Has the vintage steel market crashed?

[unterhausen]

I have bought some new bikes in the last decade, I think. Maybe not though, time flies. I ride them until I wear them out. Decades, usually.

I might try to sell my racing bike from 1980. Whatever it takes to get it out of the house.

[ntb1001]

I just saw this on marketplace.
Parlee Z zero 14lbs, Dura Ace Di2, being sold by a LBS owner and asking only $2,600 (CDN$)
I guess since it’s rim brake the value has plummeted?




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[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by gravelreformist

The ability to have a road bike that is just as fast on 32mm tires at 55psi as my steel bike that can only clear 25's at 90psi means I'm more comfortable everywhere - and paired with disc brakes - means that bike can also comfortably and confidently take on a lot of gravel roads where 25's might get by, but it won't be pleasant.

I guess that's also why the comment above on balance doesn't resonate with me. If anything the industry has moved towards a more balanced view of how people actually ride their bikes vs. from the 80's and 90's where bikes were designed for pavement or dirt, but rarely was one bike well balanced for both.

There are plenty of vintage steel bikes out there that can fit 32's and handle pavement and dirt with aplomb. They're just from the late 70's and early 80's. I've got one (frame) for sale in the classifieds right now.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

There are plenty of vintage steel bikes out there that can fit 32's and handle pavement and dirt with aplomb. They're just from the late 70's and early 80's. I've got one (frame) for sale in the classifieds right now.

For sure! I have about 20 of them out in the shed right now!

[gravelreformist]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

There are plenty of vintage steel bikes out there that can fit 32's and handle pavement and dirt with aplomb. They're just from the late 70's and early 80's. I've got one (frame) for sale in the classifieds right now.

There are and I own some. However frame and fork construction and disc brakes make a modern gravel bike able to handle those conditions *much* more confidently at *much* higher speeds. Those bikes were still primary pavement bikes with the ability to get by, not thrive, on dirt and gravel.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

For sure! I have about 20 of them out in the shed right now!

Good God, man, what are you thinking?!?

You can ride them in all sorts of weather, but then you must bring them inside where it's warm and dry, where they can be cleaned and polished, keeping the bottom bracket and hub grease warm and supple, preventing the tires from drying and cracking, and all manner of other Good Things which they deserve.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by reuben

Good God, man, what are you thinking?!?

You can ride them in all sorts of weather, but then you must bring them inside where it's warm and dry, where they can be cleaned and polished, keeping the bottom bracket and hub grease warm and supple, preventing the tires from drying and cracking, and all manner of other Good Things which they deserve.

Savages!

[Clean39T]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186451839477

10/10

[spoonrobot]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186451839477

10/10

Adjusted for inflation, that should be a ~$2900 framset.

[buddybikes]

Originally Posted by spoonrobot

Adjusted for inflation, that should be a ~$2900 framset.

But that chrome work would adjust it a lot higher!

[El Chaba]

On the general subject of riding a vintage bike…..Most of my bikes are much more modern-carbon, integrated shifters,etc…I did stop at ten speed and no disc brakes-but I really enjoy riding vintage bikes with a proper steel frame, downtube friction shifters, etc. the closest comparison that I can make is that there is a certain connection to the machine like driving a vintage sports car with a manual transmission and no electronics. There are certain skills that you have to master to effectively operate the machine, but once mastered you recognize that many of the advancements with bicycles are advancements in convenience rather than performance. If you show up at a group ride on your vintage machine, you will no doubt encounter one or more riders who will let you know that they are a bit scrambled by your presence as they have been led to believe that they certainly can’t keep up without aero wheels, 24 gears, etc.Admittedly, I exist at the fringe of what the industry is offering today, and I am pushed closer to the margins with each passing day. Our sport is about the riding and the rider. The riders and not the industry own the cycling culture.I feel like the culture should honor how effectively a rider uses his equipment, how well the equipment is maintained, and the appearance of the equipment as all of these factors reflect on the sport itself. I am a little bit bothered when the cycling culture is co-opted to push whatever the industry is selling…and there is certainly nothing wrong with honoring tradition by riding a vintage machine. If you do so, you just might discover how good one can be.

[Spoker]

The steep head angles of the late 70's , early 80's though. Too nervous for me. Especially when you went in the large sizes.

[m_sasso]

Originally Posted by El Chaba

On the general subject of riding a vintage bike…..Most of my bikes are much more modern-carbon, integrated shifters,etc…I did stop at ten speed and no disc brakes-but I really enjoy riding vintage bikes with a proper steel frame, downtube friction shifters, etc. the closest comparison that I can make is that there is a certain connection to the machine like driving a vintage sports car with a manual transmission and no electronics. There are certain skills that you have to master to effectively operate the machine, but once mastered you recognize that many of the advancements with bicycles are advancements in convenience rather than performance. If you show up at a group ride on your vintage machine, you will no doubt encounter one or more riders who will let you know that they are a bit scrambled by your presence as they have been led to believe that they certainly can’t keep up without aero wheels, 24 gears, etc.Admittedly, I exist at the fringe of what the industry is offering today, and I am pushed closer to the margins with each passing day. Our sport is about the riding and the rider. The riders and not the industry own the cycling culture.I feel like the culture should honor how effectively a rider uses his equipment, how well the equipment is maintained, and the appearance of the equipment as all of these factors reflect on the sport itself. I am a little bit bothered when the cycling culture is co-opted to push whatever the industry is selling…and there is certainly nothing wrong with honoring tradition by riding a vintage machine. If you do so, you just might discover how good one can be.

I will second this! Wonderful post!

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by El Chaba

I exist at the fringe of what the industry is offering today, and I am pushed closer to the margins with each passing day. Our sport is about the riding and the rider.

I'm right there with you.

I was out riding my vintage Serotta over this past weekend on lovely country roads in western jersey, happily friction shifting away, when I encountered another cyclist on the road.

I almost had a double take initially, he literally looked like a space man about to get on a rocket ship or something. Completely aero bike, deep deep wheels, but the kit he was wearing really stood out, an aero skinsuit and super aero helmet along with the "bubble" face shield.

I'm sure he thought the same of me in my wool jersey and skinny tubed steel bike.

Had a nice chat though, and the reality is we were both out enjoying a nice spring day on quiet roads. The kit changes, but the riding remains the same.

[krooj]

I also have to wonder if what we're seeing here is partially due to a slowdown in discretionary consumer spending as a latent result of debt loads and interest rates. Not more than a couple of years ago, folks were still going gangbusters with buying up luxury goods and other toys: watch "investments" were thing, it was very easy to move most cycling gear, etc...

I see part of this slowdown through stuff I dump on eBay - really good stuff that's in great condition just... sits there. Oddly enough, the only thing that seems to attract rabid bidding is some old minidisc garbage, but audio-anything is full of the weirdest people on earth.

Originally Posted by El Chaba

Our sport is about the riding and the rider. The riders and not the industry own the cycling culture.I feel like the culture should honor how effectively a rider uses his equipment, how well the equipment is maintained, and the appearance of the equipment as all of these factors reflect on the sport itself. I am a little bit bothered when the cycling culture is co-opted to push whatever the industry is selling…

This is really well put, and it feels like we're in a very Klein-esque phase of inversion-of-control: from the rider to the marketer.