Originally Posted by
Catnap
To distill a couple of other folks advice and put my spin on it - don’t get into this hobby with the intention of restoring & flipping vintage bikes. The market just isn’t what it was 10 years ago and nothing to suggest it will ever come back to where it was.
If you really want to work on a bunch of vintage bikes, I recommend joining a bike co-op or starting your own. Alternatively, scour yard sales and Goodwill for the $25-50 gems in the rough. Hunting online for vintage bikes to flip will just leave you frustrated.
Personally, I have stopped restoring any bikes other than ones that are for my or my wife’s personal collection. In that case, I’m focused on specific niche, rare high-end brands and components. I both enjoy the hunt while also being willing to pay top dollar when I find what I want.
I agree. For context, the reason I bought my Panasonic is because I visited my little brother over the holidays in FL and he took me on a ride that totally kicked my ass (albeit him and his wife had road bikes and he leant me a mountain bike). Being that I couldn't let him do that again, I bought a bike and am training so he'll never beat me again because he's the little brother and that's how these things work.
I didn't want downtube shifters, so I started researching how to get brifters, which lead me to looking up 7 speed freewheels and finding Sheldon Brown's site. Now I have bought used dura ace hubs and am planning a 650b build so I can get a bit more tire/air on the Panasonic. I also considered getting a classic tourer that has a bit more clearance and getting fattish 700c tires. It's all fun to fantasize about, but yeah, I am in agreement this is a money losing hobby, not money making, but it's fun so whatever. I could be spending this money at the bar like I did in my twenties, so it's progress!