Originally Posted by
cranky old road
On the one hand this thread is in the C&V sub-forum so might be intended for "newbie" collectors; on the other hand, the thread that inspired it seemed to have more to do with choosing among available used bikes for a suitable riding machine.
Maybe C&V needs to be split out into a "collectibles" sub and a "vintage for riding" thread.
I'm a newbie here, and at this point have no interest at all in collecting. I am, however, interested in vintage cycles for the following reasons:
It's a great way to oppose and, at the same time, benefit from our throw away, newer is better culture
It's cost effective. Older technology and materials are, for most folk, as good as new, but at a 70%+ cost savings
Vintage bikes are very "tinkerable". Older components are very simple to take apart, fix, clean and put back together
Subjectively speaking, I prefer the classic looks of older bikes
I'm not saying by any means that posters to this sub forum are right or wrong, just that some basic knowledge, which newbies won't necessarily have, is required to understand what's aimed at collectors and what's aimed at riders (recognizing, of course, that there is always crossover).