I don't value certain bikes the same way you do. Most of my pleasure comes from buying, researching and restoring them to the extent I am able. The process is enjoyable and as important to me as the finished product. I'm not going to degrade the condition of a bike I may have spent 2 years and many thousands of dollars fixing up just because I get the itch to ride it. I have other bikes for that.

To each his own. But when I look at Eddie Albert's 1937 Gloria, I see art and engineering. I don't have to ride it to be able to appreciate it and want to own it.

hey roadie,
from the top-
1979/80 de rosa professional sl strada, campagnolo s/record (original owner)
1986 vitus/bador 979, mavic/stronglight
1982 cambio rino crono, rino crono
1981 andre bertin c70, shimano dura ace ex (mrs.cat was riding this baby when we first met)

pics below were taken on a ride over the north cascades hiway in 1983




pics of their condition today-the derosa with approx 60-65k on her as mentioned and the missus' bertin at roughly 15k
-original paint, even the very same wheelsets,btw




best,
k

I can't see ever spending the money on a true one of a kind historical bike but if I did I would probably ride it on occasion. But the rest, ride 'em 'til they drop. Especially a restored bike. If you restored it once, you can restore it again. No big deal. If there were some really unique parts that could not be replaced I might remove and store them and use some substitute for regular riding.

Since I don't own any bikes of historic significance my opinion is purly academic.
I beleive in using the objects that I own for their intended purpose. For me the function is part of the art.

I don't want to be a caretaker or curator for rare objects although I can appreciate the rarity, beauty and engineering excellence in fine bikes and even cars.

I do own a somewhat rare and very desireable E30 M3 (if you are a BMW fan you will know that many consider this the only true M3). I drive it all year round and even on salty, snowy roads. I get grief from other BMW fanatics because eventually the shell will be consumed by rust. I don't care, as it is a joy to drive it in the snow with the winter wheels & tires. I even use it on the race track and risk losing it to a tire barrier or concrete wall.

I only keep things that serve a function and earn their keep, but that is just me.

BTW I am so glad I converted my 70's era bike to FG because I ride it often now. (still using sew-ups)

1050 miles on the Lotus Odyssey since mid July. Not bad for an 8(1?).

If I've restored it, and it's in good, safe condition, I ride it. Period.

Now, the conditions I ride under will often determine what bike I ride. Best instance is if I'm going to do a day's ride (50+ miles) and there's a good chance that I'll hit some rain in the process, my Rossin is definitely staying home, my Tour de France will probably stay home, while the Magneet and Trek 460 will be the rides for the day.

And if it's going to potentially be a real nasty day out, I take the Trek 2000T - it's powder coated and aluminum. I could care less what the weather is.

And I'd be one of those that would be horrified. Between the wife and myself, we've had two E36 M3's, and I hated taking them out in the rain, and wouldn't even consider snow and salty roads.

The track? That's another story. Screw up there, and at least the car went down in a manner of which it was supposed to be used. That's battle scars, not abuse.

the E30 M3 is nice, but what I really want is a 72 2002 tii. now that's a BMW.

marty

My neighbor had one of those when I was growing up. I always thought it looked like an upside down bathtub with wheels.

I'll take a fire engine red SD455 Trans Am with the big screaming chicken on the hood thanks.

How about a Rolls Phantom re-proportioned so it looks like a real car for a change (needless to say, plus widening).

-Kurt

in Molteni orange no less!

-Kurt

well I had to bring it back on topic

I have a 1977 Tom Ritchie built bike frame that I built up with Super Record components. I built it when I was living in Japan and still have it now. I ride it more now than I have in the past 20 years. Original paint and all. It took a lot of lawn mowing and early morning newspaper deliveries to pay for it. The wife wanted gone but after she found out the cost of some of the components that are on the bike she said it would be sold when I pass away. Everything is the same except for the tubular tires [I had to take the silks off this year because they were finally worn out and leaking],

If I had a Confente or some other bike of historical significance, no, I doubt I would ride it. I do think there's a cerebral appreciation to those bikes without having to put them on the road. I don't know that I would own one just for cerebral appreciation though so it's perhaps a moot point. I have an '84 Zeus that's never been on the road so I choose not to be the own to deflower it. That's really the only one and the the only reason that stays on rollers and that's just to keep the parts moving. Everything else—including the Simonetti Masi and the Kiefel 7-Eleven—get taken out, at least occasionally. Then again, so does the CSL.

