I have found that as I get older (and wiser? grumpier?), I find myself getting cheaper and cheaper when it comes to cycling stuff.

I actually passed on a bike that I have desired and lusted over for years for this reason (Merckx 10th Anniversary with Dura Ace for $900) because I thought "Meh... a cheaper one will come up with Campy...". Well, that was 5 years ago.

I get grumpier and grumpier when I see the same NICE bikes listed for too much $$ over and over. "Hey, seller! If it doesn't sell for that price after being listed for 6 months, LOWER your price!"

I agree...
Some prices out there on the Internet are 'taking the proverbial'.
I happen to like older British bikes, nothing too fancy/rare/expensive; generally the more mass-produced Lentons and Dawes etc.. They're not the fanciest things on the Planet, but they're nice enough to ride around on. Trouble is, some people have latched onto the 'Vintage/Retro' bike thing and they're charging hundreds for slightly rough round the edges examples.
I would expect to pay £150-200 for a Lenton with solid but faded paintwork, and good working mechanicals. I've seen some on eBay, with really scabby paint, going for £500-600.! They were advertising these bikes last year at the same price. Surely you drop the price a little until it sells.? Not these people.!

They can keep 'em as far as I'm concerned..!

Go for a ride. When that happens to me, I take it as a sign to stop shopping and start riding.

I responded to a couple of adds this summer for some of those bikes that are way over priced and listed forever. On a couple of them I was able to show the seller the repairs and labor time needed to put the bike back into good condition and got both the bikes for half the listed price. In these cases, the seller didn't really have much knowledge about bikes in general and were floating balloons on the prices

A couple of others were "American Picker" wannabe's and I walked away. Those bikes are still listed for sale.

I guess it can sometimes be a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I have made zero progress on gaining back garage space. A few too many great deals within EZ driving distance, both refurb/resell candidates and keepers. It's been a predominantly Raleigh year for personal bikes, with acquisition of a DL-1, a red Super Course and a green Super Course MK II. Projected out of cost for acquisition averages less than $100 per bike, when I sell off the spare parts and deduct for the beautiful 5 piece Cannondale luggage. For refurb/resell, Fujis have dominated by far this year.

I will put the big push on the flip candidates when I am back in town beginning of next week, as it is prime back-to-college days.

Exactly.

Kind of like when I get crabby around the house. My wife tells me to grab my shoes, helmet and fill the water bottles.

...and go away for a few hours.

Sometimes bikes aren't meant to be.

I offered a guy full price for a Bridgestone MB1 earlier this summer via email. Twice.

I must have been stuck in his spam filter as he lowered the price three times without responding to me.

This doesn't bode well for me down the line since im mid30s and already think this very thing all the time. If im grumpy as it is, I cant imagine the bear ill be in another 30.

Cures-all.

I like to call it "thrift" versus cheap. A cheap person never goes out to dinner. A thrifty person goes out to eat, but brings a coupon, or hits the early bird special, or buys restaurant gift cards at Costco for 25% off, or whatever.

I also have learned that it is easier to spend money than to find more of it. Its just like naive 18 year olds who take on massive college debt with no concept of how they will ever pay it back, or the impact it will have on their life style over the next twenty years. As we get older and wiser, we realize the cost of these decisions.

As far as some sellers, I feel for some of them. The high end stuff here just doesn't bring the $$ locally. So they either have to sell at a fraction of FMV, or try another route.

Also being a "mature consumer".... I think that finding nice bicycles at good values is becoming increasingly more challenging.

There is still a lot of bicycles out there! Hanging in the rafters of garages and rusting away in collapsing sheds. As well as..... the perfectly restored wall hangers and the perpetually project bikes... of the bicycle collectors. There is no lack of supply.

I think the general interest in cycling and bicycles seems to be waning. Yet awareness of the value of quality old bicycles seems to have become general knowledge. Like with all collectables... the supply-demand price points are dynamic.

