What say you? Has this Hobby gone mainstream?

[Shawn Michael]

I think it's some of the aftermarket reproduction and hard to find parts, like tanks that have become expensive. Yes I try to turn a profit , but will sell at cost to friends or someone that is nice and needs the parts. If you give good karma you will receive good karma back. I enjoy helping friends out.

 

[SJ_BIKER]

when i started the hobby i paid 1200 for a beat up mix matched 1949 maroon b6 with a fake metal tank and busted key in the springer fork. with studded taiwan tires, and bent fork to boot from a guy who knew i had caught the bug..... that same b6 today would not fetch 1200 from any serious collector let alone a somewhat educated newbie. As more advanced collectors seek the better quality originals serious money will be paid for those if the owner knows what they have otherwise these days i will seek deals for mostly complete bicycles in original paint and stay far away from projects unless i know i can find or have the parts i need to complete them .... people can ask what they want but the market will determine its worth what someone is willing to pay for it....

 

[Freqman1]

I generally agree with a lot of what has been said here. I don't think prices are necessarily correlated with the economy but rather supply and demand as new collectors have entered the hobby. So this is where I disagree with some of the previous posts. Most of the people with balloon tire bikes are not from the generation that grew up with them. I see interest in balloon tire bikes remaining strong. If you are trying to pay off student loans or raise a family a Bluebird may not be in the cards right now but later on a lot of these collectors will have disposable income and will go after the top shelf stuff. I see more young collectors in this hobby than any other I'm involved with except maybe for cars. With cars though it truly is a generational thing--not a lot of people collecting Model Ts or As like there once was. Bikes seem to break with the generational thing although I think the thing with Rays, MTB, and BMX is certainly part of that right now. V/r Shawn

 

[jimbo53]

And then there is the “American Pickers” factor. When people see Mike Wolf pull a rusty Bluebird out of a barn and when they hear the value, it gets their attention. Not wanting to start a flame war over AP. All these shows are “managed”, but it does put vintage bicycle collecting in a better light than Pee Wee Herman!

 

[vincev]

Prices have kept up with the economy.Actually some things have really dropped since E Bay started.I see many items going for 1980's prices because what used to be "rare" and hard to find the old fashioned way is now much easier and cheaper on world wide auction sites.I noticed Schwinns and Columbias are relatively cheap at the shows. I guess it is relative to each person.What some consider expensive is considered cheap to others. Good collectables always were and will remain expensive.

 

[MrColumbia]

I'm not sure I understand the question of "Mainstream". There is no doubt that the hobby has changed from the early 1980's when I started to get involved with it. Back then the only use for a balloon tire bikes was to mount a Whizzer onto it and if it was not restored nobody gave it a second look. Bikes from the single tube tire era were not desirable because there were no replacement tire options. 60's muscle bikes were too new to be considered. High Wheelers were the domain of the Wheelmen and too high priced to buy ( nothing has changed there anyway).

Prices certainly have gone up since then. A decent Columbia 5 Star went for an average of $65. The inflation there is way more than the cost of living. Most bikes people in the hobby are going gaga over now could be found on the tree belt or at the dump. Hind sight is 20/20 or I would be a very rich man right now.

As for all the TV shows (that I do not watch), I could care less. I collect what I like and understand. Values can go up or down and it will not affect me since I have no plans on sellling my collection ( keep watch for my obit as someone will get a nice haul cheap).

On second thought, if Barret Jackson starts selling Compax's for 10,000 a piece maybe I will retire early.

 

[RUDY CONTRATTI]

Mainstream??sometimes I hope so,,cause years down the road ,,when I start unloading my fleet,,its part of my 401K plan

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

vintage bike collecting is hardly "mainstream". if it were there would be a heck of a lot more people here on the Cabe. looking at the photos of peoples bikes here in their homes and garages says to me that for a great many of us vintage bicycles is just another aspect of our collecting mentality. it is rare to see an in home photo without other old cool stuff in the background.

as for your crazy price list I have two old 40's Schwinns and way less than a grand total in both. if you need $800.00 pedals you are in this for way different reasons than I am.

 

[bobcycles]

Methinks the opposite. There seemed to be much more hype regarding the balloon bike craze in the 80s and 90s..
I still have some old newspaper articles from the LA times around here somewhere... there were collectors posting
WANT ads on TV shows for rare bikes....the bike swaps in LA / Orange county here in So Cal were huge with
tons of vendors, tons of parts, bikes and hype. The restoration craze (good and bad as many bikes that
shouldn't have been restored were getting 'make overs') was in full swing with painters and restorers
backlogged with work. And the kicker? Public reaction to the bikes was off the charts even for people
outside the hobby as there were no 'retro' bikes stealing the glory / appeal of the originals. Now here
where I live at least... retro tank and tankless bikes with 2 tone and pinstriped paint schemes from
China and beyond litter the earth blending into the palette of what the eye sees rolling our streets
and bike paths.
Keep in mind Millenials don't really want "Stuff" as they say and a younger audience is not an
easy mark for collecting stuff in the social media / on line world of today.
I'd have to say Mainstream for the bike hobby anyway? had its day long ago... at least around So Cal.
Maybe only mainstream in a sense that balloon bikes started getting imitated 20 or so years back
and saturated the market with 'lookalikes'

retro!

 

[Saving Tempest]

I don't drive.