I think people collect and ride bikes for a myriad of reasons. And most of the reasons have associated with them a full aspect of egotism. People are "proud" of the names - and all that lies behind it - of their bikes. They love the feeling of exclusivity as much as anything about them.
I was having some fun with the words but to deny that some "puffery" and "elitism" exists in the bike world is to bury one's head in the sand.
Just an opinion.
Originally Posted by
Old Fat Guy
"Puffery"? "So-called elite bikes"?
Sounds like you are just trolling for an argument. No thanks. As most here know, I'm not a collector, I'm a rider. Every one of my bikes has been acquired through selling another bike, save my Cinelli, which I got as part of an insurance settlement, when a careless driver ran me down on my Panasonic AR6000. It was my only bike for over 20 years.
I now have most every rider I want, and if I acquire another bike, one will be sold. I buy bikes for their ride quality, not status. It just so happens bikes with great ride characteristics seem to have been bestowed this 'status' you speak of. Ever wonder why that is?