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Bike, Collectors, Investors and Hoarders

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you have some odd ideas about other peoples motives in this bicycle hobby of ours.

""The Collector sets out to get one of each bike they ever wanted as a kid but could not afford""

I wanted an Apple Krate like my best buddy had when I was a kid. the only reason I would buy one now or any Stingray for that matter would be to resell for a profit to someone who likes them. (I like Stingrays, but just other peoples Stingrays) you complain that people collect the parts with no intention of putting them on a bike. parts, ephemera, books, pictures, everything bike related is part of collecting. the prices are not as high as they are because of this, they are high because these parts are all at least 50 years old and 97% of the population thinks they are garbage to be tossed out.

you are confused about investors. I would guess there are very few bicycle "investors" who are only adding to their portfolio, if there is such a person, they are not investing in anything I could afford and would have no effect on my hobby. investors would not be buying $1,000.00 bikes. (neither do I 😩 can't afford them.)

my favorite part is complaining about other peoples purchases. well, get up at 5:00 on a Sunday and get to every swap meet you can before 7:00 at the latest. know what you are looking for, don't go with buddies because you will miss half the stuff, search every box in a guys spot. I used to do this with 37-54 Chevrolet parts and resell on ebay. I also went estate sales and garage sales every weekend looking for just regular old stuff with some value. buying and selling old junk is labor and time intensive, you have to invest more than just money to get the good deals, they won't be left on your doorstep by the bike fairy. buying and selling is a BIG part of the hobby for me.

before my job blocked Craigslist on my work computer I was on there 3-4 times a day. missed a few great deals by one phone call but scored two post war B-6 Schwinns with a front brake and lever worth more than I paid for the whole bike among other good finds. I still look every day after work.

you speak poorly of people who make money on this hobby and hoarders at the same time. I just bought out a hoarders stash of bikes and parts he had for 30 years doing nothing at all with them. they were all on his patio under covers rotting. so I will make some money and end up with a "free" Schwinn Phantom for my troubles. 19 bikes total and 5 tubs of parts. how many would still be around if this guy had not hoarded them when they were cheaper?

that's how I got it figured anyways.
 
Hi , my name is scott ,,,and yes I am a hoarder of Iver Johnson stuff .. Just ask the fellow Caber's that have seen .👹
And no,,I wont sell anything . You'll have to wait for my estate sale . Decision made. So let it be written, so let it be done. (Yule Brynner)
 
Hi , my name is scott ,,,and yes I am a hoarder of Iver Johnson stuff .. Just ask the fellow Caber's that have seen .👹
And no,,I wont sell anything . You'll have to wait for my estate sale . Decision made. So let it be written, so let it be done. (Yule Brynner)
But... but... I need a teens nickel fork real bad! Please??!! I've seen that rack of forks! 🤣

Back on topic....My wife thinks I'm a hoarder, I guess it's starting to look like a collection at my warehouse and I certainly have bikes and parts worth more than I paid for them.... Oh Sh*t I just realized I'm hoarding a collection of investment grade bikes! Could be worse... I do ride (some of) them. I may ride all off them if that teens Iver fork wasn't crimped
 
I don’t classify myself as to fitting into any one of the three listed categories. I like to tinker. Sometimes just getting a rusty hulk rideable, sometimes trying to bring them back to a semi-original form. Just stretching myself to the max of my skills. No plans to sell just to sell, not a bunch of extra parts, nothing unique enough to be an investment. I’m out of room for storing/working on anymore so I’ve quit looking for more. I enjoy trying to fix problems caused by previous owners who just didn’t know proper techniques. I like to ride down the street and have folks give me a thumbs up, sometimes asking me to stop so they can get a closer look. Am I alone out there? Am I the only one who is not in this as a money maker? 😎
 
I don’t classify myself as to fitting into any one of the three listed categories. I like to tinker. Sometimes just getting a rusty hulk rideable, sometimes trying to bring them back to a semi-original form. Just stretching myself to the max of my skills. No plans to sell just to sell, not a bunch of extra parts, nothing unique enough to be an investment. I’m out of room for storing/working on anymore so I’ve quit looking for more. I enjoy trying to fix problems caused by previous owners who just didn’t know proper techniques. I like to ride down the street and have folks give me a thumbs up, sometimes asking me to stop so they can get a closer look. Am I alone out there? Am I the only one who is not in this as a money maker? 😎
I'm definitely in the same place as you. It's fun to have an oldtimer ask about a bike and occasionally even humor me and take it for a spin. Fixing old parts piles into riders makes me happy. Riding old Colsons does too. Not trying to make any money, just turning the few extra parts into $$ to buy more parts....
If it wasn't for all the help from theCabe, I'd still be riding my '76 Free Spirit wanna-be.
 
Honestly, I kid... I really enjoy the hunt and then bringing them back. There really is joy in digging a prewar bike out of a moldy basement or garage knowing you're the one who is going to go through it and get it back on the road. I enjoy the researching the bikes and learning about new manufacturers, parts and having to learn to service different hubs etc. Each project I get more comfortable and there's always a challenge involved (the latest was a two week battle with a frozen stem on a 20's Moto)

The CABE is such an amazing resource and great community and I've enjoyed the experience thus far. I've found most people to be genuine and really good about trying to help you get the parts you need. I try to pass on those that I know I won't need. Amazing the hodge lodge of misc parts some of these bikes have after 80 years. You can't blame folks for making a buck if they have something hard to come by. I've also learned it can certainly be costly to piece together bikes so I wouldn't really call what I do an investment its just a labor of love. Some of them I'm alright as they are and just service others I'm trying to make whole. I really have no specific goals for a collection I just keep the ones I enjoy and pass the others along hoping they put a smile on someone else's face!

I've got no beef with the hoarders, collectors, investors or flippers. It takes all of us to make the hobby what it is and by no means I am going to tell someone else what they can or can't do with their $$$.

Anyhoo.... Yay Bikes!
 
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