Barrettscv 

I have very little regard for elite brands and ready-for-the-TDF bike bits. My cycling in no way replicates what a professional cyclist does. I don't need steep headtube angles, ultra-light-weight gear or 50 to 100 inch-gear drivetrains.

I do care about quality and bike fit. I don't look for, or keep, any bike that does not fit well, and I don't consider stand-over height as a benchmark of correct bike fit.

I expect the drivetrain to operate perfectly and I require a touring-bike inch-gear range, even on frames built for racing. I also look for durable mid-range components. Finally, I like modern clincher tires with some flat protection and a TPI count in the 60 to 180 range. I also install new, but not aero, rims that are durable.

I care about efficient function and reliability. I have a tight criteria, but it's not based on prestige.

Narhay

Some more fodder...while I do look down at the lesser components but not the people of course...my own daily rider to and from work is a sora/2200 triple equipped bikes direct $350 hunk of aluminum and low end bits. It rides fine and does its job but as a Craigslist and Internet spectator I am an armchair bike snob always on the lookout to improve my own.

spacemanz

Exactly. There's nothing wrong with having nice stuff, or even good-natured bragging, when you're proud of accomplishments or aquisitions. But putting someone else down has no purpose or place. For me, I can't afford to go out & buy new Dura-Ace or XTR, but I'll definitely watch for it used, and grab up the nice deals, when I can.

jjvw

My snobbery usually only becomes a problem when I forget that most others don't care about the specifics of whatever I find fascinating. Sometimes, I also have to remind myself to not let my interests overshadow other people's interests. But, yes. I can be a snob sometimes. I also like to encourage others to be a little snobby about the things they care about.

harpon

I've always called bike snobs "equipment freaks"- as far back as that first shop I worked in in '73.
Then it was more cut and dry- there were fewer choices (MUTATIONS might often be a better description of things put out since) and so the lines were drawn clearly-

But yes, always irritated by a certain species who came in just to talk (ARGUE might often be a better description) about often the silliest of things-

On the other hand- back then at least- after working with, and racing on quite a bit of stuff- I got to know what worked and what didn't, and even now I just have to shake my head at some people who speak of scavenging some weird part and paying big bucks for something, to get some lower end bike "Vintage Correct", that I know somebody in the day would have been out to replace as soon as they could get the money or a better part.

HEY- "Vintage Correct"
the "VC"!
Somebody let Nixon in on it!

Aemmer

Thoughts:

1. There is only so much room in the garage.
2. With a little focus on the local CL, The difference in price between a medium end vintage bike and a high end vintage bike is minimal.
3. I would rather have 1 vintage Porsche than 50 old Yugo's.

Everyone has different goals for their vintage collection. I dig admiring all bikes but my personal goal is to keep it under 10 and continue to trade up until I have the perfect 10.

kc0yef 

but you dont' give away parts

rebel1916

I think there is a sweet spot between price and performance, which is where I try to live. Campy Centaur, SRAM X7, things like that. Obviously, people will come down differently on these questions, but I always feel that bottom of the line or top of the line are rarely the most practical choice. Now understand that I am a poor working man, and usually can't spend too much time worrying about bling factor. Bling factor changes the calculus dramatically!

KonAaron Snake 

I think that for most of us (and certainly me) there is a point of diminishing returns...is Record "better" than Athena? How much better? I'll go for the bling because of nostalgia, or insanity, but I agree with you...the "working" groups like LX, Centaur, 105 are where the value is.

David Newton

I can smell a snob a half-mile away, and I will say that there are very few snobs posting on C&V, even though some have really nice upper-end bikes.

rebel1916

I am often a reverse snob in that nothing makes me happier than bragging about what a good deal I got on something.

Edit - Somehow I didn't realize this was C&V. I always browse "new posts". So my previous remarks about Centaur and X7 should probably be amended to 600!

But it's OK guys. Someday I want a 70's track bike with a rootbeer metal flake paint job!

OldsCOOL

I wont ride a Huffy. Yeah, I'm a bike snob.

Savagewolf

I don't consider myself a bike snob. Ride what works for you.

Actually, I guess you could call me a bike snob if you consider that I look down on people who look down on people that ride lower-end bikes than themselves.

