20grit

Mountain bikes that represented significant changes in design or those that set standards for design. Some of these are already in the classics realm. Others to follow.
Boutique stuff will always be collectible to some extent.
Road bikes that represented significant changes in design... The early carbon, some of the wackier carbon since. I don't think we'll be seeing the generic carbon stuff that is produced in bulk, but some of the more unique designs will likely fall into classic. The BMC Impec is a recent one that I could see falling into that category. I think it's an awesome bike.
Titanium bikes by innovators in the area. Throw in some oddities like the Colnago Bititanio just for effect.

Perhaps we'll be concentrating more on drive trains than frames. With newer IGH's, CVTs, electronic shifting, etc., I assume we'll have some focus on the ones that made it beyond the gimmick phases of life.

stonefree

Not to disparage any of the honorable participants, but C&Ver's may be a vanishing breed.

Case in point would be the Amsterdam sitch. Welcome to the twilight zone.....

https://thisbigcity.net/too-many-bicy...erdam-problem/

Poguemahone

I somehow do not see this becoming a problem in any American cities anytime soon.

C&V will move ever so slowly towards whatever was popular 20+ years ago,it's no big mystery. Hold onto that Bianchi Pista for about fifteen more years, and it'll regain value. It'll lose it in the next five or ten.

jhoops01

Robbie, what in your opinion would make the Bianchi collectable? I've been looking for one in my size recently, just to add to my small, but growing collection.

Thanks,
Joe

Flying Merkel

First and second generation full suspension mountain bikes.

Any decent MTB with V-brakes and 8 speeds.

Some of the higher quality beach cruisers are more rolling pieces of design exercise than functional bikes. Perfect for collectors.

Fixed and single speed bikes, conversion or purpose-built. You may laugh, but old guys will always buy what they had or wanted as a kid.

Carbon bikes with bigass graphics. Kinda like the car collectors who buy the tailfin monsters of the 50's.

RJM

Do you think my 1996 M2 Specialized Stumpjumper will be worth some money? Too busy riding it to care much now, but it would put a smile on my face if it went up in value.

There seems to be a big craze for "transportation" bicycles going on now, I would be you will see people digging these out of dumps in 20 years and selling them on a futuristic craig's list.

I think bikes like Rivendells will be worth quite a lot.

due ruote 

OK, what's it cost to ship a container here from Amsterdam?

jet sanchEz

C40s for sure will be collectible, they are Colnagos and have a winning history to them.

gomango

I'd agree. They are fantastic bikes.

I've been riding a Colnago Extreme Power this summer, and this has to have the stiffest bottom bracket and stays of any bike I've ridden.

Lots of positive comments as well.

I am certainly not worthy, but the bike is, that's for sure.

mainstreetexile 

Admittedly, I don't know much about the stuff, but will Carbon Fiber bikes age that well? I thought that cf fatigues as it gets older and used more, doesn't it have a meager possibility of exploding?

My crystal ball indicates that C&V purchasing patterns will be similar in the future to what they are now, people will buy older (current now) high-end stuff from custom builders (Bilenky, Bob Jackson etc) or nice production bikes (Surly, Soma) and the stuff in between (Rivendell).

Soma Roark

No I think we need to set up an importer!!! We're coming to save you babies... just hang in there...
Me thinks I spy a Gazelle I want in there... which sells for $1K here new. How can they just abandon them...=*( They need one of those underground automatic parking machines from Japan.

Also I'd include Ebisu (I haven't heard anyone mention them) but I've always liked their simplicity. Maybe CV will just have more prominent subgroups. I don't see myself getting into CF at all, and probably not much other than steel, and lugged for sure. I was perusing the "gas-pipe" thread and really liked the Gazelle/Raleigh DL-1/and I forgot something else, those black mixte-ish city bikes. Surprised to see that the Gazelle was made in the late 90s and still in production today.

fuji86

Down the road, and it's just my opinion, it's a matter of what type of bike ? For road bikes, steel lugged frames continue to be the C&V. If carbon or aluminum frames last to be in ride-able condition maybe C&V because of materials ? Mountain bikes, anything that is rigid forks and hardtail. The trouble with road bikes today, if it's steel, the tubes aren't welded together to be anything special on cheap Chinese bikes, that unless the weld was dressed to be a fluid and consistent seamless beautiful weld. Anything else would be a frame that the bike is meant to be repaired and ridden until those parts are worn out, more function, do the welds still hold together to ride it ? With today's road bikes, I reason and would think aluminum with exceptionally consistent welds would be considered C&V, as carbon has planned obsolescence built into the frame material ? Personally I wouldn't ride carbon on anything but a freshly paved asphalt road if I were trying to keep it beautiful for 25+ years down the road if it were ever going to be a C&V ? Carbon frame couldn't have scratches, chips and nicks in it. Aluminum, that would have to be pristine, almost virgin too. Steel stands the test of time, just looking at the pics here on the forums, there have been literally rusty anchors restored into gorgeous C&V bikes. I'm not so certain one could do that with a slightly damaged carbon or aluminum frame ? The lugged frame eliminates a weld having to be uniform and superior in appearance. Today's bikes with their welds, that's almost like saying nice scar on a Super Model, just doesn't work when you're scrutinizing something for flawlessness, mastery of workmanship. I have 4 bikes, an 86 lugged Fuji, the bike in comparison to everything I bought after it is like comparing a Monet/Da Vinci to a paint by numbers Britto. I don't know if anyone is familiar with how Britto does his paintings, but he draws out the shapes and then turns it over to $ 15/hour painters that are probably in between construction jobs, repainting drywall in apartments, literally the old paint by number products.

