@berniebee]

Positively magical!!! Fell off my chair.

[@leaonwhite9086]

Full Rik Mayall. Brilliant.

[@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".

[@davidstevens7346]

I find watching Ollie suffer is strangely satisfying. ;)

[@johnnydoe66]

Almost as good as watching Tom "The Brick" Last climb! 😁

[@kathyerickson9402]

Brilliant! Thanks so much for taking one for the team.

[@gcn]

Someone had to do it Kathy...

[@johnfors4032]

Excellent job for him to tell the story while climbing up the mountain!

[@BikeBodyMind]

Awesome video! Especially enjoyed the camera work 👌

[@stephenavison324]

“Or I might just die….” Amazing!!

[@mgrif737]

Hilarious! This is an instant GCN classic

[@gcn]

Cracking!

[@timwalker3987]

Love watching Ollie’s climbing challenges. Really inspiring stuff. Please keep making them.

[@gcn]

Cheers Tim!

[@48mastadon]

Gears were a big breakthrough in bicycle technology, but in my generation, index shifting was the game changer. Growing up with friction shifters and then riding a bike for the first time with index shifting was almost a religious experience.

[@markusmencke8059]

NIce one. 👍👍👍👍👍 One question - how can someone who sweats so much like Si be allergic to rain? 😉😛

[@jffydavy5509]

If I could go there with a similar bike I would give it a try. I would never look as classy as Ollie. I read "The World's Fastest Man" about Marshall Major Taylor and now I do most of my work out rides on a 38 lb. single speed road bike, with brakes. That lets me appreciate how hard professionals worked in the dark ages of cycling.

[@diegorobayo]

Waooo se lucieron con este episodio, 10/10, felicitaciones desde Colombia 👏🏼🇨🇴 Amazing!

[@jeeping32810]

GCN has a great gift with you Ollie! AAAAmazing video! Loved the acting and the cinematics, as well as your character... which makes it so great. Thanks. Just great.

[@Davide_sd]

Ahahahahahah love Ollie's attempt at Venetian language! Awesome!!!

[@Vitusvonatzinger]

This is the best cycling video I have seen in years. Bring back these machines and let the true Heroes emerge.

[@stuartmcgill5065]

Simply epic, Ollie! Many, many thanks for doing this. Grandissimo!!!

[@dewiz9596]

Tulio was changing a flat, according to what I heard. . . My first 10-speed had wingnuts. But I remember not being able t snap the lid on a pop can because of cold, numb hands. Thank you, Tulio.