Holy Sheet!
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-HISTORIC...QQcmdZViewItem

Quite a price!

Can someone explain to me why that's so special and worth more than a de rosa?

That is quite a piece. A local shop has a couple stumpjumpers with TA cranks... very early. The scene was big here in BC very early on as well and there were lots of early bikes hidden away, but that is a pristine breeze.

Can someone explain to me why they'd rather be on a mountain bike than a road bike?

I like what's left of my brain inside my head, thank you.

Did you read the description?

This is the handbuilt mould from which mountain bikes came. Joe and some of the others... like Gary Fisher... were mountain bike pioneers in the 1970s and were the first to conceive of the purpose built mountain bike. This is from a very small pool of the earliest frames. There are lots of De Rosa's out there, not many of these. That means demand is much higher for one of these especially in this museum quality condition.

Joe Breeze and his buddies may have been pretty wild and so to are the modern downhill riders, but there are many shades of mountain biking, many of which are much safer than road biking... no cars.

That bike is amazing but it isn't the series one. that's the one with a set of stays running from the headtube to the rear dropouts. That bike was listed on cl here for 6500.00. it looks like I should have bought it.

Honestly dudes,

If I was "RICH".. as some of you out there are (.. as in wouldn't miss 10 grand.. could care less) I would buy this bike and totally set it up to TOUR!!

I'd tour this place, then I'd tour that place.. I'd ride circles in my driveway. I'd ride it till the cows came home!

However, to buy a bike only to place it away as a museum piece? That's what Trust funds, investments, etc. are for. Cmon... LOL

Because a couple of wealthy yahoo bidders who rode these things back in the '70s want to get their hands on one. Simple.

-Kurt

It's a piece of history. Think about buying one of the first 25 track bicycles ever built. I don't know if it's worth that much to anyone. When I worked in a bike shop in the early '80s, we got one of the early mass produced mountain bikes in. Could not sell that thing no matter what we did.

hehe...I've been hit by a truck on my road bike, never did anything worse than scrape my shin on a mountain bike. Still prefer road bikes though :)

Just do a little research on Joe Breeze and the birth of the Mountain Bike. Even I, an avid vintage euro roadie, take my hat off to the guy. He can be credited to at least one of the guys that took a 1937 Schwinn from a bike shop in Santa Cruz and turned it into the first mountain bike. It would be the equivalent of someone in this forum finding a Major Taylor.

The quality looks to be beyond what most of us ride! It's like we are a bunch of Vintage Ferrari Collectors and we turn our nose up the second a 1964 Shelby Cobra Coupe ends up on the auction block... a little respect... remember Shelby showed Ferrari a thing or two in 1967.

Looks like a beautiful example of dedicated, quality frame building...

http://i6.ebayimg.com/02/i/001/08/8d/356e_3.JPG

I've had my bell rung quite unexpectedly on a mtn bike.

I thought I would like to try it again when I started spending more time in AZ. I discovered that when you fall (and you do) in AZ, it is on a sharp rock or sharper cactus.

I'm old, but like riding fast, and being old, my mind does wander at times. I can hold a line on a road bike, there is no such thing on a mtn bike.

No thanks, I've been hit on the road, but I'll take my chances.

To each his own.

The welds on that frame are more intricate and flawless than any british or italian (I'm not saying french cause everyone knows their shat sucks, but I love my gitane nonetheless) bike ever. Joe breeze is a crazy perfectionist and these bikes show it. Charlie Cunningham was a perfectionist to the nth power, he gave birth to mainstream aluminum bikes. I don't think any of the bikes came from santa cruz though, a little bay area rivalry. Has anyone seen Klunkerz? This is a great film about the origins of mountain biking and required viewing for any C&V member.

I wasn't trying to be disrespectful I just didn't (maybe still don't) see what the big deal (the price is astronomical let's admit it) is over a 1980 mountain bike.

This is one of the first production mountain bikes. not only is it an amazing piece of work (as you can see), it was the first mountain bike that you could buy ready built.

You could say the same of the De Rosa posted here a few weeks ago. You could say the same for an Alex Singer or Herse. What's the big deal about those? The bid deal is that ALL of these bicycles represent a pinnacle of their respective field. And really should not be dismissed because of a lack of interest.

I'm interested in the Breeze because, one, it's a bicycle, and, two, it utilizes several high quality designs and components that were very much inspired and chosen from the very bikes this forum focuses on! Notice the Campagnolo rear dropouts and headset, TA Triple crank, MAFAC brakes, 531 tandem fork components, Brooks saddle... hell, I feel like I'm describing a Rene Herse or Alex Singer and not some bike made by a 1970's Bay Area California counter culture.

I'm very much into vintage cars as well... and the parallels that run through my head between vintage bikes and vintage cars amuses me... I thought it was really great that last year was the first year the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance had a category for vintage American hot rods. '32 rodded Ford Highboy's sitting right next to Ferrari 250 GTO's...

because it's awesome :love:

Ah, Gary Fisher invented the mountain bike! :-)

You've answered your own question.