jamesdak 

I guess I'd have to quantify my collection as ever changing and driven by the bikes that "speak" to me out on the road. I do like having those bikes that are sorta rare and different even if nothing really that special.

I've had around 10 different Lemonds over the years and still have three, Two Billato built Maillot Jaune's and one special Trek built one that Greg had custom made to hand out to industry friends. Only a handful of these made.
Also 5 different Giordana's but here too I'm down to only two, both XL Super's.
Then there's a unique and beautiful Paletti bike, a PDG Series Paramount that was supposedly one of Panasonic's protoype, a custom made Wayne Evans bike that I got from 3 time RAAM winner Bob Fourney.
I also have a beautiful David Kirk made bike, one of two he made for a defunct local bike company named Fishlips. And then the wonderful riding Trek Y-Foil 77 I found as a NOS frameset and the sorta similar Softride bike I found locally and got because it was something different. I've added two aluminum bikes to the collection recently. The first was a beautiful Klein Qauntum II that give such a nice, and fast, ride. That drove me to pick up a mint looking Cannondale CAAD8 with a patriotic paint scheme. Bike is painted as a Paramount Racing Team bike of which I can't find anything about. And as I love patriotic looking bikes I picked up a crazy old Schwinn Prologue TT. I also have a gorgeous 1985 Fuji Opus III that I consider my best looking classic bike and it rides like a dream and is just as fast as anything else I have. I can also add a wonderful Davidson Impulse to the mix. Another strong favorite out on the road and a beautifully made bike. There's also a Duell Vienna that caught my eye a few years ago. A true rocket out on the road. Stiff rear end that really delivers the power with a front end that is soft over the rough road surfaces will still being plenty precise enough to carve through the high speed curves. I also have a Pinarello Monviso that is dang near mint and rocket fast on the road. It languished on the local ads for over a year before I finally caved and bought it. So glad I did. I also have a Serotta CSI because everyone needs on Serotta. It's one quite special bike too, great riding, and beautifully built. I also have a De Rosa Neo Pro that I took in trade early this year. It's a really great bike out on the road too but I'm trying to not get attached to it. I have too many bikes and sort of want to move this one on. The De Rosa has a Campagnolo triple setup and became redudant when I picked up an old Trek 5200 with a triple on it to build into my main climbing bike. Then to wrap things up I have a Pashley Guv'nor that was bought new because I just love how sleek the old Path Racers look and the Guv'nor fits that bill with modern reliability. The final one was also a new purchase, a dutch Azor Omafiets that was bought as my errand bike and eventual "grow old but still ride" bike.

So....I don't know if any of that seems to identify a reason for why what I have but I will say these are the ones I kept as I downsized over the last year. I should let more go but I can't wrap my brain around letting any of what's left go.


Latest bike cave picture with most of the bikes mentioned above.

nlerner

My stable has evolved a great deal over the years. I’ve likely sold off quite a few that might be grail bikes for others, but it really comes down to what I want to ride and how those riders perform for me. That said, what I ride the most are not vintage bikes, but contemporary builds. Sure, nice to have the old stuff around for things like Cino or Eroica or monthly rides with my old Brit bike group or my short commute, but the extended miles are not on those bikes.

steelbikeguy

yeah, I can identify with that.

I first met Mr. iab at a small ride in Chicagoland. We got invited over to the iab household to see the few bikes hanging in the storage area. There were just a few, but they were all 1930's or 1940's. The Cinelli track bike, I think, was easy to understand. The bike with the Vittoria Margherita derailleurs (well, let's just say gear changing mech) was something I'd seen in photos, but didn't expect to see in person. I don't recall the third.. but it was no less a surprise.

