CLASSIC CHROME
How does a classic bike from 1980 compare with a cutting-edge 2021 machine? You're about to find out…
As a child of the 1980s, and a youthful owner of a Raleigh racer, I was delighted to see the gorgeous 40th anniversary edition of the Tour winning Ti-Raleigh turn up at Cycling Plus. But should it have stayed as a memory?
Forty one years ago, Raleigh won the Tour de France with the legendary Nottingham-built Ti-Raleigh and this classic model recently enjoyed a limitededition comeback. But is this retrofaithful bike from the 1980s any match for the shiny new Aircode DRS 8.0 from Lapierre – the bike that’ll be ridden by Team Groupama-FDJ in this year’s TdF? Back in 1980 Raleigh was a global powerhouse of a brand but, in recent years and with the advent of new materials and methods for bike production, Raleigh’s mastery of metal became a footnote in cycling’s recent history. Raleigh needed to rethink its business model and so, over the subsequent four decades, it moved away from manufacturing and into distribution. Today, Raleigh is one of the UK’s biggest distributors of bikes and components, supplying shops throughout the UK with the likes of Lapierre, Haibike, Basil, Vaude, XLC and many more.
ACCEPTABLE IN THE 80 S
In July 1980, when Olivia Newton-John, Bob Marley and Kate Bush were riding high in the charts, the Ti-Raleigh-Creda team – riding steel bikes handmade in Nottingham – were leading out Dutch rider Joop Zoetemelk to overall victory in the Tour de France, securing Young Rider classification for fellow Dutchman Johan van der Velde in the process.
The original Ti was built using Reynolds 753 steel tubing, expertly braised and finished at Raleigh’s special bikes division in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. For the 2020 replica, Raleigh has gone back to the original specification for inspiration. This replica uses custom Reynolds 753 tubing throughout, brazed to original Raleigh-design lugs (Raleigh also produced a replica back in 2015 that used a lesser 525 Reynolds tubeset). The frame is lovingly finished to the exacting standards of the original and even uses a periodcorrect, one-inch Campagnolo Record headset to mount the 753 steel fork.
Raleigh has looked to Italy to source period-style components using Campagnolo’s polished silver Veloce 10-speed groupset (the original would have run 12-speed – 2 x 6) combined with Dia-Compe classic down-tube shifters and brake levers complete with natural rubber grips. The stem is a retro-style Cinelli 1A, which clamps Cinelli’s Giro d’Italia bar. The seatpost is a true-to-the-original polished aero design, and even the saddle is the vintage-looking San Marco Turbo 1980.
There’s some beautiful attention to detail on the Ti with the Mavic Open Pro alloy rims bearing periodcorrect Mavic diamond logos wrapped with skinwall Challenge high-cotton content tyres. The bike even comes with a set of classic MKS Quill pedals replete with leather toe-straps.
HOT AS MUSTARD
Lapierre’s 2021 Aircode DRS 8.0 is the third iteration of the Dijon-based brand’s race-ready, aero-road machine that originally debuted in 2014. Despite being a 2021 product, it’s already seen the podium,
having been ridden by Frenchman Arnauld Démare, who won silver on it in the 2020 European Road Race Championships.
The Aircode DRS follows the aero trend with details, such as integration of both disc brakes and hidden cable routing. The tube shapes derive from NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) profiles and, in keeping with 2021 trends, Lapierre’s upped the tyre clearances to a race-ready 28mm. The DRS also addresses two issues commonly associated with aeroroad bikes: weight and comfort. Weight-wise – even taking into account the increased aero tube shapes – Lapierre has managed to shave o! more than 80g from the frame, bringing it down to a respectable 900g.
As for comfort, new carbon-fibre layup and material selection has improved compliance at the rear by a claimed 12 per cent. The DRS, say Lapierre, is all about aerodynamics but it’s looked to keep the handling dynamics in check, too. The wheelbase is short to make the bike nimble and the rear stays measure just 405mm, which is about as short as you can go with modern drivetrains and disc brakes.
