Has the vintage steel market crashed?

[unterhausen]

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.

[cnighbor1]

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

[benb]

Originally Posted by glepore

You owe it to yourself to try one. I've had a whole bunch of bikes over the years, from modern carbon/aero stuff to vintage Pog's. One that stays in regular rotation now is an excell tubed Giordana from the 90's. Its totally modern rim brake stuff-SR eps and light carbon bars and brakes. Every time I get on it I'm reminded of how simply nice light steel designed by someone with Pegoretti's skill can be. Is it as fast as a new Supersix? Nope, but when out solo that doesn't matter, and you can either push yourself or just groove. I find that the newer stuff isn't as rewarding unless you're always hard on the gas.

I am completely devoid of the "collector gene" so I don't think it's in the cards. I would be more likely to try one if I had a friend about the same size who was a collector and would let me take it for a spin.

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.

[christian]

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!

[EB]

Originally Posted by glepore

You owe it to yourself to try one.

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.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by El Chaba

One other point that I would like to make is that the “benefits” of much of the latest “technology” is SO oversold by heavy marketing. Good bikes have been really good and efficient for a very long time.

agree.. at this point in my life, I really couldn't care less about electronic shifting other than the novelty of it.. it's fine and if I end up with a bike that has it, great.. I feel very similar about discs.. I know they will stop me better than a rim brake, but I haven't found rim brakes to be lacking for me, so better is really relative at this point.. now once I move to the Pacific NorWet, I might change my mind if I actually want to ride outside..

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..

[zero85ZEN]

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.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by zero85ZEN

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.

it will certainly be interesting to see who fills the void and what quality it is.. I mean we still have Campy.. but I agree, I bet some of Asian stuff will be right there with the big three soon.. as long as they make calipers that have ample clearance (and your frame will maximize as well)..

[Mr steel]

Originally Posted by El Chaba

This resonates for me. I will add that I really don’t care what has happened to the resale value of any of my bikes as they are all under the ownership of the person who values them the most.

One other point that I would like to make is that the “benefits” of much of the latest “technology” is SO oversold by heavy marketing. Good bikes have been really good and efficient for a very long time. Admittedly, there have been quite a few developments that have greatly benefitted the convenience and user-friendliness of the machines, but even developments like clipless pedals and integrated shifting do nothing to improve the efficiency of moving the bicycle forward by a given level of power. When I go back and forth between my older steel machines from the 1980s-1990s and my more modern machines with twice as many gears and carbon fiber everywhere, what started as disappointment at how small the performance difference was has now become skepticism or cynicism at the various claims of improved performance. In the end, it all comes down to perception, and older bikes are very much looked upon as outdated and outmoded and their value in the market reflects that perception.

Honestly I'm not sure that's a bad thing though, prices were going a bit too nutty and you had alot of grifters scooping up nice bikes, giving them a quick clean, new bar tape and tires and the just flipping it for way more.

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

[Mr steel]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

I just turned 31, so despite not being young, I guess one of the younger people on this forum. Even I haven't ridden an 80s Merckx SLX since 2012. Simply not as good as a modern road bike with disc brakes IMO. Vintage steel bikes are of no interest to me anymore whatsoever. A modern oversized steel frame? Sure. But vintage... meh. Wall art.

We're the same age and sry, but you are wrong sure dics are nice when it rains and wider tires are comfy but a high quality vintage steel frame is just so more fun to ride and they are often so beautiful they make you smile

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.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

My current "mid gravel" bike is 40 years old and still running strong

Oh yeah! Mine's only 39 years old.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by Mr steel

We're the same age and sry, but you are wrong sure dics are nice when it rains and wider tires are comfy but a high quality vintage steel frame is just so more fun to ride and they are often so beautiful they make you smile

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.

Amen! Something I've been proving over and over in my silly 19 mph game thread.

[NHAero]

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.

[tctyres]

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.

[Llewellyn]

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.