Then I went to the Classic Rendezvous gatherings. Holy carp! This was completely new territory to me, and gave me an appreciation for what the real enthusiasts have been doing with their spare time. At the 2016 event, I took a bunch of photos and just didn't get enough shots. At the 2018 event, I did my best to be methodical and get shots of as many as possible. It wasn't as good as could be hoped, but I did get enough shots to get an attaboy from Dale Brown and Peter Weigle. Mission accomplished! There's a link to the photos on the Classic Rendezvous site, I think Lightweight Classic Vintage bicycles

let me share a few teaser photos from the 2018 show...

a Carlton International Longfellow, restored by Jim Cunningham. Jim used to run the CycleArt shop that did restorations, so this wasn't a surprise. This Carlton model might have been the inspiration for the Raleigh/Carlton International, but this is what happens when you pull out all of the stops!


for those who like the Italian style, why have a Masi when you could have a Confente?


for a modern USA builder, you could do worse than a Chris Bishop, as evidenced by the bilaminate lugs shown here....


or a Baylis, with his unique style and colorings. A few Jon Williams drillium bits thrown in for fun.


or this pair being shown by Mr. Della Rossa..... a Jo Routens and a Rene Herse. The details on these bikes kept my camera busy for quite a while!


so.... shows like this are certainly a great way to get an idea of what themes or builders you might find most interesting.

Steve in Peoria

Shrevvy 

I've gravitated toward smaller, less known builders. I have:

Appel
Tesch (three different models - 101, S-22, Tesch built Specialized Allez)
TS Isaac
Della Santa (two - Lemond Pro and one of his frames)
Zunow Z-1 (also a Hummingbird, but that is not the same as the Z-1)
Kono built Specialized Allez
Serotta (7-11 Huffy, 7-11 Murray, one of his frames)
Melton built Huffy
Eisentraut
Osell

I do like Italians though:
Billato
BMZ
Pinarello
De Rosa

Not all of the above are road ready yet. The early Trek story is a good one. I've put together a TX900, 950 and 970. I would add a 170 if given the opportunity, but that would be it for Treks (maybe a pink 770...) I guess that is my one big brand, but I consider those early bikes to be from small US builders (some on the list above) and very different from today's Trek.

If it is a small or obscure builder from the US, Italy or Japan and is a race (or racier) bike, I will likely be tempted. I may let a couple of the above go at some point (Hummingbird, Kono Allez, Melton Huffy), but I'm not in a hurry. I am a lot more focused than I was 5 years ago. I think I figured out what I liked over those years.

Flatforkcrown

I’m basic. One of my Italians isn’t even Italian. I have a 73 motobecane too, but that’s basic French.

Gary Fountain

I do like the well known Italian brands as they are generally well sorted out geometrically as well as construction and materials. Most suit my average proportioned body. I have found that there are is one Italian bike brand that I don't like due to their over flexing at the bottom bracket. Thus, my collection is centred around the brands I lusted over in my youth.

Being Australian I do have a number of Aussie built frames that I love. As these are generally smaller bike frame manufactures there can be quite a difference in geometry and materials and it is more common to have a specific frame builder's frames that fit better than another builders. Sometimes I have found frame geometry's that differ among the same brand - probably built on a more custom basis. ( I have found similar differences within the Merckx built bikes especially at the upper end which may have been built for specific riders.) I do have my favourite Aussie builders and always trust their frames and did tend to ride these frames on a more daily basis than my Italian frames.

merziac

I feel like we have it all right now. The original ones are, well original and honestly don't get ridden like they should but hold their place in time for me. Several are retro something and make fantastic riders, also for me.

The old


And the new


Plenty of variations on these themes more or less and I didn't race but did ride back in the good old days, never embraced DT shifters and always set my bikes up for the long haul and commuting, now I'm here.

Andy_K 

I have a Gitane like this -- 72 degree frame angles. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to set up a bike like that. Normally, I position saddle, pedals, and handlebars in the same relative position, but this Gitane doesn't lend itself to that strategy and I feel like I wouldn't be riding it the way it was designed. Right now, I've got it set up with a much shorter reach than I would normally use and a more upright position (and my normal position is fairly upright). I'm not sure that's right, but it's the best reading of the geometry I could come up with.

johnnyace 

I currently have two French and an incoming American. I would like to have this (very Italian) Mondonico off of the Portland craigslist, but in fairly typical craigslist fashion, the seller hasn't answered my email. Which very likely could mean that it has already been sold, and they haven't bothered to remove the ad, or answer further inquiries.

repechage

one brand afflicted with a flexy bottom bracket?
inquiring minds will want to know!

limited exposure to Australian builders in California, there were a few Americans that went to ride/ train/ race on the track in the mid 70’s and a few of them brought back track frames. They looked beefy, we’re stated to be quite stiff, no brand names, and definitely beautiful filed lugs were not part of the program, they were race tools. Would have to hold a seance now to get info, but there were local builders there supporting the racers.

rccardr 

That Mondo was sold a couple days ago to a local guy on PL.

