As some have mentioned, 20 years from now, I believe bicycle enthusiasts will be mostly interested in collecting those bicycles handcrafted by small shops and artisans that have popped up all over the country. Those bicycles are unique in their designs, details and manufacturing techniques. Those aspects will drive up their demand in 20 years or sooner. From big manufacturers (Trek, Specialized, Cannondale), you can rest assured that only their very high-end models (those bikes normally seen in the Tour de France costing now $7K or above) will be also highly sought-after in 20 years. Obviously, your classic bicycle now will also be more collectible in 20 years (so hold on to them, if you can!)
I also have the strong sense that there is an interesting category of bicycles that will continue to increase in demand, although most of them are hardly viewed as "collectible or classic" right now but seem to be crossing that threshold. I'm talking about the "MIXTE" bicycle from the 70s and 80s. I believe the increasing demand will be driven not only by women (at whom the frame was originally targeted), but also by all the males discovering the beautiful clean lines, simplicity and functionality of this unique French-designed frame. They will become more scarce as many more are salvaged and beautifully remodeled. They make great commuters or attractive city bikes, a segment of the industry poised to experience tremendous growth. As we all know, cities all over America are remodeling and adapting their insfrascture to support the use of bicycles. Now, whether the harder-to-fix French mixtes (Peugeot or Motobecane) will be more collectible than their practical easy-to-maintain Japanese or Taiwanese counterparts (Nishiki, Centurion, Univega) remains to be seen. As of now, there doesn’t seem to be a significant price differential. Now if you have a rare 531 or Columbus steel mixte... well, you know how you should treat it.
Last edited by Chris Pringle; 08-23-10 at 12:57 PM.