GiovanniLiCalsi
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Buy what you love
Fix it up
Ride with your group of friends
Teach your kids to love bicycles
Fix it up
Ride with your group of friends
Teach your kids to love bicycles
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Is the hobby dying again?
- Thread starter Nickinator
- Start date
Handle Bar Hoarder
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
i think it,s definitely slowing down... 
detroitbike
I live for the CABE
I think 8+ condition pre 1940 bikes are still strong. Premium ones seem to sell fast.
Average condition ones just languish and no longer command high dollar. Rare parts are still strong.
New Quality bicycle sales are flat But Repairs/restorations just keep surprising me. I've redone conti's , varsitys
and suburbans ( and just today a LeTour!) that have run 500-800+ and that's without paint! My average repair is 2-300
on bikes that were no more than 500 new in the 80-90's. the under 35 crowd in my area won't flinch at a 200$ quote for basic maintenance.
Average condition ones just languish and no longer command high dollar. Rare parts are still strong.
New Quality bicycle sales are flat But Repairs/restorations just keep surprising me. I've redone conti's , varsitys
and suburbans ( and just today a LeTour!) that have run 500-800+ and that's without paint! My average repair is 2-300
on bikes that were no more than 500 new in the 80-90's. the under 35 crowd in my area won't flinch at a 200$ quote for basic maintenance.
Barto
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Everything I know comes from this site.....up or down I'm not in it for the money and my investments are more on the traditional side so for me I only know I've slowed down buying due to cost. I would really like a frame mouted Wise lock for my 30's Snyder frame but prices are stupid. I see Sirens for more then double from what I got mine for two years ago...drop stands over 100......80 for Torrington 8's, seems to me prices are really stupid with little research on prices from some owners who simply tossed a number out there to see who eventually bites.
I'm fortunate as I keep the CABE site up in the backgroud and get to check the forsale section often so when I see a fair price I jump! The high end bikes that will always be valuable and around...the ones most can afford are rescued and accossorized.
So, down? For me it seems to just be getting too expensive!
I'm fortunate as I keep the CABE site up in the backgroud and get to check the forsale section often so when I see a fair price I jump! The high end bikes that will always be valuable and around...the ones most can afford are rescued and accossorized.
So, down? For me it seems to just be getting too expensive!
OC_Rolling_Art
Wore out three sets of tires already!
Personally, I am a collector of many things - as many of us are. Bottles, coins, advertising art, porcelain signs, movie posters, tin litho and cast-iron toys, rare books are things that interest me (and muscle cars), but bikes bit me the hardest. I started collecting and building in 1980 and sorta got out of bikes in the mid '90s, but still kept some basket cases for later. Later is now for me and I see a flurry of activity here on the CABE, but there used to be so many shows and swap meets in Orange County, there are a few now which is a good sign - but nothing like it was. We all like Ballooners and the Safety, and TOC's because they have style, and were just built better (like everything else before 1950). That style will never go away.
I just dug out an old copy of Classic Bicycle and Whizzer News by Leo Dixon, where he said in the '70's he would ride up on a balloon tire bike and other bike collectors would say "get that thing outa here". It wasn't that long ago when prewar bikes were only as old as the early BMX bikes are today. There are phases, and I haven't been active for many years to really tell if there is a slow-down in this hobby, 'cause it' speeding up for me. I think bikes will always be pretty solid, they don't cost as much or take up as much space as a collectible car, it's a hobby where you can own something really nice for less than $1,500.00, and find something that is historically significant for around $4,000.00, you can't get many collectible car parts for that. I guess the hobby really started dying and yet was invigorated at the same time when Schwinn filed for bankruptcy in '92 and ended up selling it's collection, releasing many bikes into the hands of hungry collectors.
I just dug out an old copy of Classic Bicycle and Whizzer News by Leo Dixon, where he said in the '70's he would ride up on a balloon tire bike and other bike collectors would say "get that thing outa here". It wasn't that long ago when prewar bikes were only as old as the early BMX bikes are today. There are phases, and I haven't been active for many years to really tell if there is a slow-down in this hobby, 'cause it' speeding up for me. I think bikes will always be pretty solid, they don't cost as much or take up as much space as a collectible car, it's a hobby where you can own something really nice for less than $1,500.00, and find something that is historically significant for around $4,000.00, you can't get many collectible car parts for that. I guess the hobby really started dying and yet was invigorated at the same time when Schwinn filed for bankruptcy in '92 and ended up selling it's collection, releasing many bikes into the hands of hungry collectors.
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the tinker
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Shawn Freqman hit it on the head. Our economy is falling into a recession. . . and ol' Tinker thinks it's going to be a deep one. What you're seeing , as far as the balloon bikes, is a combination of lack of interest [ younger guys want the BMX bikes] and the average working stiff tapping out financially. When things are going good, folks spend money on things they don't need. I've seen many of these recessions and the guy that has cash can get some real deals. Folks start reluctantly parting with stuff they'd rather not, for low prices, because nobody is buying. I don't think the hobby is dying. The economy is.
Saving Tempest
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
I'd rather BUY them than MAKE them.
OhioJones
Wore out three sets of tires already!
I'm 38. I only found my love for the old bicycles 4-5 years ago. Like many of you, I have several hobbies. Each one being special to me in more than one way. For me, i love these bikes regardless of how the market fluctuates. They have helped me through some of the hardest times of my entire life. Be it working on them or pedaling, they are quite the therapeutic tool. Beyond that they're also a very small piece of our history. I feel honored to be a caretaker for the old bicycles.
If I were to bend each and every single time that the wind blew in the wrong direction, I probably wouldn't be writing this today.
ps Whether the market goes up or down, I know that many of you will still be the proud caretakers of your bicycles. And that, too, gives me a good feeling inside.
If I were to bend each and every single time that the wind blew in the wrong direction, I probably wouldn't be writing this today.
ps Whether the market goes up or down, I know that many of you will still be the proud caretakers of your bicycles. And that, too, gives me a good feeling inside.
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