sloar 

It’s usually a generation thing, adults now that couldn’t afford them then. Right now it’s BMX, I grew up in the 80’s and had enough Hutches and Redlines to buy a new car now. So what’s the next big collectible? I’m leaning towards full rigid mountain bikes.

dedhed

Pokemon cards

bear_a_bug 

Live in a major city and you've likely seen how many riders are out there on townie-converted or drop-bar converted 80s/90s rigid MTBs. You can go cheap on your conversions, or you can go brand new and get yourself a Crust bike and bling it out with anodized parts and boutique MUSA bags. I follow a subRed*it called r/xbiking. Take a look there, and you'll see some pretty passionate discussion of these types of bikes. These are conversions folks around here are pretty familiar with, but the age range skews younger on that site. I'd bet on these being the trendy thing for a while.

Also, interesting how that r e d d i t site is blocked here, lol.

due ruote 

The general trend that I have noticed is people seem to be less interested in collecting at all. Or maybe they just aren’t interested in what I want to sell. But the whole decluttering industry is certainly at odds with collecting.

wrk101

this….

Now I’ve seen rigid frame MTBs from the early to mid 1980s firm up dramatically on price. Meanwhile road and touring bikes from that era have dropped. This is for the typical bike shop brands.

Generally buyers don’t want DT shifter bikes.

picked up a nice vintage bike yesterday with barcons and my favorite Vx GT RD. Parts value exceeds the whole something like 2X to 3x.

sloar 

I never thought that the BMX bikes from the 80’s would be in such a high demand. If your not familiar just look up Hutch Trickstar.

bamboobike4

Nose hair styling. I really think it will take off.

Feldman

For awhile those mountain bikes were selling for peanuts--friend of mine scored a pristine Bianchi Super Grizzly for a song and has used it for a townie and gravel bike. If you can get drop bars up high enough they have great multi purpose potential.

merziac

In one sense you only have to look at whats being stolen, the thieves usually have their finger on the pulse and know whats in demand.

That being said, their market is obviously skewed nefarious but can still be a good indicator so while not collector yet, they are hot after ebikes and they do not discriminate. I had a line on an older Haibike dropbar version that is probably 10 years old now.

They had 2 stolen out of a van but had the chargers and programmers in the motel room, good insurance so only a loss on my part, damnit Jim.

I think the collector market still favors the true classics, Masi, Bianchi, Colnago, EM, Pinerello, Cinelli, etc, etc. While the prices can be through the roof, they are still getting older so have to be appreciating in value for the true collectors which aren't really us in general, we're cheapskates for the most part.

squirtdad

not sure about collecting/buying, but have been kinda looking around and early mountain bikes (83,84 still) like seem to be asking a premium.

big thing now for the teens/pre car types in my area is riding as much and as far as you can wheelying on the rear wheel and most look like mountain bikes.....at least the fixie craze seem dead

Chuck M 

Does no good in NE Oklahoma. Meth-heads do not discern any difference between a new S-Works and a big box bike and they are just as likely to toss it in the river as rattle can it when they get it home.

Doug Fattic 

The sophisticated bicycle collector have started collecting American builders. I've noticed this trend lately. At the start of the bike boom, the desired frames were the top made Italians and some from the UK. The ones that were commonly available here in the US and the ones but were perhaps not affordable when they were new. The French makers had to wait until Jan Heine made them popular so they could become more desirable. Classic era European bikes had to be made fairly quickly so they could be afforded by their intended market. I paid $350 for my Masi (complete bicycle) bought in Milan in 1972. In 1969 I bought my straight stay Hetchins frame in Tottenham for only for $75. At those prices it was not possible for builders to mess around much making them more beautiful.

American builders were selling to a different more affluent market and as a result could put more refinement in each frame. Those that look carefully beyond the paint can realize those differences and know they were more nicely made and as a result want to collect them. Of course there is a wide range of quality in American made frames. Some were made in a day and others took 100 hours or more. Paradoxically some of the best made American frames that took the most time to build come from more obscure and lesser known builders and - because of their smaller output - are less valuable. Marketing power also involves volume. I have noticed lately that my fellow frame builders that I would want to build me a frame if I wasn't a frame builder (because they are superior) have started to be more sought out and collected. In the past many would not know who they were but are now getting more recognition. In other words as the collector is getting more sophisticated, they are basing their purchases on build quality rather than name recognition.

cb400bill

Too many porn links posted.

bamboobike4

Colnagos are still high as kites to buy, and their owners are crazy about them.
Often, you’ll see a fan with 3-4 different, but the same, Mapei models. Crazy fun.
The European and Asian markets are full of funds and willing buyers for high end Italian.

iab

Prewar Italian race bikes. I'm going to make a killing!!!!

gugie 

Vintage bicycle bells, definitely. I've been trying to corner the market for a few years. I figured it almost worked for the Hunt Brothers and silver...

nlerner

Discarded cable housing. I'm going to make a killin'!

tgot 

Is that all from a box labeled "Housing too worn to use"? Maybe I need one of those next to my box of "String too short to save."

rccardr 

All I know about the Next Big Thing is that I’ll be too old to care.

Dylansbob 

From what I've been watching, BMX is still climbing. Midschool stuff has risen in the past couple years. Those super-heavy duty early Xgames bikes are bringing more attention than they did. 80s mtb stuff is nearly non-existent in my area, occasionally some u-brake models. If my local markets and Xbiking has told me anything, it's 90s Hardrocks are selling for more than they were new.

merziac

Also guilty, 5 Merz's, 4 Strawberry's and counting, all PDX built.

Plus a B Gordon built in Eugene while he was hanging out with some of the above.

grant40

If vintage, full rigid mountain bikes become a trend, there are quite a bit of them that need saving.

cudak888 

Find the Raleigh Industries bells. People pay stupid money for the crappy 1970's ones that sit awkwardly on the handlebar and tend to work only half of the time.

-Kurt

Bad Lag

In 1970, I foresaw two major new technologies coming.

1. Sealed bearings - headsets in particular but also bottom brackets and hubs. If someone does not bring them to market, I will because weekly/monthly maintenance is getting to be a drag.

2. High pressure clincher tires - quality will be high to ensure reliable operation at 90+ psi; cost will be higher but they will be worth every penny. I, for one, cannot wait.

Later, in 1985, I knew graphite composites would make their way into bike frames. I could imagine tailoring local stiffness for the types of loads applied (bending, torsional,...). I knew there's be challenges but it would be unstoppable.

Drillium Dude 

Cool - but what does your crystal ball reveal regarding trends from 2022 and beyond?

Unsure about your comment regarding graphite composites; the Exxon Graftek was already using the technology and offering it to the public in 1975: Graftek

DD