lotek 

This is what the thread is about, not class struggle, not cliques or anything else. Again
I'm not saying they don't exist, but that wasn't the way I read the first post.
Yes its fun to blow by a $4K bike, but who's to say what that person is thinking, or
what their attitude towards vintage bikes is?
Does an old bike ride "better" than my Serotta? no, it has a different ride, not better
not worse.

Sometimes I wish we could just read a thread for what it is and not inject
all sorts of "hidden agendas" into it.

Sometimes a bike is just a bike.
Marty

Seeker

My statement which you quoted was meant to be anti clique-ish. Yeah when I'm not commuting to work I take my bike out on the local multi-use trail on my days off to keep the heart rate up and actually get to hit some uneven (not really hills) terrain. I tend to wave at folks and if they are having problems like flats and break downs I stop to help. Every once and a while there will be someone of the one day in lycra wonders riding his bling cycle that gives me a LOOK like I should take my t-shirt and cotton shorts and rusting steel steed out of there and make room for serious cyclists. Those are the guys I enjoy blowing away.

suntreader

Hey, Seeker, I agree with you 100%... but where can you find a $1,000 carbon bike?

My bike was $1,000 but it only has carbon forks and seat post... and I'm still not sure that it's much better than my steel beater.

I guess the bottom line in this thread is this: A good bike is a good bike is a good bike. If on old steel ten speed was good enough to run in the TdF thirty-five years ago... and if it's still in good condition... then it's still a good bike.

mswantak

A lot of interesting perspectives in this thread. Personally, I'm only mildly interested in the potential resale value of my bikes. I bought them to restore and ride; if I eventually sell one at a profit, well, that'll be icing on the cake. Besides, as I learned with 'collectible' cars and motorcycles, in terms of resale value ultimately they're only worth what you can get someone to pay for them.

I fully agree that a vintage bike ought to be used; otherwise a picture of one would suffice. My '68 Moto is my daily rider, and none the worse for it. Our '70 Raleigh Superbe is in excellent original unrestored condition, and while we don't want to use it a lot, it's by no means a 'hangar queen'.

Although either of these bikes is a plenty good enough ride for me, I sure wouldn't delude myself into thinking they're 'better' than a new bike -- at least in any tangible sense. The Motobecane would be a lot more pleasant to use with indexed shifters, and the Raleigh could use some decent brake calipers and about 15 lbs. less dead weight. Like USAZorro said though, they have a more soulful quality that can't really be measured.

Maybe I don't get out enough, but I haven't noticed a lot of cliqueishness in these parts. On the road, I don't get a lot of waves or nods, but around here it's probably better they keep their eyes on the road. Almost everyone though, is more than happy to talk bikes when you catch them at a standstill.

kenneth wise

hey yall,
can anybody out there tell me what a fully campy equipped 1984 ross signature series 12 speed is worth? i'm sure that somebody out there has one of those books that tell you the value of it, not that i'd sell it or anything just curious. kenny

powers2b

One of the guys I ride with is so cheap he rides a bike he found in the garbage. It had a GL5000 logo on the down tube, steel cottered cranks, wheels, and handlebars. The back rim was bent but rideable. We rode seveal Centuries together and at the start people would point and laugh. They seemed to loose their humor when we rode past them and their expensive bikes. At the end of the season I offered to upgrade the bike for him using parts from the local bike co-op. When I was done converting from steel to alum components the bike was 8 lbs lighter and had a higher gear ratio. I hope I can keep up with him on my R800 this comming season.
Enjoy