The Pista-Dex is holding pretty strong.
 

Only down about a hundred bucks since I last checked in 2008.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b578e8dc12.png

People can list a bike for whatever they want, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get it. Ironically, 2008 was the last year Eben Weiss was relevant.

Man those were the days. I used to read that blog everyday and the only thing I can remember about it is the pista-dex.

Fixed gear parts and stuff was so much easier to get back then. Everybody was buying fixed gears.

He's a good sport about it, at least: https://bikesnobnyc.com/2020/06/25/out-of-the-loop/

Rarely do fixed gear/SS bikes come up on my local Craigslist. That isn't to say that there aren't some devoted fixed-gear riders in my city, but they are likely a small but passionate group. I can't remember seeing one out where I live in the suburbs. There is a part of town that has a bike-friendly vibe and there likely are some FG riders there. The Bianchi Pista that I had was very attractive, given the chrome and the decals, but honestly there was nothing special about it. But sometimes it is the sizzle that hooks buyers and not the steak itself. If I were going to spend $800.00 for a new FG bike, the Bianchi Pista wouldn't be on my short list.

Does anybody else here remember some years back when we had a couple guys here who had Steel Pistas that they were upgrading like crazy? Replacing everything with big $ bling? Was almost like a joke about building the world's most expensive Pista? Yeah...good times

Anyway - I was just thinking about the PistaDex within the past couple of weeks myself. There's been a lot of them showing up lately in one of my FB FG groups and I was tempted to mention it... but decided not to. And I don't think Eben Weiss had even revealed his real name by 2008. Yeah...good times

Seems to be alive and well in Chattsvegas

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dacc4dab71.png
But hey! It's marked down!

For $650.00 you'd think it might come with fresh bar tape. I put this one in the category of "you can ask whatever you want". Maybe he'll get it. Maybe he won't.

There's definitely a subset of people on FBM and Cl who price things sky high but then will take 50% asking. People say that's rude and "lowballing" but for every lowballer there's a gougers and sellers can always say "No thank you"I

I wonder how much the Pistadex is going to be skewed by the (relative) scarcity of Pistas now? I feel like I rarely see them anymore, which is a shame - I'd jump on a 55cm Celeste one if one popped up in Chicago.

I've bought and sold on Craigslist for many years. When I see things overpriced I tend to believe one of two things. First, they haven't a clue what they have and just assume it is "high end" so they slap a high price on it. Or, second, they do know what they have and I guess they hope a sucker comes along. Those people frequently use words like "rare" or "touring" because they think it will attract attention. I've seen MTB's listed as being a "touring bike" because I guess the seller thinks everyone wants to go touring nowadays.

Everybody wants to feel like they made a deal and therefore many will offer less "just because". I always allowed for that in my pricing, but I'd never dream of inflating something 50%. More likely I'd add $20 to $25 to a price so I could at least come down that much and make the buyer feel better about themselves. Any more than that and it tends to look foolish. Who the fool is, depends on the end result.

I was thinking the same thing........

Everything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

If you think that price is ridiculous, how about this Pista Concept with a welded up broken seat clamp no less >>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/22431866362...YAAOSwEWNgA13x

Ouch!

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/M1oAA...33/s-l1600.jpg

I agree. I see a lot of listings for Pistas and Langsters and other 1x speed with outrageous prices because they are a rare version
Collectors items are nice, but sometimes the value ed is in the seller's imagination. If I buy a bike I need to ride it and it's going to get wear and tear.

I've been away from riding for a while and just got back, this thread makes me realize that I started riding fixie 20 years ago, my first "proper" track bike was a Pista in 2002, flat black, I would potentially buy that bike again for nostalgia but I always thought the fork was ugly. I currently have a weird desire to build an 80s/90s road conversion using all pre-fixie-fad stuff.....

I've owned a Pista or two, and they're great bikes. But they're pretty utilitarian, really -- the tubeset isn't anything special, it's TIG welded, has house-brand parts, and the fork is a noodle. It's a fine rough-and-tumble city fix, but I think some people think that they've got cachet because it's an Italian brand. I'd pay top-dollar for an early-80s lugged Super Pista, but the used Taiwanese Reynolds 520 version? $400 at best.

It's been a long time since Bianchi was an Italian bike company. All frames are now made in Asia and the company that owns the brand isn't even in Italy.

"Grimaldi Industri AB of Stockholm, Sweden, is a holding company that owns: Cycleurope – A group of companies that manufacture bicycles and related items with the brands: Bianchi, Crescent, DBS, Everton, ... Wikipedia"

And Bikes Direct has Dawes, Motobecane and Mercier decals on their bikes, but they mean nothing. They look nice though.

And I always thought my Windsor Clockwork was made in the UK by master craftsmen. Dang ! :mad:

Yes, I forgot Windsor! Another marque that harkens back in time.

I imagine it'll be more volatile. Outliers will do more damage the median price. Maybe we should correct for that...:)
Man I really wanted one of those back in the day. I had a Fuji track and the frames were supposed to be comparable. I was always curious but never had an extra 200 bucks to see.

I bought my Pista last year , it was almost brand new and unridden for a decade. Boy do I love that bike. I 've heard it called the cheap Asian mass produced Pista and sneered at. I don't know a lot about bikes, but this is a good bike.
Its steel, which is good, because with its skinny frame it would be scrap aluminum now by now as clumsy as I am. I've hit some big potholes and crashed into a big road sign . I ride her 4 days a week 23 miles a ride and the frame has just the right rigidity in it.
I save her for the days my legs are fresh, and its a real high. Mostly I keep off the heavily ridden bike lanes because she attracts a lot of people who want to race, but its not worth burning yourself one day and feeling beat the other days .

I think most of us here are just having fun about them. I love me some asian, mass produced bikes.
Honestly, I'd never have any fun on some ultra rare, once in a lifetime, 2000 dollar frame. I couldn't. I'd be terrified of losing to an accident or a thief or whatever.

Fascinating, not only was Bianchi no longer an Italian company when mine were made, the company was owned by one guy! An Italian-born Swede.