USAZorro

I did. For me it was partly the circumstances under which I lost contact with the first "good bike" that I owned (a 1978 Raleigh Super Course, which was stolen in between the time I finished college and joined the Navy), but I also had not done any appreciable amount of riding for the intervening twenty years. A couple months before I replaced it, I located a 1972 Fuji Finest, and by the time I got the Super Course on the road, it didn't seem anywhere near as special as it had when I was in college and able to ride tirelessly in the 52/14 combination. I suspect that while we both can attribute the desire to nostalgia, your experience is likely to be different from mine. The odds of you feeling the let-down of the experience may be lower than mine.

This said, my journey into the hobby and subsequent proliferation of bicycles began during that period of time. It has been a satisfying hobby/adventure thus far, and I plan on it continuing for many more years.

bamboobike4

8” Pignose in a closet.

RiddleOfSteel

A number of people have said it here or there, but for me it has been a case of as I evolve as a rider/enthusiast/whatever, coupled with expanding knowledge and interest, plus not being 5 or 10 years (or name your time frame) younger and thus not wanting to put up with certain things, that Grail changes (and thus it never ends). I know my riding style better, I know my fitment better, I know I don't want to get jackhammered on city streets, etc. I love a lot of vintage frames/bikes, namely early full Reynolds 531 Treks in their tallest size (as it fits me), but modern frames will surprise me in that it's not--as a road/race frame-preferring guy--the tip of the spear race bikes and exotically-constructed frames that I end up liking. This is me with my Trek 1.5 and FX 7.3. The FX also has gorgeous paint, and outright beauty/not having to repaint/re-coat a bike plays into the "logic" for keeping or selling or hunting.

I do find myself thinking about old frames/bikes I've had that I now would like back as my preferences have changed and knowledge increased. A bit of this is driven by wanting a little more tire clearance on a race bike frame. Thankfully, and ultimately, I don't need to worry about that as I have a touring bike (a touring bike!) that does all of the fast bike things just a hair less fast but a lot more comfortably. And yes it's a 531 Trek. Sometimes we just want things, or we are simply curious about them for any number of reasons. Accidental Grail can be the best kind of Grail.

Bad Lag

"Rosebud!"

delbiker1 

It ends if you allow it to. It took me too long, but I have gotten much better at just saying no. Now I am working on lowering the temptation by not looking so much. At this point, in my 2 wheeled world, not much is going to improve my biking pleasure. If anything, lowering my inventory would probably do that better than increasing it. I have been doing that with the thought I would use the dollars from sales to "upgrade" the few bikes I want to keep. I have not done that as I have come to realize that "upgrade" is more about my ego than any performance or comfort gain.

Bogey Speedwell

Yeah and at my age I can still ride a bike longer than the former, and when I ride it longer than 4 hours I don’t need to consult my physician.

Spaghetti Legs 

For most of us here this is a hobby with the added benefit of getting us some exercise. A true “grail” object doesn’t really fit into a hobby as that would necessitate an endpoint and I’d say those of us that use the term mean it as a bike that stands out among others for some reason.

swampyankee2 

This.
There is no bike that is a nostalgic connection to my youth unless its a stripped English 3 speed with the bars turned upside down.
I'm earlier in the evolutionary process than RiddleOfSteel, but as I learn more and grow in my ability and stamina, I am refining what I need from a bike, and keep trying things in pursuit of the ideal bike. And along the way. I might acquire some pieces that I just find unique or interesting.

BobbyG

Damned auto-correct...

tkamd73 

Given that you have posted on the CV forum, I’d say for you, like the rest of us here, the answer is a definite No.
Tim

repechage

Consider the "Grail" to be the ultimate Quest, once found, there is no more looking necessary.

75lechamp 

I empathize with all the above sentiments... for me, the goalposts keep getting moved out further. At first, I thought, if I could find an orange Motobecane Champion Team, that would do it. Found two. Then I thought - De Rosa. Got that. Then I had to have a cobalt blue Colnago, a Raleigh Pro in mink blue (x2), a Raleigh International in orange, a Moto Grand Record in black/red (x2), and a Columbus frame Trek, then a Paramount, then an early Moto Le Champion. All done. I think my ultimate grail bike would be a Carlsbad Masi GC (think "Breaking Away"), but I wonder if I would be done even then.....

Andy

SurferRosa

Doesn't end well...

Bad Lag

Nonetheless, it is what happens in life. I think it also explains (or at least reflects), what smd4 said.

WildRalph

"I spent half my fortune on gambling, alcohol, and wild women; the rest i wasted!" - W.C. Fields

My grail bike - finding a chrome, '59 Cinelli SC in a dumpster. So i'm leaning toward unobtainable! Lol

merziac

Never say never and always be ready to step way up if necessary.

You don't want a few or a $1000 standing in the way of your happiness.