Yep, I surley do ride my '76 Superior. As a matter of fact, I rode it today to try out the new Brooks B17 Champion saddle and a set of correct pedals that I just installed. Man that saddle is hard!

I've been greasing and repacking on the 70's touring Paramount I picked up last week, and the more I work on it, the more it appears that it may have less than 100 miles on it. No road wear, original warning stickers, reflectors, tires showing no discernible wear...and I don't think I can bring myself to put it into service as my bike. I'd want to ride it all year round and lock it up at work. My stopgap solution is to make it my wife's bike, which means light weekend duty in the summer only. It's a true time capsule and I don't want it to show evidence of my ownership (other than cleaning). I mean, it's got to be worth more in original condition, right?

Well, I intentionally buy bikes that have a bit of wear on them so that I don't feel bad about the inevitable road dings. I ride the heck out of an '81 Olmo, my mid 80s Merckx, and am overhauling a '74 Rauler that I fully intend to ride. When I bought the Olmo, I was intentionally looking for Super Record-equipped bike that I wouldn't feel like I needed to baby. It has plenty of wear already, so I feel no guilt if a little rain gets on it.

I sold a nearly NOS '80 Windsor Touring Elite partially because I couldn't bring myself to ride it in the winter slush (as I intended when I bought it). I took a nearly NOS Cilo and rode it in all weather until it took on a number of chips in the paint.

Oh well. That's the price of fully enjoying our hobby.

I own no bike in NOS condition, but a few showpieces... they all get ridden, nevertheless. Some maybe only once a year, but still i ride them. Of course, when the weather looks wet, i take my beater, and i put most of my mileage on that and on my 'good' modern bike.
I'm not dogmatic about it, though. If someone prefers not to ride a bike that he spent a long time assembling all the nice nos parts for it, its fine with me. Its just not my way of doing it...

i once saw an elderly british couple that had driven a pre-war Zagato Alfa on the road to participate the Mille Miglia:



i liked the car better than many of the super-restored museum pieces one can also see there, and i guess it endured the race better than many of those, too...

I wouldn't want a bike I couldn't ride. I bought my folder because it would be a shame to let it sit in a shed any longer. If some of the parts are bad, I replace them. The classics I like are the ones that are good enough quality to last forever, at least in part. For me, the beauty is in the fact that they can still be used.

Well .
I ride my Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra 88/89 (if this counts) Everyday.
I stop riding it as soon as the snow comes .
Then i take out one of my winter bikes . in the past the winter bikes ahve ben peugeots , this year it will be a Nishiki .
ride year round , but not when there is a ½ a meter of snow on the ground and it's a blizzard. those days i take the train .

Cheers
T

I ride my 1981 Puch A-D Steyer Reynolds 531 - all inc. fork, Campy where it counts, Mavic rims, etc...bought the frame through Sheldon Brown at Harris in Newton, Mass back then - customized the rest...Yes! I ride it. And there are very few, if any, left. The frames were a custom job in Austria that the buyer never paid/picked up for. Got it cheap(ish) at the time.

In fact - I just bought it a new toy - red Modolo Speedy brakes. Or will as soon as the auction is done.

I wanted a high wheel bike, but didn't want to trash a vintage bike while learning how to ride. So, I bought an accurate replica (i.e. not a 'Boneshaker' thing) that I love to ride, without worrying about ruining a real classic. Maybe someday I can get an original.
So, I've ridden my high wheel in parades, around in the rural countryside, and one century.

You ain't kiddin'.

After wrecking my 1984 Nishiki Olympic 12, I came across several older bikes that have filled the void. The most noteworthy is a 1966 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist. Of course I ride it.