Strange finds in Bike Shops

[hybridbellbaske]

So I'm walking through the City of Adelaide last friday evening after work and thought "I need a new waterbottle" so I went into a bike shop I don't usually frequent, which happened to be close by.... this is one of the oldest shops in Adelaide and they must have cleared out their stock room because they had an old, old 7-11 drink bottle- which I of course I purchased, and a NOS long sleeve Motorola jersey in my size. Should I get the jersey?

Also, next to the counter was a 60cm plus Mondonico SPX-(must have been at least 20 years old) with a chrome steel fork and a beat up paint job,wearing brand spanking new Dura Ace 10.

I said to the dumb kid serving me that I thought that it was a really cool bike and he just shook his head and said "why would you spend over $2,500 (A$) on new compenents for an old frame like that?"

Some people don't get it do they?

[kong79]

Hey, I found one of the old Rock Shox roadie suspension forks hanging in a shop last week. I'd never seen one before, except in pictures, years ago. It took me awhile to recognize what it was. I think it was called the "Ruby"?

[victoryfactory]

so, finally a reason to patronize an LBS.
(other than getting miss-led, miss-fit, ripped off, and told that if we ain't got
it, you don't need it.)

VF, sourpuss

[vaxn8r]

I agree with the guy at the shop. Cool frame but there are way better bikes today for the same or even less money. So unless you've been lusting after an old Mondonico as a cool frame you've been looking for, or unless you have a big old bike budget, I'd pass.

An old Motorola jersey...I might.

[hybridbellbaske]

Thanks Vax,

Sorry if I was unclear in my original post - the old Mondonico was waiting to be collected by its owner, having had the new Dura Ace fitted- it was not for sale. One of the things I thought was cool about it was that the owner thought that it WAS worth spending the money on upgraded components on a much loved frame.

[Dekonick]

LoL - it is worth upgrading an old loved frame!!

:)

[vaxn8r]

Yeah, sure, if it is a known entity and you still just love it of course it's worth it. Some people are more sentimental than others. I've thought of doing the same thing with my 1986 Eddy many times. Same with my 1984 Masi. If I had unlimited bike budget I would because the frames mean a lot to me personally. But as it stands the Merkx sits with early 90's Shimano 600 because that's what I had lying around at one point and it was free and the Masi sits with it's original DA. I'd never think of doing it with someone else's 1986 Eddy though.

Now maybe if it was a 1986 Sachs....... :cool:

[Dekonick]

I plan on keeping my first Serotta until either I die, or the frame rusts to nothing but a paint shell. I dont think Ill put new top o line stuff on it, but it will always get the nice hand me downs!

[dbrk]

Before the Internet I would prowl shops, stop in every town, look about in the cases, ingratiate myself into the "back room" or burrow the bins. Ahhh, the things I found, the money I have wasted on old crap that I just love... But nowadays there is some notion of a vintage market and things cost too much, imo (because other folks are willing to pay more than I am).

I usually think about an "upgrade", I confess, in terms of aesthetics. Some bikes would just not look right, given their paint and marque; some bikes are excellent candidates. Mondonicos are particularly nice bikes because the workmanship is quite consistent. I think it was the old Bicycle Guide that ran a comparative steel bike review using Mondonicos made of different tubes. The results were that far "lesser" bikes were considered a more desireable ride than others with expensive tubing. Impressions are just as influential (more) than science (which often serves as rationalization but hardly provides more than an intellectual impression).

A propo this thread, however: a few months ago I stopped at a shop in the Middle of Nowhere, got to talking, had a look at old sets of rims and there, in the midst of mountain bike rims were a NOS pair of Mavic MA2 in 650B. The guy in the shop said he'd never seen a bike with this wheelsize and that they'd been here "forever." Oh, I said, they are unusual, mostly used on French bikes. "So, you want'em?" "How much?" Well, the tags said $39.95 each. "How about fifteen bucks for the pair?" Score! Of course you have to have a 650B bike to think these are as tres cool as they are.

dbrk