Russ Roth

I've got 3-4 classical bikes that if they fell into my lap I'd take them but I make no active effort to find them. I bought the modern bike I really want and in general it supplies my interests. Dealing with kids that train and race means that more of my focus is on getting them the bikes they need while keeping it affordable. I suspect its this constant search process which keeps me from bothering to look for more for me. For example, right now I need to build a track wheelset for my daughter, I'd like to keep it under 600, which might not be possible, but the hubs I really wanted to buy aren't available at this time since they're made in Russia. This gets me looking at Phil which are either heavy or expensive, Dura Ace which are decent but boring, and I don't know what else. Also choosing a lightweight and aero rim while not going carbon since we'll race in Canada which doesn't allow carbon for Jr. Even when I finish this, BMX season opens and my middle kid needs a new bike and the younger kid needs some updates to the hand-me-down to have it running right. Who's got time for looking for more grails?

squirtdad

Russ Roth maybe mack hubs....??? https://www.retro-gression.com/colle...vendors?q=Mack

Russ Roth

Out of stock and 8-10 week wait. Probably going with profile, they're bmx hubs are some of the best, suspect the track are top notch

repechage

Gone are the days of a self-funded racer under 18 year's old

seedsbelize2 

You want to do it because you have found your way to this forum. Sorry. I was very happy with my 79 Schwinn built with 1020 steel. Then this forum found me. I didn't even know what a grail bike was, and now I have two, and a couple other second tier bikes. A town bike, a gravel bike, a mountain bike.
Hear me now and believe me later. Get out now, while you still can.

jonwvara

[channeling Mister Natural] "In the grave, my boy, in the grave."

bamboobike4

There are bikes you want to build, because building is fun.
There are bikes you want to build, because they are cool bikes to build (+ fun).
There are bikes you want to build, because they are unique and desireable to you (+ build + fun).
There are bikes that you want if you see them, purely on that. They "have it."
To me, these are not Grail bikes. They are just different bikes desireable on different levels, for various reasons. Like watches, clocks, cars, beanie babies, whatever.

A Grail bike trumps all. You will sacrifice to have it. And that sacrifice most often is painful in some way.

For me, it will not end, but I'm not actively seeking: A Wright Brothers bike.

smd4

This has been a great thread! Thanks for all the interesting takes. And great inspiring photos!

The Golden Boy 

I wasn't into bikes. I mean, I had a few bikes when I was a kid and got a bike when I got out of the Army; but it wasn't any love affair with the bikes at all. I used to be really into guitar and bass gear. And then really into stereo gear, then into old stereo gear. When I got into bikes- it was an extension of how dorky I was into guitars; I got interested in what the bike was- what makes a good bike vs a not so good bike, what was the frame, why you differentiate the frame, fork and stays, why good parts are good and what makes bad parts bad... For me, there's no nostalgic look backwards. I have no interest in bike racing or former or current racers. I pretty much have no interest in racing bikes. I sort of had a focus- I thought my bike, a 1987 Schwinn High Sierra, was cooler than all get out. Based on that, I started learning about 80s ATBs and what made them cool, and how my bike embodied those traits. I guess it's the 'ATB' aspect that appealed to me- the adventure, and then I realized how many of those same traits are a part of touring bikes... either looking at it as a tourer is a more elegant ATB, or ATBs are the burlier cousins of tourers. And to this day, I look at the upper level touring bikes and seeing the long graceful lines- and the balance between premium tube sets and the need to carry a lot of weight long distances and the durability of both the frame and parts to function with that weight, to steer, stop, shift with a load... the balance of elegance and business. That's cool to me. From that point, it's getting dorky about components and what I think is cool, what I think is useful to my own particular... ...idiom. In the past 5 years I've strayed from the 70s/80s/early 90s interest area- and I figured out how much nicer it is having 10 speeds in the back rather than just 6- but I still prefer the aesthetic of 70s and 80s frames and components.

As far as why I have so many bikes... I fell in love with the look and colors of the 1986 Trek 400 Elance. In all honesty- at the time I didn't think I would ever be able to find or afford my dream bikes (1985 Trek 620 or 720). Eventually, I overpaid and acquired my 620 and then it became about trying out different things... and then not moving them on. Someday I'd love to get a custom- but it's not necessary and I don't sit around and daydream about it like I do about riding across the country.

When I was a kid, I was into guitars, basses and amps. I always had a stable of 3-4 guitars and 2-3 basses. When one came in, one went out. In the early 90s I was trading guitars every 2 weeks or so. Sometime in the late 90s I think there was a combination of I was more busy playing bass so less interest in guitars and "old" guitars became "vintage" guitars and things I'd been picking up for $400 were suddenly $900 or $1200. As far as my amps... I had a Marshall half stack, I traded the head around a few times and ended up with one I really liked. By the mid 90s, I wanted that ultra-high gain sound- like a Mesa Dual Rec or a Soldano- and the Marshall wouldn't do that. At the time, no one would give me a decent trade in price for my Marshall... Eventually I just gave up on it. At some point in the early 2000s I realized just how good my Marshall sounded. I effing love that amp. But these days, when you show up with a half stack, the sound guy looks at you all side eyed. I'm mostly a bass player these days- I've got a stable of cool basses, but I'd love to get another, more modern short scale- and I'd love to get some modern lightweight amps and cabs- my lightest cab is 90 pounds. But, I'm pretty happy with my bass gear.

As far as my stereo gear... I had my 80s Yamaha/Bose setup. Replaced the receiver around and ended up with a surround unit- and that was fine for me. Sometime in the mid 00s someone gave me an early 70s Pioneer SX-838. It wasn't a top of the line unit at the time, it had not been serviced in decades and it was only 50w. But that thing sounded SO much better than my fancy pants, high wattage surround unit. At that point, I went looking for "better." I acquired a Sanui 9090DB, a Pioneer SX-1250, a Marantz 2325 and a Marantz 2238. Nothing sounded "better" than the 838. I've really stopped chasing it. Ten years ago or so, I sort of wanted to get some McIntosh gear- but that ship has sailed due to prices because of interest in "vintage" stereo gear. I'm sort of looking for a better CD player than the ones I have and need to get some speakers repaired but I think I've got a pretty kickass stereo setup.

So, the short answer is- if you're looking for something "more," whether real or imagined- it's never over. If you come to a point where you're OK with your stuff- you don't need to chase it any longer.


Untitled by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Stereo April 2020 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr