easyupbug 

I have 18 (one out for a respray) if you don't count my families bikes (5) but I am fortunate my shop is 36'x44' . To your points:
1. I like Craig'sList. I list a bike at a slight premium trying to keep flippers/strippers away and give me a chance to give the right buyer a good discount, which I find people love. Just sold a Craig's local listing to a nice guy 450 miles away, who has a Colnago and wanted to try the Gilco tubed Master. Got young man near me to box it up. Probably made a couple hundred under what I could get but everyone is happy. I was very surprised at the low cost to ship on Shipbikes.
2. Maybe you have just had bad luck with Ebay, my sales have gone well but agree boxing stinks. The young man a mile from me does it for $50 if you provide the box.
3. I like our market place, just sold a new friend a 1,000 miles away a saddle he needed at a good price and we are both happy.
4. Agree with you.
5. Big advantage here being near a town of 1/2 million so we have great bike specific donation options helping kids and those in need not just your usual Goodwill or Salvation Army.
I need to move a few bikes, frames, and lots of parts, but it is all good.

jamesdak 

Funny to see this thread now too. I got up yesterday morning with the plan to take several of the "project" bikes outside. I was going to grab some current pics of them and put them up for sale locally. Was even considering a couple of the bikes I didn't think I'd ever let go of. Needless to say I found a reason or two not to do this but I really probably should.....maybe......someday......soon.....when hell freezes over.....tomorrow......today......someday......











Even if I let all of these go I'd still be sitting at over 20 wonderfully riding bikes.....

joesch

Good to admit your mistake. Good friend to help you reverse your mistake
Must be a very special 70th BD bike ?

gugie 

Sometimes I think all we do is trade bikes between ourselves. I don't know if it's sad or cool that I know that @nlerner and @Andy_K ride the same size bike. Scarrier still is the recent knowledge that @obrentharris and I are bicycle twins.

joesch

What size ? Maybe I can get in

orcas island 

I’ve been really fortunate over the past decade with the bikes I’ve “cycled” through. I’m down to seven at this point; all my size and all basically paid for by sales of others that have moved through here. I really enjoy buying, refurbishing and riding each of these for a time, then turning them loose.
I’m happy with what I have (all bikes I wanted as a younger person but couldn’t afford) and I’m really going to try looking less at Craigslist...

There is a lot of functional redundancy in the group (Sport-touring with wide range gearing) and I could probably get the herd down to two of them and not be missing anything. I doubt I will; somehow I just like knowing that they are there. I’ll leave that winnowing to my kids after I’m gone!
The current pile stands as this: Centurion Semi-Pro, Raleigh Internationals (2), Specialized Sequoia (2), Specialized Expedition, Gitane Super Corsa. I’d like to ride more, wrench less from this point going forward.

RiddleOfSteel

That's most of what happens with me and buyers and sellers up here. Like some weird version of having a lawyer on retainer, just with bikes that we've sold to other people.

RiddleOfSteel

It may be too late, or it simply may be too late for a steel frame. Ti is neat, but I'm not in it for the super OS tubed + straight blade fork look if I'm going custom. There was a '00s Holland Ti bike for $1500 (complete) on eBay for a month or so--bang on my desired specs. Great shape, Dura-Ace, level top tube, etc, but I passed (for reasons). I'm thankful to have a friend close enough in height that has relayed to me his experience on numerous Ti bikes, which helps me get some bearing on where it realistically sits in comparison to nice steel.

I'm still in love with gloss painted frames and long point chrome lugs (aka Cinelli via Centurion), thus steel remains the material for me. I'd probably go with a Jeff Lyon frame as they are so very lovely, not a million dollars, and in (southern) Oregon. Springy ride, mid-'80s Paramount angles and fork rake but with a slightly shorter TT, smooth/continually curved fork with a fully sloping crown, vertical rear dropouts, 66 or 67cm, the list goes on.

The vintage bike appreciator and seeker in me also considers what he could find that is close in desired spec that wouldn't cost custom money or take time to produce, and that's essentially an '85 Trek 660/670 in 65cm (25.5") form. Tired paint? No matter, strip and powder coat my desired color and hang pretty parts on it. 660/670's use the exact same tubing as the 620 of the same year (aka what I have), so if that's any indicator of what the ride would be like, count me in.

Andy_K 

In light of the first quote, I'd have to say the second is cool, not sad. I would note, however, that I think there has only been one frame going each direction so far. Perhaps the much more significant implication is that either Neal or I could potentially travel cross country for a bike ride without taking a bike, which has happened. If we mapped out more of this kind of knowledge, many more of us could have such a possibility. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go do a trademark search for AirC&V.

gugie 

Kind of a takeoff on the zero bike concept!

