The death or birth of retro bikes?

[KondratievsBike]

Fabulous discussion...

 

[Peachy!]

All I know is I introduced a 1999 full sus Marin to a 12 year old mate of my lads today and he’s still sitting on it.

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

Did you forget the saddle?

 

[Bimly]

Don't get me wrong I'm sure there will be younger people interested. Just sorted my niece a DB Topanger for her to ride at university. 1990, all original, quick clean and cables, all going. £5.00 on gumtree. Beats the £250 pile of poo, she was being "advised" to buy at halfords. Now her boyfriend is asking me if there's one for him!

So there may be hope.

 

[legrandefromage]

The late 80's into the 90's were the hotspot for the MTB and will remain so regardless of our ages just as the hotspots in motorsport (Senna, Group B rallying etc).

I'm sure there will be other highlights in the cycling world, certain road stuff seems to hold its value well with good provenance regardless of age/ era

As for this site, we tried to wrestle it from the current owner but that failed miserably.

 

[al-onestare]

Re: Re:

It's groundhog day.

We either evolve or die. If only this site did the former, we could be at the forefront of the new retro, whilst what we love moved to vintage, still fuelling our fires but giving an opportunity to the new breed to learn (as well as us).

You could always buy the site and take it to new levels.

lol yep we could couldn't we ;-)

 

[sinnerman]

The late 80's into the 90's were the hotspot for the MTB and will remain so regardless of our ages just as the hotspots in motorsport (Senna, Group B rallying etc).

I'm sure there will be other highlights in the cycling world, certain road stuff seems to hold its value well with good provenance regardless of age/ era

As for this site, we tried to wrestle it from the current owner but that failed miserably.

everything has a price Mark

 

[sinnerman]

I like to think, i do it because i like bicycles, not because the trendies, tell me i should, or because theirs a profit in it. Ive done it since i was fourteen, i will always enjoy first collecting, then assembling, riding and admiring a bicycle. It happens my honeymoon period was the 80s and 90s mountain bike, and this place affords a base to share, explore and research.

We do it, because we love it, not to profit from it.

The bicycle trade, and all parts of it, is a very unstable place, i wouldnt want to be doing it if i relied on it for income, not as a private person here, or as an Ebay company buying second hand bikes or Factory seconds/oldstock etc.

Good luck with that.

Retro is nothing more than a label, a brand name that works Perfectly-For US.

Dont get hung up on it, just build and ride-Enjoy.!

 

[CassidyAce]

Re:

The late 80's into the 90's were the hotspot for the MTB and will remain so regardless of our ages just as the hotspots in motorsport (Senna, Group B rallying etc).

I'm sure there will be other highlights in the cycling world, certain road stuff seems to hold its value well with good provenance regardless of age/ era

As for this site, we tried to wrestle it from the current owner but that failed miserably.

everything has a price Mark

Indeed. But if some of the other comments are right and the bottom's going to drop out of the 1980s/90s MTB market in the next few years, now would not be a good time to buy . . . But it would be a good time to sell.

Anyhow - interesting discussion.

 

[legrandefromage]

For those that have hung around a longer time, the furore around 'retro' peaked in 2010 and has been on the gradual decline since.

I'm doing exactly what I've been doing since about the age of 15 - restoring old bicycles, if I make a few quid that just means I can buy more tat, or biscuits