What is your holy grail of bikes......Americian, Italian, French, or other?
 

Tried to find a thread on this.

I love the Schwinn Paramount, the Awesome Italian bikes, the Chinese CF bikes or my favorite bikes, the French bikes.

Especially the Peugeot, they have history and ride like a dream.
The French threading is an issue for most, but I really like the ride (I am a bike mechanic and Aerospace Engineer with a lot of spare parts, so no issues here).

What say you?

for me a dave kirk custom.....I have pretty much settled on saving up for one........and forgetting about a de rosa

of course N+1 always applies so if a perfect (fit, model, color, price, etc) were to drop in my lap..................

Sorry, moving target :)

Buy both.

Seriously.

I Rescued/restored my Grail bike.....

I snagged my grail bike seven years ago with my custom 953 Waterford RS-22 brazed by Dave Wages. It was bought with the idea that it would be my last main bike, and so far I've had zero desire to get anything to replace it.

P.S. It was made in Wisconsin.

Although I have my American made Paramount, my grail would be a Pierce Bicycle, made in Buffalo NY just like me...preferably a 1901 model to coincide with the Pan-American Exposition which was also in Buffalo that year...
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=360932

I'd love to find a minty Colin Laing. When I first got back into riding for the first time in my adult life, I bought a Haro mountain bike from Colin at Tempe Bike in Arizona. He had great stories, but I didn't know he was a. Builder at the time! That day marked a huge turning point in my life, and I have Colin to thank.

It would have to be a '72 or '73 orange P-13 Schwinn Paramount.

any SBDU 753 frame in 'my size'
an "Orange" Holdsworth 531 frame in 'my size'
a Look KG 253 Pista in 'my size'
and
a "Metalic Green" Lotus Legend Compe frame, only to match the lone fork in my room, preferably in 'my size'.
(+1)

and a place to keep all.

We have had this thread a few times. Mine is still the bike in my signature.

More and more, it seems that my "holy grail" bike is whichever bike I'm riding at that moment.

xuwol7, I've just finished an hour and fifteen minute tire mounting on my daughter's Volpe so I'm a bit low on musing about a grail bike. I think a grail bike isn't the best bike in the world as there isn't one, but rather a bike built exactly how the owner wants from frame set to rim tape.

Brad

There's no such thing as one perfect bike which makes all others irrelevant to me. I don't really care about nation of origin, I care about the build quality and the ride. Most of the Frenchies I've seen looked like they were made as acts of sabotage, but I've seen a few I liked. Motobecanes are quite nice in my experience. I think Mooney makes the best looking bikes I've ever seen. As far as riding, I have a few I like - but I always come back to my Marnati and Merlin. I recently put some ridiculously nice tires on my Cinelli and it's been a lot of fun.

I guess my favorites are the smaller named Italians...bit I also have a thing for US titanium and Tom Kellogg.

The stuff I'd be most interested in owning that I don't have would be Ephgrave, Galmozzi, Jack Taylor, JP Weigle, Redcay, Moots, Kirk and Bill Boston. I really want a fat bike but can't justify the expense. Honestly - I have the stuff I want.

Early Ritchey Road Bike and a Japanese Randonneur (Toei,etc)

I will spend my retirement looking for a Cunningham, Koski Trailmaster, and a Breezer series 1, 2, or 3. My size of course.
I don't expect any of these to be great riders, but I like the significance they have in Mtb. history and that is my passion.

The best bike is one that fits and serves the purpose at hand.

For me, at the moment, it is a fillet brazed Cinelli built by G. Losa.

A Masi GC just like Dave Stoller's.
In reality, I'd probably be too scared to ride such a valuable bike, so I'll settle for a Team Miyata.

I know this is the wrong place for this answer but for me its a modern carbon bike. Currently, I ride a Ridley. love it. Steel classics bikes are great ride and have raced them, crashed them and had a few built by smaller Italian builders from way back. To me they are all pretty much the same, (just a tiny bit differences between them) just like today's carbon bikes. If I had a choice between my LeMond or my old Casati, I always take the Casati. That's because it was an extension of my body and raced it for many years. Sure they are different, but very minor. Set up on them mostly. Bars and saddles are different, maybe that's what I am feeling. Oh, and I really like a single color 3Rensho or Celo Europa from the late 80s.

I just bought one of my grail bikes, a bright red derosa professional. Now to find a 7-eleven merckx.

Barra, bar none.

I would love to have a hetchins with curved chainstays. But I don't think I've ever spent that much on a vehicle for myself, let alone a bike.

My current grail bikes -

Tommasini Prestige (1980s)

Ibis Mountain Trials

A vintage grail bike?

The Masi GC I have waiting for me. Just looked at it the other day and it is a 1974. It's just hanging on a hook tempting me. Gorgeous, pristine vintage racing bicycle and I love the way they ride.

New?

So many incredible choices out there, but I keep coming back to Dave Kirk, Curt Goodrich or Dave Anderson. I've almost started an order with Dave Anderson on three separate occasions, but something keeps coming up.

Who knows, maybe I'll end up with all three eventually.

In the meantime, I already have what I need.

Grail bike? It's not the bike, it's the road.