Say, rather than invest in many bikes, of which only one can be ridden at a time by the owner, perhaps we could consider the software floating license scheme. You have 100 users of the software, but only a few are using it at any given time. CAD software is commonly licensed this way to larger companies where the statistics work out. The same idea would apply to bikes.

Find people that fit the same on a bike as you do (with minor adjustments), and you've got a share rental agreement, with reservation calendars, etc.

If you could figure out a way to spend a lot of money from angel investors, I'm sure we could take this public before anyone realized

homelessjoe

Since the plague lockdown Ive built/restored six bikes ...I didnt want six new bikes I didnt need six new bikes In fact Im irritated that I have six new bikes.....but I loved building them with a passion.......they are art projects for me .............Im creating fine art...........fixing and riding them has been my hobby my whole life..................i just build em and stack them up in a big pile ................Ive made way more money on bikes than Ive spent on them and I have a barn full ....Ive never lost money on a bike.......if I need tires or parts or a new project I will liquidate a couple.......the pile grows on its own.......its alive....its not my fault.......THEN .....people are always giving me bikes and trolling me with incredible deals.......they think they are doing me a favor.......they dont realize that they are feeding the Kraken cookies

rccardr 

Yes, it was.
Yes, he is (although of course I spent a bunch of money on upgrades, so there’s that)
Yes it is, a custom that will be revealed when it arrives in the Summer, hopefully before my 70th.

Wildwood 

I keep adding.
Not too fast.
Not just anything, but admittedly the close-in interest has a new branch or two.
Vintage city builds (2-3 in stock), and maybe deceased American frame builders.
Buddy, can 'ya spare a Della Santa?

Retired, a 35 year roadie, who enjoys being outdoors.....
Cheaper than hookers&blow.

I keep swearing the next house will have a large display room + workshop.



The wrenching, the riding, the parts list pursuit, the fun, the Forum of like-minded, etc = ALWAYS leads to a little junk hangover.

merziac

That was largely my point, If Davidson is still doing custom, they would be one of the ones on the short list to do an oldschool build.

Of course I would also consider Dave at TiCycles, he is in the category of builders who have built so many different kinds of bikes while also having built, repaired and modified so many steel frames, especially oldschool.

One thing that I believe gets lost in translation some is as an informed or not buyer, you/we have a vision, wants, needs, etc. The builder has rules, limits and guidelines that may or may not facilitate our whims, the ability of the builder to transform that into your "dream" bike is very challenging at best.

Many think the extreme cost makes their whims a given and I believe this is not always the case, our perception is skewed by thinking they can build anything we want and make turn out exactly the way we want.

Often it comes out right because of the great talent the builder has but It is also contingent on the buyer realizing that a part of their ask may be too challenging to overcome to your satisfaction. The builders compromise or workaround may not sit well with you at all, at which point you can be too unhappy to get over it whether it works well or not, you become your own worst enemy.

My Strawberry ended up with a couple of things that were unexpected and seemed off to me initially, turned out to be Dave's magic coming through in spades.

The more I ride it, the better it rides, amazing.

I have great respect for the ability of the builder to weigh all the wants, needs and challenges to get your nonsense to become a reality.

Good call on a Lyon as well, Dave's closer though.

iab

Yeah, I agree. I'm the opposite of Mr. Spock. The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. I'll strip down a few bikes to make the one right bike. They're just bikes.

Kabuki12

As long as I have room , and l do, if I like the bike and know I will ride it I usually get it. I don’t buy that many and I don’t want to actually count them. I do think about the maintenance and cleaning but it is still manageable so I don’t worry too much. I check the air in the tires and if they are soft I pump them up and ride that bike. I keep track of my rides and which bike I rode which is just part of my hobby. I was looking at a carbon bike that I actually liked at the Trek shop. It was beautiful and so light but then I saw the price and about fell over , almost $10,000 . I don’t have that much in all my collection so I felt relieved. I talked to a guy who had a sizable collection and hadn’t ridden in years, he just likes collecting and tinkering, who’s to say?

bikemig 

I have more bike projects on hand than I need for sure. But I enjoy the hobby, prices are reasonable, and there's always the thrill of finding the next cool bike that may pop up, right? I picked up this 70s era Motobecane Grand Record for no good reason other than the price was right and I always wanted to rebuild and ride an old Motobecane like this. I had fun rebuilding it and I have fun riding it. I have a hard time turning down cool old projects that show up and are mainly original like this.

RiddleOfSteel

I will consider Ti Cycles as well, then (or at least add them to the dream list). Thank you for the heads up.

