Post your Keeper Criteria or "How I Avoided Becoming a Bike Hoarder"
Many of us have quite a few bikes in the stable, I thought it might be interesting to share your keeper criteria.
On the subject of hoarding, to the average person out there, most of us would qualify, certainly anyone with over 3 or 4 bikes. In our N+1 world, hoarding is a MUCH higher number.
Here's my criteria:
1. Daily rider is a keeper, may be a handful of them (grocery getter, climber, go fast bike, tourer)
2. Does it fit (if not, it goes). Keeping bikes that don't fit = you are on your way to hoarder status (I am really close).
3. Is it rare, hard to find? Realize not only do you have to find a particular model, you have to find it in your size.
4. Does it bring a smile to your face every time you ride it? Do you stop and just admire it and snap pictures of it?
5. Is it a sentimental item (say your father's bike?)
Against this criteria, my Cimarron stays as the daily rider, (just have to figure out which one is the best size as I have two of them), my chrome 1986 Katakura Silk and 1987 red and white Prologue (both were really hard for me to find), and my frame school build (sentimental favorite). Everything else is available for a new home.
Nice thing about the Cimarron it covers several criteria: tourer, path rider, grocery getter, and more. When I go on vacation, it invariably is the bike I take.
Recent keepers that left in 2015: Tommasini that was marginal on fit, Colnago Master Lite that fit great but just wasn't being ridden much, and a modern Trek 520.
What's your criteria?
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Please don't confuse ebay "asking" prices with "selling" prices. Many sellers never get their ask price. some are far from it. Value is determined once an item actually SELLS. Its easy enough to check SOLD prices.