Hey, what's wrong with my purse?

Very interesting question, and tough. The way I thought about it, is there any bike in production right now that'll you'll be able to say in 20 years "2010 _________ in red and black" and bike people will all nod their heads and be able to picture it?

My criteria for this:
1. brand/model reputation for excellence, maybe some race winning pedigree
2. distinct design elements
3. consistency of those elements over several years

The problem with most modern bikes in this question is that they change their design so dramatically from year to year.

My nominees:

Cervelo soloist (now called S1, S2, S3, one being alu, two and three being carbon)



This bike is from 2006, but you can look at their 2010 frames, and they look very similar.

On the Super high end, the Pinarello Prince:



You guys will probably scoff, but people go absolutely crazy for that bike.


For your second question, a good all weather bike, a few years ago they stopped painting them this way, but they use to offer the cervelo soloist team in a grey anodized finish, it looked great, really resistant to chips and scratches, and they pop up on ebay from time to time for very reasonable prices. Here's a pic:

I agree with your selection of the Cervelo and Prince as potential classics. If you are going that way, you have to consider the Mandone. Lance made it so.

While I'm not sure that the two point of your question are related, I will take a stab at the first.

I think modern classics are the bikes that, for some reason or other, staying power. Sure, some new bikes are going to get thrown away, but others will probably continue to be sought after. They will get dug up over and over again. People will likely post threads like, "Can anybody tell me about this BMC?" or "Cervelo at a garage sale, any good?". The thread will have people post things like:

First poster:

"Nice bike! I have two Giant TCR SLs, both with older Dura Ace (7900), and I gotta say they get the job done. Their not as good as X, but can hold their own in a race and make great commuter. The best part is, that these frames were made with 130mm rear spacing so you can upgrade to a modern 1x20 internal gear hub and save some weight. "

Second poster:

"Yeah, $50 ain't bad. It looks like that drive side belt stay is cracked. You'll want to go to the LBS and get that rebonded before you ride it much. Shouldn't cost about $90 to have it done, but it will be worth it, since you should probably be able to get around $250-$300 for it depending on location."

Third poster:

"Don't listen to him! Your frame is damaged beyond repair! Only CDC (Center for Damage Control) certified persons can handle that frame. Never fear, I am certified and will dispose of it properly, at no cost to you. "

I really like the Serotta Coeur d'Acier
https://www.serotta.com/cda/index.html

Steel Frame, Carbon Fork, sweet styling....if it had a threaded stem I'd be completely smitten.

Well done! Very clever.

To paraphrase Justice Potter - "I can't define classic, but I know it when I see it."

We all have things we like and one of the best things about this forum is how different our tastes are. I don't understand how someone's grail bike can be a Trek, a Bianchi (no offense BG!)...or a Fuji, but that's me. I think the Cervello above has far more class and style than any Specialized I've ever seen, CF or not, but that's why there's chocolate and vanilla. I got a great deal on a Trek 660 a while back...purple...and to me that bike screamed flip, even though it was my size. I have no interests in Treks but someone who had far more interest in them than me ended up getting a dream frame. I got some parts I wanted.

I also think a lot of how much we enjoy the ride is a reflection of how much the bike fits our tastes and brand prejudices...you could have the smoothest, best riding Fuji on Earth and the worst riding Hetchins on Earth and I'm sure I'd prefer the Hetchins...because of how rare and interesting they are. To me, the mass produced stuff is boring and I tend not to like brands that make a ton of current low end stuff.

While it's safe to say that nearly anything top of the line will continue to be desired for years to come, here are some bikes that I think will probably be retain or regain popularity over time, if they are taken relatively good care of:

- Cervelo "S" series
- Specialized Tarmac, Roubaix, and TriCross
- Specialized S-Works E5
- Anything made out of Ti (especially Litespeed, Lynskey, and Moots) or Reynolds 853/953
- Colnago B-Stay models
- Pinarello Prince and Dogma
- Orbea Orca
- Trek Madone
- Virtually any Cannondale road bike
- Surly Long Haul Trucker
- Mercier Kilo TT
- lots of cross bikes, because it is now an established category and people have realized that a cross bike meets some peoples needs perfectly.

Many more will come to me soon...

I agree that a lot of Cannondale stuff will be remembered fondly....I don't particularly want one, but I've always thought there was something Cool and a bit different about em.

Independent Fabrications makes a Ti Cross bike you can get with a steel fork...that is my definition of near perfection. Some day!

Aaron,

Per usual you are going down the right road with this post. At least to me.

I have a nice 1977 Trek though, and its clean lines and style caught my eye. Is it a classic design to me? Sure, why not.

Is the Orca posted above a classic? Sure, why not?

Is this Kirk Terraplane (sorry!) I lifted from the Kirk web site a classic? To me, yes.



And I want one so bad I can taste it.

Dear Lord that's gorgeous...WOW. I'm afraid of even going to that site because I don't want to tempt myself.

