Sellers regret?

[ishaw]

I've just finished rebuilding a dyna-tech team ti that I've owned for around 8 years but not ridden much. The rebuild was prompted to sell (trade for a modern bike, though still 26er in modern parlance).

It's turned out really nice imho, how much will I regret it?

My reasoning behind the swap is pretty simple, I've never had a full Susser newer than an sts, and my main experience with suspension of any kind, despite owning a few, it a GT RTS (I'm fortunate enough to own a team which is my keeper and a disc converted RTS of USA built pedigree which I'm yet to build). I do have a litespeed obed fs which I hope to build up one day too.

I'm also lucky enough to have a few ti retro bikes in the stable (dbr axis TT, GT lightning and an airborne (though probably too small) as well as a modern 29er ti.

That said, after building it up for the trade, I really like the outcome.

I'm not going to back out, a deals a deal, but wondering how much I'll regret it when it's gone, and also if there are any rb'ers out there who have regretted moving a bike on, why, and more importantly what it was.

Here are a few pics of my dyna-tech as it will be leaving me. Feel free to share pics and regrets of your own if you will.

 

[Tsundere]

I'm sometimes very reluctant to let a bike go, for example if I had enough space and wealth I'm fairly certain I'd still have the 92 Orange Prestige and the 89 DB Ascent EX, two bikes I really loved and only sold because of the need to free up space and generate funds for other projects, however there are no regrets, the next project soon takes over and as I ride all my bikes a lot I got to enjoy them, it's also nice to know that they are still out there somewhere being enjoyed by someone else.

I can reasonably possess three fully assembled bikes at a time before the missus starts kicking off, I have one for general every day riding and commuting, that's a 93 MF Monarch Pro, a lovely rider that I've set up to be relatively thief proof and was cheap enough that the daily build up of battle scars and exposure to the worst of the British weather doesn't worry me, a second for pure pleasure and dry weather trekking and then there's whatever I'm currently working on or recently finished. The really hard part comes when the third WIP bike reaches completion because it means that something will have to go before I can get that next project started.

Inevitably that means it'll be either the one I last built up or the one currently earmarked for pleasure. Last time the Fat Chance easily saw off the challenge from the 90 Team Marin as great as that bike was, but the next one coming through is a Roberts and I'm really dreading that dilemma. It may well be that the Fat Chance has to become my daily all weather commuter, something which will make me very happy as it's a dream to ride, but then again it's 35 years old and although in incredible condition for its age I'm sure regular usage in all weather will drastically shorten its life span, also leaving it locked up around town is always going to fill me with dread.

Decisions decisions, maybe when the Roberts is ready I'll finally have to call Wifey's bluff, if it really comes down to her or the bikes then maybe it's pack your bags time, sweetheart.

 

[sparkybhp]

Wow, I feel your pain - no way could I limit my bikes to just three! Don’t know if anybody else does this but I keep a scrapbook with photos and notes about the bikes I do up. It’s nice to look back on previous projects and sometimes the circumstances of how/where/who you got them from are as interesting as the bikes themselves.
I’m lucky in that I have a decent amount of space and an understanding wife - but you can really only ride one at a time and who is lucky enough (work/family commitments) to have that much time? Some inevitably have to go.
The bikes which I sell on help to fund the next project and building and sourcing parts are a fun part of this hobby. At least when they’re gone there’s another cool bike which you’ve helped back on the road. It’s always cool to see someone riding something retro/special/unusual and you’ve put one more out there for everyone else to appreciate.

 

[Dr Dremel]

Everybody is different, but for me it´s relatively easy to let bikes go I did not ride, but I know exactly what you mean. Before a sale I tend to correct many details on bikes I´ve been too lazy to finish for myself. Then you have a bike that is finally as nice as you´ve imagined it to be. But what I do to help with the parting pain is I take some pretty pictures (i.e. not in the closet) before packing it up. If it was a looker you still have something to drool over. I mean if you didn´t ride it much that´s what you did anyway - looking at it. And in your case it further helps that you get another bike you are curious to try out.

 

[Once A Hero]

I’ve only regretted selling one in the last year or so which was a Lobo, and only because I didn’t have it for very long so didn’t really get to know it. However, it cost me little and the temptation of a decent profit was too strong to resist moving it on. I would have sold it eventually do to a lack of space, just maybe not so quickly.

I do wish I’d kept hold of some parts I’ve sold however, as I let them go at reasonable prices only to now be looking for said parts and unable to find them at reasonable prices or at all. That said, their sale has no doubt funded other purchases.

 

[mk one]

Funnily enough yes, also one of my Torus frames.

At the time i felt i had too many complete bikes built, it was getting very cramped, though in hindsight i could have coped, i have more now in fact. Also at the time i also had mostly Ti bikes built up and was getting kind of fed up just seeing the same plain grey colour everywhere. Plus i do not really like the ride, in comparison to other Ti frames so all the above convinced me to sell, i regretted it pretty much straight away, though to ease the pain i did keep the Ti UGLI forks and the Ti bars and stem.

 

[brocklanders023]

I've had plenty that I thought I'd miss but actually haven't after they've gone. Sales are usually to buy something else and in many cases something modern that I actually use so that makes it easier I reckon?

My only regrets are the Clockwork I had when I was young, probably around 2006 which then led me here to replace it. Had plenty of very similar bikes but none were 'mine'. I'd love to have that back and build it how I wanted bitd. The other would be the 21" Orange Vitamin T I had but that's mainly because it was in superb condition, my size and I have never seen another since so can't replace it. If I'd known how rare it was at the time I'd have kept it.

 

[Gtpulse]

Yes but not an MTB, it was my forum namesake, a GT Pulse Kinesis framed track bike. I imported it NOS (the proper definition of NOS - it was still in the factory wrappers) and built it up with lots of fancy parts then never rode it as I was scared of damaging it.

It was also a swap in the end for a bike I thought I wanted but ended up not really liking, it just didn’t live up to the hype I had read, a GT Edge Ti. Ended up selling it for a decent wedge which went towards a house move.

Both of those transactions were initiated by the buyer, I hadn’t advertised either bike for sale.

Wish I’d kept the Pulse, controversially just because it was very pretty!

 

[ishaw]

Like you I bought a genuine NOS old GT, my team RTS. Still had tags and manuals attached. I've built it up many different ways and while not scared to ride it, I do so seldomly and selectively and it's probably done 100 miles in a decade. Still looks new which is how I like it.

 

[BlackCat]

Hang on. I think I’ve been doing this whole thing wrong.

You guys.. sell bikes!?