Ha, but I'm not asking how to quit. I'm just asking how to "manage" it so I can be a functioning addict.


*sorry for all the individual replies, but I'm trying to get to 10 posts so I can throw up some links.

This also explains the state of the vintage muscle car market. Enough guys want what was cool when they were first smitten to make it a challenge to find 60's Mustangs, Firebirds, and so forth.

Yep, that stuff is out of control. My father and I watch those auctions and shake our heads.

Wonder what will happen in another 20-30 years when all the owners start dying off and the next generation simply doesn't care as much.

If you're in Italy, you should be able to get some deals we would call "screaming" here in the US. Check out ebay Italy and whatever is equivalent to craigslist. I wouldn't exactly fill a container, but I would grab whatever I could manage.

I'm back in NY now (and I live here now), but I still get back over there pretty often. I only talk about filling a container because at that point the shipping cost per bike would be pretty darn reasonable. But, as Billy Joel once said, "It's just a fantasy." For now. "Sometimes a fantasy..."

Now that I've crossed the Rubicone (made 10 posts), I can finally share the bikes that are currently keeping me from getting any work done:

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/b...222390382.html

https://newyork.craigslist.org/que/b...197321048.html

Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?

The Basso is sweet. The Lotus - meh. On the Lotus, the Shimano 600 parts are decent, and the frame isn't bad, but a bike that came with suicide levers and has a kickstand on it is entry level.

On the Lotus, the guy seems to have no clue. This is his second listing. The first was at $1, and when I emailed me he asked for $250. In that first ad, he had a closeup of the tires, which clearly say 700cc, so he is confused. I offered him $150 last night, and he replied "Hi, I just list the bike, I can drop the price but no such dramatically, this is the best bike I have for now, Vyacheslav."

Those levers aren't original (as far as my research suggests), but everything else seems to be. Supposedly this was on the higher end of the Lotus range, for whatever that is worth, and I really dig the colors!

I looked closer, and the frame is quite nice. A shot close enough to be able to make out the tubing sticker would have been helpful.

I do like that Basso though. Almost nice enough to make me think to pass up a Raleigh.

Prices of collectibles is a well studied subject. In your example the car prices are rising as the older men now have enough money to pay for those items they wanted in their youth. This will reach a peak and as you suspect prices will crash as that generation dies off. Then prices will remain low for a long time until scarcity will drive a small rebound for a few select items. I tried to look up some of the studies but I can't post a link yet anyway. In my case I've got a boatload of Heathkit electroncs that's in the long low price phase. Oh well.

For the Lotus (scroll down to the data sheets at the bottom. This is an '86):
Lotus Legend Bicycle

It's either Tange #1 or #2, double butted. Shimano 600 EX throughout, aside from the bars, stem and seatpost. Listed at 22lbs for the 54cm model, and from what I understand, that is quite respectable.

I don't think I'm being rash here. I think both bikes are pretty solid prospects/values.

I'd be curious to read about that. For some reason, I am fascinated about all talk and analysis of pricing, and that probably explains part of the appeal with the vintage bikes.

My interests tend to wane once the bike is past the 80's, so I'll latch onto that life-ring. I think in the grand scheme of things, Basso has a slightly better reputation than Lotus, but that is a frame that's worth coveting.

A couple other considerations could be the type of riding you intend to do, and which bike looks to be the better candidate for it, and which seller you feel like dealing with. Unless the Lotus has crushed stays from the kickstand, I think you'd be in a good spot with either offering.

...so if that's the original fork, I'd be curious about how the conversion to threadless was done. It's a Cromor bike, which is not a big deal, just means it was a little cheaper in the lineup originally. But I don't understand your description of the frame based on the catalog descriptions.

I don't have much else to add, other than my personal tastes on something like that find the addition of threadlessness in the headset and ergonomic bars fugly. So for me, those would be additional expenses for ownership and riding. But everyone's different.

Thanks for the feedback. Problem is that I kinda want them both. Maybe give them an extended test and sell the one I like less?

Sorry if I caused some confusion. The talk of Tange tubing was in reference to the Lotus, not the Basso.

