bike hobby changing?

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is the bike hobby evolving and following the car hobby? a riend of mine who has restored high end bikes to original for a long time is out of bussiness,i see more high end 40s stock bikes coming up for sale and not selling,i see stock restored 40s,50s,and stock muscle cars bringing way less then they used to at the big auction houses,and i dont feel its the economy,resto-mods are doing better than the originals,the big box stores,electra,felt etc are putting out bikes thar resemble old originals but are mechanically more rider friendley,back in the day some of the cars were called cookie cutter cars because of there comonality,i think with the mechanical options,paint schemes etc that the bicycle hobby is in a change{i said that cause i dont know if i can spell metamorphis,i think, at least for me,it has hightened the bike hobby to what it was when i first got into it,build off bikes,people using imagination and being creative seems to me the way its going and i like it,thanks for listening,AJ
 
just an opservation of what i see happening and what has rekindled my interest,i too am all for what adds interst to the hobby,i have always leaned tward non conventional ways,once again my message was to illustrate somthing i see and like,it would be fine if everyone in the bike hobby painted with a broad brush,unfortunatly i dont see that happening,AJ
 
Well, when and if the bike hobby goes in the crapper, I'll still be here catching all the great deals and loving it.

Then in another twenty years, I'll have a huge collection and I can be rich when I sell all, and start over again.

BRING ON THE CHANGE
 
In my 3 short years in the bike hobby I've seen changes, but I see it as a good thing, it's expanding. In the last year or so I've seen more and more kids on old cruisers or their new stylistic counter parts, kids on their dad's old BMX and loving it. If the hobby is changing and evolving it means it's still alive and well, also means the "old guys" have done something right in passing on the tradition to the next generation of bike lovers, car lovers, or what ever the hobby might be. I've noticed it more so in the car hobby, since that is my main interest. When I was a kid in the mid 80's I started going to swap meets with my dad, seldom did you see a father and daughter walking around, now that seems to be the majority. I currently have a young son and he is already car and bike crazy, but if I have a daughter I will encourage her to be into both if that is her choice.

With the high end bikes not selling I only see it as right now the hobbyists that want and can afford one already have one, which in some ways mirrors the car hobby. The younger crowd doesn't have the means to afford them just yet. I'd say at 32 I fall into this still. I'd love to have a Krate bike of any year or color, maybe an older P.K. Ripper and nice '55 Chevy, however I have a young, growing family and the disposable income isn't there yet. So, to enjoy these hobbies I look to the cars and bikes a little farther off the main stream.

I know that the old cars I had while my wife and I were dating she loved driving my '52 Chevy truck that had disc brakes, power steering, a V-8 and an automatic transmission because she could handled it, my '49 Chevy Fleetline was a different story, she loved it, thought it was the coolest thing, however the cold blooded, dual carbed 6 cylinder and 3 speed on the column were a little more than she could handle. Same thing with the bikes, when I got her on an old Murray cruiser it was sloppy, the coaster brake didn't do good stopping with a bike trailer in tow carrying our son, however, once I put her on a big box store Huffy that is vintage styled, she loved it and now wants to ride all the time.
 
As a long time bicyclist and someone just getting into ratrods, here's my perspective on old bikes. Basically I can't see a good reason for using one for a build. There are so many newer beach cruisers out there for cheap used that they just seem to be the way to go. Also, I'm really hesitant to start modifying old classics. Not that I am against it in all circumstances, but there are a limited number of those bikes out there, so why should I hunt down an Elgin when an Electra will work just as well for my purposes?

I think that's one of the key differences. In the past there weren't many new bikes out there with the classic look. Now there are and they're cheap. By and large they're also better. Sorry, but I remember the days of steel wheels and caliper brakes and braking with my feet when it rained.
 
So long as I can get rusty-yet-late-model Worksman INBs from Ind-Chuckz for cheap, I won't be modding any actual old bikes, nor any Taiwanese/Chinese knock-offs of old bikes. The Worksman frames are legit old school in terms of construction and details, but too new to make me feel guilty for having my way with them.

I bought a late-model Schwinn Heavy Duti frame, and I just couldn't get into it, what with the 1.125" headtube and the fraudulent vibes it exuded. Similarly, I had a '52 Schwinn straightbar frame and even though it had already been stripped and resprayed and modified a bit, I couldn't shake the feeling that I didn't have the proper respect for it, being that it was so old. So, yeah, I passed both those frames along.

I also have a Varsity frame that is pretty old ('79) and pretty legit (Chi-Town Schwinn), but it strikes a nice balance between disposibly common but intriguingly authentic... Can't wait to finish building that one. but that's just me.

Is the hobby changing? Sure, but there's no way around it. They don't build old bikes anymore, and yesterday's new bikes are gettin' old. As different styles/vintages of bikes achieve different status, tastes are liable to change with'm.
 
