Originally Posted by
carleton
I don't mean to step on anyone's toes here, but what makes this bike worth it? $2K? Yes. $4K? Maybe. But SIXTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?!
So, the winner pays the money and receives the bike next week. Then what? What does one do with such a bike?
It's a bike with no nostalgic value. It was not used by a great rider in some great event (Olympics, World Championships, etc...). Just a few masters (age 40+) races. No museum would be interested because it is not associated with any such event. And it's certainly not able to be raced as it is barely fit to be ridden.
I can only suspect that it's a hipster from Japan or Hong Kong where, right now, over the top bikes are turning up left and right. It's not unusual to see a
Mavic IO ($4K) on street "fixies" over there. But, it's a size 57, so maybe not.
It comes down to basic supply and demand...
Supply-How many original Cinelli Laser funny-bikes can there be in the world that are this original, this nice, decked-out with all the Cinelli peripheral accessories, and have their entire history (even if it's w/out provenance) this well documented? I bet you could count the number on one hand if even that was needed.
Demand-The Laser was the pinnacle of the Cinelli product line in the 1980s. The Laser represented everything that the organization stood for at that point-innovation and style. The bikes have been recognized as modern works of art and may be one of the most recognizable high-end bikes from that era. It was the 288 GTO of the bike world. As a result, there are many that view the Laser as THE bike to have-the crown of their collection.
Would I have paid $16K for this bike? If I was in love with the Lasers, absolutely! However, the amount of bondo used in the bikes has always been a turn-off for me. Otherwise, I may have had to empty out the bike/hobby car/motorcycle fund.
Now that Olmo that he has for sale. Hmmmm...
Texbike