#61
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I rode my early '80s road bike until it looked like hell. I probably should give it to someone and get it out of our attic.
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#62
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Has the vintage steel market crashed?
May 13, 2024
Has the vintage steel market crashed? My take on this subject. 1. Big tires are in, 28mm minimum width 2. Light weight is really in. 3. Knowledge of Classic Steel Bikes is fading fast. 4. Steel Classic aren't on the road in any number so interest in them has fadded bit time |
#63
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Otherwise I'm always thinking about keeping control of how much bike stuff I have, and realistically these days I'm always thinking about how the component manufacturers are trying their hardest to obsolete the frames I do have. |
#64
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If anyone is holding a bright pink or purple Bruce Gordon lugged custom in 56 or 57cm, I am willing to prove that the steel market for that particular frame is pretty robust!
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#65
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Awhile back, I got a NOS Colnago Master courtesy Tony Tom (RIP). Certainly a grail bike with all the chrome and the Precisa fork and whatnot. Tony built it up specially for me - weeks late, of course - part of the odyssey of Bicycle Odyssey. He even took the trouble to get the fork threaded by a local builder so that I could run a quill stem. The bike even fit 30s on wide rims!
Turns out... it was just stiff as hell. Uncomfortable to ride, even after biggening the tires and trying a few different saddles. It held its own on the Chicken Ride, but for anything long distance, it left you feeling every bone in your body by the end of the ride. Ultimately sold it off and chalked it up to experience. |
#66
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My new to me mech shifting, rim-braked Andersen does everything I want/need it to and looks so much better than 95% of the more modern bikes doing it.. When I do decide to upgrade to a bike with discs (PacNorWet), I will most likely end up with something in the metal variety and with pretty paint and panels..
__________________
Be the Reason Others Succeed |
#67
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Man, I just lived the reality of this softening vintage steel market. Many of you may have seen my listing on the classifieds forum for a 1996 Moser Leader AX.
I bought full bike (Record 8 speed) in May of last year. Upon receipt realized it was slightly too big and stripped it, sold some components and listed it for sale here, FB Marketplace and eBay. Aaaand…crickets…. Yes, folks here posted on the thread a bit and there was some tepid interest but it SAT! Finally, after almost a year had passed I got a bite on Marketplace and it sold for $600 plus actual shipping (Frameset & quill sestpost). I feel damn lucky to have gotten what I did for it and it is quite rare/unique IMO. The vintage steel market is VERY soft right now. I’ve got a dozen vintage steel frames or built bikes. Some are “premium” pieces (Merckx MXL, Bilato built LeMonds, etc) and others a bit more obscure (Contini, Franklin Frames and Davidson customs). I don’t expect anyone will come beating down my door to buy them from me when the day comes to sell them. Oh well, I enjoy them and I’ve (almost) always been a frugal and careful shopper when acquiring my “collection”. I love vintage steel but I also am slowly coming around to appreciate modern “advancements” in the sport as well. I’m currently building up a salvaged 2020 Trek Madone SL (bought crash damaged frame dirt cheap and had it repaired by Velontic). I can also geek out on aero/internal routing/wireless shifting/etc. The great thing is it’s not a one thing or the other scenario, I think there will always be some interest in traditional mechanical rim brake bicycles well into the future. Also, rim brake is not as dead as many here are claiming. It is perhaps dead/dying at the moment in the West. But not so in China’s booming cycling market. Wheeltop just released their EDS wireless group with a rim brake option. So there are and will continue to be viable rim brake component options probably far into the future. You just might have to look a bit outside the current/traditional supply chain. Last edited by zero85ZEN; 05-13-2024 at 03:18 PM. |
#68
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__________________
Be the Reason Others Succeed |
#69
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With that said, I still haven't gotten a em 7 eleven, moser ax leader and a gilco/ms shaped frame so mean reversion of vintage bike prices is very much welcomed But yea, agree on the resale value and since I actually ride all my bikes I'd not expect them to increase in value. Hopefully my daughter will care one day and then she will have a small but capable selection of bikes to choose from |
#70
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I'm sure there are marginal gains to be had with carbon bikes, at least amongst the elite riders, but to the average joe? I doubt it. |
#71
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#72
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#73
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I have bikes I love made of steel, Ti, and now carbon, some rim and some (cable) disc. I will say that descending the twisty 8% road from mt. Massanutten in the rain with carbon wheels and rim brakes renewed my appreciation for disc brakes.
If I croaked tomorrow I suspect the two titanium all-road disc brake bikes that accept 42mm tires or larger, and the Supersix just because it's still kinda peak rim brake and can likely squeeze 30mm tires in, would sell fairly easily at a fair price. The 1972 Bob Jackson not so much, even though it's running 700x32 tires. I do hope (as others have expressed) that it can go to a good home when my time with it is done.
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Bingham/B.Jackson/Unicoi/Habanero/Raleigh20/429C/BigDummy/S6 |
#74
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I wouldn't say it has crashed nor would I say it's dead, but the steel market is niche. If you want an inexpensive commuter, steel is a great choice.
Vintage Italian road bikes and their lookalikes from the '80s and earlier: Naah... I sold my last one in 2022, and I don't think I'll buy another. They aren't versatile, and I have bikes that are more fun to ride. I do have a few steel bikes mainly from after 2015, but they are definitely not mainstream. If they went missing tomorrow, they would not be replaced as they are. Only the road singlespeed would be replaced of the steel bikes. Last edited by tctyres; 05-13-2024 at 07:47 PM. |
#75
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My namesake frame (with 9sp Ultegra) is now 17 years old and works perfectly - does that qualify as vintage steel?
Whether it does or not, it still makes me smile every time I ride it and it's all I need from a bike. I have less than zero interest in any of the current offerings in the stores. In fact I can't even be bothered to walk into a bike shop and have a look at what they've got to offer. |
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