A lot of it too is the fact lots of these old guys are dying off and leaving bike collections behind that get sold off and flood the market bringing prices down and there are less guys who are into old bikes. Supply and demand. Many kids now have never even owned a bike. It's a sad world we live in. Also most people don't think of the differences between a quality bike from back in the day and a new Wal-mart cruiser, they just want a quick and cheap solution or if they are willing to put money out they want shinny and new. We are a dying breed.
 
outskirtscustoms said:
... most people don't think of the differences between a quality bike from back in the day and a new Wal-mart cruiser, they just want a quick and cheap solution or if they are willing to put money out they want shinny and new...
Click to expand...

That's a huge part of the problem... ppl don't see the point of buying a vintage, made-to-last bike for $150 when they can get a brand-new POS/BSO at WallWorld for less.... never mind that the vintage bike has lasted for decades, while the WallyWorld bike will likely last for months.

Of course, we see the other side of it here on RRB with ppl selling Wald headsets for $11, when new ones go for half that on Niagaracycle.com. Sometimes old is better, and sometimes old is worse. In many cases, old is exactly the same... but, in any case, we shouldn't expect more for the older example of a current production part....
 
I love older in both bikes and cars. Especially with cars, easier to work on, less problems, no computers or sensors to worry about, and made of REAL STEEL not plastic. Also they were made by Americans with pride, not robots from China.
 
Rat Rodding, be it cars, bikes or guitars, has always been a niche of the greater whole. That said, I've seen the popularity grow, at least for cars in the past 10 years. Does that cut into the restoration market? I doubt it makes a dent big enough to feel it, if anything is killing off the restoration market in any genre, it IS the economy. I can't begin to afford to restore the raggedy 36' CWC I have, but I can rat it out and have a cool bike. I know guys who looked at their old cars and said the same thing. A lot of the decision comes from condition too. Just how raggedy is it before it becomes a basketcase? Even then, someone else may be willing to rebuild it. Passion for the hobby can make it a viable business, but I'm not so sure there's a big enough niche, rat rodding or restoring, to do only one or the other.

Carl.
 
Yeah, well, Wald has been making bicycle parts, out of steel, in Kentucky (which is basically America) for eons. I'd rather buy the new ones for half as much as the old ones, although some of the stuff is out of production now...
 
Bicycle808 said:
That's a huge part of the problem... ppl don't see the point of buying a vintage, made-to-last bike for $150 when they can get a brand-new POS/BSO at WallWorld for less.... never mind that the vintage bike has lasted for decades, while the WallyWorld bike will likely last for months.

Of course, we see the other side of it here on RRB with ppl selling Wald headsets for $11, when new ones go for half that on Niagaracycle.com. Sometimes old is better, and sometimes old is worse. In many cases, old is exactly the same... but, in any case, we shouldn't expect more for the older example of a current production part....
Click to expand...

The thing is though that most of the old bikes weren't any better for their day than the Wally World bikes of today. Sure, there were good bikes out there but I remember an awful lot of dreadful Huffies and Free Spirits when I grew up in the '70s and even the decent bikes like Varsities had some serious flaws. High quality bikes from back in the day are still great bikes today, but just like today most bikes were made for value not quality.
 
I see what you mean, Bob, but the turds from BITD were heavy, underperforming, and at times unreliable; the turds of the new millennium are sometimes entirely unrideable and, often, they fail catastrophically in short order.

I guess what I'm saying is, that '82 Huffy might be lamentably dreadful, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, but I'd take it in a heartbeat over anything Pacific makes with a derailer. It'd suck to ride the Huffy, but at least riding would be a possibility.
 
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The old bikes in my opinion are works of art. Maybe not the best handling bikes either. Look at the first corvettes. Ever driven one? They handle like crap! But still very cool in my book. Cars used to be unique & had style, most of them nowadays(sp) look the same to me. The walmart bikes are great for someone who wants a cheap bike that rides decent. They just don't appeal to me. I'm just not big on Chinese junk bikes.
 
A lot of it concerns the ages of collectors versus the amount of time spent collecting I think. I started about 17 yrs ago (at 17 yrs old) and was more into 50's style. As my exposure and collection grew, my tastes changed. I now favor prewar styles, although I still appreciate other styles and eras. As other ages of collectors enter the market, they will buy based on different factors: their personal styles, collections they are exposed to, possibly their parents or friends styles, current prices, and potential for resale, either immediate or future. While prewar brings money, I have never personally worried about the resale values. The "cycles" in bicycle collecting trends will start over , but on different levels. The hobby will endure cycles on a mass level, but collectors will experience cycles on a personal level, just as I did, contributing to changes both on the whole as well as in smaller facets, creating niche markets just as it has now. Example: A ton of people just like prewar bikes, but a certain percentage of that are looking for specific models or styles, i.e. your Mead Ranger collectors vs. your overall motorbike style collectors. Availability of parts will also add to it. Many people are not as likely to buy a prewar bike with a skiptooth setup missing the chain, if they have no clue where to find a chain
 

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