Trouble is, there's nothing from their day that is memorable or of unique character or special. The more time passes, the more things become the same. (And plastic doesn't age well when used outdoors in the elements)

On the contrary...there are more obvious design differences between CF bikes because you have more options molding and designing than steel tubes provide.

In theory, you would think that would be the case; but in reality, they all look the same. Sloping top tubes; big fat oblongated downtubes; black & red..... I mean really, if it weren't for the over-sized gaudy graphics, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

They look the same TO YOU AND ME. A kid who likes them, who will be the one defining what's classic and what isn't, can identify them by slots, zertz, shapes, etc.

To a kid who loves BMX all road bikes look the same...they have skinny tires, triangles and drop bars.

I like the idea of having some very light steel frame, perhaps this Rodriqeuz Outlaw. (Though probably would get some retroish color scheme on this one.) Funny that even today, many riders having all the high zoot, CF bikes are completely unaware of the super light steel frames. Twenty years from now, I think these will be just as cool.

I tend to think that 14 year-olds today will wax nostalgic for things which were before their time- just as my interest in most things classic and vintage are for things before my time, 'cause [other than bikes] most things from the 70's and 80's were already crap. A 25 year-old car today is just a piece of crap; a 25 year-old in 1980 was a classic.

NICE bike! Sadly, a lot of mid-level CF bikes these days are close to (or even above) 20 Lbs.!

I think it's going to be a mix. There is a level of collector looking for the rosebud he rode, and some (likely a smaller number) will look at older stuff and become like we are. I think there will still be a group looking for bikes from a prior era (many of my bikes pre-date my DOB), but the ones from their teen years will also be desired, and some will be classics.

Imagine the debates of the future...

Is it ok to put a laser beam, tractor beam and 4 dimensional worm hole generator on my vintage 2015 Scott Foil, or should it be built with original DI2?

LOL! Very true!

My old $59 single-speed 20"-tire banana-seat Ross from c. 1970 was personal favorite bike of alltime; the one I had the most awesome memories on.... but I wouldn't ride one of those today if I had it. I didn't have "good" bikes in the 70's & 80's (Actually, I didn't have ANY bikes in the 80's !) so I really don't have a dream-bike from that period that I "always wanted" at the time- but to me, I just realize that bikes from that time were pretty much the pinnacle of the art of bicycle-making; and it's even better in my view, that (not having had good bikes back then) they are essentially "new" to me. My interest in C7V is not about hearkening back to bikes I rode or lusted after in my youth- but more about the actual bikes, themselves.

I have a feeling it will be that way with a lot of the young'uns today, too- but there will also definitely be a segment who want the newer stuff, as you said, too- just likely not as large as the set today who are into C&V.

Obviously we're in opinion territory here. I definitely don't agree about that period as being the pinnacle...I find the 80s to be the least interesting (outside of early MTBs, outliers like aero craze and the Japanese tourers). The geometry started getting more extreme, the monster tubed aluminium bikes started popping out like bed bugs. The pre-boom stuff is usually built with more care, and has more craft touches (granted IC looks cleaner).

For me the pinnacle of steel is when they started doing stuff like air hardened tubes, OS, shaped, etc. The index/ergos of that era are also amazing; for a combo of looks and performance, it doesn't get much better than 8 and 9sp alloy campy and Dura Ace 7700. We all have our preferences! I do LOVE what happened to tandems, tourers, and MTBs in the 80s.

I have to agree with you there! I've never had the opportunity yet to try the Campy- but I LOVE my DA7700. If yopu're gonna have brifters, them's the ones! My '97 Klein with the 7700 is the best bike I've ever owned/ridden. If only it had downtube shifter bosses! But otherwise, it's a hard bike to beat- I'd like to see how some of the Italian steel compares...but I'll bet the Klein can at least hiold it's own.