Selling up and leaving the hobby - Your failure experiences?

[clubby]

Sounds like an age thing. You start to realise that possessions don’t really matter and experiences do. I used to love a build, but once it was done I lost interest. It was about the hunt, the perfect part to replace the place marker you’d built it with until you found the right one. Once that was done, riding couldn’t compare to a modern bike and it sat to be looked at. I cleared out most builds and all my spares a while back and haven’t regretted it. I kept one, my ‘97 STS as I’ve own that from new and the riding memories of it are worth more than the money.

I also did it with my console collection. I never sold the old ones when the new ones came out and had a big collection of hardware and games. Always planned to go back through them someday and replay my favourites, but when I did, I realised how basic the games were and sold almost it all. Only thing I kept was my original Gameboy with Tetris and Super Mario.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I've ridden, restored and accumulated bikes since I was 12. I'm lucky I still enjoy it. If it's no longer fun make space, in your head and in real life. When it stops being fun, stop.

 

[widowmaker]

I have several collections, military memorabilia, vintage radios, coins, records, classic car memorabilia so have got a collection problem.

On the subject of bikes I had 2 which were not super expensive but custom made, once I had decided on selling them it was far easier than I thought and it cleared my mind massively, took away headspace and energy and allowed me to enjoy the ones I kept.

Were all different, and a different stages of the journey.

I dream on having 2 bikes which I can ride regularly and outlast me.

 

[d8mok]

Sounds like an age thing. You start to realise that possessions don’t really matter and experiences do. I used to love a build, but once it was done I lost interest. It was about the hunt, the perfect part to replace the place marker you’d built it with until you found the right one. Once that was done, riding couldn’t compare to a modern bike and it sat to be looked at. I cleared out most builds and all my spares a while back and haven’t regretted it. I kept one, my ‘97 STS as I’ve own that from new and the riding memories of it are worth more than the money.

I also did it with my console collection. I never sold the old ones when the new ones came out and had a big collection of hardware and games. Always planned to go back through them someday and replay my favourites, but when I did, I realised how basic the games were and sold almost it all. Only thing I kept was my original Gameboy with Tetris and Super Mario.

Could be age. 41 tomorrow actually.

I cleared my retro collection of consoles , toys etc a couple of years ago. I only kept the WWF and Lego. I do have more boxes to search through but most of it has gone now.

I think I enjoy the hunt , putting the builds together and the final result. But once they are built they simply go into the black hole on the wall.

I’ve actually sold a few bikes recently which were keepers. Hasn’t bothered me one bit.

I do however think that I’d miss the GT collection initially.

Maybe it’s just a phase since I’ve had so much going off recently

 

[widowmaker]

With me it was and still is the hunt, the buzz I get. I'm sure if similar bikes to the ones I have sold come up again i would buy them in a heartbeat

 

[2manyoranges]

...mainly it's missing the memories associated with a specific bike.

If you creep into the workshop very very late at night, leave the light off, and put your ear to the frame, you can hear all those past rides - very dimly, very quiet, but there, way way off in the background.....

 

[clubby]

Could be age. 41 tomorrow actually

Funny, I was 40 when I cleared out my console collection.
Now 51 and accidentally accumulating a bass collection. Only been playing 18 months or so and have 5. It’s all new, they are all different and a journey of discovery. Problem is, they are cheap (unless you are going vintage) compared to bikes and much easier to store.

 

[benjabbi]

I've been having similar thoughts. Didn't really ride or build anything modern for a good 5 years and was happy building and riding retro.
Once I'd finished my little Bonty collection though. Aside from a couple of unobtainable unicorns that I'll never own from a purely financial standpoint. I've hit a point where there's nothing I really want and have bought a couple simply because they were cheap. Which is ultimately a bit silly. So, back to the more modern stuff that despite what I'd like to think are better all round and have pushed the retros mostly to the side. Now I'm stuck between, 'they took ages to collect and get right and I love owning them' and 'they don't get used so what's the point?'

 

[d8mok]

Very similar I expect.

The future hunt of something was always at the forefront. And now I’ve kinda got them all which I set off to find I’ve lost the buzz.

I’ve got a Dekerf Team SL away at paint currently and very little motivation to finish it. Even though it’s a bike I really wanted to do.

 

[Gtpulse]

If money and space aren’t an issue I’d just box it off/file it under “later” and spend time/attention with your 3 year old. It’s a great age! My now adult daughters only last week were reminiscing about their trips in the bike trailer we used to have. If I could have a word with myself from when they were that age it would be to have done it even more.

My grandparents shifted their whole bike collection in one big auction in the 1990s. Grandad was well known for riding and collecting, which meant people came to him with bikes and he ended up accumulating more after going cold turkey. A watch out!