What's new is old, and vice versa

After riding my '88 steel-frame Raleigh to work in recent months, I remembered why I like steel bikes: they're smooth, strong and cheap compared to modern carbon bikes. I don't really notice much difference between it and my 4-year-old Trek Madone, which is about 6 lbs lighter and made for speed...unlike me, on two wheels anyway. Granted, I can sprint fine on two wheels - but again no noticeable diff between the $300 bike and the one that retailed for 12 times that amount. I can keep up with my weekend group ride on either bike, which begs the question why do I need a high-end racing bike? Well, I don't, of course.

In photographic terms, it's akin to an amateur using a Hasselblad to shoot snapshots. Or a duffer using the same clubs as Tiger Woods. It just isn't necessary. Besides, I could use the money. That and the steel steed is less expensive to maintain. Hard for much of anything to go wrong, with old-style shifters on the downtube. Never had to replace one of those. Gone through 3 Ultegra shifters over the years on "modern" bikes...about $150 a pop. In addition, with a new bike, I'm always checking out the latest components and plotting upgrades. No need to do that with an old steel frame. And when you can, it's often with used parts one can get for a song on eBay. So, parting with my carbon bike will hopefully reduce my bike envy and increase my wallet.