JPeters

A custom-built frame. One where I can choose everything like the tubing, geometry, lugs. I imagine it would be over £1000 and even though I could save up for it, there's no way I could justify spending that much on a bike, when I've bought and ridden wonderful, functional bikes for around €100 each.

rootboy 

I'm curious to hear more on this, YouthX. What details would those be? Thx.

hobbs1951

Perhaps this reply is a little off-topic but I have my Grail bicycles, my framesets are all built by artisan/craftsmen builders of the Golden Age and are very desirable in the their own right.
Yes, it would be nice to own Stephen Roche's Triple Crown winning Battaglin(1987), or Laurent Fignon's 1983 and 1984 Tour winning Gitane(s), but I am completely satisfied with my current fleet - the ambition is to ride them more.
Oh, must not forget my 1913 Centaur Featherweight - anyone have anything older ?
Jon.

iab

1923 Model C Stucchi

satbuilder 

Me, too.

Bianchigirll 

Well I never thought I would own a Hetchins but managed to get one, but then sold it. I think of all the bikes I would like to have and try out the two I may never get my hands on are a Bianchi C-4 and Curly Stayed Hetchins Mixtie with Hellenic stays and bates fork.

Vonruden

A Confente...can't see myself paying that much for a bike.

OldsCOOL

That thing is bizarre.

OldsCOOL

This makes for an entertaing WTB topic.

Bianchigirll 

Yes it is and it is from '89.

Yes it does.


Unfortunately I fear there will always be unobtainable bikes grail or otherwise. Last summer I had.... lets say 18 rideable road bikes. Even if I rode a bike everyday not every bike got ridden twice a month, assuming I rode everyday.

So say you had an endless bank account and did not have to work. Now you are free to buy all the bike you always wanted, Herse, Confete, Bianchi, Wizard, Hethins, Bates, De Rosa, Cornelo, Colnago, you name it.

Now you have a stable of 100+ top shelf bikes festooned with the best components, SR, C-Rec, DA, enough Brooks saddles to fill a dumpster. Now what? How do you ride them all? most of us lampooned a member who asked about long term storage of one special bike but what do you really do with the 90+ plus bikes we don't ride on a regular basis?


OH I just remembered does anyone have a line a nice Formula 2 Bianchi in a 59 or 60? LOL

SJX426 

Thought I was watching a parade and suddenly it rained!

rccardr 

BG makes an excellent point. Very difficult for most of us to store a lot of bikes properly without using some sort of off site storage facility.

Having said that, I'd figured I was pretty much done with the grail bike thing except for...a Richard Sachs. Had bid on a number of them over the years, rejected a lot more, but had never reached the intersection of Great Bike and Reasonable Price...until a few days ago. Should be here within a week, I'm very excited.

YouthxCrew

They were kind of a transitional model between the 1975 and later versions and the 1973 and earlier versions, I like the half-chrome fork, brazed on rear derailleur stop, long wrap-over seat stay caps painted black (the 73 and before seat stay caps seem to be shorter, after '75, they stopped painting them black), pre-75 ones have a slightly different fork crown, they also have a different bottom bracket shell.

rhm

I thought it would be super cool to have an Alvin Drysdale road bike in my size. They are quite rare, and I did not expect ever to find one, but much to my surprise I found one. Lovingly restored it to a pretty good approximation of its 1954 glory and rode it a few times. Lovely riding bike, it fit me perfectly. And then it sat in my cellar. It was too nice to sit in my bike shed where it might get beat up by the other bikes, and it was a hassle to pull it out of the cellar to ride it, and I found there just wasn't any point in owning it. I sold it at a reasonable break even kind of price.

Now I just don't see the point in grail bikes. I understand the attraction... but I'd rather it just stay an attraction.

Kactus

According to the info in the thread here, '74 was not a transitional year; '73 was. I have, based on 1973 component dates (and opinion of a knowledgable C&V member), a '74 and it has none of the features you list.

icepick_trotsky 

3Rensho with Superbe Pro. It might be attainable, but I need to keep telling myself its not.

YouthxCrew

That's really strange, my roomate's father has one that's definitely a '74 (original owner) that has all these features, these are also what the one in the '74 catalog has (the one in the catalog clearly shows the seat stay caps, derailleur stop, fork crown and half-chrome fork, all gone in the next year's catalog)

gaucho777 

Vintage: Early 70s Masi in either 56cm or 57cm with original paint and bi-plane fork crown, preferably blue, but I don't want to be too picky.

Classic: Custom-for-me DiNucci or Bishop with all-day race geometry and eyelets just in case.

lord_athlon

A nice 60's Paramount, or a Carlton 531 Huffy.

The Golden Boy 

As much as I love the look and the concept of the classic Constricteurs, and as cool as it would be to own one- I'd be afraid to ride it. That's no fun.


Having my Trek 720 has been so ultimately satisfying.

While I do look at cool bikes and think "that would be cool to have," the only thing I sorta want is a custom.

Heck, maybe I could combine everything and get a modern Herse built with 720 geometry and chrome and everything....

ptempel

Nice track bike. Didn't know that it was so customized until reading this article: Merckx hour Bicycle Guide pg 1 . I dig the drilled out handlebars and custom Ti stem.

Bikes and Jeeps

Mariposa Randonneur/Touring.

It may be possible to get one but it will take a few years.

carbomb

I want that blue Cannondale Track that's all over the internet just to say "I have that."

I have trouble riding really nice, well preserved, original bikes because I'm afraid of making them less than mint. My grail is anything that's old and high end with lugs and tasteful paint job, but far from mint. Preferably something I had to rescue.

Though, a minty white with orange chevrons, Peugeot Triathlon would be fantastic. I had a single speed coastie conversion of one stolen when I lent it to a friend... loved the look and ride of it, like an energetic noodle. A Concorde Aquila in blue/white/chrome has always looked fantastic.

Cassave

A Wright Van Cleve

Kactus

Early catalogs often reused photos of previous years bikes due to cost. The previous thread on Team Champions, https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...pion-team.html, covers the differences in detail.