Has the vintage steel market crashed?

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by 5oakterrace

Heck, that is my old car. Loved the 240s. Safe. Reliable and I did a ton of the maintenance myself saving a bundle in the process. Electrical could be dicey but that was on a car with 200,000 miles Could never figure out why they stopped making them.

Because...blower motor.

On the 140s and 240s the entire car was designed and built around the blower motor and if it failed the best way to replace it was to sawzall a hole through the side of the console for access.

The 700/900 series was largely designed from the ground up. It was a vastly better driver's car.

I don't remember the specifics, but one manufacturability improvement (read costs) involved reducing the number of parts that went into the door shell from 75 to like four.

If you still drive a brick, you need to join www.swedishbricks.net

[Kirk Pacenti]

I don't know if the vintage steel market has crashed, but if the thread below is any indication, it seems I am certainly out of touch with what's going on there.

This might be the best 'vintage' frame I've personally seen, and even discounted by 45%, nary a nibble.

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=300927

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by martl

Typically people who dont need them. No one needs a vintage bike, a Volvo 240, a vinyl turntable, an Eames Loungechair or a mechanical watch for that matter.

Really?

People who identify as a cycling enthusiast with a taste for vintage buy this vs vintage?

Nah.

[martl]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Really?

People who identify as a cycling enthusiast with a taste for vintage buy this vs vintage?

Nah.

some do - i don't get it either i rode the Eroica on 3 different real vintage bikes (including a Cinelli Mod B and a gold-plated Casati) which cost me combined less than what Bianchi charges for its "l'Eroica" replica...

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by martl

some do - i don't get it either i rode the Eroica on 3 different real vintage bikes (including a Cinelli Mod B and a gold-plated Casati) which cost me combined less than what Bianchi charges for its "l'Eroica" replica...

See now you're talking.

I assume a younger crowd buys them or someone buys it as a gift.

Who knows.

Ride bikes....

[AngryScientist]

The other factor is what is happening with components currently.

Up till now, you could take any vintage frame from the 60s, 70s or 80s, spread the rear a bit and hang a brand new modern group on it.

With the big move to disc, much wider rear hub spacing and abandonment of cable pull rim brake groups, that option is going away.

[martl]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

The other factor is what is happening with components currently.

Up till now, you could take any vintage frame from the 60s, 70s or 80s, spread the rear a bit and hang a brand new modern group on it.

you can even extend that; i restored a 1930ies Automoto and didn't need *any* special parts to replace consumables like chain, wires, cables, brakepads or tires, also a much newer freewheel or BB would have fitted no problem (didnt need to replace those).

[Pastashop]

Originally Posted by Kirk Pacenti

I don't know if the vintage steel market has crashed, but if the thread below is any indication, it seems I am certainly out of touch with what's going on there.

This might be the best 'vintage' frame I've personally seen, and even discounted by 45%, nary a nibble.

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=300927

I have a Club Special of that vintage, about the same size. It's among my favorite bikes ever. A 60 cm would be a better fit though.

[sg8357]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

[snip]
Up till now, you could take any vintage frame from the 60s, 70s or 80s, spread the rear a bit and hang a brand new modern group on it.

Has anyone figured how to program the spacing on an AXS rear derailer ?
Like set it to 7 speed spacing ?
I think with the right adapter you could get wireless D/T shifters.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by Kirk Pacenti

I don't know if the vintage steel market has crashed, but if the thread below is any indication, it seems I am certainly out of touch with what's going on there.

This might be the best 'vintage' frame I've personally seen, and even discounted by 45%, nary a nibble.

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=300927

I think you hit the nail on the head. With the move to disc brakes and fat tires, the old fashioned road bike is no longer desired. I know people with older carbon bikes that are having a hard time selling them.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by sg8357

Has anyone figured how to program the spacing on an AXS rear derailer ?
Like set it to 7 speed spacing ?
I think with the right adapter you could get wireless D/T shifters.

https://wheeltop.com/products/eds-bicycle-derailleur offers 7 to 13-speed compatibility.

But also, there are no shortage of new 11-speed mechanical group sets for rim brakes out there, I doubt the group set thing is really what's holding people back.

I think what we're actually observing is that in the minds of many enthusiasts, a classic steel bike is something that remains frozen in a period of time. Eroica sets that time period as 1987 or earlier. But that was just 10 years old at the first Eroica in 1997. Now a 1987 bicycle is more than 35 years old. Yes, a small subset become collectibles, but otherwise, they're just aging bicycles, and it's the 2010 bicycles that are the new 1985 bicycles.

[unterhausen]

I only know one person that collects nice old bikes. He lives alone in a studio apartment, and the living room has about 20 vintage bikes in it. Probably go to the landfill when he passes on. Sad to think about. Google, "nobody wants your stuff," I think it applies. Even l'eroica seems to be a bit passé, but maybe I'm just not clued in to such things.

We have a decent sized house, but there is no wall space to hang a bike for display. And I never understood having a bike I won't ride. I need to clear some out.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by charliedid

It get's worse...

Giuseppe and Luigi Daccordi have been making bikes for close to 90 years - and I bet because they love bikes.

I love that they'll make a bike like that -harking back to a day when both he and his father rode.

I would also say they make a whole line of bikes, from carbon, steel, aluminum and titanium. All at a reasonable cost. And many with Luigi's hands involved. A bike for everyone. Nothing wrong with that.

[johnniecakes]

I wonder if there will ever be a vintage carbon bike market? Can they survive like my 1980's steel Battaglin or the PDM Concorde that is a pleasure to ride. Sure they are about 3 pounds heavier than my carbon bike but that doesn't matter since I carry more than 8% body fat.

[zmudshark]

I have, what I think are nice old steel bikes. I have three nice bikes in MI and three in AZ. I've been trying to sell one bike in MI for a couple of ears.

As an old guy, I'd rather give the bike to a friend who would appreciate it, Unfortunately, all my friends are old, like me.

Rather than sell cheaply to someone who may hack it up, I'd rather look at it on the garage ceiling.

Most of us old guys (at least on this forum) don't need the money.

If anyone in Ann Arbor wants a heck of a deal on a De Rosa Professional w/mostly Record 10s... hit me up