Do you buy your bikes to ride or just look at?

[jimo746]

Re: Re:

Ride them.
By all means look at them.
But ride them. They're Bicycles not Monets.

NOT MONETS...………….. :shock:

I'll accept the Klein Mardi Gras paint scheme on a bike as the exception to this rule.
It certainly made an impression on me

 

[Once A Hero]

Re:

Mostly to look at - but all have to be in a rideable state. Better than them being in the bin.
I count a spin around the block as riding!

 

[greencat]

Most of my retros have been acquired very cheaply or free - and are not particularly special either. They get "upgraded" to better seats and higher bar positions and then ridden into the ground/maintained with lots of spares/cannibalising each other. Providing I have two of them in ride worthy condition - a daily driver and a spare - I'm happy.

They are basically work horse bikes for shopping, towing trailers of firewood etc. I don't have a car and so they have to cover a lot of jobs. But I doubt I spend more than a fiver a year on all of them.

 

[TSC.]

Re:

To ride, although one of mine was recently resprayed and I'm far too obsessed with it getting scratched. I think I need to accept it will get damaged and if needed I can always have it resprayed in 10 years or so.

One thing I have a real conflict with is top end frames from some of the best builders in the business being found in lofts etc having never even been built up. I just think it's almost an insult to the skill and work of the builder - on the other hand, a pristine work of art is now out there.

 

[themountie]

I have bee finding also that the older the alloy the more prone to cracking it is even after it has been welded, so going out on a vigorous ride you prone to making your ride a wall hanger

 

[Retro Spud]

I’ve been finding also that the older the alloy the more prone to cracking it is even after it has been welded, so going out on a vigorous ride your prone to making your ride a wall hanger

Only upside to mine cracking was winning POTM when it was a special month - entitle something like shocking :shock:
Not much in the way of constellation but Danson did me proud on the repair and now it’s living breathing showing pony !

 

[M-Power]

Re:

I buy them to ride but sometimes the urge to make them perfect takes over and they become an objet d’art.

 

[rwm1962]

Both. If a complete bike hasn't been used for at least a couple of hundred miles a year I'll sell it on. Some I'll only ride in dry weather.

 

[retrobikeguy]

Re:

In short, I enjoy creating pretty bikes to look at, ............ I do ride them occasionally but dont get 'offroad' on them really.

 

[G60MAT]

Build them to be rideable, then they look too good to ride... :facepalm: