guy1138

At $500 per bike, there's no way this lot is going to move.

guy1138

I gotta say, I think you're mistaken.

At 45,I'm among the youngest at local vintage rides and swap meets, by at least 10-15 years. The people who have collections and really appreciate the golden age of steel bikes are all dying off; or moving into care homes and can't take their collection. Prices on vintage bikes are cratering just like 70s muscle cars have (like 20% of their peak value).

CliffordK

It is all in the details, which are sparse.

Most of those look like they could be high-end bikes, which could be worth in excess of $1000 each, either intact, or stripped to parts.

However, as we all know, a Schwinn Paramount and a Schwinn Varsity would land in vastly different markets.

Even details on groupsets will make a huge difference. So, complete Campagnolo Record/Nuovo Record/Super Record groupsets could be worth more than $500 each, with the frames being the profit.

On the other hand, one might struggle with many vintage Shimano, Suntour, or Simplex groupsets.

If there truly are the parts equivalent of 100 bikes, it likely will be worth significantly more than $50K. But, the buyer would have the time and expense of selling, breaking down, packing, commissions, etc.

It appears to be an eclectic selection of bikes. Many of the brands may be largely unknown. So, they may be harder to move than say Colnago Masters, Paramounts, Merckx, etc, even if equivalent quality.

CliffordK

Are they cratering yet? However, one would have to be aware that the COVID Boom will be BUSTING very shortly.

Again, it is all in the details. So, the Murrays, Schwinn Varsities, etc that pack the local Craigslist ads never amount to much.

iab

You forgot taxes, getting the collection from Atlanta to your storage, storage costs, cataloging, more taxes, etc. Figure 10-20 hours per bike and $50-$100 per bike in added expenses. I saw a lot of meh bikes in the crappy pictures. I'm not certain the math works at $50K.

CliffordK

Interesting bike in the middle of the collection.



I don't see any logos on the frame, so I can't tell the brand/etc. It almost looks like a new frame with old components. Almost certainly a recent paint job.

One of the few bikes with toe clips, cotter cranks, wing nuts on the front wheel, and perhaps a Huret rear derailleur.

verktyg 

My benefactress is concerned about having to liquidate my collection - N = DON'T ASK!

Recently a number of friends had the task of liquidating the cycling assets of Tony Tom's (RIP) Bicycle Odyssey shop in Sausalito, CA...

She told me she would pay me not to buy anything there! I knew that I wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation so I took the high road and stayed away.

verktyg

One other consideration... eBay, PayPal, Venmo and others now have to issue IRS 1099 forms for any annual sales totals exceeding $600! The Federal and state taxes are probably the least annoying issue. The time consumed in creating an inventory plus purchase records would be substantial.

guy1138

Yes, they are absolutely cratering now. The Campy Deltas or cobaltos, super record stuff that you had to pay thousands for just 10 years ago is now only worth hundreds. My friend had a Vitus frame with an almost-new campy 50th anniversary group installed, and was glad to get $2k for it.

guy1138

I see. So how much are you going to bid, Cliff?

rccardr 

Once again, the details matter. Someone who lives on the corner of ‘wanna sell’ and ‘wanna buy’ is going to snap this up superfast for a realistic price.
Think SVB, PC, or someone who wants to be like them.
Then they’ll trickle it out piece by piece, bike by bike at retail, and make back their investment and then some.
If these were my size would be mightily tempted, would be a fun retirement hobby business with some personal payback.
Not hard to organize or successfully create.

Soody

"Investment opportunity"

They want you to buy it all, and then drip-feed it back to them pawn shop style.

verktyg 

One thing that I failed to mention and no one else has brought it up is frame sizes. The majority of these bikes and frames appear to be around 54cm (21 1/2"). I used to ride 54cm to 57cm size frames but now that I'm approaching sell off mode (one at at time) I've been able to trade some of my 54cm bikes for larger sizes which will be easier to sell.

Bikes in the 55cm - 60cm (22" - 23 1/2") size range are the most popular and easiest to sell steel bikes. When I ordered bikes for stock BITD I always used the Bell Curve... 50cm, 54cm, 56cm, 58cm, 60cm, 62cm & 64cm or there abouts. Sizes 50cm, 62cm & 64cm were always the slowest movers.

The stipulation that "Any offers will be considered to apply to the total collection which would be picked up and removed on the day(s) of the sale." is totally unrealistic!!!

At the height of the Bike Boom fad in 1973 we would receive a 40' trailer full of bikes. We were selling them faster than we could unload them. Later when we were importing shipping containers full of bikes we had to unload them as quickly as possible because we were being charged exorbitant rental fees.

