Just what determines "Classic &/or Vintage"?
 

So I've been a "member" of this forum for nearly 2 years but haven't been much of a contributor:(. I'm hoping for that to change. I have a small stable of bikes in various states of assembly. Most were garage sale pickups or recoveries from dumpsters but some are actual legitimate bike shop purchases and a few (three) were actually "NEW". The most recent of the "new" bikes was bought in 1998 (gosh, that's more that 20 years ago)! My question, as the title states, is just what qualifies a bike for C & V status? I have the feeling that most if not all of my bike fall into that grouping but would just like to know what the standards of this forum are to prevent threads being moved. I gotsta know!
Sovende

This thread belongs in the C&V forum.

well i'm definitely not an authority, but when i got into bikes and was interested in fixing em up, my "bike mentor" as i called him told me that any steel bike with downtube shifters that was from the bike boom or before is what made it a vintage classic. i'm sure many would disagree with that definition, but basically any old bike is what i took away from that.

so, according to him (and now me!) that means no crabon or alum, no disk brakes, downtube friction shifters, anything older than the 1990's. so, thatsa lotta bikes.

and now i'm ready to get flamed for this post!! :)

edit just to add that perhaps some aluminum frames could fall into this category. and also, new bikes that fit the mold are (ime) typically referred to as neo-retro). but whatever, they're all just bikes

If it's old and you like it, it's vintage. If it's old and lots of people like it, it's classic.

If it's old and nobody likes it, it's trash.

Vintage = Age
Classic = Style

and if it was made before you were born ... :innocent:

Then it's Paleolithic, at least in my case ........

Vintage is old.
Classic is inspired by traditional/old.

Classic: https://glorycycles.com/colnago-master-steel-frameset/

On Craigslist, "vintage" means "I'm trying to convince you rust is a selling point."

so i gotta ask, how many times were you successfully convinced? :lol:

Well, I did buy an early 80s Peugeot 10 spd POS for $25, but rust wasn't the problem. I forgot how much of a pain down tube shifters were, a problem compounded by it being just a little too big for me. I ended up donating it in very rideable condition to a coop.
I do find some of the pictures of supposedly "vintage" bikes on CL hilarious, though.

Thats how I got into it too, sort of. I find that every bike is a learning experience (even if a PoS that you end up passing on just to get it out of your sight ;) ), as are all of the questions/searches you’ll ask here, as this community has a ridiculous amount of knowledge.

Like many here, Ive had bikes from this decade, and bikes nearly a half century old, and I think for where we are now, the advent of the “brifter” is a good line of demarcation. I think :p.
BUT something with integrated shifting yet made in what most would consider the classic/vintage way, (say, lugged steel or Ti, straight top tube standard geometry) like a Lemond road bike, from around the 1998 timeframe you mentioned, would also be C&V, IMHO :thumb:

Ooh, I kinda like the thought process here! Trouble is, many times the line get pretty blurry between what I like and nobody likes😳. Another issue (for me) is when a considerable amount of "sweat equity" is invested into a junker, I grow attached to it i.e. I begin to "like" it and it stays in the stable😬.
Sovende

Good points on all of the above!
Perhaps a moderator could make the "list" a sticky AND sure, put it in the C&V section.

BTW, thanks to all that replied😎. Based on the definitions provided, ALL but one of my bikes fall into the C&V category😉. (And yes, a few belong in the "trash" category).
Sovende

My 1989 Bottecchia SLX Professional —Vintage (even with the addition of a moderb Campy drive train).

My Colnago Master — A recreation of a Classic.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...598f49d0c.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c6bbd687e.jpeg

Nice. Seeya in the C&V!

That is one serious steerer tube.

Removing already installed hoods is dedication for a goal.

Before the cut...:thumb:

I really like this definition and criteria.

This actually applies to many things. This quote is a keeper!

And in knife, gun, and car collecting we call it "patina" and add $100+.

What constitutes a Classic or Vintage bicycle?
 

What criteria is used to determine if a bicycle is Classic or Vintage?

Oops, I guess I should have scanned the thousands of posts first. Sorry for being repetitive. Maybe a sticky post at the top to explain this for us Newbies.

Thanks for the links. Again, a sticky post at the top would help eliminate these repetitive posts.