Selling up and leaving the hobby - Your failure experiences?

[d8mok]

Dom, I've been in your exact position twice in this hobby, and it's knocking on the door for a 3rd time at the mo...

This is why I only really try and build bikes I actually want to keep, and that have a relevance to me, and not just because I like the way they look.

As we grow and if we have a young family, they grow, we find time and interest for hobbies is limited, this is because our offspring became our hobbies without us realising it!

You certainly have some nice and rare bikes no doubt, but as you have already said, only one would stay and it's not a make that you are know in the "scene" for collecting.

I've let some really rare parts go in the past, sometimes I wish I still had those items, but not enough to try and get them back.

My suggestion if financially you don't need the money out....

Buy some big dust sheets, cover your bikes away, switch off the lights and shut the door.
And see how long it takes to go back in and uncover them, if its more than a month, it's time to move on with something new, or make that move abroad sooner rather than later, before your daughter really sets down roots (school, friends etc) and you are young enough to all enjoy a fresh start.
Let's be honest, this country is done for anyway

You were someone that actually sprang to mind with this mate. But it pulls you back in each time doesn’t it.

I don’t usually go a day without seeing them as they are below the house and where I keep work stuff too. But when I’m away I never miss the bikes at all. I miss riding though.

If I could move to Spain now I would for sure. Issue is I need an income , more cash than I currently have and also lack of a Spanish tongue. Maybe in the next 5 years I’ll start the process.


The realisation that age isn’t on my side (even though I feel great mostly) has likely prompted this. Kind of like an opposite mid life crisis.

 

[Stressed]

To be serious though- in my experience, the older I get, the less I've wanted stuff. It sounds like you're feeling a similar way- you collected all these (lovely IMO BTW!) bikes and lavished time, money and effort on them. But they don't hold any intrinsic value- only what you ascribe and associate. If they don't have memories and connections, in the end they're just arrangements of metal and plastic. Like many have said- it's your decision, and you'll do what feels right.

 

[d8mok]

To be serious though- in my experience, the older I get, the less I've wanted stuff. It sounds like you're feeling a similar way- you collected all these (lovely IMO BTW!) bikes and lavished time, money and effort on them. But they don't hold any intrinsic value- only what you ascribe and associate. If they don't have memories and connections, in the end they're just arrangements of metal and plastic. Like many have said- it's your decision, and you'll do what feels right.

Yep no memories at all. Apart from my spooky.

Pure nostalgia from childhood though. But there’s only so many Zaskars a person can build

 

[DaiP]

Very very similar to me.

I’ve had a Fat chance Ti and Yo on my list for ages. I kinda knew I’d lost a bit of mojo when I talked myself out of the Ti on here for sale even though I’ve just shifted some Kleins which would have covered it 5x.

Maybe the answer is to hold my current collection but not add. I still enjoy looking at them , and owning them.

The garage would be a lonely place without them too.

I reckon you’ve answered your question there with “the garage would be a lonely place without them”.
I often go and sit in my garage to look and soak up the general atmosphere even when I’ve got no specific job to do just to be overwhelmed by the sight and smell of my bikes both motorised and pedal powered. The mix of petrol fumes, GT85, 2 stroke, cutting fluid from the lathe and old oil from the bits that always miss the drain pan and have accumulated over the years helps the stresses of life drain away even if it is all probably slowly poisoning me. Good luck though, we’re all different.

Edit to add, I only came on here this evening to try and find that elusive pair of blue anodised mk1 Hope skewers I’m after and now I got hooked on reading through this thread. But then again there’s no sign of anyone selling any so I’ll keep coming back until I find them. Then there’ll be something else.

 

[Woz]

The realisation that age isn’t on my side (even though I feel great mostly) has likely prompted this. Kind of like an opposite mid life crisis.

Bienvenu au Club.

Going to propose something. Some one will smack me for this, but I think there's enough to support reading what is developing to a proper discussion in these times. There's some great input and I was expecting this to go pretty much with nothing sensible for these times.

Why not separate "value" between tangibles / possessions and what knowledge you have accumulated here and your own doing actually doing the retro vibe and sit down for a quiet moment and thrash out "what actually meant the most" and above all "what do I value the most and hold to heart the most".

What I'm trying to say, embodying all and every physical item is almost full of peril. Hell you even mentioned a Klein (see what I did there other people to slip that one in being a member of the anti-Klein Brigade and taking advantage and aiming square at a casualty going through early signs of Retro-Trauma pre-regret counselling ). Stay with me....

