Has the vintage steel market crashed?

[Tz779]

heyyyy PLers,
a friend on Cape Cod could not sell a 57cm Tommasini Super Prestige for $800. had a small scratch on top tube but nothing that would put me off if i was in the market. admittedly it had a mix of Campag Chorus and Veloce(?). *that could put me off but that frame is nearly $800 alone, right? plus a set of clinchers and a set of tubulars. it was/is 9-sp

market seems soft, right?

[r_mutt]

All of the second hand bike market has crashed - especially the vintage steel market which reached it's high point perhaps around 2006-12 (the "Steel is Real" phase or the "Fixed Gear" craze).

This is based purely on empirical data rather than any sort of rigorous study of pricing of the vintage market.

[EB]

It’s a triple crash - the post-pandemic crash (why buy a used bike when new ones are half off) combined with the loss of interest in steel road bikes and the groupset manufacturers completing their abandonment of rim brakes.

[andrew+]

I've been pretty familiar with this market since ~ 2006. $800 for a _local_ sale Tommasini with a mixed 9 speed, non-Record group sounds about in line with the average over that period.

If your friend wants the highest price possible they probably need to part it out on eBay.

And if the frame is EL-OS, I'd be interested

[AngryScientist]

I dont know if I would say crashed, but cooled off for sure.

I think most of the older folks who loved riding these bikes are aging out, and those who are still riding prefer cushier tires and much wider gearing than will fit many older bikes/components. I bet that bike has something like a 53/39 crank and 11-23 or some such in the rear. I can't imagine doing any of the riding I do anymore on 39/23 low gear! On the supply demand curve, the demand is definitely drying up.

[unterhausen]

I think that even classic/vintage people have embraced lower gears and bigger tires. And the parts aren't classic enough for people to be interested.

I love that kind of bike, but I don't want to own any.

[jamesdak]

From my personnel experience it does seemed to have slowed down some last year. It took longer to move on bikes and I had to drop prices.

I'd say that over the past 10 years I've probably refurbished, enjoyed, and then moved on close to 50 vintage steel bikes. Most of my buyers have been the younger gang and hardly anyone has been put off by the "smaller" tires. I mainly run 700 x 25. To be honest they usually come back in after a test ride with a big grin and talking about how smooth the bike is. I'm even surprised by how many younger folks are even put off by DT shifters on a lot of the bikes.

Both older Raleigh's I had for sale this Spring went quick once the weather turned nice and at my full asking price. The really nice and really fast Trek 5200 has garnered a lot of attention this spring but no one has come to see it yet.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

I think that even classic/vintage people have embraced lower gears and bigger tires. And the parts aren't classic enough for people to be interested.

I love that kind of bike, but I don't want to own any.

Boy, last weekends ride on the Holdsworth Professional showed that this ol' fart still isn't embracing bigger tires. The bike felt pretty good yet too mushy with the 700 x 30 tires. Today's ride on the newly finished Sancineto with it's 700 x 25 tires was just sublime.

[Tz779]

Originally Posted by andrew+

I've been pretty familiar with this market since ~ 2006. $800 for a _local_ sale Tommasini with a mixed 9 speed, non-Record group sounds about in line with the average over that period.

If your friend wants the highest price possible they probably need to part it out on eBay.

And if the frame is EL-OS, I'd be interested

awww, sorry andrew, its SPX
https://capecod.craigslist.org/bik/d...736881548.html

i told my friend to just ride that bike.

yeah, you all confirm what ive been thinking….

Angry, i have the same feeling. i mean who wants a Model T these days?

Jamesdak, my daughters BF borrowed my Alan when the two of them went riding on Charlestons Greenway bike path and he commented on how quickly it accelerates. also a random dude commented “That is s great bike.” he liked it but both of them are looking for beach cruiser type bikes!

[Spaghetti Legs]

Yeah it’s been in the dumps for 5-6 years now, maybe with a slight bump in the Covid bike shortage. Correlates with the timing of me transitioning from accumulating frames to wanting to downsize a bit LOL. I sold a very nice older Tommasini frame/fork about 5 years ago for much less than I expected maybe something like $450 and then watched it languish here and elsewhere for a year or more before going for even less.

[deluz]

I think the demand is way down from what it was.
I think there was a time when collectors sucked up all the old steel bikes.
I have a friend that had a collection of 150 bikes.
Inside his house every square foot of wall space had a bike hanging, including Raleigh’s, Colnago, DeRosa.

[technicolor]

Yep. Even in the pricey Bay Area I routinely see them for ~$1000 or less sitting forever. I think they've just fallen out of favor. I rarely see anybody on vintage steel bike these days.

[merckxman]

Yes, I think it's over for vintage steel. The people driving the market have aged and moved on, new riders could care less.

[sg8357]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

I think that even classic/vintage people have embraced lower gears and bigger tires.[snip]

If you ride British or French bikes of the 1950s, you have bigger tyres
and lower gears. 48/34 was a thing in 1954.

[lorenbike]

Anything used in the bike market has crashed. Anyone trying to sell on ebay with buy it now prices and not taking offers cracks me up. I don't even try selling on here now, and just go straight to ebay with bids starting at $0.99. Steel frames -- idk if that's a 'crash', the older they are the less you will probably get. Plus it's sorta getting harder to find older mech gear without having to really dig online. And I hate all the modern tubeless/battery/disc stuff as much as anyone on here.