We were younger but it was still a lot of work plus the bikes were all boxed up. Removing 100+ unboxed bikes from the seller's premise and SAFELY moving them into a truck or trucks then packing them for shipping is going to take a lot of time even with a good crew.

Over the years I heard stories of guys listing their bikes in this eBay manner... Then they could tell their significant other "See honey, I tried to sell them"!

verktyg

Aerzon

It could be that younger C&V enthusiasts aren't as interested in meets/group rides, albeit that's just a baseless guess on my part.

This is a bit interesting to me as someone who's younger and only interested in road bikes from 2000ish or older. Is the market value for this bike category really dipping? It seems like eBay prices are quite high yet and these bikes are still very much functional when maintained properly.

gaucho777 

I like that these bikes, for the most part, look ready to ride. The consistency of pedals and bottle cages, computers, good rubber, etc. all point to bikes that appear well-maintained and wouldn't need much service or added costs. In fact, those items shouldn't be overlooked for added value. Plus, many of the parts and tools are left unseen. I wouldn't be surprised if someone or some group turns a nice profit over time, especially if you don't put too high a value on time. I value time spent with bikes, but that's a different kind of valuation.

I'm reluctant to make any judgments without knowing more of the backstory. Maybe the seller has some reasons to sell quickly before the wife or family has to deal with offloading it in the dark. Can't fault a guy for wanting some control without the monumental effort of selling bit by bit. It's a lot less effort to click buy than to make a decent sale. If I were going through some life/health/money crisis (something severe enough to sell all these precious bikes!) I wouldn't want to spend countless hours dealing with all manner of riffraff, spendthrift, and lookie-loo in the greater ATL area and beyond.

This is one reason I don't have grievances with large-scale collectors. They're bike people, too. I prefer to think of them as conservators. Whoever buys this lot will probably offload most of it in time. In all likelihood, collections that are panned for being excessive or under-used wall hangers will someday go to new, happy owners.

Doug Fattic 

This is just a wild guess on my part but the limitations placed on time for viewing and removal after the sale suggest that the seller has some kind of medical problem with limited energy.

repechage

this will sell if a transaction happens off eBay.
the in person, pick it up angle very much suggests this.
business license, resale certificate, money in the bank by wire transfer or bank check.

formidable logistics. $50k might be optimistic based on the seller's previous valuation expectations.

Bianchigirll 

Thanks. I was just about to post I’d pay $500 for that broken down Celeste Bianchi. Now I got to up my offer.

repechage

eclectic. Who knows. Interesting stem.
no doubt money was spent, the question is if that can be realized.

GhostRider62

The Speedplay cleats are work $50k.

Guy is an idiot to require removal on the day of sale. What does he expect a buyer to show up with a dump truck.

guy1138

To be Faaaaaaaiiir, it does say "Day(s)" on the listing.

iab

Seems like a good time to derail the thread. It has played out.

CliffordK

It is quite possible the owner doesn't live where the bikes are stored. So, perhaps an hour or so per trip to the shop.

Still under COVID protocol?

I've met people who tried to organize meeting several people at once. But, a group of people in the shop could also be overwhelming for some people.

It might be fun to just peruse the collection. But, surely the seller wants to avoid showing it to many people who don't have $50K, or don't intend to purchase, or perhaps want to just come in and cherry pick a few bikes.

GhostRider62

The photos seem to show 40-50 bikes, a handful of frames, 10-12 sets of wheels, dozens and dozens of rims, a full Campy tool kit, drill press, bike stand, wheel truing stand, some tubies hanging and a smattering of parts in boxes. $250K? $50K seems a stretch. The nominal $50 to tour is irrelevant to someone traveling to see the collection but why would anyone go to the expense of traveling without a basic inventory.

Rage

I feel pretty much the same way as guy1138. I’m a few years older and I think we might be amongst the youngsters in the c&v crowd. Around here, anyway. And, it seems, anywhere lol. I go to a vintage bike show around these parts and it’s just me and my completely disinterested wife.

There’s like nobody under sixty interested in the kind of bikes we’re talking about in this collection. Zero. And I hang around a lot of bike people/enthusiasts. The kind of people that spend thousands on bikes. I was talking to somebody yesterday just put a down payment on a 5300 dollar bicycle. Same guy has zero interest in any of the bikes in the collection that is listed.

Nobody I know cares. S’why I come on here lol.

bamboobike4

So many experts.
The internet takes idle anonymous spouting to the next level.

I'd not list that stuff here, either.
But I continue to discuss it in my group.
Might be worth a trip. I need a client in Atlanta!