I seriously reduced my herd last year when I moved from Houston. Thankfully this town has WAY less bikes than Houston, tucked awayin garages, sheds, and barns. When I do find something I feel like I deserve it, for the effort involved. Plus, who the hell would pass up an 85 Trek 600 for $75, or a third from the top 75 Fuji Ace for a buck?? I feel thankful for the two finds I've had here, but almost more than that, I want to get rid of the bikes I no longer need. It's hard to sell vintage bikes around here.,,,,BD

So mine is headed along like usual, but with slower on the acquiring side. I appreciate quality over the most expensive pantographed Italian super bikes. I guess I am just wired that way. I guess I am for the underdog huh?

I am unloading my top end stuff and looking for French gaspipe. With 27 x 1 1/4 tires they ride great.

At the moment, I feeling very content. I have several nice bikes that need restored so I not seeking more project (although if a good one presents itself, I will certainly pursue it). Unintentionally, it has become noticeably Japanese. These are the opportunities that have presented themselves. I have aquired several nice Treks which have made nice flips. If anything, I would like to find a nice English bike from 70's.

I'm not downsizing, usually occasional sales to fund purchases and components needed. I'm temted to thin the herd by a bunch to fund the purchase of the "grail" bike, but would I be happy then? No I doubt it, I love the hunt, seeing a bike at a yard sale and turning around hoping there isn't a sold sign on it. Then getting it home rolling up my sleeves and getting to work, much like Dick Van**** in chitty chitty bang bang when he begins work on the car. Love it all.

Mine are going out the door...I'm downsizing.

Like others, I'm consolidating and upgrading. Older frames, newer components.

Last year at this time I was riding a Super Course and an 80s Cannondale, now it's a Ti Merckx and an Indy Fab (with an MX Leader being currently built).

I think I have everything I need now. I can't see myself passing up a good deal, but I'd like the overall population figures to stabilize or shrink. I will continue to tinker with, and perhaps improve, the ones I have.

Nope. We're all downsizing, riding more, losing weight, spending more time with the family, and generally improving ourselves.

The only thing I'm downsizing is my available storage space.

I'm mostly in a holding pattern right now, no more in or out (exceptions are possible though!). Most of my bikes were bought because they "spoke" to me, someday I will move some out but right now I just ride and maintain them. Some get ridden way more than others, but all get ridden.

And I thought I was getting bad with bikes in four different rooms in the house in addition to the garage!

DD

OK, famous last words: I don't think I'm trying to grow the collection any further. (But if a Singer or Herse or JT fell into my lap...)

I'm diligently NOT looking at eBay, Craig's List or Re-cycle as much as humanly possible to avoid the temptation of yet another great save. I'm happy with my stable of "fast-ish" road bikes - the Freschi, Colnago, and PX-10 fit the bill nicely, thank you very much. I've got a sweet randonneur-style set up on my P8 and a more classic randonneur in the Shogun. A recently acquired Super Course has the patina to be a great neighborhood rider and nlerner's former Falcon San Remo is living a life of ease as a three-speed IGH club racer. The Follis hangs from the ceiling looking great. The only thing in the back of mind is (possibly) a 650B randonneur build... less because I need that particular style of ride and more because I welcome new challenges. (Plus, I'm a little curious about Jan Heine's 650B ideas and would like to find out for myself.) Long story short: my bikes are for riding; I can't ride all of these enough as it is; I'm selling the Cannondale first chance I get because the Freschi leaves it in the dust and the Shogun is flat out more comfortable. My interests are road and touring bikes and I don't have a burning lust for balloon tired cruisers, banana seats, or teeny-tiny BMX racers - nor do I have any interest in wooden wheels or high wheelers or fixed gears: the world of road and touring bikes is rich enough to hold my interests for the immediate and foreseeable future. If anything, I'll be upgrading componentry, lighting, hubs and wheels where quality or period-correctness is marginal ... but not at the expense of ridability.

Purpose, direction? Of what do you speak? Why would I want any part of my life to be in proper order?

I do know that after attending the CR gathering that I currently have nothing anyone there would want to see, save one bike that's getting close.

But in general, I'm trying to buy only one of the top two models from any line, and cheaper than in the past. For example, I wasn't looking for a PXN10, but when one popped up on CL for $75, I couldn't restrain myself.

I've been saying I'm downsizing for some time but in truth I have more bikes now. Just fewer that I can ride.

After really enjoying riding my '84 Guerciotti for a couple of solid years in the mid '00's, I came to the realization that I had a choice to make:
- Stop riding the bike so much in order to preserve its original condition (The prospect of paying a premium on eBay or elsewhere for original replacement parts was daunting)
- Stop caring about preserving the original condition and just RIDE

I chose the second option.
Since the bike was in pristine condition (it literally had less than 100 miles on t when I bought it) with full pantographed SR and Bullseye pulleys, I sold the bike.
My present C&V ride -the Marinoni- was purchased as an already tainted frameset for a song on CL, and as such was a perfect candidate to do with whatever I please, with a focus on making a bike I will enjoy riding, using new and old components to build it up. It is still a work in progress and will be transformed from its present "porteur" configuration to a "Gran Fondo" drop-bar road bike with an 11 speed IGH.

As far as future C&V prospects? I'd really like to get a Dutch bike or English roadster. A DL-1 would suit me nicely.

I want to downsize a bit, but not by much.

