Probably a lot of these eBay bikes benefit from actual collector bike price spill over. People see a 1973 Masi, an authentic Herse, a Singer made by Singer, or an old Eisentraut go for a bundle on line. Rather than focus on the bike pedigree, they focus on steel lugs and age.
The psychology is understandable. As a result the buyers are either paying too much for a riding bike or making a bad investment in what most likely will never be a collectible. On May 13, 3:02 pm, Kris <[email protected]> wrote: > Just a few years ago I would probably have been bidding, but my > 'level' has dropped significantly. If I found one at a yard sale or > the like I would sure buy it, but I am no longer looking for any older > bikes. > > K > > On May 13, 3:45 pm, Murray Love <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 12:29 PM, Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I bought my wife a 55 cm 1993 XO-1 from the Bridgestone Owner's Bunch sale > > > in (IIRC) 1994 when B-stone was closing up shop in the US. It was an > > > engagement/wedding present. She loved the bike and rode it lots. > > > Unfortunately it met its demise at her office one day. It was locked up > > > in > > > front of the building when a lady apparently confused the brake and gas > > > pedal while parking (note it was a Toyota, so who knows). The car surged > > > over the curb directly at the front windows of a beauty parlor on the > > > first > > > floor, ran over the bike and the sign to which it was locked, was diverted > > > by this the accelerated down the sidewalk parallel to the building until > > > it > > > struck a tree. You could see where she continued to spin the wheels until > > > the car died. No one was hurt but several people- the driver, the > > > beauticians and their customers were of course terrified. > > > > The bike was destroyed. Every tube was bent except the head tube. The > > > wheels were mangled. Almost nothing was salvageable. The driver's > > > insurance company (State Farm) was a complete PITA to deal with (and lost > > > our auto and homeowner's insurance business as a result). My wife was > > > distraught, not only for the bike itself but also its meaning. > > > > Here's why I tell about the tragedy. I replaced the bike with a Heron > > > Road > > > with full Superbe, building it up over months at a friend's shop and > > > sneaking it into the house while we were out on Christmas Eve with the > > > help > > > of neighbors. She was shocked and delighted and, more than 10 years > > > later, > > > rides the Heron lots. But when I received the Heron frame from Rivendell > > > and examined it closely and compared the two frames, I realized something > > > about the XO-1. > > > > It was crude. The lugs were not attractive. They were not filed or > > > thinned. Tube mitering was not good. The brazing was sloppy and > > > incomplete > > > around the BB shell. The paint was not well done. The Heron was a > > > *vastly* > > > better made frame. My nostalgia for the XO-1 as a bike vanished (although > > > my nostalgia for what it meant- it was basically our engagement ring- > > > remains). > > > > The XO-1 is an iconic bike. It's a unique moment in bike history with > > > nothing really like it before or since from a major manufacturer. But > > > there > > > are better bikes to be had (and Rivendell has a lot of 'em). For the > > > price > > > these go for on eBay, I'd rather buy a better bike with that money. > > > > So my level of nostalgia for the XO-1 as a bike is pretty low. I'd pay > > > maybe $350 for one in near-mint condition. Obviously I won't be winning > > > any > > > auctions... > > > Agreed 100%. I had a 1993 XO-3 (lugged, Japan-made, same geometry as the > > XO-1 with slightly heavier triple-butted tubing). Actually, I had two, and > > broke both in exactly the same way: BB shell broke at the base of the > > seat-tube lug. > > > I enjoyed the bike well enough for a while--it was my first attempt at an > > allroad bike, and I built it up from the frame with my own selection of > > components--but I've ridden much nicer production bikes since then, my 1984 > > Sequoia foremost among them. The XO-3 was very stiff and seemed to transmit > > even the smallest road vibrations directly into my body, even with 1.75" > > tires at 75psi (this was long before my eye-opening experience with 650B > > tires at 55psi). > > > I also had a '92 RB-1, which I miss far more than the XO-3. Even with 28mm > > tires at 95psi, it rode much smoother than the XO-3, and just had a springy > > want-to-go-FAST feel entirely lacking in the other bike. > > > So, like Tim, I have very little nostalgia for the XOs, except as a > > praiseworthy attempt to do something completely different in production > > bikes. > > > If any Bridgestone could tempt me these days, it would be the '92-'94 RB-T, > > which has very similar geometry to my Sequoia. And no, I wouldn't go for > > the nostalgia build--it would be the normal mix of old and new stuff I have > > lying around: TA or AT cranks, modern Shimano 9-speed drivetrain, Ergo > > brifters, BMX pedals, etc. > > > Murray > > Victoria, BC > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]. > > For more options, visit this group > > athttp://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.-Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group > athttp://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
