Over the weekend I got the opportunity to quiz some 20 somethings on their view of "retro bikes" and what they believe they are. Also some serious old timers in their 90s and everybody inbetween.
Results are both interesting and worrying at the same time...well from my perspective as a 50s bloke.
Conclusions arrived at....
1. Perspective of Retro moves with age, so retro to a 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 year old will all be different. However a constant is that its probably the bike you could not afford when 15 years old or the bike your dad had which you were not allowed to even touch.
2. Less people are interested in stuff they cant remember than they can. So again retro interest and moves with age of subject.
3. Adults in their 20s are not as attached or as bike centric as other generations. This possibly due to increased ability to contact friends without peddling round the corner or the parents media fear of a sex fiend on every street.
4. Ownership is not a priority for 20s, transience is the norm, so why keep or be attached to something. Phones change each year, cars are leased, houses rented....
So what does this mean for the future of our community? Well tied with the appalling quality of many mass produced bikes now; Possible gloom and doom. It seems at present late 80s to early 90s is the holy grail, but this may be at its zenith of value as the audience will only shrink with age and time. I've already witnessed this in the 70s road bike world where prices of all but the best have fallen due to a lack of interest from an aging population.
So what to do? Nothing you cant shift the goal posts, so enjoy what you own, get out and ride it as much as you can, whilst you can and don't pay over the odds for something you think you might store as a pension pot!
Results are both interesting and worrying at the same time...well from my perspective as a 50s bloke.
Conclusions arrived at....
1. Perspective of Retro moves with age, so retro to a 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 year old will all be different. However a constant is that its probably the bike you could not afford when 15 years old or the bike your dad had which you were not allowed to even touch.
2. Less people are interested in stuff they cant remember than they can. So again retro interest and moves with age of subject.
3. Adults in their 20s are not as attached or as bike centric as other generations. This possibly due to increased ability to contact friends without peddling round the corner or the parents media fear of a sex fiend on every street.
4. Ownership is not a priority for 20s, transience is the norm, so why keep or be attached to something. Phones change each year, cars are leased, houses rented....
So what does this mean for the future of our community? Well tied with the appalling quality of many mass produced bikes now; Possible gloom and doom. It seems at present late 80s to early 90s is the holy grail, but this may be at its zenith of value as the audience will only shrink with age and time. I've already witnessed this in the 70s road bike world where prices of all but the best have fallen due to a lack of interest from an aging population.
So what to do? Nothing you cant shift the goal posts, so enjoy what you own, get out and ride it as much as you can, whilst you can and don't pay over the odds for something you think you might store as a pension pot!