# How to collect vintage bikes - or not



## teisco (Aug 20, 2010)

Being a new fat tire bike collector I have some thoughts on the subject. I was looking for a new hobby, something to fill my time and waste thousands of dollars on. I used to buy old cars and fix them up but now live in an apartment without a garage or proper tools here (more on that later) so what could I buy to play with now? Old bikes of course. 

Great idea right? Well maybe if you are prepared for the road ahead. I was not and went bumping blindly into the hobby with eyes wide shut as a child on Christmas morning tearing open gifts as if possessed. First I thought to myself, "what bike have I always wanted". That turned into what bike does anyone always want that starts collecting fat tire bikes? A Schwinn Phantom! Of course that is the bike to collect, the one I want. The great Schwinn Phantom, the bicycle icon of the 50's, the one 60 percent of dentist recommend. 

So I went after a Phantom like a dog after a postman's leg  but after buying my second one I realized this was not a great idea and disillusionment was setting in. I had two cool bikes, one a repo and one half repo (at least that is what the experts told me). I knew a little about Phantoms but to collect Phantoms you have to know a lot. If you want an original Phantom you must buy it from the original owner, and then he could have put repo parts on it, or the original owner could be a repop,,,man this is confusing collecting bikes. 

Ok rule one (1) don't collect Phantoms or maybe even Schwinns if you want a strictly original bike. More parts are made for these bikes than Schwinn ever popped out. Even the experts will argue on what is original and what is repo, some parts look that good. 
So no S bikes. 

Ok so what bike do I collect now that Schwinn is so foggy. Hmmm, what cars did I like. That one is easy, most car guys like Fords. I am older and in my 60's and have seen enough Fords in my life so I swayed to the dark side and bought Desotos and Studs and other out there stuff. Great, so we collect the odd ball bikes. Murray came to mind and maybe Monark. Cool collect only letter "M" bikes!

Well it was a good plan, after all Desotos and Studes were looked down on in the classic car world and Murray is bottom feeding to the real high up (think head in clouds) collectors so "M" bikes are a natural for me (hmmm, is that a good thing?).

Rule two (2) don't buy every bike that comes along. Yes, it was like a "feeding frenzy" one friend said as he looked back on my first month of two wheeled wackiness. I was like a first time tourist on a Mississippi river boat casino with a weeks pay in my pocket.

Funny thing is I now find great deals after all my bike cash has flown out the door towards Ebay. Guys come up to me and offer me a beautiful bike for half what I paid for something not so great only a month ago. Of course this never happed to you. 

Rule three (3) know how to fix the bike you collect. There some great books out there on fixing  your old collector bike, wish I would have bought one sooner. Ever re-spoke'd a wheel, 'nough said.

Rule four (4) Get to know other guys in your area that do what you do. Find those collectors and visit them, chat with them and learn. Look at their bikes and see what they do and how they fix them and such. Of course no one in my area does this, they all have their right minds and proper mental health. 

There are more rules, I just haven't run across them yet. Not all is despair and rainy days though. I am lucky in that some great bikes have come my way. I also have a cool place to work on my bikes. A buddy with a big garage full of hot rods lets me use it and his tools, welders, grinders and other neat things I know nothing about. I like this hobby, I really do, it helps me get ride of extra cash that I would be wasting on food and stuff. Seriously I do love it, why? Because it is a great rush finding a cool bike where you least expect it and it brings back so many memories when riding on of these 60 pound beast uphill, like the memory of a 10 speed.

Here are some pictures of my obsession:

Bob's garage where I work on my bikes





My kind of bike, a proper odd ball JC Higgins




My first love in front of my new love




Don't buy one of these unless you are Dorthy and your running from a tornado


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## cyclingday (Aug 20, 2010)

*Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.*

Any old bike is worthy of a collection if it is pleasing to the owners eye. If your collecting for purely monetary reasons, then save your money and only buy the rarest of the rare. Like,Bluebirds, Commanders, Supremes and super deluxe Autocycles. The Shelby Air flow is a very desirable bike, but I find it to be the ugliest bike ever made, So no one in this hobby has to worry about my competition in buying one, because I will never try to aquire that particular bike for my collection. The first and most important rule upon collecting anything is to only buy what you like. That way, if you should get stuck with it. It doesn't matter what you paid for it, because you probably wouldn't want to sell it anyway.


