The bikes can be ridden fast but the rider must be fast!
Years back I owned a fully restored Schwinn Panther in all its black, red and chrome glory, I occasionally rode this bike on a fifty mile round trip to work. One day on the way home a small group of three roadies on a training ride passed me on a long flat stretch headed towards the coast, I waved and decided to pull in behind them. They gave me a contemptuous look and picked up the pace, I put my hands near the stem, edged out to the tip of the saddle, on the rivet as it is called and picked up my pace. As they rotated through their paceline I just keep sitting on the last wheel and they keep picking up the pace. They keep giving me the evil eye as they worked to drop the guy in jeans, t-shirt, and backpack, I just keep matching their speed. When they had obviously topped out I started taking my pulls in their paceline spinning my gear like a madman. Then I hit the front and just pulled their legs off, I had these three guys puffing and blowing on my chromed rear fender. Then I told them that I got to get going and dropped all three of them as I speed away. Shortly there after I turned the corner and just about blew chunks. This took place over about a five mile stretch of road.
Now this is a true story. It turns out these guys were a group of category 4 road racers that worked with my girlfriend at the old Skid-Lid helmet factory. They got to work and proceeded to tell this story in all its glory about how they got blown away by some dork on an old beach cruiser. My GF burst out laughing and told them that they had been suckered! At the time I was one of Southern Cal's top Category 1 road and track racers.