Classic & Vintage - How old to be classic or vintage?

I guess if you have to ask, it's not. I just picked up a 1990 Trek 1420. With a bonded aluminum frame & fork and indexed 105 downtube shifters, it probably won't qualify, but it's a mighty fine 14 year old ride!

Nice bike. The "cut-off" date seems to be around 1983 and usually applies to steel frames with the exception of some early models such as Vitus and rare ones such as Teledyne or Graftek.

I wouldn't worry too much though, just enjoy your bike.

:beer:

Personally I would'nt say that a machine from the 1990s qualified -- but as the man said -- Don t worry Just Enjoy riding. I did notice that the saddle peak is pointing downwards It is normal to have the saddle top parallel with the ground. If it points downward the rider will be sliding forward and pushing back - thus getting an ache across the shoulders. If you then feel you are sitting too low justraise the saddle a small amount. Having said that ladies usually tilt the saddle peak VERY slightly downward which gives them a more comfortable seat. All to do with the difference in the sexes!!

With cars, the cutoff date is twenty-five years. A timeline seems better to me than standards based on construction, components, etc.-- all of which may make a bike more cool and collectible. But if you're collecting bikes, you should just pick up what appeals to you and not worry about what anyone else thinks. If you like old Huffys, so be it. And remember, today's new thing is tommorrow's classic.

As the other posters stated, enjoy the ride. That's the real crux of the matter.

The Vintage Bicycle Association suggested an early 1980s cutoff for road bikes, marking the transition to clipless pedals and indexed shifting. My mountain bike may not meet the definition of classic, but it is definitely old school, with its understay U-brake, 4-finger brake handles, friction-mode thumb shifters, and lack of suspension.

To me it's a function not only of age but of rarity/ubiquity. A bike that had a short run fairly recently will have more "classic" value than, say, a late-'70s Firenze.

Maybe this forum would better be named "Classic, Vintage and Rare" or some such. 'Course, I'm not sure whether that applies to this 1420. I suppose you could say it's rare to find a 14-year-old bike of any kind in that shape.

A classic is anything you liked when you were 14 years old. Anything older than that is an antique.