I used to let my Craigslist finds simmer on-line for a few days before I called. Thinking if the seller didn't attract the interest he expected it would be simpler to negotiate a lower price. Now I jump on a bicycle that I find interesting and hope negotiations at the point of sale go in my favor. But I think flipping has become a little more difficult.

I have met my N+1 (plus one more). Buying another bicycle would have to mean I'd be selling two. So at this point... the "right price" isn't my biggest consideration. 

I agree....I can't buy into the premium price for a vintage anything. An antique store around here has what I believe is a UE-18 for sale. I asked what they would do price wise on it....$450. I laughed and left. Shame, because it would fit my wife really well, and probably be a nice rider once some real brake levers were installed and it was fixed up. I'll check back in a few months and off $75.

At least you're aware of the possibility. My advice is to save, save, save in the meantime. That way when you're 60 you'll be able to afford to be as grumpy as you like, and if the right bike comes along you'll be able to afford both it and the time off to ride it. Trust me on this.

Time for an alternate email account.

I recall going back to school, left a reasonably well paying job. Part of the calculus was that I would have 3-4 years of disposable income lost and debt at the end. A gamble that paid off. But if it was today, no.

Don't blame the kids, blame their parents. They are making that decision for him. The parents have never allowed junior to make a decision in his life. Junior can't play unsupervised, can't ride a bike to school, can't have a knife, etc. They also never saved for junior's eduction because they have spent all their college savings moving from one dream starter mansion to another, buying a new Suburban every other year, etc.

Here I am going the other direction with my bicycle purchases. I realize that I only really ride maybe 3 of my bikes. The other 9... projects for projects sake. Now, I see if I took the cumulative amount of money I spend on each one of these bargains and pool it all together, well I could've had that Eddy Merckx I always wanted by now. Sure, I wouldn't have all these cool Miyatas, Peugeots, Treks and such, but they're no unicorn and I can only ride 1 at a time unfortunately. I think now I'd rather have a smaller stable with a unicorn than a ranch of horses

You're telling me. I've got one of those fancy BFA's politicians just love to hate from a school Forbes puts in a Top 10 waste of money list. Private loans the whole way to the sum of a new Porsche, doing art. There was an engineering school I dropped out of before that and 2 years studying nights to pick up something I left out down the road. All of it done, paid off. When you just really understand, accept and embrace the problem solving required for your financial undertaking you'll be fine. I loath the fashionable trend of crapping on higher education these days, but I understand its roll in making a stupid populace for me to make money off of... so, thanks I guess?

The thought processes behind purchases, especially big ones like higher education are fascinating and ultimately more important than the money involved.

A couple of years ago I saw the way things were going in terms of vintage steel. I surmised that the next bike that I would acquire would be a custom-built frame from a local frame-maker — an exact fit for me made of Kaisei tubing. Kaisei being the successor to Ishiwata in Fukushima-ken, just south of us here in Sendai, Miyagi-ken. He is not a famous velo-guru, nevertheless, some keirin racers who have crashed their bikes are among his clientele. (Over the years, I've watched the cartons come into the shop). I could write a lot more to argue my case here, but let's skip most of it.

Today I could not replace the frames for anything like what I paid for them just three to four years ago. And, these were hand-made frames. The prices currently being demanded for bread-and-butter frames makes a custom-fitted frame ever more attractive. Plus ... you do not feel obligated to spend a fortune investing in rare, vintage, esoteric parts to make your prized vintage frame a restoration. Quality, modern components work as well if not better than ancient pieces. And on a frame made yesterday, who is going to grumble — least of all you the owner. Shimano Integra/600, or even Tiagra or some flavour of Dia-Compe will perform in excellent fashion. If you add on a pound compared to a professional gruppo from decades ago, so what? It is presumed that you are not racing this (whatever) machine except maybe for pure fun!

The big bug-a-boo thing is wheel-sets. A vintage frame that is unmangled (i.e. straight) that comes with a nice wheel set is a deal at any reasonable price. After all — the most signifiant character of a ride is (1) the frame and (2) the wheel-set. If the components are this and that, the consequence is variable, but vintage not being the ultimate deciding factor in any way.

