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.
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.
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
@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.
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!
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!!
@@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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!
🍀💚🍀👍🍀👍🍀🍀🍀👍🍀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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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 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.
@@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.
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
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!
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!
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!
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.
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
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.
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!
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!
👊💯 This was champion! Sean Kelly. I am such a fan. I could listen to Sean Kelly talk about cycling all day. (really he could gab about making scones…I so enjoy hearing what he has to say.)
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 .
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.
Brings back fond memories of when I was much younger and fitter. I rode an Alan Record aluminium, very much like the Vitus. I was a big fan of Sean, brilliant sprinter.
When you talk about professional cycling as a "hard-man" sport, Sean Kelly who excelled in both one-day classics and grand tours, embodies that definition!
"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...
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.
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.
Fantastic video ! One of the best ever on GCN, possibly ever on RU-vid ! Of course I am biased and have been a massive 'King Kelly' fan since I was a kid in the 80s. Sean's reaction is priceless and that pause....well, if the camera had gone close in on him then, I'm sure you might just have seen a tear in his eye. Thanks Ollie and thank you Sean.
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!
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!!!!!
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
Superb posting ! we all know the Italians talent and finesse for producing exquisite frames and componentry but by god the French could do it bucket fulls! the Simplex ( Mavic & Ofmega as well) retro levers are still the best friction levers of all time, you screw them in and then leave them, they preserve the threads inside the brazed / bonded whatever? bosses because your not constantly tightening them up with them metal wire loops . As an older guy still riding my "vintage steels" i have always found friction shifting easy when changing to lower gear, you stop pedaling for a split second, pull the lever till it stops, then continue pedaling and it slots in perfect, like wise changing up the slightest touch of the Retros slots the chain in to the smaller sprocket . But got carried away, its different in say the TDF of course.! I think Sean appreciated those two bikes immensely.
These guys rode in the best era of innovation in cycling. Thos years from the 80s through the 90s and 2000s so much happening in terms of geometry, materials, wheels etc. They wouldve been loving it.
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.