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-06...-trump-talent/

The 1997 Fuji MX-200 and 2003 Haro Backtrail X1 have nicely dressed and uniform welds for budget bikes, but the 2010 Vilano SS/FG, well, it was slapped together, quick and dirty to be sold for whatever it would go for ? I'm not as concerned about the Vilano for relative beauty, quality or longevity, it's purely functional. And the day I have to replace wheel hubs or bottom bracket, that might be the day when I spend more fixing it than the bike is worth ? The particular Vilano I bought claims to be chromoly frame with a steel fork, but as ugly as the welds are, I can't imagine it being a chromoly frame. Hi ten steel ? That makes more sense to weld it hastily. I could literally see a kid riding it until it wore out and would go no further and then getting off of it and leaving it where it dropped/died and catching a bus the rest of the way to the destination. Well it's not that bad, but the way some feel about a Wal-Mart bike, those people understand what I'm talking about. I'd never litter the environment with the Vilano, as long as it's repairable and if it wasn't, well, at least make an effort to leave it by a big green dumpster in case someone else could rescue it ?

javal

I think thats already ongoing. The 90´s frames with modern build-up are serious performance bikes.

frantik

haha, someday fixies will be C&V

strock 

I think it's partly a question of what we grow up with -- the nostalgia factor, if you will. And it's partly a question of scarcity, which depends to some extent on what changes are made in materials and design. If Scwhinn were still producing Varsinentals and Paramounts, for example, the same bikes from previous decades might not command the attention that they currently do. So, I think a lot will depend on whether or not -- and if so, how -- future bikes and components differ from those produced today and in the recent past.

Pompiere

I see these in the same view as we look at the outrageous "Miami Vice" colors of the late 1980s. But I agree, that whatever is popular now, but maybe out of reach cost-wise, will be popular with collectors in the future, as they attain more disposable income and try to recapture their youth. After all, how many of the threads here start out with "I always wanted one of these when I was a kid, but couldn't afford it..."?

sykerocker 

And that latter point will always outweigh our pro-lugged steel bigotry. Collectors always start with what they wanted, but couldn't have, in their youth. Which means carbon fiber bikes.

horribleoldman

The following will be sought out by New England collectors, heck some already are. The millage in your locale will vary.
Indy Fab
Seven
Merlin
Fat Chance
Peter Mooney
Ant Bikes
Geek House
Igleheart
Hot Tubes
Rhygin

RavingManiac

If it's still around may be the most significant factor. I know nothing about CF, is there a natural degradation that occurs over time rendering these frames useless in the future?

mapleleafs-13 

I would definitely want one of these!!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/COLNAGO-C40-...#ht_929wt_1153

Soma Roark

Although when people talk about the resurgence of city bikes, they seem to be all made of steel at the very least, and are modeled after the Dutch production bikes (Public bikes come to mind), and relatively affordable. If that gets people to think about steel again, maybe we're in for another golden age... and perhaps CV won't really change that much... (wishful thinking). Anyway, as mentioned before, an Ebisu by Jitensha Studio... me likey.

cbresciani

That bike is sweet!

sillygolem

Epoxies in CF can break down from UV exposure and humidity, which means if you leave one outside it will eventually break down. A bike stored inside will last a very long time. Some CF is now vintage, and most of the problems associated with it are from poor construction techniques at the time rather than the material itself.

Also, there's a huge push to develop CF manufacturing which may bring it down to the price of steel. Maybe in 20 years aluminum will be collectible because it will be obsolete.

cs1

My choice is any Trek Madone with USPS colors. I know they made a ton of them but it represents a piece of American history.

(edit)

Almost forgot to say, as you can see from my signature I'm into steel. I like the Trek not because it's CF but what it represents.

kingsting

English three-speeds and roadsters have been quietly gaining in popularity over the last 5 or so years. Has anybody else noticed all the Dutch bikes, especially loop-frame ladies bikes that have been showing up in droves in magazine, internet, and television ads lately?