auchencrow

I know this has been asked before, but I thought it's about time for a re-check:


Whether it's one, or one-hundred C&V bikes, do you feel that your collection is the ne plus ultra, or a constant source of derision and disgrace?

- And if your collection is not where it needs to be, what have you done - or what do you plan to do, to improve upon it?

ColonelJLloyd 

SteveSGP

Fairly satisfied I guess, my personal fleet consists of only two bikes but I like them.

I'd love to get some more exotic, high end stuff but with my size requirements and limited cash flow it's not easy.

The entire family fleet consists of something like 10 bikes with most belonging to my son.


.

photogravity

Steve Earle... Great writer and performer. Took a page from TVZ.

kinetic energy

Only two bikes in the collection at the moment. Not even close to satisfied "but you are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today". I love my peugeot though, I want more, most notably, I would love to find a px-10 someday. It won't be impossible to find, but college students need to justify spending food/book money on bikes carefully. Though, as I'm getting into this now, I can only imagine my garage will be packed with steel bikes when I'm older, as I'm sure many of the forum members garages already are :-)

rootboy 

"nothing is what I want"

F.Z.

Captain Blight

I'm OK with what I have. All of my bikes are finally up and in running order, and very mechanically sound. The frames are all dead straight, wheels are all dead true, bearing surfaces all properly adjusted and lubed, brakes in fine fettle. Even the bikes with fenders have the fenderlines tweaked as well as I can get them.

My dissatisfaction is cosmetic. None of my bikes have very good paint, except the Pro, and even that's got more scuffing than I'd like to see. I suppose I need to bring them one by one to a good paint guy and have the repairs professionally done and color-matched.

As to the future, I want to slowly, as I can afford it, swap out some of the lower-end bikes for better; either nicer lugwork or better tubing or preferably both. I want to get another Professional (or and International) and have it lightly re-worked for credit-card touring and rando events. I'd like to get a pre-1960 English frame, which are hen's teeth in 62-63 Cm. I'd like to get a really good French frame and hang a bunch of top-drawer Simplex and Huret on it. I'd like a new, dual-suspension MTB, like a Niner or a Jekyll or something. I'd also like to get a 36er built, and I'd, just once in my life, like to have a truly custom-fitted, custom-built frame. This is all very attainable, of course, but over a span of years.

photogravity

I'll be culling some of the herd that I'm sure I'm not going to mess with since my wife doesn't want a slew of bikes to ride - it just confuses her. I'm not even trying to figure that out.

By the time things warm up, I'll have more bikes cleaned up and ready to ride. Right now, I've got a neighbor's bike I'm working on as time permits. It's a 1973 Raleigh Sprite that is getting the full photogravity treatment: conversion to a Sturmey AW hub. Once that's done I've got three bikes Frank the Welder gave me that are near the top of the list: the Hercules Kestrel, Hercules Windsor and the Hercules Cruiser. The 1946 Hercules light roadster Frank gave me requires a good bit of work atmo, so it's one of my longer-term projects. Oh, almost forgot this one: I've got a Hercules Hawthorne that I want to get done before spring. I'm going to send that to the powercoater and upon its return apply the boxlining myself, since I used to paint stripes on cars in one of my former lives.

jimmuller 

I was happy before but after a voluntary minor addition for fun several more significant bikes fell into my lap. The collection grew unexpectedly. Now I don't know whether to be happy or not!

DavidW56

Dissatisfied. I have too many bikes, and too many low-end bikes, and too many flip bikes. I spend my maintenance time and dollars on the flip bikes, in order that they may be flipped. I have some nice acquisitions that have not been touched since I got them -- Pinarello, Raleigh, Voyageur 11.8, Miyata 1000. What I need to do -- and will do -- is fix up the flippers fast and get rid of them so I can get to the good stuff.

photogravity

I know exactly what you mean Jim! I think at the beginning of 2011, there were 3 bikes in my collection but I'm up to 30+ now. Admittedly, some of them will be given away to family members and a couple sold off, but I've got my hands pretty full with those on hand at this moment.

tugrul

My current rotation serves me so well that everything I bought last year is still wall art. Combine that with shipping damage to my last two purchases, N+1 fever no longer afflicts me

I guess I rather ride than wrench.

javal

Satisfied with current theme. But I wouldnt mind some growth within the theme...

jimmuller 

Except when it's snowing, like right now. Or under 30degF, like last week.

auchencrow

The last time this survey was taken there were still some holes, but the addition of a few English 3-speeds and the Moto LeChampion went a long way toward filling the gaps.

- Now I just need a 60cm Gitane TdF, and maybe a Lenton GP, and a Mercian, and a Frejus, and a ...

gomango

I love to try "new to me" bicycles every season.

Some stay, some go.

A lot are going right now.

Or are being prepared for the coming riding season in the Midwest.

A sure kiss of death for a bike around here is a proclamation of "I'll never sell it."

Usually gone within a season.

As the saying goes, life is too short to ride crappy bicycles.

retyred

Hmmm...photogravity has been judged to have diminished credibility since his deceitful behavior on a recent thread. You may redeem yourself by posting some pics.

As for my collection of vintage steel I find myself at a crossroads: A possible move that may result in the loss of my warehouse has dampened my desire to acquire more bikes and shifted me into a sell mode. Selling is painful while buying brings pleasure.

I'm pleased with most of my collection but it lacks the really big names such as Cinelli, Masi, De Rosa, Colnago to mention a few of the premiere Italian marques. I do have several each of PX10s, Allegros, Mondias, Paramounts and Legnanos plus a couple each of Raleigh pros, Motobecane Le Champions, Swiss Condors and a solitary Lambert and Italvega. An eclectic mix indeed with the common thread being that they all hail from the 1950s thru 1970s and are friction shift, lugged steel.

This thread needs some pictures so I'll leave this great crowd with a few pics of a portion of my collection.

photogravity

Since retyred threw down the gauntlet, I shall answer his challenge. Not pictured are the Hercules Kestrel (It's currently with Jack Franklin for paint restoration) and a Kent tandem on my front porch (too lazy to go outside). Otherwise my count indicates 32 to be exact.

OK here goes: 6 here.

Untitled by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

9 here (7 complete plus 2 frames).

Untitled by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

1 here.

Untitled by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

10 here.

Untitled by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

2 in the dining room.

Untitled by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

2 in the living room.

Untitled by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

auchencrow

^ QFT.
Two of the bikes enabling me to patch the holes in my own collection.

photogravity

auchen, an Armstrong? So where is its introduction thread? MORE PICS PLEASE!!

retyred

An immense Thank You! You guys are brightening up a gloomy and rainy day here in southern California.

Photogravity and Auchencrow your pics are great. I'm seriously considering adding a vintage Raleigh with a Stumey Archer IGH. I see them quite ofted on my local CL.

JohnDThompson 

I'm pretty much satisfied with what I have, but if a René Herse dropped into my lap I wouldn't complain.

auchencrow

THIS was the introductory thread for the '51 Armstrong.

sailorbenjamin

I was really pretty content till I looked at Craigslist this morning and saw this nifty old...well never mind.

rootboy 

I have to amend my previous post a bit. I don't lust after more bikes, but sure would like to find one of these.