Obeast

Seeing how many steel frames age from the vintage forum, I really donīt care for carbon bikes that much anymore. Carbon fiber was like caviar to me a few years ago but now it is now more like crispy chicken, edible when hungry but not desirable for most part of the day.

Cyclist0108

No.

Especially those made from sturgeon spawn.

GlennR

I don't understand what you are saying?

Each have their place and price point. Assuming a $2000 budget, a alloy bike will most likely handle better than a low end carbon. But given no budget, it's hard to be a carbon bike.

CliffordK

NOT STEEL!!!!

Cyclist0108

It is kind of hard to tell, admittedly, but I think he is asking whether carbon-framed bicycles will hold their value in the way vintage steel bikes have.

GlennR

Maybe like my 74 VW Beetle is collectable and a 2014 VW Beetle is just a used car.

A good friend rode his vintage Bianchi with Campy 8 speed for years. Then he bought a left over Specialized Tarmac with Red 22. I never see the Bianchi anymore.

CliffordK

I'm not sure that vintage steel bikes have held their value. A few still have some residual value. But, very few of them are beating their original sales price from 30 to 50 years ago (and, that is a long time to break even, not counting inflation).

For used bike prices, there seems to be a great compacting of prices in the $200 to $500 range.

Some of the MTB's and really cheap bikes fall out the low end.

The ones > $500 are a mix. A few very special steel bikes. Some Titanium bikes. And, Carbon Fiber bikes.

One thing I've noted is that after 10 years, the distinction between the top of the line... Specialized S-Works, and their more average models just gets erased.

Depreciation?

Take a $5000 carbon bike, and after 10 years, it may well be a $1000 carbon bike.

On the other hand, take a $1500 aluminum bike, and after 10 years, it may have lost 4/5 of its value, down to about a $300 bike.

Ok, so the $5K Carbon bike lost $4K in value.. whew!!! But, proportionally, the loss of 4/5 over 10 to 15 years is about the same between the carbon and aluminum bikes (or steel).

The only steel bikes that might be somewhat immune might be what would be considered "Art Bikes", but still their original selling price will be very high.

CliffordK

The first car I seriously considered buying was a slapstick bug. I might well have bought it if it had an ordinary clutch.

If I had bought that car, I could well have driven it for many years. But, the old VWs were cheap cars. Pretty much everything in them was cheaply made. And, say I had put 200K miles on it, it would have needed everything replaced, and still would be an old car.

As it is, my first "car" was an AMC Hornet Sportabout. When I parked it, handed someone the keys, and walked away, it wasn't worth much. And, I doubt that it would have much appeal now. The Eagle... maybe, but not the Hornet Sportabout... still just an old car.

I do kick myself for those classics that got away. But, it does take a lot of work to take an old worn car and make it into a $50K show car.

I suppose a lot of the same goes for bikes. I'm not sure how many miles my old Colnago Super has on it. Lots of miles, and lots of years. It would be valuable with a full restore, but I'd still struggle with getting $1K out of it.

There was another thread about the fastest one has gone. I took the Colnago Super and the Colnago C40 down the same South Willamette hill. Granted the Colnago Super could use some tuning, but it just wasn't comfortable at about 50 MPH. The Colnago C40 (still 20+ year old frame) was much more sure footed.

Sometime I'll do some speed tests on something even a bit more modern. But, the old bike... don't know.

GlennR

Well, my 74 Beetle was my first car. It currently has 473,000 miles and still is fun to drive.

Cyclist0108

That's the nicest NAZI car I have seen. (But it is steel, not carbon fiber.)

CliffordK

I'll be happy to take any Monocoque Carbon Fiber cars you have off of your hands if you're giving one away.

Cyclist0108

I think the BMW electric car is carbon fiber.

CliffordK

Apparently no more.

https://www.bmwblog.com/2018/07/17/c...g-of-the-past/

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a2...on-fiber-bmws/

It still would be a fun car. Hard to say if the i3 or i8 would be better

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...monocoque_cars

GlennR

With 176rwhp and only weighing 1800# it doesn't need to be any lighter.

CliffordK

I thought they were supposed to have about 40 HP.

My old Fiat has a 20 HP engine, and is light enough that a few passengers really make a difference.

GlennR

Take a closer looks at the engine. 2180cc with dual Weber 48 IDAs. Not Stock.

ThermionicScott 

Thank you for redeeming this pointless thread with your sweet '74, Glenn @oldnslow2.

GlennR

Fixed for you.

eja_ bottecchia

Here we go again, another pointless hating-on-carbon thread.

Shouldn’t there be a weekly limit.

BlazingPedals

It looks like someone fixed the problem with burning the #2 Exhaust valve!

I'll still take carbon over steel. Ya can't do this in steel.

GlennR

You mean the #3 exhaust. VW tried adding a 3* ****** in the distributor on #3 . Then they moved the oil cooler outside of the fan shroud and into a doghouse bump out so it didn't block the airflow to #3 .

TimothyH

I desire carbon fiber frames.

Just felt like saying that.


-Tim-

bcpriess

If the frame fits and supports the components it needs to... and it rides well, then in a lot of ways it comes down to aesthetics (and weight if you care) doesn't it? I think just about any frame with higher volume tires will be pretty interchangeable, all things being equal. Though I personally prefer steel from my experiences with skinnier tires. A long way of saying if the frame fits and does what you want, who cares what it's made of. Just ride it.

Wattsup

Aluminum is the new carbon.

fietsbob

Trabants were made using a fiber of a carbon nature for their Bodies, made in the DDR..