BoTM May 2014 - Patina Special - Nominations Please

[trail_head]

I feel your participation in botm, under your business name, is wrong.

To clarify: if he changed his username to "Nick," would that make you feel better? I don't mean to fight Nick's fight, but it's not like he's pulling levers from behind the curtain at TPC global headquarters. He's made it very clear that he's just Nick, a bike nut with a collection and wants to participate alongside everyone else.

Let me ask you a question, since money and elitism seem to always be an issue of discussion: if Travis' bike was offered to you free, would you not display it proudly? Or would you pass it on because your beneath owning something so historic? Your attitude reeks of hate towards members like Nick because they have the resources to bring this stuff out from garages onto the pages of retrobike and that makes zero sense to me.

I am thankful that sweet race bikes like these are out there for us to dork out over. To me, patina that comes from racing NORBA races will always win over splashing through puddles and leaving the bike to rust in some shed. But I'm an elitist I guess.

I Like Nick's involvement and enjoy his entries. I do wish his user name was something else. My personal issue is with guys who spend a ton on garage queens, Nick is not one of these guys. I'm into bike technology, old and new, Travis's bike was junk then and now so I'd take a pass on owning it.

 

[ridevintagemtb]

Fair that it's not your personal thing. But you understand it's value, and realize that a cracked Manitou with race heritage is worth 8 Marin Muirwoods, so you're going to turn it to finance them. That's how you get what you want. Nick isn't any different. That dude was literally living in a van years ago, and by working hard and being smart about his time and money he was able to build what he has.

I'm singling Nick out because he's just like the vast majority of collectors who you label as elitist, corporate assholes with endless bank accounts to outspend anyone on anything. Most of these people just worked hard and turned four GT Avalanches into a Yo Eddy, etc. If those bikes sit in garages, then so be it. Fight back using the power of the internet and not voting for their bike.

 

[lewisfoto]

Redfern's entry truly fits the spirit of the competition, as I see it

 

[trail_head]

Fair that it's not your personal thing. But you understand it's value, and realize that a cracked Manitou with race heritage is worth 8 Marin Muirwoods, so you're going to turn it to finance them. That's how you get what you want. Nick isn't any different. That dude was literally living in a van years ago, and by working hard and being smart about his time and money he was able to build what he has.

I'm singling Nick out because he's just like the vast majority of collectors who you label as elitist, corporate assholes with endless bank accounts to outspend anyone on anything. Most of these people just worked hard and turned four GT Avalanches into a Yo Eddy, etc. If those bikes sit in garages, then so be it. Fight back using the power of the internet and not voting for their bike.

Perhaps I've not made myself clear Mike. I'm in no way trying to assert that Nick is elitist or a corporate asshole. What I want is to bring light to my feeling that he may have an unfair advantage in this competition. This isn't about money and I'm well aware of Nicks back story. Having thought about this for a couple hours I've crystallized it; Nick has a steady stream of great retro bikes passing through his business daily. By virtue of this, I feel he may have an unfair advantage over the rest of us. He just simply has way more access to these bikes then almost anyone else anywhere on the planet.
Your assertion that I know Travis's bike is worth 8 Marins has you looking a bit elitist Sir. I do not know that and further more feel exactly opposite. Any of those 8 Marins could have lead useful and loved existences filled with great adventures. They likely would have seen, through the eyes of their owners, much more of the world then Trivis's race bike. If Travis himself still owned the bike and entered it himself with his own story of his adventures racing it I would love the bike. I hope I've clarified myself here bit better.

 

[Double-E F]

Re:

Fantastic patina on this thread so far, but I'll give it a go anyway

Double-E F's 1990 Image Cycles Innovator Pro-Am

Pictures of the bike with patina hidden under grease, dirt and dust can be found here: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... p;t=282529

 

[Ductape]

I would like to know more about the Yeti with nothing more than a clear coat? Was this really an option? Very cool.

I personally like what TPC brings to RBUK including the BOTM Comp. Nick has some very cool bikes.

As far as garage queens go. Aaah, don't get me started on that topic. Can't help myself though.

Some people won't be happy until the last M732 RD works no more. Why is a garage queen such a bad thing. Why do I have to humor you by trashing a project I took 5 years and more money than I could really afford to put together. I have other bikes to ride in the mud. What does riding a bike have to do with restoring a bike? If A paraplegic spends their free time with great effort restoring Tinkers original General to a perfect state, is the bike disqualified from ever winning BOTM because the restorer can't get knarly rad big air and trash all their hard work the following weekend.

Why not become a mod and start a monthly Knarly Rad Big Air on an old beat to crap mid level Trek Comp.

I have a couple of bikes with plenty of patina on them that would fit in well (but not win) this months comp. The patina is there because they were not over restored, and has nothing to do with how I rode them last weekend.

I suppose if when you look at an old bike you see something that needs to be used until it can be repaired no more before going to the recycle bin than so be it, but why would you spend the time and effort to replace the parts with original hard to find era correct pieces.

When I look at some of these old pieces, I see a part of (my) history captured at a specific moment in time, and can spend a lot of time admiring what it is and what we had without feeling the need to destroy it through more hard use.

And for the record, I currently have three complete and one incomplete bikes that have made their way out of the garage and inside the house. That said, I still rode bikes this past weekend.



That is all.

 

[ridevintagemtb]

Brings up an interesting point, one I'm battling with my current project - when is patina worth preserving and where do you draw the line between patina and abuse? If it came as a result of riding it hard for years or if it came as a result of neglect?

 

[mkozaczek]

Brings up an interesting point, one I'm battling with my current project - when is patina worth preserving and where do you draw the line between patina and abuse? If it came as a result of riding it hard for years or if it came as a result of neglect?

Age old topic... could write a book on this!

 

[coomber]

Re: Re:

redfern1950s 1990 yeti fro

Thought i should have ago again,
I was supposed to restore this bike, but keep putting it off ! i love it in this condition , with its decals hanging off serious paint fade and rust issues.. means i can ride with no worries...

"sorry its another yeti"

Thread : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=270116


1992 yeti fro by redfern1950s, on Flickr


1990 yeti fro by redfern1950s, on Flickr

This is a cool bike. Great entry

 

[highlandsflyer]

The bull**** in this thread so far already illustrates why I wish the BOTM had a separate discussion thread.

I can't be bothered wading through all the guff to get to the bikes. I just wait to the actual poll thread normally. I reckon the constant whining is a major reason this competition attracts relatively little input from those outside of the entrants, (given the number of members on the site).

Good criteria this month.