49autocycledeluxe
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
^^^^^^ ...just wondering.... vintage lightweight section..
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how vintage do you have to be to post in the vintage part
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bulldog1935
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
I've posted a '98 lugged steel frame in here, and it was pretty well received.
It's the last year lugged steel was offered by the maker, and the frame was probably built by DeRosa (it's a Primato clone).
Technically, that's not yet a venerable frame, or vintage.
However, the lugged steel frame was built up as a dream bike boom racer and a case of form follows function.
But if you consider there's a page on this forum called Vintage Mountain Bikes, which essentially are all from the 90s, then the topic gets a little leeway.
For my personal perspective, any bike that would be accepted on Classic Rendevous google groups, or is represented in Classic Lightweights should get to play, and that certainly includes bike boom bikes.
Age wise, aero brakes and indexing are probably pushing past the spirit.
Aluminum bikes, unless they're classics like Alan and Peugeot are probably dicey, thought even early Canonndales are going to have a fan club, and there are a few posted here.
If it has a Sturmey Archer drivetrain, everybody wants to see it, especially now that they've closed their doors.
I think a topic like, I found this cool bike and don't know anything about it, is always acceptable.
But setting one's limits on others is a control-freak thing, anyway. .
If you have something cool to show, we'd love to see it. .
It's the last year lugged steel was offered by the maker, and the frame was probably built by DeRosa (it's a Primato clone).
Technically, that's not yet a venerable frame, or vintage.
However, the lugged steel frame was built up as a dream bike boom racer and a case of form follows function.
But if you consider there's a page on this forum called Vintage Mountain Bikes, which essentially are all from the 90s, then the topic gets a little leeway.
For my personal perspective, any bike that would be accepted on Classic Rendevous google groups, or is represented in Classic Lightweights should get to play, and that certainly includes bike boom bikes.
Age wise, aero brakes and indexing are probably pushing past the spirit.
Aluminum bikes, unless they're classics like Alan and Peugeot are probably dicey, thought even early Canonndales are going to have a fan club, and there are a few posted here.
If it has a Sturmey Archer drivetrain, everybody wants to see it, especially now that they've closed their doors.
I think a topic like, I found this cool bike and don't know anything about it, is always acceptable.
But setting one's limits on others is a control-freak thing, anyway. .
If you have something cool to show, we'd love to see it. .
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bulldog1935
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
1. That's a different usage of vintage, as in any year an item was made.
2. For antiques and collecting, as follows:
Out of production - less than 25 y-o
Venerable - 25-50 years old
Vintage - 50-100 years old
Antique - over 100 years old.
1914 rod and reel - officially antique
It's very easy, though, for someone to look at anything older than they are as being vintage.
Everything falls apart when you begin using the word Classic.
Classic can be anybody's favorite anything.
From a collecting and monetary standpoint, I like to reserve Classic for anything that retains or improves its original purchase price in today's relative purchasing power value:
https://www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/ - a great value calculator
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WES PINCHOT
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
YIKES!!
SirMike1983
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
There's no real standard in bikes. The way I see it:
"Antique Era": Mid-1930s and earlier (U.S.-made bikes tend to have single tube tires; English bikes tend to have pre-AW Sturmey hubs).
"Golden Era": Late 1930s-late 1950s - peak of quality for U.S.-made bikes. Bikes have clincher tires and steel rims instead of single tube. Also peak of quality for English bikes. Parts tend to be well-made. Tolerances are not excessive. Sturmey parts are at their best. Pre-TI/Raleigh merger era for English bikes. Lots of variation in Birmingham and non-Raleigh bikes and brands.)
"Common Classic Era": 1960 - 70 - somewhat declining quality in U.S. and English bikes, but mostly still well-made. Pre-bike boom bikes, but many still made. More 10-speeds produced, but many of these are relatively well-made still because they are still more a niche, sporting machine. Road bikes see increasing use of aluminum parts.
"Bike Boom Era": 1970-75 - many bikes produced. Many more 10-speeds than in previous years. More declining use of steel in favor of aluminum components. Bikes range all over - some very quickly and cheaply made, while others are very nice. Three speeds remain reasonably well-made, but not much more investment in their development. Rise of Japanese-made bikes as quality bikes.
"Post-boom Era": 1975-87 - last of the truly 'vintage' bikes. The traditional English 3-speed gradually disappears by the mid-1980s. Schwinn closes its Chicago factory in 1983. Raleigh gradually moves production away from England to Japan and later China. Eventual rise of aluminum frames as common and replacing steel frames.
I am reluctant to call a bike younger than 30 "vintage". I'm also reluctant to place a bike with a modern-style welded aluminum frame and indexed Shimano-style shifting "vintage", though I'm sure some 1980s bikes fall into that category. There are always really exceptional oddities around, but we're talking on the 30,000 foot level here.
"Antique Era": Mid-1930s and earlier (U.S.-made bikes tend to have single tube tires; English bikes tend to have pre-AW Sturmey hubs).
"Golden Era": Late 1930s-late 1950s - peak of quality for U.S.-made bikes. Bikes have clincher tires and steel rims instead of single tube. Also peak of quality for English bikes. Parts tend to be well-made. Tolerances are not excessive. Sturmey parts are at their best. Pre-TI/Raleigh merger era for English bikes. Lots of variation in Birmingham and non-Raleigh bikes and brands.)
"Common Classic Era": 1960 - 70 - somewhat declining quality in U.S. and English bikes, but mostly still well-made. Pre-bike boom bikes, but many still made. More 10-speeds produced, but many of these are relatively well-made still because they are still more a niche, sporting machine. Road bikes see increasing use of aluminum parts.
"Bike Boom Era": 1970-75 - many bikes produced. Many more 10-speeds than in previous years. More declining use of steel in favor of aluminum components. Bikes range all over - some very quickly and cheaply made, while others are very nice. Three speeds remain reasonably well-made, but not much more investment in their development. Rise of Japanese-made bikes as quality bikes.
"Post-boom Era": 1975-87 - last of the truly 'vintage' bikes. The traditional English 3-speed gradually disappears by the mid-1980s. Schwinn closes its Chicago factory in 1983. Raleigh gradually moves production away from England to Japan and later China. Eventual rise of aluminum frames as common and replacing steel frames.
I am reluctant to call a bike younger than 30 "vintage". I'm also reluctant to place a bike with a modern-style welded aluminum frame and indexed Shimano-style shifting "vintage", though I'm sure some 1980s bikes fall into that category. There are always really exceptional oddities around, but we're talking on the 30,000 foot level here.
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