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Sometimes it can be a self-supporting hobby, often times not so much. like others the reasons are wide and varied. Sometimes I equate it to a treasure hunt when I find a neglected and run down but very nice quality bike at a thrift shop or rummage sale. Sometimes I end up helping someone out, I recently found a decent but cheap Trek mtb that just needed oil and adjustments, sold it for cheap to a dad buying a bike for his son who lost his license and needed transportation to get to work. Sometimes I will hang onto parts taken off a scrap bike just waiting for the right frameset to use the parts on. And sometimes I’ll have the parts to help someone else complete a build. But mostly I just enjoy tinkering with bikes and riding them when I can. Keeps me somewhat sane and out of trouble at times. |
I moved from Porsche to bicycle and enjoy it so much more. The simplicity of the mechanisms used on vintage bikes is pure genius as it works very well for decades before it starts to fail. Not so with autos. Add to this the affordability factor and the grins provided on the first test ride, it is as close to wonderful as one can get. Never experienced this level of enjoyment with the sports car. With them it was more along the lines of "I can't believe they designed this POS like this! What were they thinking??!" I believe I was the wrong person for that hobby.
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Originally Posted by raria
(Post 20608764)
I never appreciated the cost angle, but its a good point. Bicycles haven't changed that much so a great bike 30 years ago is still a great bike but just a lot cheaper.
And chrome. One mustn't underestimate chrome. |
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I always fall for a good speil and when someone is swooning over a bike, I just have to see what it's all about. You just don't get that with the new bikes. Just listen to Robbie talk up the Ironman, you'd think it deserves a place next to the holy hand grenade of Antioch.
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Originally Posted by oddjob2
(Post 20608607)
I used to tinker with department store bikes as a kid, then bought a LeJeune a year before getting my drivers license. However, neither suburban NJ or Ithaca NY are good places to ride; too much traffic, narrow streets, and big hills.
In Ann Arbor, I rode a fair amount, particularly to UM football, campus, my office, Gallup Park, Dexter, etc. Also, there was a steady market of college students and faculty/staff in need of transit bikes. Towards the end of the Great Recession, I found a renewed passion for bicycles and greatly increased my collection, all funded by acquiring, refurbishing, and selling bikes. I have about 30 bike hooks in my garage and want to limit my road bike collection to about that many, plus a tandem and a few MTBs. In the eastern suburbs of Detroit, bike riding is preferred to auto transit. The streets are wide, the traffic moves slow, it's flat, and the architecture is stupendous. Whether working out at the gym, taking in a movie, going yachting, visiting my mom in assisted living, chores, it's more fun with a ride. |
Originally Posted by curbtender
(Post 20608836)
Just listen to Robbie talk up the Ironman, you'd think it deserves a place next to the holy hand grenade of Antioch.
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There's a reptilian angle....something about top tube size....and non-fiction.
:innocent: |
A, B, C, and D. I'm 27 years old so can't say it's nostalgia but older bikes are more beautiful in my opinion. Modern bike are like modern cars, they all look the same to me. When I see a classic car on the road, it stands out because it has character and style. |
Originally Posted by bikemig
(Post 20608504)
I think they're cool; others may differ. The differences between vintage and modern bikes is not that great. And I love working on them and restoring them. I like drinking a beer or two, listening to music, and working on an old bike.
^This. To me working on vintage bikes is relaxing, and there is that sense of accomplishment when you solve an issue, or bring a bike back from the grave. Also, as others have said, vintage bikes have “the look”, they are much more aesthetically pleasing to me than their modern counterparts. They are from an era where there was a great marriage of form and function (especially high end models). |
They say you always remember your... first
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Old bikes are better.
- They were built to last. Means it’s possible to restore a seemingly wrecked bike to perfect mechanical condition again - They are simple. Means it’s easy to work on them - They are usually heavier. Means i can eat more chocolate withour growing a belly. |
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e) Because women love old guys on older bikes. Seriously, though, there is a tie to the vintage cars. I love asthetics and the feel of old cars and trucks, plus ease of maintenance. Unlike old cars, bikes are less expensive. Also, I love the feel of old steel and performance is about equal to a new one. |
Even if it ain't broke you can still fix it. But you don't have to.
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I like vintage everything... bikes, clothes, cars... everything. It’s not a nostalgia thing for me, it’s about the design and construction methods that are generally superior and more handmade. Cost is also an issue... I still haven’t spent more than $100 on a bike and I’ve had some nice ones. |
Originally Posted by top506
(Post 20608593)
Pretty much everything RobbieTunes said.
And for the record, we each own more that one Ironman. I don't know what that means, but there it is. Top The initial list is pretty close for me. Very few vintage bikes bring more than $2,000 at auction. More than $1,000 is by far the exception. One other note. One car takes as much space as about 10 bicycles. :) |
Originally Posted by USAZorro
(Post 20609189)
One other note. One car takes as much space as about 10 bicycles. :) |
I don't have a garage and I can't fit an '72 Corvette in my basement.
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Reasons...
Originally Posted by seedsbelize
(Post 20608529)
All of the above. Modern plastic bikes are just butt ugly, expensive, I don't have the tools or knowledge to work on them. A 30-50 year old road bike is a thing of beauty, to look at, to ride, and to work on.
Originally Posted by Giacomo 1
(Post 20608537)
This^^^^
I can actually sit in my garage and admire my bikes for their beauty and symmetry. My guess is most roadies that ride the latest CF bikes don't really do that. Its more or less a tool for them and maybe I'm wrong, but beautiful they are not. Oh, one more thing, this is a very nice community to be a part of. Vintage guys are just nice people to be around. |
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
(Post 20608628)
A new 6 cylinder Camry will outperform a 66 GTO in nearly ever metric possible- but it's not just about that.
For road bikes there's weight saving, but that's not really relevant for my roadster which isn't used in a mountainous area. A simular modern bike would have more gears that I don't need, and it would be a bit less heavy, which I don't care about. It would be more likely to get stolen, it would not have rodbrakes and it wouldn't be as reliable and probably wouldn't last as long, even with it's 40 years younger advantage. So my vintage bike outperforms modern bikes on the things I find important. |
Originally Posted by bikemig
(Post 20608504)
I like drinking a beer or two, listening to music, and working on an old bike.
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I have a modern 17lb carbon hydraulic disc brake race bike. Being totally honest I have to addmit it's the best bike I've ever owned in almost every way. It's simply amazing. If I was told I could only keep one bike for the rest of my life it would be one of my vintage bikes. I like the simplicity, I like the way they look and I like the ride. I'm 50 years old and I like bikes from the 80's because that's when I started road cycling and it's my favorite decade. Seems like everything in general changed for the worst on Jan. 1 1990, every decade since then has sucked. Music, fashion, culture, attitudes of humans, everything sucks. So riding my vintage bikes takes me back to a better time.
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a + d off your list, 3alarmer's e (thought he said old not odd, but either works for me), all of Robbie's list, particularly #2 . Also, I'm somewhat homebound caring for my wife and need projects to keep me occupied. Definitely cheaper than vintage cars or tractors. Styggno's 1 evolves into 2 classics does occur! Don
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Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
(Post 20608628)
A new 6 cylinder Camry will outperform a 66 GTO in nearly ever metric possible- but it's not just about that.
Originally Posted by Cl904
(Post 20609109)
I like vintage everything... bikes, clothes, cars... everything. It’s not a nostalgia thing for me, it’s about the design and construction methods that are generally superior and more handmade. Cost is also an issue... I still haven’t spent more than $100 on a bike and I’ve had some nice ones.
Most modern bikes just have no soul. |
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