To NOS or not NOS, that is the question 😵

Sell your boxed minty ones and buy a lightly used number with half the money👍

Leave the Shelf Queens to their own rituals and go riding🤩
Makes sense of course but I just can’t be arsed. I’m not really interested in profit/money, so it can be a burden knowing things are valuable.
Sometimes you just want to enjoy that nice reliable part that you’ve been planning on using for years!
 
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Not all NOS has to be extortionate though, as mentioned. For the last 5 years or so I’ve been steadily replacing the derailleurs in the collection with NOS. When I see an unused mech going for a similar price to the old one, I’ll pounce. I can sell the original for similar money.
 
Mostly reproduction parts. The rear triangle and exhaust system were shot and hard to source. The rear triangle was found in the States and the exhaust system was found in, England, both in original packing. It sure doesn’t look as nice as it did two years ago. I feel bad about mucking it all up but I can’t stand to just look at it. There is a new slight flaw with each 200 k ride. The chrome is even showing small rust spots, that I have to polish out. It’s probably lost half its value in 1000 k I’ve ridden on it. I got caught in a hail storm, gravel thrown on it, etc. IMG_0620.jpeg
 
NOS may not be NIB, sometimes sellers want twice as much just for a small carboard box included, never understood why....as long as parts are in good condition, nobody will notice they were NOS or not.

Just like my - don't know how many I had - Fiat Multipla cars, lots of people were saying that they are fugly, but I was only looking at them from the inside....so I never noticed 😀
 
I think I'm on the same page as most folks here; NOS is generally pointless and expensive if you actually build those parts onto something and ride your bikes. I occasionally buy something NOS that is unobtainable or difficult to find used, or is just a decent price. As Mark mentioned, more obscure brands can be inexpensive even new.

I actually love the challenge of taking parts that show some wear and making them good. Either by just cleaning, greasing etc, or breaking out the fine sandpaper, buffing wheel, or enamel paints! Getting them presentable, or even just 'in keeping' with the rest of a build is really rewarding, more so than just opening an old cardboard box and bolting it's contents on to a frame.
 
Granted New in Box really only appeals to serious collectors with money to burn. This new old stock Colnago C40 Gold edition for example, a cool $30,000.... 😵
 

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