I was thinking about this thread last night and realized that in the used-bike classifieds one often tends to see several kinds of custom bikes with low, low miles:

- Folding bikes (Bike Fridays) or S&S bikes. Owners say something like, "I used to travel a lot, now I don't."

- Touring bikes ("Bought it to get into touring, used it on one big trip, haven't ridden it since").

- Tandems. I'm sure there is a story behind why couples buy tandems and then put almost no miles on them, but the details are rarely in the ads!

- Finally, go-fast bikes that appear to be owned by people with lots of bikes. "New frame incoming from builder x, I want to sell this two-year-old frame."

Clearly, these kinds of bikes are often not "forever." But lots of people ride custom frames for many, many years. Likely there are also lots hidden away in garages and basements, waiting to see the light of day (or Craigslist). Worth watching for.