Bso
#1
Mother Nature's Son
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 3,107
Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 852 Post(s)
Liked 1,433 Times
in
815 Posts
Bso
I saw this on one of the Weather Channel photo selections. I had never seen it before. Check out the prices.
Source: Pinterest
ADVERTISEMENTHow many hipsters in Williamsburg would trade their curly mustaches for a bike like this? Benjamin Bowden created the prototype of the 'Bowden Spacelander' back in 1946. But strangely, it didn't go into production until 1960. Only 522 of these two-wheeled-beauties were manufactured. It sold for a retail price of $89.50 - in 1960 dollars. Today, a Bowden Spacelander in mint condition would cost you somewhere around the range of $15,000.
According to the Brooklyn Museum website:
"The Spacelander is a marvel of postwar biomorphic design. Its curving lines and amoeba-like voids represent the mutation of the prewar streamlined style into a new expression based on organic, rather than machine-made, forms."
Source: Pinterest
ADVERTISEMENTHow many hipsters in Williamsburg would trade their curly mustaches for a bike like this? Benjamin Bowden created the prototype of the 'Bowden Spacelander' back in 1946. But strangely, it didn't go into production until 1960. Only 522 of these two-wheeled-beauties were manufactured. It sold for a retail price of $89.50 - in 1960 dollars. Today, a Bowden Spacelander in mint condition would cost you somewhere around the range of $15,000.
According to the Brooklyn Museum website:
"The Spacelander is a marvel of postwar biomorphic design. Its curving lines and amoeba-like voids represent the mutation of the prewar streamlined style into a new expression based on organic, rather than machine-made, forms."
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Beaverton, OR
Posts: 1,432
Bikes: You had me at rusty and Italian!!
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 566 Post(s)
Liked 1,045 Times
in
541 Posts
I saw one of those for sale locally on CL a couple of years ago. I can’t recall asking price but it was far less than $15k.
#3
2k miles from the midwest
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 1,964
Bikes: ~'75 Colin Laing, '80s Schwinn SuperSport 650b, ex-Backroads ti project...
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 525 Post(s)
Liked 931 Times
in
446 Posts
Real ones are pretty rare and expensive. There were knockoffs made in the '80s
#4
multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
And they are awful, awful bikes, no?
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Posts: 5,768
Bikes: 1989 Cinelli Supercorsa
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3498 Post(s)
Liked 2,911 Times
in
1,766 Posts
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,146
Mentioned: 481 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3804 Post(s)
Liked 6,643 Times
in
2,602 Posts
#7
multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
#8
SE Wis
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 10,501
Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970
Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2742 Post(s)
Liked 3,389 Times
in
2,052 Posts