Lapierre has one final clever addition for the Aircode (on both the 7.0 and this range-topping 8.0 model) and that’s in the form of the new aero handlebar. This is not only designed to improve aerodynamics but the bar’s flat, aero-bladed tops have twin two-point fittings either side of the stem so you can attach the (included) carbon aeroextensions, which e!ectively turn the 8.0 from a fulltime road racer into a part-time time-trial machine. It’s a great addition if you fancy the occasional race against the clock or you’re toying with the idea of a duathlon or triathlon.
On the road the Aircode DRS 8.0 is an absolute blast to ride. The super-aggressive geometry, with a low stack height (557mm on our size large test bike) and long reach of 403mm, imbues the 8.0 with a sense of urgency as soon as you swing a leg over it. The bike’s front end, which cleverly keeps all of the cables and hoses internally routed, is resoundingly solid. This helps the sharpness of the handling, the 8.0 reacting impressively quickly to steering inputs. The bike has more of a race-handling edge than many aero-road machines, which are more about straight-line stability than the nimble feel on show here.
Lapierre has been clever with the specification on the 8.0. The drivetrain steps away from Shimano Dura-Ace in favour of the equally good (performance wise, but with a few more grams in tow) Ultegra Di2; the gearing of a 52/36 chainset with an 11-28 is all about high speeds on the flat. We still found the gearing had enough breadth for climbing, however, and the Aircode performs as well up hill as it does covering fast, rolling terrain and flat straights. It’s the taught rigidity through the drivetrain that makes the 8.0 a truly effcient pedaller: every pedal stroke effort helps push you on with a pulsing acceleration.
Elsewhere the 8.0 justifies its price with its DT Swiss ARC 1100 DB wheelset. These 50mm-deep carbon wheels (wind tunnel developed by SwissSide) combine a modern, wide carbon rim with lightweight DT Swiss hubs. The superlight 180s, with the fast, engaging Ratchet EXP 36 laced together with DT Aero Comp and Aero Lite spokes, tip the scales at an impressive (for 50mm deep) 1472g a pair.
THE DRS , SAY LAPIERRE, IS ALL ABOUT AERO DYNAMICS BUT IT’S KEPT HANDLING DYNAMICS IN CHECK TOO
These are shod with Continental’s superb Grand Prix 5000 TL 25mm tubeless tyres.
The wheels offer real aero benefits without the associated weight penalty, and they handle themselves very well in diffcult windy conditions. You feel pressure on the steering under high cross winds but it’s easy to control and ride into, rather than simply being reactive.
The dedicated aero-shaped carbon seatpost is topped with ProLogo’s excellent short Dimension saddle in its range-topping, carbon-railed ‘Nack’ edition. The front end has Lapierre’s dedicated Aircode stem with internal-routing channels. The aero bar is well shaped with comfortable holds on the tops, while semi-compact drops encourage you to get down in them for longer and make the most of the aero design. The four plugs in the bar’s top cover slots fit the included carbon TT bar extensions: simply remove the plugs and put the bolts through, and the Aircode becomes time-trial ready.
The extensions come with padded elbow pads and spacers, allowing for 30mm of height adjustment and over 100mm of reach adjustment. You won’t achieve a high-TT bar position a la Bradley Wiggins, but that old-school, low-pro position is well within reach. It’s a smart addition to the 8.0 and adds versatility.
The 8.0 is a brilliant addition to the aero-bike genre. At its heart it’s a fast and effcient bike, but it handles like a great all-round race machine. The ride is firm but not harsh, and the contact points and excellent tyres all add to a comfort level that’s not normally associated with this style of ride. This could be further enhanced if you opted for the 28mm tyres that the Aircode now allows for. We, however, found the 25mm Contis offered plenty of cushioning even on the frost-scarred January roads of testing time.
WHEELS OF STEEL
While the Lapierre Aircode is all about cutting-edge shapes and material, the Raleigh Ti boasts a classic combination of skinny steel tubes and slender fork, which has been expertly crafted with Reynolds 753. This lightweight tubing was originally launched in 1976 and was the first to be heat-treated, which hugely enhanced both the stiffness and strength of the material. Reynolds 753 ruled the roost in racing with riders of the calibre of Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond winning the Tour de France on bikes crafted from these tubes.
