Stop the Madness
 

I have seen many discussions here on Mario Confente and seen the crazy prices people pay for his bikes. That frenzy now seems to extend to just about anything that can be connected to his name. There were three bike auctions recently, one for a Confente replica, one for a Grandis that stated that this was Confente's mentor and one for a Medici that just seemed to worm the name in for no reason. None of these object has any direct conection to Mario and he neither touched nor knew of them. It reminds me holy relics people bought in the middle ages. Since I can't get new decals for my Batavus, maybe when I need a repaint, I will have them slap on some Confente decals. I'll bet I go faster.

Wha?

Don't people have the right to spend THEIR money anyway they choose?

Doesn't the same goes for Richard Sachs......:rolleyes:

Chombi

Of course they do. Others also have the right to think and say that the way some people spend their money is foolish.

And I note that Wulf didn't say anything about trying to stop the Confente craze. He didn't even say that he thought people were crazy for spending big bucks for Confente frames (although he did kind of hint at it, sort of). He just that he thought it was nuts to spend big bucks on stuff that has no real connection with Mario. That is hardly an outrageous opinion.

Pay tribute to the acclaimed :)

I noticed the prices
 

for Richard Sachs frames are high and the same applies to older Ritcheys. Being from Berkeley, my holy grail has always been an Eisentraut which for some reason are still reasonably priced. Oh or a Bruce Gordon.

Title is STOP THE MADNESS!

THEN it talks about Confente...

You know, I don't think much of many things, but I don't go around protesting them. I just don't pay attention. And if other people want them, so what?

Whatever.

Who is Mario Confente?

Italian Cycling Journal - Mario Confente, part I
http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspo...-confente.html

I guess I do remember reading about him. Who knows why something is valued so highly? Remember tulip bulbs?

Asking and reality are different.

The replica has been on ebay 2 or 3 times, no action. Obviously was overpriced.

The Grandis was interesting, I was told Mario did work for them for a time, must not have been long though as walking his timeline does not leave that much time to work there.
Do note the same bike is now on auction for a no reserve price and appears to be progressing reasonably as a Grandis. I found the earlier listing for $5,000 humorous.

Vince often uses a hot keyword to draw interest to his auctions, the top tube cable guides are of a Confente design. But Mario was not aware of this and probably not happy, when he learned of the Bill Recht / Medici connection is when he left venture. 50/50 it draws even the minimum bid.

I fully respect good craftsmanship and I am a Cinelli fan myself. But since living in Europe I have a different view on USA. A breakthrough seems to be very important in the states and ones you do, everyone will follow you. Others make money of you and think they look better in your shine. And it's totally risk free, the opposite, to honor the unknown and requires courage and you will have to defend your opinions. Which isn't strange, sheep usually don't have to defend anything.

Get drink, find a nice guy or girl (whatever your preference) have a good conversation, get to workin' some stress out :thumb: and forget about what other people spend money on. Life is simpler and more enjoyable that way.

Like many of you I participate in the vintage bike market as both a buyer and a seller. I regularly enter that wondrous knot of social ties that is the market, totally dependent on my fellow man. Scams, hypes and fads in other parts of the market affect me and my customers. Therefore I reserve the right to get irritated on what other people do with their property and their money.

In 2009 I saw heaps of nice 80s bikes destroyed to make mishappen fixies. Harder for me flip nice bikes. Then sellers started to tell me that they had seen their exact run-down UO-8 for "$3000 on eBay". Then nobody wanted to buy my pristine top-of-the-line 1963 Crescent since "it wasn't Italian". I'm not bitter. I just feel people should pay (and receive) what the bikes are actually worth, without all the hocus-pocus. The present state reminds me a bit of the stereo market before it collapsed in the late 90s. Tons of occultism there as well.

I clicked thinking this was about the state of the USA today, then find out it's about bikes, and then...someone is complaining about nice bikes. Then, someone is complaining about how expensive nice bikes are, as if that's bad.

I have nice bikes, and I would sell most of them if someone offered me enough.

I'd probably use the profit to buy another nice bike that I can ride for awhile and sell to someone for a profit again. It ain't like we're buying race cars, bikes is cheap.

If we can't fume here, where are we supposed to do it?

You know, that's true. I mean, the most I paid for any of my bikes was 400 for the Pro, and that was filthy and in boxes. For what they are, for the pleasure they bring us, certainly on a cost per mile basis, they're pretty inexpensive.

people are starting to figure out that it wasn't just Herse and Confente that were making nice frames BITD. This means that the sickness is going to spread, at least a little.

I would take a Herse over a Confente any time, but I don't think I'm going to win the lottery so it isn't going to happen anyway

This is a kind of protest isn't it?

What madness?

A bike,or anything else is worth what someone will pay for it, nothing more, and nothing less.

If another person doesn't think it's worth the price paid, well that's his opinion, and he is welcome to not bid, or buy it.
Some people on here, think that their word is the only truth. It isn't! It's just an opinion. Worth is subjective at best.
Whats worth something to me, may not be of any value to you. It works the other way as well.

I would ask that people stop acting like they know every thing about the value of bikes.
Very simply put, you don't! All you know, at the most, is what you think it would sell for in your area.
Or what you would pay for it.

All this saying it isn't worth this or that is very tiresome and silly!

(end rant)

Meh, I would not buy either even if I had the bucks. Not that I can't appreciate such bikes, but I am to utilitarian to spend that kind of money on a bike as a museum piece. Personally I think a lot of the Italian stuff is way overrated and overpriced. But to each his own.

I think confetti is pretty hard to clean up, but people go throwing it around, anyway.

The answers are anthropological, probably something to do with reptiles.

Like tons of other marques, I really like the Confente's, but not enough to change my priorities.
Same goes for Lamborghinis, Big Dogs, wine, and some Belgian chocolate.

I fully understand those who do, and respect that.

" What madness?

A bike,or anything else is worth what someone will pay for it, nothing more, and nothing less.

If another person doesn't think it's worth the price paid, well that's his opinion, and he is welcome to not bid, or buy it.
Some people on here, think that their word is the only truth. It isn't! It's just an opinion. Worth is subjective at best.
Whats worth something to me, may not be of any value to you. It works the other way as well.

I would ask that people stop acting like they know every thing about the value of bikes.
Very simply put, you don't! All you know, at the most, is what you think it would sell for in your area.
Or what you would pay for it.

All this saying it isn't worth this or that is very tiresome and silly!"

Touchdown.

You said it, I thought it.

If you own a Confente or Herse or some other sought after bike, you probably don't consider it madness

No, that was a defense against a protest to me.