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## Mawthorne (Aug 20, 2010)

Teisco, Thanks for the smiles! That was a fun read that I'm sure many can relate to! I especially feel your pain in looking for someone nearby that shares the hobby. The closest mentor I have found lives about 200 miles from me! Luckily we have the CABE or we would really suffer. I'm afraid I've messed up and broke rule #1 already simply because I fell for a pretty little bike on ebay. But I think Cycling day is right. Collect what you love and you will always be happy! I'm not sure there is an ideal bike for me. I like different things about different bikes. Maybe that is why many of us have more than one bike! I loved the pics, keep us posted on what you get next!


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## teisco (Aug 20, 2010)

Thanks, got to smile even when that Ebay bike that looked so good comes and you open the box to find the truth. I am still picking up a bike now and then when I have some loose cash, of course all my cash falls into the loose catagory. I just got a neat Rollfast and will post pics of it in another thread.


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## Mawthorne (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeah, I know I was lucky. Mine (53 Goodrich Debutant/Hornet) was as lovely in person as it was in the pictures. The seller posted really good and honest pictures and I really fell for that bike! You can see the pictures on the "What have I done?" thread. I am enjoying the ride every evening, even if it is a Schwinn! A friend just bought a property and is cleaning out a barn and several old outbuildings. Cross your fingers for me, maybe there will be bikes


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## militarymonark (Aug 21, 2010)

well when I started i bought every junker and inexpensive bike I could find which helped me with the knowledge I know now and made me some money in the mean time, after about 7 years collecting I finally figured out I like shelbys, monarks, and some higgins but thats about it. I have my share of schwinns but not attached at all. I think I liked the way I started collecting.


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## teisco (Aug 21, 2010)

Yes,,same here, I did get some shabby bikes and just dove in and tore them apart, cleaned, respoked and stuff to get a handle on it.


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## militarymonark (Aug 21, 2010)

wouldnt know what I know now if I didn't dive in


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## cyclingday (Aug 22, 2010)

We definately learn by our mistakes. I mean how many times have you bought something thinking that this thing is the bomb, only to have someone tell you later, that this or that is not correct?
 I have just chalked that up to the high cost of an education.
 I wouldn't call collecting Schwinns a mistake though. They probably have the easiest resale value because they appeal to the broadest sense of the market.
 I also collect exotic plants, and when talking to people who want to landscape their yards, I tell them not to discount something just because it is common. I tell them that it is common for a reason. It grows well, it is beautiful, and it is affordable.
 Nostalgia is a big factor in collecting. One of the bikes I have probably has a very low re sale value, but to me it has a high nostalgia value because I had one when I was in High School. It is a 1960 Schwinn Deluxe Tornado. Now I know that is not a bike that is high on peoples must have list, but I just wanted one because it brought back some fond memories. Besides, it was an unusual model that was only built for two years and the 1960 version was the last bike that Schwinn built with a straightbar tank.


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## 53Phantom (Aug 22, 2010)

I agree that you should collect what appeals to you, not ther public, unless it is for an investment. I like wartime bikes myself. The history, simplicity, and craftsmanship appeal to me. I have limited my buying to pre-1950/post 1933 bikes myself and only those that have decent original paint. Repop parts do not bother me at all as long as they are of high quality and correct for the bike. Never pass on a nice vintage Schwinn. They are great investments that are easy to re-sell. I love the old Autocycles. Main thing is.. have fun with what you are doing.


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## SailorMac (Oct 21, 2010)

Bump for a good read.


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## STUPIDILLO (Oct 25, 2010)

You buy what you can afford,first,then what you think is cool,next,and trade-up to your ultimate Holy Grail. Thats what I did.


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## BIKE AT THE MOON! (Nov 1, 2010)

I only buy and collect bikes made between April 1939 and May 1939 and ANY BIKES MADE BEFORE AND AFTER THAT!


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## Vintage Velo (Nov 4, 2010)

If only we knew then what we know now. Naw, we'd all have a barnfull. Love the stories of how it began for you guys, Mike


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