Drillium Dude 

Nah, you've got plenty of bikes!
























You can stop talking to me now

DD

Drillium Dude 

I'm at 7 bikes and that's one per day of the week - plenty for me. Especially as six of them are currently languishing in a storage unit as of Monday. The Casati is about to get some serious mileage...

'73 Colnago Super
'79 Alpina
'79 Medici Pro Strada
'81 Bianchi Super Leggera
'83 Colnago Mexico
'85 Casati Perfection
'01 Davidson custom

All Italian save the two American machines, and they're all kitted out in Campagnolo (excepting the Nitto 65 seatpost on the Casati), so my collection is the definition of "basic"!

DD

USAZorro

Have to go with "both". I definitely have a soft spot in my head for Raleighs. Unfortunately/fortunately, the best example of a "lesser known" that I had, I traded away on an offer that I couldn't refuse... straight-up trade of a J.A. Holland (which was a tad small), for a Hetchin's Magnum Opus that was too ostentatious for me to feel comfortable riding, and which I passed along.

I did have a very nice Argos fall into my lap about 5 years back though.

SurferRosa

Oh, lesser known for sure! A Daccordi/Torpado would be fine in a pinch, but give me a Bertoni/Italvega any day.

thinktubes 

Nothing too freaky...

mstateglfr 

Currently just 2 older bike frsmes right now...and a bunch of older parts that collect dust.

- Late 80s contract built road frame with tange 1 tubing which is currently 2x11 with modern 105.
- 87 Schwinn Premis frame with Tenax tubing which is currently in single speed mode with mostly older components but modern bars and brake levers because they are better.


I would entertain a quality Italian frame if I came across one in my size. Or a quality 25.5" trek road frame, sure why not.
If I rode a 56 or 58cm frame my garage would be overflowething with older bikes.
But as it is, my modern steel road and gravel bikes fit me better and are more versatile so they are used more frequently.

Andy_K 

Your style is definitely "classic" which I think is closely related to what people mean when they use "basic" as if it were a bad thing. When I was a teenager I wouldn't listen to any band that was too popular. Like I loved the U2 album "War" and then when "Joshua Tree" came out and everybody liked it I was like "Well, that sucks." On the plus side, it left a lot of good music for me to start listening to as an adult.

johnnyace 

Not familiar with PL Doc, please elaborate? And on the other side of the country, or...?

johnnyace 

Speaking of Bob Freeman and common/uncommon Italian bikes, have you seen the restored 1959 Cinelli Model B he has listed on ebay? Cinelli may be a common Italian marque, but I'd say that bike is pretty uncommon!

Classtime 

Digging this thread because it is loaded with Grand Tour caliber road racing bikes. My Medici and my Pego Richie Newvex RS are of this level. My other bike is just a lightweight, tigged, abusable, Nova Commuter.

rccardr 

The Paceline bike forum. Guy who snagged it was in the same city as the seller.

easyupbug 

We have started the dreaded downsizing conversation which means I will loose my hanger so have been moving bikes. Colnago, Tommasini and Ironman gone this year so far, need to shed 15 to 18 more at which time I will be able to answer your question.

SJX426 

the list is on the left. My preference is for Italian racing bikes. I don't' know why. I would post pics but they are the same ones distributed throughout this forum.
Unfortunately, the most prevalent attribute of my collection is stagnation. I haven't' added or subtracted to the collection since the De Rosa addition over a year ago. Almost pursued a Masi 3V Team but it was too new, 2005ish, a bit much and not a Gran Criterium.
I also feel guilty for not finishing 4 other bikes, 2 Treks, 1 Pinarello, and the Burely Duet. At least two of them are in a riding state.

After some consideration, I thought I should just dump a pic on here.
P1030684 by superissimo_83, on Flickr

Kobe 

Definitely prefer the obscure and American (see signature)if possible. Outside of the Specialized and Trek most people probably never heard of the builders of the bikes I own. That's partly due to most of my bikes are 66cm or larger.