I have
Fuji sports 10 as the Grocery bike, complete with baskets, that I can leave locked to things.
Univega Grand Touring - Bar end shifters, rack, braze on a plenty, that I can take anywhere. Needs a shorter stem I think.
Focus - This is my "faster than the univega" bike. Lighter, no racks, no nuthing. I like to take this one with me when I travel locally, its got 25 dollars invested into it.
Pinarello - I want to get rid of this bike. It's too small for me, but nobody wants tho whole bike, since it's not 100 percent correct on group.
The Bianchi is my GF's, so thats not going anywhere
I'm building a Mixte for her to ride in town, to the store, etc
Now I'm also building a 73 Liberia for her as a kin to my focus.

Then the mountain bikes.

So Really, I only want to thin out one bike.

I'd like to get a nice classic bike in my size, but I'm too tall for most expensive vintage bikes.

I'm staying mostly with the status quo .... not really looking too hard to sell or buy. I'd like a Jack Taylor someday, but I'm not actively searching. Things tend to fall in my lap at times.

Scott

Direction? My collection is supposed to have a direction?

I pretty much operated on the idea of "I see it. I like it. Therefore I will buy it." for several years. I think that served me rather well.

Now I am targeting only a few specific bikes with no plans to obtain any others. Since my targets are few and very specific, I probably am not buying any more.

I only have two C&V bikes in my collection, if you can call it that......
Just really looking for one more to top it off and they are down to any of three bike framesets.

1) Mid 80's Columbus tubed Gitane Pro.
2) Mid 80's Peugeot PY10FC.
3) Mid-late 80's "Lozenge" tubed (Aero) Vitus 979.

If I find any or of these in 54 to 56cm size and in really good (preferrably close to mint or even NOS so no refinishing or new decals will be needed) condition and at a price I can afford at the time I do find it, I could be done with my collection.
I pretty much have all the French components to build up any of these bikes. Except for the seatpost that will have to be determined (size-wise) when the frame is aquired.

Thought of doing at least one high line All Italian bike last year as the last/third bike in my collection, but just got turned off by the really high prices for components and parts that come with it (never mind the frame....). So that foray into 80's Italian bikes is cancelled indefinitely, unless I dig up some gold nuggets one day in my backyard or something...... And nahhhh...I'll never get into new "modern" bikes with brifters, ergo bars, and compact frames as I just can't get over their ugly (to me) aesthetics.
JMOs

Chombi

I follow my swedish Monark theme. That meant downsizing a bit. Space is my dilemma, so all my C&V Crescents had to go, even the 1979 with full Dura Ace (black line). I´ve requried yet another -70´s Monark 10 sp sports edition. I´m building on it right now to make it handle longer touring with heavy equip. New wheel for heavier duty, brownish Brooks theme and stylish bar. Front rack. Brown campa brakes (almost NOS). Havent yet decided as to keep the Simplex derailleur. The Monark list:

* 1973 Monark 319 (Reynolds, Shimano 600)
* 1970 Monark folding bike
* 1970ish Monark Sport
* 1970ish Monark Sport
* 1999 Monark Tempo (last Monark road bike)

and some other bikes brandwise.

Unfortunately, I think I should probably move more toward the modern -- not because I like the bikes, really, but for PR and political reasons.

I'm on my city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, and I do a lot of other bike-advocacy work, and it's a pretty small city, so I'm quite visible on the street (and on TV -- apparently, people actually watch the local-government channel. Who knew?). Strangers are constantly telling me that they've seen me riding. While I love my old, quirky bikes, I feel like I need to be a model for the emerging mainstream. I love being geeky about old machines, but that's not going to attract the non-hobbyists. So, less DL-1, more Breezer Uptown 8. And then there's the helmet issue...

Anybody else in this position?

I don't really care, or look for much of anything, though anything I get now is pretty much gonna have to be high end. I've sold off more stuff than I've picked up lately, and that is likely to continue. I'm likely to continue to pick up the occasional flipper as well. There's a couple things I would not mind having-- a Tom Kellogg built Ross being one, but if I don't find it, okay.

This year, the pickups are: Waterford 1250, Viner Special Professional, and a Serotta Track bike. All were pretty stupid cheap, in my book, the Waterford at 300 being the most expensive. All pretty up there-- the Viner is the beater. Whatever else comes my way, I shall accept with as much due grace as I can muster. I've cleared out a lot of the "projects" I'll never work on; there are a few more.

I like going to the swaps, so that is likely to continue on. I'm happy and I like this hobby, and predict it and I will contiue to shift, grow and move. Although in what direction, I do not care to predict.

I am done adding to my meager collection for a long time as I feel I have everything I need for any kind of ride. However, ftwelder's recent thread about restoring an 1898 Nashua has given me aspirations of resurrecting a 19th century steed myself; but this wont be possible for me yet for a long while...

Man, ride whatever you want. The average person prolly doesn't know the difference between an Alex Singer and a Breezer Uptown 8, or even a Roadmaster Mount Fury. They can, however, identify all three as bicycles.

Fuji's and Trek's.

I started with this:



C&V tips led me to this:



Success at finding/rescuing bikes led to this:



I need to flip most of my inventory so that I may concentrate on this:



I'd like to end up with several well-made bikes, one for each use -- racer, randonneur, touring, grocery-getter, city commuter, mountain, cyclocross, etc.