I see a time when these high-flying sellers are going to price themselves out of the market. Some smart youngsters are going to be learning and graduating to skills with the torch. Steel is not going to die out. And "Vintage" may more and more come to mean "retro".

So ... I may be all wet. But look at what happened to wrist-watches. Same thing! I wear a Bulova that I have owned for 48 years. Sometimes it needs a cleaning and a part or two. But, one watchmaker passed it back to me after a servicing and said, "This will last you the rest of your life". Since its last overhaul, it keeps time as accurately as most sand-watches I have ever owned — and better than some of them. And, it has out-lasted all of them. And — I LIKE it!

In conclusion: vintage, velo supply is difficult in Japan. There is huge interest in the huge urban centers — Tokyo, Osaka. Weekend markets and specialty stores are popular focal points in some areas. Not here up north. Garage sales? — I've never seen one. I have never seen a vintage bike in a used-goods shop [chuko-ya] (thrift shops to some of you).

On the whole, vintage cycling in Japan is not a cheap hobby. But then a lot of young people here are looking to bicycles these days instead of buying a car — a by-product of advanced rail systems and a change in public attitude. They will pay the freight for vintage — if its their bag and if they can afford it. Moreover youngsters are going to modern, drop-bar roadsters. The "fixie" craze has settle out; the hard core cult remains, but so many other people have voted for a better bicycle — carbon-aluminum, or just plain-jane 4130.

Remember, in Tokyo, parking is like paying apartment rent!

As I dream about my next bike, I think of a custom-built frame. I've worked it out: it's more bicycle for the money — unless that rare deal comes along and it is my/your size!

But, after saying all that — if I had a chance to grasp a Bates like my papa was riding in England during WWII, I dare say I would rifle my bank account.

no.

i can list my "nice" bike for whatever price i want. if it doesn't sell quickly, i can either store it or continue riding it until it does sell. my craigslist ad is free, so it's no skin off my back.

i could certainly part it out for much more on ebay, selling it quickly in pieces. but i like building finely tuned machines and keeping things together. if it doesn't sell this summer, there's always next summer.

they're no longer making columbus sl frames with campy nuovo record. so either get out your wallet and make a reasonable offer or move along.

As you get older, no matter how much you think you're the N+1 type, I think you also begin to realize that you don't want your non-bikeaphile loved ones saddled with your bike stuff if/when you go to that great Alpe d'Huez in the sky. I enjoy working on my bikes as well as riding them, but, dang, I need to at least get some of these projects completed. I'm only 61, but I've also done the sell-one-to-buy-one dance. I can't ride all of them all the time anyway.

My Mom taught me to always buy it when you see it, you can always sell it later she would say. I guess Mom was an N+1 gal.

Yes nothing like passing something up and "imagining" it in the garage....buy it when you see it. A bird in the hand is......
I also think it is not being frugal but just not really needing it.
JM2C's, Ben

As I've gotten older, I've only reinforced the thought that you should pay what it's worth to you.

Generally speaking, if I want something, I'm going to pay to get it. If I don't want it at the price I see it, I can wait. If it's something I think I might not see again, I'll fork out the cash.

I'm not afraid to pay a fair price. Sometimes I'll feel like I got taken advantage of... on the other hand, I got what I wanted.

*shrug*

I seem to be King of Cheap lately. Last 4 bikes I picked up for free. Fixed up two and gave to my kids who really like them. Still tinkering with the remaining two and enjoying it.

I don't know. Sometimes I feel bad if something seems way under-priced. But, I've also decided not to pay an arm and a leg for stuff I don't need.

I skip the $500 bikes, but building bikes one piece at a time does get expensive though

The local thrift stores have a sale schedule. If something seems priced higher than I want to pay, I'll wait until it goes on sale. And, if I miss out, then I suppose I didn't need it that badly.