dixonge

Actually, there is NO serial number on the bottom bracket. I haven't found one anywhere on the frame yet. The bottom bracket is covered by a plastic piece with channels for cabling.

mackerel

With the classic and vintage designations, where does "antique" fit in?

RobbieTunes

Man, I've been on the wrong forum all this time. Most of my bikes are too new, most of my bikes are too big, I don't know nearly enough about them, the list goes on and on....

However, when I go to a group ride, all I have to do is say "good morning" to someone on a classic steel lugged bike, and I know I'm in the right place.

Then there's the beer connection....

-holiday76

weather it's c or v or neither only matters on the internet.

Kommisar89

You actually see people like that? As far as I can tell I'm the only person in town that rides a classic steel lugged bike. Seriously only on very rare occasions have I run across someone on anything resembling a C&V bike and then it's typically a late 80's - early 90's pseudo modern bike that they've just owned since it was new so it's just their old bike, not anything they would consider C&V. This is a lonely hobby if you're looking for other C&Vers to ride with.

bikemeister

and

Disclaimer: no innocent bicycles were damaged in the formation of this opinion!

Doohickie

Yes, it's usually me.

The Saturday before last though, one of the regulars didn't have is normal bike due to some repair, so he rode this gem:



Yes, that's a '73 Schwinn Varsity.

Fivethumbs

For me it has to have no more than 8 speeds and must have a quill stem. I just watched my 1992/1993 Paris Roubaix videos and all the bikes had a very classic/vintage vibe.

dixonge

The guys at the bike shop discovered them. They are lightly stamped into the tube running from the bottom bracket up to the seat. The men's is DS00924?59 and the woman's is DS00924741.

I'm not sure if that actually gives me any date help. Next up, component numbering!

tatfiend 

U.S. Customs says 100 years old as does the British Antiques Roadshow IIRC though newer items have been featured many times. Customs duty is not charged on antiques when imported so apparently true antique status is a matter of law.

ginsoakedboy

Hmmm, Bridgestone pulled out of the US market after the '94 model year. That was the end of an era as far as I'm concerned.

Kommisar89

I don't put much stock in those legal definitions though - nothing magic happens at 100 years that makes a 1909 item different from a 1910 item. For that matter I don't really think you should take a generic term like "classic" or "vintage" or even "antique" and try to ascribe a specific date to it. I think it's more important to look at the item as a whole and see where it fits into the overall timeline of items of that type. Typically with any item you can identify periods where most items of that type used similar materials, manufacturing techniques, styling etc. With bicycles we can see a period from roughly the mid 1930's to the early 80's where there is a strong continuity of all of those things. So I would argue that before the 1930's is the antique period for bicycles. The other end is more problematic. Despite what so people seem to feel, there was a not date when we all woke up and found that bicycles were completely different. There was a gradual change over a period of years, starting around 1984 and finishing around 1992 during which many small changes took place that when taken in total changed the C&V bicycle to the modern bicycle. So 1983 for the purist and 1992 for the more liberal collector would be excellent cutoff dates for C&V. I don't see this as a sliding scale. Bikes made from 1992 until sometime in the early 2000's perhaps have their unique characteristics but are clearly different from the 30's - early 80's bikes. Perhaps as time passes and people start to consider those bikes to be collectable the catagories will stabilize with one being 1935 to 1983 and the other being 1984 to 2000 or so.

USAZorro

Look where you live. Around here (which isn't really all that big a place), if I don't move on something quickly, it will disappear. We're far from the majority, but there's at least 10 people I know who live within an hour's drive who have this same infirmity.

Batman_3000

Very much depends on the individual, and where you live. My personal definition is aero cable and non-indexed may qualify as classic and/or vintage, anything with Shimano isn't vintage and never will be. But then, I'm well into my 40's, so this is stuff I rode as a kid. As to where you live, that means availability. Here in France, I'm surrounded by cheap quality gear. A px10, a Motobecane "Le Champ", none of that qualifies as collectable, just uninteresting mass produced stuff now available in near pristine condition for 30 euros. On the other hand, I know guys here who would proudly collect a Ford Pinto, because it's American, and rare. Heck, even met a guy a month ago who paid 15 000 euros (20 000 bucks) for a Ford Anglia estate. When I was a kid, you'd have rather jumped over a cliff than be seen dead in a Ford Anglia estate. It's all down to availability. And I admire a guy who collects early MTB's just as much as a guy who collects Rene Herses or Masis. It's the pleasure you get out of it that counts.

And the main thing is not to be intimidated by other "collectors" into making herd choices. Collect what you want. Collect what you can afford. And above all, if you are collecting something, and a guy tells you it ain't collectable, either he has a chip in his shoulder, or he is jealous, or he doesn't know anything about collecting.

bikegeekmn

I never really bought into "classic" or "vintage",I think the dates should be different for a road bike or a mountain bike .I would say "outdated" or "older",it is the stuff I love and for the most part it is cheap or even free(sometimes).Do we really need to use these terms to make it seem more worthwhile?That been said I do'nt think an "older"catagory would sound all that good on bf(but I would be on it more than some of the others).

Kommisar89

Yeah, no doubt there are at least a few dozen C&V enthusiasts in the front range area. I've seen maybe 3-4 posting here on the forum and a few over on the CR list. But that's out of a population of 5 million or so. When I ride here in town by myself or with a club or when I go on a century or charity ride in the area, I just don't see other C&V bikes and riders on a regular basis. Now granted, it wouldn't be hard to miss a late 80's bike from a distance so maybe I've passed a few of those without noticing it but it couldn't be that many.

Maybe I should try to put together a front range C&V ride and see who crawls out of the woodwork.

Kommisar89

Outdated & Older doesn't sound nearly as good as Classic & Vintage

top506

For what it's worth, a Viscount Aerospace Pro (c 1976) lacks lugs and is equipped with Shimano drivetrain comps, including the vaunted 'Crane' RD. I would call that both classic and vintage.
I do agree on where you are effecting the market. A few years ago I sold and shipped a 16" Haro BMX style bike from the USA to France. Bike and shipping were about $700.
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dixonge

Full set of photos in the Univega Appreciation thread, but here ya go, my 1991 Rover STI

vinfix

What qualifies as classic & vintage depends on your perspective, how old you are. To somebody in their 20's, maybe something from the 90's with no carbon is classic. To somebody in their 40's, like me, that's practically brand new! For myself, C&V is 80's and older.