That looks about as close as you can get to a Hetchins without getting a Hetchins. That Trek is going to make an awesome light tourer.

Say I had ~ $1000 to spend on a new bike, but I wanted it to be a "classic." My definition of classic contains the following:

Downtube or bar end shifters
all steel
relatively straight top tube
lugs preferred

Now, if it was to be a commuter, add these things:

2 water bottles (or at least one set of bosses and space for a clamp)
fenderable
relatively tall stem
wider tire capable.

That said, here would be my list:

Surly:
CrossCheck
Pacer

Fuji Connoisseur (although it would be out due to brifters)

Salsa Casseroll

Trek:
520
Portland

Raleigh:
Clubman
One Way


I could keep going, but long story short, if it looks like a classic, I'd consider buying it. I have absolutely no use for CF/Aluminum. IMO, they just look too chunky, most are hard to put fenders on, and CF isn't really up to the wet weather stuff like metal is.

ETA: As you didn't say what kind of bike you're looking for, I'd also throw in some city bikes, like the Pashley Soverign or Guv'nor, the Schwinn Willy or Coffee, Any kind of Dutch bike, the Flying Pigeon, or the Raleigh Superbe.

Although, if I was to go with a new bike, it'd probably be from the late '80's to early '90's. Then, you get aero brakes, indexing on the bar ends or down tubes (if that's your thing...it isn't mine, personally), and double or triple butted tubing, depending on your poison. IMO, a bike from that era is going to be more than modern enough to be comfortable, light and fast, but is already chipped in, if you catch my drift.

The Trek is almost finished. I rode it as a single speed tonight, and it handles like a champ. I'm just waiting on some Brooks tape and I'll post it, along with its new drive train if I get some time to cobble it together this weekend.

As for the Kirk pic I lifted, what a bike! I can't remember a custom bike I've liked looking at as much as this one.

There is a Curt Goodrich at an lbs nearby that I stop and drool over on a regular basis as well. That might count.

There is a creme colored Vanilla tourer on the brand's website that may qualify in my mind as well.

But Aaron, whatever you do, be careful going on that Kirk website. You will start dreaming of how many of my bikes do I have to sell to get one of these!

Too late...the damage was done. WOW. I wonder if my Merckx, De Rosa and Colnago would do it? It would be close

Good golly Aaron, I tried to warn you............

I'm preparing ads and pics for 3-4 bikes in the stable this weekend. For real.

Nahh...it's gorgeous, but I'd never give up the Merckx or De Rosa. Someday I'll get a custom...probably a Bilenky, but that Kirk was definitely amazing. I'd have to think very long and very hard about that incredible piece of machinery.

To quote my favorite gearhead author, Peter Egan, a classic is "Something that nevers gets old, even when it is."

I like that.

Rivendell?

For a modern collectible, I have my eyes peeled for a Cervelo Superprodigy.

A few thoughts:

I am not sure anything made yet from carbon will become a classic. Barring some technological breakthrough, carbon remains too fragile to sustain a long-term pre-owned market. Right now, where the oldest carbon frames are still pretty new, and likely to have only had 1 or 2 owners, you might trust somebody to sell you a used carbon bike.
But too many people have seen some kind of crazy exploded carbon bike picture to want to ride a carbon frame you found in a dumpster (like so many of us have with steel frames).

Someone mentioned,almost as a joke, that Surly bikes might go down as classics, but I think there's an argument to made for it.
-Their bikes are iconic, simple, and easy to picture.
-They're fairly revolutionary, in their own way. Each of their bikes has wide appeal but fills a niche nobody knew existed.
-They've been widely imitated.

As far as actually answering your question (modern alloy bike with a timeless feel)...
The first thought I had was 1990s Cannondale.

It's still got the classic silhouette of road bike, but the oversized aluminum tubing and seamless joints give it a very idiosyncratic modern look.

Aluminum has the same issues with fatigue factor that CF does. A lot of the people I'm talking to have said that while, in theory, CF and aluminum have fatigue factors shortening their lives...they are so over engineered that pretty much no riders are very likely to ever reach the point where it becomes an issue. It can happen in a crash, but it can happen to steel in a crash too. One of my co-workers is a structural engineer and he rides CF.

I agree on Surly...they sell a product that is very well tailored to a niche but that also has large appeal. They usually seem to be ahead of the trends and curves, not playing catch up (which is one of the signs of a classic brand).

If how long something will last is such a large determinant of what will be classic...more people should be talking about titanium. I have a feeling that Ti frames are going to be around long after we're all dead and buried. Future life forms will excavate titanium frames and wonder what they were.

I like that too. 'Timeless' is probably another word for it.

Love that blue Cannondale.

The guys on the roadie forums all rave about the CAAD9.

My money is on the GMC Denali

Sounds like you have the funds for a better "second" bike than most of my "first" bikes. In that regard, I agree with dudeona3V.