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Old 05-14-11 | 06:05 PM
  #50  
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randyjawa
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Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!

Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma

Is a 2011 Hetchins with 531 tubes, curly stays and Credo lugs not a Classic?
Correct, it is not a classic.

To earn the honor of being classic the thing must have an enduring and defining quality. The Volkswagon beetle is a classic, by definition. It defined a class and endured for a heck of a long time. A Ten Speed is a classic example of a bicycle gender. The fine work in the Hetchins would be an example of classic bicycle craftsmanship, something high end bikes are know for, but the bike itself is not a classic. It is only built in a classic style.

So, to be both classic and vintage, the item must be old (how old is up in the air at the moment?) and have an enduring and/or a defining quality...

How many bicycles can lay claim to that honor? The roadster can. The Ten Speed can. The mountain bike can. And even the hybrid can. There are all in classes of their own, and the older ones have a chance to achieve classic status, because what they brought to the table endured.

I think.
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