But this particular model of Basso seems to be hard to nail down. The catalog page you posted is actually from the 1992 catalog (you can see it here: https://www.birota.ru/catalogues/index.php?g=b&b=298), and in any case yellow/green is not one of the color combinations offered.

If you look at this catalog page (the file name says 1990, but I don't see it written there), they list Columbus SL/SP tubing, but again there is no yellow/green color combo available. It's a head scratchier.

They're both good bikes, both priced well.

The majority of bikes purchased during my 4ish years of riding have gone away; some quickly, some hung around a while. But nearly all of them, when it came time to sell, sold at a break-even or better price after being refurbished and ridden for a while.

But each one taught me something about what I like (or don't) in a bike or components, or how to fix something I hadn't before, or how to screw up something I hadn't before. Sometimes all of those in a single bike.

So for me, buying a crapload of bikes over time has been loads of fun. And frustration. But mostly fun, and for not a lot of dollars overall. At this point I only own three: a dedicated commuter/utility bike and two nice riders. I still check CL at least several times a week. As mentioned earlier, over time I've gotten a much better sense of what really interests me and I don't buy as much as I once did... but I couldn't have gotten here without cycling through (HA! I'm leaving the unintended pun!) all those others and learning what works for me.

Buy, man, BUY!!!!

Oh, and a final note/warning: Bike-related accessories are the real money pit.

OK, that's it... this was the push that I was secretly hoping for. I'm gonna go for both.

Will make more serious offers to both sellers, to lay the groundwork for appointments to see them.

With a little luck, they'll still be there by the time you arrive.

IMHO more people are drooling over vintage Italian bikes than all the rest combined. Then come the Paramounts. Then come the French & English bikes. After that all you're left with is Japanese stuff. (And, Taiwan of course). So, buy Italian if you seriously want to break even later. Buy Japanese if you just want to have fun and don't care if you blow money. And, (sorry if I hurt anybody's feelings) don't bother buying any vintage bikes at all if you're interested in making a profit.

Hey, I know you are local, so don't get any funny ideas... (winky face)

I'm definitely not trying to make a profit on these bikes, and at prices in these ranges, I'm not even concerned with eventually breaking even. Appreciate the general advice though, for future endeavors.

Ha, don't worry. I'm not buying any bikes these days. I have a nice 55cm Bianchi Volpe I'd be happy to sell, from about 1996.

[MENTION=396076]ramzilla[/MENTION] is probably right about how Italian bikes hold their values, at least at the top levels. Paramounts have some crazy high values, too.

On the Basso, components are really blah, its all about the frame. If the fork is original, DEAL. If its not, I'd pass. If you buy that Basso, you will be swapping out components.

The Lotus is a high end model for that brand. Components are better than the Basso, and of course, its cheaper too (almost any Japanese model will be cheaper than an Italian bike, so I would expect a difference).

One big turn off on the Lotus is the 27 inch wheels. Bike originally came with very nice 700c wheels. I would discount it quite a bit because of this, something more like $150 if it has 27 inch wheels. Wheels look pretty good, so seller could be wrong on the wheel size!! While 27 inch wheels were common on vintage bikes, they tended to show up on touring models, and lower end recreational bikes. Racing models like the Legend came with 700c.

I can tell you from experience, nice bikes will keep coming your way. So I would never assume you are going to keep them long term. Out of my long term keeper fleet from five years ago, I only have one of them left. The rest moved on. So avoiding over paying for them eliminates the sting you will feel when you decide to let them go.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm pretty sure the Lotus has 700c wheels, because this is actually the second ad he posted, and in the first ad a closeup shot of the tires shows 700c. The guy doesn't seem to have a clue about the bike, so I'm not surprised. I'm going to see it tomorrow night after work, so I'll let you guys know how it goes.


Regarding the Basso, I'm with you 100%. I made him a pretty low offer right from the start, and when he responded negatively, I told him the mishmash of parts was a big turnoff. I'm trying to make an appointment to see it as well, so I'll make sure to check out the fork, but the pics make me think it matches.