I'd like to have the nicest bike out there, but I don't feel disappointed in the least if I'm riding one of my favorites that's worth $200 with others who are riding $7000 bikes. If I'm in shape, I'll still out ride them. If they are in shape, they'll out ride me.

spacemanz

Hahaha, remember back when Huffy was "the" name in the early BMX type bikes? I mean in the early 70s, when they had a kind of a riser bar, but with a brace in the middle, and most of them had a snap-on pad on that brace? They really kinda did look like a motorcycle, without an engine, kinda. At least to an 8-year-old or 10-year-old.

rebel1916

Like the kids in the opening sequence of the great Bruce Brown motorcycle racing documentary "On Any Sunday".

mapleleafs-13 

i'm a bike snob to myself. I generally only keep anything that's really nice. My bianchi is fitted with C-record 8 speed ergo. All my bikes have to be matching and correct. Dura ace, C-record or suntour superbe pro, SLX columbus or around there, mint paint jobs with matching colors for saddles, tape, tires, i don't settle for lower groups or tubing usually. For instance, I've paid $300 for Mint near NOS DA 8 speed levers, 300 for just a campy pentographed seat post, $1000 on a pinarello montello frame and builds that have cost me some pretty money. I think i'm one of the many driving up prices vintage parts LOL! But the way i look at it is that if it's what i want and makes me happy then i don't mind paying premiums if it's in mint condition, cause that stuff is so rare to find. A friend of mine rides an 8k track bike around town as a fixie for fun, his collection is pretty heavy as well as it contains a 5k colnago arebesque and a few other top tier vintage bikes.

For some reason i've always been one of the guys who like having the top tier items, not just cause it's "the best", probably just because i enjoy having items that other people don't have and i really enjoy the hunt and how they are super rare to find. I also believe that the nicer stuff performs better, for instance when i play hockey i use a $300 dollar carbon Bauer stick and go through one every month or two. People that i play with think it's lucrative. But some understand it, the feel and shot that you get out of it is uncomparable to any other stick i've used. At the same time i don't go running around bragging to people about my bike collections or high end watch collection or anything else i own. I just buy it and enjoy it.

I definitely appreciate other peoples builds on here, whether it be a gaspipe schwinn or a colnago decked out with top everything. I understand that people like different things and i'd never look down on someone just because they didn't have the nicest stuff. I figure that you should just do what makes you happy.

3speedslow

No, I still enjoy riding the few bikes(low end) I had when I started bringing bikes home.

Gravity Aided

I've always loved all my bikes, even the gaspipe ones. They were what karma assigned me at that point in life. I'm still not on anything great, but it sure is an improvement over what I've been riding. And this forum has taught me a great deal about my bikes and how to make them better. That's worth more than some bike, to me.

clubman 

The older I get, the less I care about high end gear. I keep and ride a few decent non indexed road bikes but I continue to be smitten by the quality, practicality and usefulness of 1, 2 and 3 speed vintage bikes. That just makes me a different kind of snob. Free Spirits, Huffys and department store crap don't meet my lofty standards, even though they can still be incredibly useful tools for many people. Just not me.

jimmuller 

There are many other ways to be a snob than just being an equipment freak. In fact, equipment does matter. mp-13 says he likes better stuff and can tell the difference at least with a special hockey stick. I can tell the difference in my derailleurs, brakes, frames, wheels. I'm willing to ride lesser equipment in the right situations.

No, one can be a snob about whether (you or) someone else can maintain 20mph steadily on the flat, or whether (you or) someone else races. Or rides centuries every other week. Or strings your own wheels. Or rides only tubulars. Or owns a fleet of bikes, one for every special occasion.

a77impala

I am a snob only to the point I prefer made in USA bikes, even if I have to ride older bikes. I have twelve
bikes, eleven made here.
However I don't push my preference on anyone else. I am a firm believer a person should please themselves not someone else.
As far as top of the line components, my practice is If it will work well, I use it. Swap meets are my best friend. Keeping all my bikes road worthy I can't be choosy.

photogravity

I don't really consider myself a snob when it comes to bikes, though I have some nice custom or semi-custom steel stuff in the mix (Davidson tandem, Bilenky 650B Constructeur tandem, Jack Taylor Marathon tandem, Mike Appel SC, Alpine). My real soft spot is for the old English stuff and if it has an IGH, that makes it all the more appealing. I just know my likes and dislikes, but I don't think that makes me a snob.

OldsCOOL

They really flooded the market!

3speed

Completely agree.

As far as parts go, I do think the higher end stuff is nicer. In my limited experience, it does indeed work better. It's easier to dial in when first building the bike, and shifts better once you get it dialed in. I've only dealt with Japanese stuff, though, never Compagnolo(which I've read all shifted kinda poorly in the vintage years. ). I guess in the sense that I prefer the nicer stuff, some might call me a snob, but I still love looking at a really clean vintage bike of almost any kind, no matter the level of steel or parts on it. And I'll still offer to help someone tune up their gaspipe frame with generic steel derailers and have plenty of fun test riding it afterward.

Andiroo

Bike snob or just lover of quality. My own 30+ years of road and MTB ownership hav taught me you do t need to by top end to get fablous equipment.

Early / Mid-80s Suntour was great kit. I have 30 year old Cyclone and SuperBe on my old steel roadie and it runsi incredibly well.

EArly / Mid-90s MTB is where Shimano LX and XT dominated in qulity stakes. Shimano Kit from this era runs like a dream.

If you love quality you might be called a snob but to me you just love things that work and will last.

Andy