Just me?

[FairfaxPat]

Awhile back I was watching a TV show about deep sea fishing with a friend when the rich guy fishing showed off his $5000 gold plated Shimano fishing reel. I looked at my buddy and exclaimed "$5000! How can a fishing reel cost $5000?" And he looked at me, grinned, and said "How much does your bike cost , Pat?"..... OH!... And I'm just an ordinary, low rent kind of guy.-- So if you can afford nice toys, you will play with them, no matter what they cost. I know JB rides #6 around town and Otis rides his around town here on occasion, and they aren't rich, just dedicated cyclists who happen to own one of these bikes.

 

[Chris]

I think if I had the money I'd buy it.

I'd love to fly out and maybe have a blast down Mount Tam with Joe and Charlie

Sadly I don't

 

[novekili]

The thing that would disturb me more is the number of bikes touted on here as something special that were really nothing of the kind when they arrived.

Now something that is genuinely historic turns up, I would hesitate to put a price on it.

Quite, I'm not bothered by the high prices that original Cunninghams, Breezers, whatever, fetch these days.

I am truly astounded by the value that people seem to place on bikes that were commonplace BITD. Old bikes (and their components) seem to have become expensive simply because they are old, not for any intrinsic interest or value.

so are Etruscan vases... (where I live you can find some quite cheap, as long as you don't mind dodgy sellers)

 

[greenstiles]

When i was in the trade there was a guy who bought all the top end Merlin and Ibis ti frames etc etc and gold this and ti headset that............and the guy didn't ride any of it to our knowlege ! Just loved bikes collected them from the shop in a blanket so it wouldn't touch the ground. a bit like some people but new motorbikes and never ride them, or 2-3 times a year.

At the time i was riding all the time and we would say ' what a waste '

It would have been a waste for 'us' to buy and not ride such things, but we bought what we wanted to ride.........if i really thought an Ibis would have made me a better rider at the time i would have bought one (getting stuff trade price) But I/we didn't......we needed cash for replacing worn parts on a regular basis.....perhaps it was we knew riding hard we could not afford to replace such a main item like a top end frame after a crash ? but like horses there are hacks and there are race horses.

Anyway what i'm trying to say is that now, years later i get pleasure out of ownership as well as practical ' within my ability' performance.

Some people can't jump a motorcross bike but that's no reason for not being able to own one and get pleasure from that.

 

[merckx]

i think there will be someone who will pay the asking price for this bike, eventually. perhaps not a retrobike member however..

out of interest, and not meaning to sound snide in any way, pat; are you getting serious interest yet?

get gary fisher to tweet a link to the sale! :shock:

 

[mikee]

It's the fact that retro biking is moving away from the joy of riding old bikes.

When was retro-biking about the joy of riding old bikes? Retro-biking is about old bikes period.

I've been here since day one and have never really liked the riding as much as the building, the tech and the bikes themselves and I know loads of people who are the same - many who left this site because it became more obsessed with 'the ride'.

People find joy in unique aspects of a pastime - some in the watching, some in the doing. You need some of the watchers to catalogue and collect so that there is something left after the doers have broken everything else.

Personally I believe that supply and demand will always be the key, so the more you riders go out a wreck parts then the less parts will be available and then the more those parts will cost.

In short your belief is a logical self-fulfilling prophecy - the more you love riding old bikes the more it will cost you to ride old bikes so the less you will be able to ride old bikes.

i agree with that pete
old bikes is very much about the fledgling tchnologies
and cnc'd lovelyness
tho i still enjoy riding and comparing old bikes
some are suprising some are dull ,but if i've bought them its for a reason
i'm not in a position to pay 20k for a bike ,but i understand why i would

 

[FairfaxPat]

i think there will be someone who will pay the asking price for this bike, eventually. perhaps not a retrobike member however..

out of interest, and not meaning to sound snide in any way, pat; are you getting serious interest yet?

get gary fisher to tweet a link to the sale! :shock:

Yeah, one bid already at the minimum asking price, several others to follow!

 

[halaburt]

If we all liked the exact same bikes and used (or didn’t) them in the exact same way, things would be pretty boring --- and even more expensive.

For me, the Repack-type bikes are interesting and important --- but ultimately wall-hangers because they aren’t something that I WANT to ride.

On the other hand, my ’92 Cunningham (made for me, and the bike I’ve probably literally put in more than half of my lifetime riding miles on) is still a fantastic bike and the MTB I most enjoy riding. And ride it I do -- more than all of the other 20-ish MTB’s in my collection combined. The fact that’s it’s probably the most valuable bike I own is irrelevant.

From “Today’s Ride”:

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

I find myself feeling saddened by the fact an old mountain bike can be worth 20g's. Kind of ruins retro bikes for me. No doubt it's a very important piece in how mtbs developed but 20 big ones for an old bike? Wonder what Joe thinks about it....

- the more you love riding old bikes the more it will cost you to ride old bikes so the less you will be able to ride old bikes.

That about sums it up.

jamalbikes, if you really like old mountain bikes, you're going to like them, whether or not they are worth a million dollars, and you'll ride them and own them, if you could afford them, or even if you can't...if you truly like them

Awhile back I was watching a TV show about deep sea fishing with a friend when the rich guy fishing showed off his $5000 gold plated Shimano fishing reel. I looked at my buddy and exclaimed "$5000! How can a fishing reel cost $5000?" And he looked at me, grinned, and said "How much does your bike cost , Pat?"..... OH!... And I'm just an ordinary, low rent kind of guy.-- So if you can afford nice toys, you will play with them, no matter what they cost. I know JB rides #6 around town and Otis rides his around town here on occasion, and they aren't rich, just dedicated cyclists who happen to own one of these bikes.

nice! They must keep a stash of old replacement parts, if they ride them regularly. Think I sold a triple chainring old TA crankset to Otis...cool

 

[michael franks]

But how much is a Sunburst Les Paul owned and played by Les Paul? If this bike is owned by a well known mtb pioneer would it make it worth more?

I am sure if that Breezer had been ridden by Hendrix it would easily double its price.

Some of Les Paul's guitars are being auctioned by his estate in June, estimates are $40K - $60K Whether or not there's '59 Tiger Stripe or not I don't know and anyhow I've spent all my money on 'bits of bike'