Thankfully, my desired build has a large aesthetic component (I mean, always...lol) instead of some out-of-orbit criteria. Frame angles and specs done a million times before, just a little taller than the normal range. Standard tubes, sane/extant lugs. I'm not even going for the ultra thin wall tubing. I'd absolutely love to hear, from experienced framebuilders, the tubing elements that go into tuning ride quality, responsiveness, and stiffness/flex--more so than what I've already explored, experienced, read, and discussed. To talk, Designer to Designer, delving into the nuances, enjoying the creative process in bringing about an ideal result.

Getting back to more bikes that one, I'm up to discover and pick up a few I have in mind : 25.5" Centurion Semi-Pro's etc, the aforementioned Trek 66/670s, nice 66cm Lotuses and Koga-Miyatas, and whatever else hits my desired geo specs and is pretty. There was a 66cm Davidson Impulse a year or two ago that was for sale for cheap. It had tragically been Drew'd but otherwise looked to be essentially my 64cm version just with more ST. That can be my white whale, or Sasquatch, or Holy Grail. Just put a "In Search Of" post on CL. If it is anything like my 64cm Impulse, it'll be perfect. That, would be hard to sell.

francophile 

I'm in the same boat as you but here lately I've been tinkering with #1, but not without extra hassles I don't want to deal with, hassles that make me question "what the hell am I doing?".

You know, I don't mind offering a great price on bikes if it's going to a BF'er who knows what it is and won't be giving me a hassle. I just feel guilty listing anything here because S&H is rarely less than $100-200 whether you pay a shop to pack or it yourself. Even a great price, or a total sweetheart price, once you tack on the shipping, it's just ... ugh. Not good, not when many of us know we can find a better deal being patient and keeping eyes peeled on the auction sites and local listings.

Not to mention the hassle of packing box after box after box. I sent out 7 packages last week, some paid, some pay-it-forwards, one pay-it-back. Sometimes it's tough to come up with packing supplies and boxes for that much stuff, and a single parted bike could result in two dozen different shipments.

Better off selling on consignment at a trendy bike shop or co-op, giving them their 20-30%, and ... moving right along.

jonwvara 

You kind of put your finger on it here. Even a stupidly low price seems high once you add shipping (and the human cost of packing a bike.) I would never consider paying as much for one of my bikes on this forum as I would have to charge for one. And if I wouldn't pay that much, it just seems kind of... I don't know...unfriendly to ask/expect someone else to. Sure, others spend money less painfully than I do, etc., etc. Irrational, maybe, but there it is.

jdawginsc 

Wait...you can sell bikes...?

Luckily my addiction has been redirected to buying and remaking vintage bikes for my students...amazing how I can’t help but upgrade here and there...

of course, sadly I will likely be selling a few frames in the spring...they will pop up here.

Classtime 

Just put them on CL and renew when you think of it. Clean them and hang them up while you ride the Keepers. As they hang there unridden, they could decrease in their value to you (unless it's a wallhanger in the den). I got down to three recently and while I miss my other keepers, it is very satisfying riding each of my bikes regularly. Over the last three days, I rode all of my bikes.

noglider 

@jonwvara, you didn't come here to ask for help, did you? That would be like attending an AA meeting at a bar.

I think your reasons are valid except for the one about parting out a bike. If you put your labor and love into building a bike, that doesn't mean it must stay that way. But it's up to you, and 8 bikes doesn't sound like many to me. That's how many I have, counting the tandem my spouse and I ride.

I imagine I might eventually take on @nlerner's point of view if I take a long term sample of a modern bike. I'll be swayed over to that side, because I know they really are better in many ways (though not all ways). But so far, I'm happy with my old bikes. At this point, I'm thinking of doing some touch up paint on my winter bike, but it's my winter bike, so either I have to wait until late spring or shlep a bike from NYC to here so I can paint the bike I have here.

I stopped acquiring bikes a few years ago and don't get the urge much anymore. There was a Raleigh Gran Sport on craigslist locally for an insanely low price, and I was tempted, but I left it there. The ad is now gone, thank goodness. One problem is that I am bad at finishing projects, and it makes me sad when I have so many things left undone.

fender1

Much like @noglider, I don't buy too much anymore and if I do, I am pretty good about selling it quickly if I don't love it or giving it to friends who express interest in bikes.
I have 3 road bikes and that feels like it has been working well. Enough variety but not too much to maintain.
I have also taken to giving away bikes or helping folks build bikes using stuff I have. That has been a lot of fun and maybe somethin the OP could do?
Find someone who is interested and give them a bike and help them learn how to maintain it. Its pretty fun IMHO.

tkamd73 

I think 8 is a great number, was determined to stop at 7, and that lasted about a year and a half. Just picked up a Trek 670 from another forum member, couldn’t resist. But that’s it, no more! Guess I’m not much help, sorry.
Tim



And so it begins, again!