Tom - my wife too...I've infected her.

A sure sign of obsession - you compulsively check Huffys on Craigslist on the off chance it's a Serotta.

You know it's an obsession when you start trolling related internet forums in between doing it, thinking about it reading all the magazines related to it. I'm speaking of a close friend, of course, not myself.

UH OH. I just stepped over the line.

You always accelerate when falling into an abyss. But you reach terminal velocity soon enough. ;)

When does a hobby become an obsession?

When you start a website about it. Make sure you pick a subject where literature and documentation are impossible to find.

Realize 99.999% of the people out there don't give a crap about your obsession.

When you buy expensive bikes that aren't even close to your size because you've never seen one before.

Reproduce some parts that will take years of selling to even cover the production costs.

Spend a dozen hours every week answering questions and correspondence related to your hobby even though 50% of people never send a thank you or a reply back.

Realize after all that you still love doing it.


Having a large collection, unto itself, is not an obsession . . . it's merely a large collection. :)

Funny thing. I have seen this thread before but never thought about it. Then it struck me. I remember the exact moment that I realized I had a problem.

Oh, I did not see it as a medical or mental issue, just a lack of intention.

Finding vintage bicycles is, for me, a snap, most of the time. Not sure why? Finding vintage bicycles, for me, is also a heck of a lot of fun. I digress. Back to me, my little problem and the day it spoke to me...

One August day, while visiting my best friends niece in Duluth, the three of us went to "Grandma's" restaurant for happy hour, followed by supper. While there, Lynn (my best friend)...
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...llSide_Art.jpg

...bought Jan (his niece and I don't have a picture) and I (randyjawa)...
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...iLynn_Me_3.jpg

each a Bourbon and coke. We got to talking and Lynn mentioned that he and I go yard sailing every weekend, looking for old bicycles.

I chimed in that I had close to 180 vintage road bicycles at the time, all tucked away in The Old Shed...
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...rizontal_1.jpg


"No kidding, said Jan. What are you going to do with them?"

That was when I knew I had a problem. Right then and there the situation crystallized for me. About ten minutes later, both Jan and Lynn told me about Ebay.

My "how to keep busy in retirement" seedling was planted that day. Been busier than two flies on a pig's butt ever since:-)