Step aboard the Ti and you’re immediately shipped back to a time before electronic shifting, disc brakes, carbon fibre, aerodynamics and the myriad modern enhancements as seen on its French fancy rival here. The geometry comes from the classic road-bike playbook: parallel 73-degree angles for head and seat, a wheelbase a centimetre over the metre, and the main triangle featuring a 590mm seat tube and 580mm top tube. Its classic, flat top-tube design looks wonderful and the ride isn’t far behind.
Pedalling the classically styled chainset (with modern compact chainrings) is an adjustment from riding the ultra-aggressive aero position of the Lapierre. Yes, the Ti has a long reach with the frame’s long top tube and the 110mm quill stem but the ride position is different as you’re seated a little behind the crank centre, compared to the Lapierre where it feels like you’re absolutely over the top of the bike’s heart.
Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the different pedalling position, the Ti is a truly rewarding ride. The pleasure comes in thinking about how you ride – much more so than on a modern bike, such as the Lapierre with its technically brilliant Di2 that gifts you carte blanche to shift where and whenever you like with as many gears as you fancy, too.
The Raleigh’s clockwork-like effcient Campagnolo derailleurs are operated by down-tube shifters that are retro styled to perfection by Dia-Compe. It’s all about anticipating your shifts, making gear changes in advance of a climb and feeling the chain’s smoothness to ship gears as the climb progresses. There’s something exciting about cresting a rise and pushing the down-tube shifter forward, advancing the gears in anticipation of out-and-out efforts. On modern race bikes you can feel somewhat detached from the slick mechanics at work, whereas on the Ti you feel absolutely part of it.
The Dia-Compe brake levers, with their natural rubber hoods, are minimal compared to modern all
in-one units, but the curved brake-lever blade feels natural in your hands. The dual-pivot Campagnolo brakes work well with these levers, while the friction interface with the Mavic Open Pro rims provides plenty of stopping power and feel, even in the wet. You may not get the progressive feel of discs but rim brakes on metal rims still cut the mustard.
The wheels are beautiful to look at with the flat-matt aluminium Open Pro rims combined with retro-styled large flange hubs. They roll sweetly with smooth bearings and are built with plenty of lateral tension, but retain plenty of life so they feel smooth even on rough roads when shod with the slender 23c Challenge tyres.
The Challenge Criteriums, with their high-cotton count casing and skin walls, are as close to an 80s performance tyre as you’ll find. What’s remarkable is just how comfortable it feels with these skinny tyres, which work harmoniously in combination with the lively springy-steel frame and smoothrunning wheels.
The contact points stick to the 80s theme well with a Cinelli 1A stem and Giro d’Italia bar. The alloy seatpost is topped with San Marco’s classic Turbo saddle. With its rounded shape and plentiful padding, it still has a firm feel, while the slick surface reduces friction as you pedal. By modern standards the slim diameter of the bar and unpadded cloth bar tape don’t o er the isolating comfort of modern carbon bars and PU padded tape. We didn’t find it uncomfortable and the raison d’être of the Ti is that you feel much more connected than on a modern-day bike.
You won’t ride your regular routes as rapidly as you would on the Lapierre, but you’ll have an absolute ball on the Raleigh. This tester would recommend the Ti wholeheartedly on the one proviso that you turn o Strava, leave your Garmin (or Wahoo, Bryton et al) at home, unplug from the data-driven world of road cycling and revel in the sheer joy of riding.
OLD OR NEW SCHOOL?
Both of the bikes here o er fun. The Ti-Raleigh is as good a homage to its 1980 predecessor as it’s possible to get from modern manufactured parts (without breaking the bank that is). The frameset is gloriously accomplished, smooth, lively and bags of fun with it. Of course, it isn’t nearly as technically accomplished as the Lapierre, but there are 40 years’ worth of development in bike design between them.
The Aircode DRS, meanwhile, is a stunningly good aero race bike that o ers swift, accurate handling and great comfort, while the addition of the bolt-on aerobars adds versatility into the mix. We admire the technical achievement and acknowledge that this is a package that’s very well put together and o ers great value into the mix. As much as we’re impressed by the Aircode and lust after its mix of fast handling, fast speed and smooth ride, we have to admit that it’s the Ti-Raleigh that’s won our heart. It’s a love letter to road racing’s glory days and testament to the joy of cycling for cycling’s sake.