No ..... before I get booted out and told to go elsewhere or simply instructed to go to bed, just re-valuate what "worth" is and like was mentioned earlier how it's actually the knowledge in this hobby that is priceless, and you've shared, and to pass onto others that are willing to carry the physical burden of ownership.

Surely all the comfort points have being practically had and time to move on in a bit more of a restrained balanced way, but at the same time why the constant stout claim "of all or nothing"? Surely you could be in a position to appreciate a new owners exploits with their new toys?

 

[markoc]

I don’t know who owns the quote below but…

“He who dies with the most toys still dies”

None of us are getting any younger and I’m at the more junior age of our golden era. I was watching some of you guys racing in your 30’s and 40’s while I was in my early teens. We had the same bug, but time has been kinder to some of us more than others.

It is a very very harsh reality that we only get one go on this small green and blue blob.

If you have been fortunate enough to grow what is a fantastic collection, and feel it has run its path then move it on with no regrets.

If you are fortunate enough again not to need the financial gain that selling it will realise then put it away somewhere, boxed up and organised and let time decide what you do with it.

Either way, time moves on - as do our priorities. Personally, I’ve found my unicorn in the last few weeks. I’ve a couple of bikes to finish and move on, but when I’ve done that I’ll go a bit quiet on here until the next time.

When that’ll be, who knows.

 

[PhillB]

Bienvenu au Club.

Going to propose something. Some one will smack me for this, but I think there's enough to support reading what is developing to a proper discussion in these times. There's some great input and I was expecting this to go pretty much with nothing sensible for these times.

Why not separate "value" between tangibles / possessions and what knowledge you have accumulated here and your own doing actually doing the retro vibe and sit down for a quiet moment and thrash out "what actually meant the most" and above all "what do I value the most and hold to heart the most".

What I'm trying to say, embodying all and every physical item is almost full of peril. Hell you even mentioned a Klein (see what I did there other people to slip that one in being a member of the anti-Klein Brigade and taking advantage and aiming square at a casualty going through early signs of Retro-Trauma pre-regret counselling ). Stay with me....

No ..... before I get booted out and told to go elsewhere or simply instructed to go to bed, just re-valuate what "worth" is and like was mentioned earlier how it's actually the knowledge in this hobby that is priceless, and you've shared, and to pass onto others that are willing to carry the physical burden of ownership.

Surely all the comfort points have being practically had and time to move on in a bit more of a restrained balanced way, but at the same time why the constant stout claim "of all or nothing"? Surely you could be in a position to appreciate a new owners exploits with their new toys?

^^ I like this. Sure, I could put, or find out, a monetary value for my collection of old bikes, but what value to apply to the things I have learned to do, the new skills I have gained (or tried to ) the enjoyment I have had when that struck seat post finally came out, the paint didn't fall off, that first ride and then the next one. That has been worth every penny, and then getting involved with this group - the time you took @d8mok to chat to me about polishing Zaskars - I'd like to think we have all enriched each other's enjoyment of this ultimately meaningless hobby through support, encouragement, or just a 'like'. Each of those things added a little to the enjoyment in the moment and that is priceless.

 

[trailwright]

As many of you have said so far, the main thrill is in the hunt and the build. After that, it turns into a nice object to look at, maybe ride and then what? I gloomily commented somewhere else on here a while ago that each and everyone of us on here will ditch the collection, large or small, at some point unless its going to the grave with us. I guess for you @d8mok the ditching contemplation has come now while you're still fairly young.

I personally collect for nostalgic reasons as it takes me back to exciting times in the late 80s and 90s when I raced, so I thus keep what I buy and build relevant to that. I'm not interested in brands that I can't connect with and certainly nothing new. I don't really have time to ride anymore as my time is divided between work, family and competitive running training so my bike collection will be kept small. I think @d8mok you've got to decide what you want out of it all now; what's your purpose to keep 30 bikes?

This online community is great, and it does give a sense of purpose I feel to our collecting interest. I think a lot of it though is ego driven and needing that recognition for effort put in shared with like minded individuals. Nothing wrong with that. I do wish though that there were more live events where we could wheel the bikes along to to show off. Malverns for me is too far away and too expensive.

Whatever your decision @d8mok I wish you well!

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

My 12 year old self smiles to himself, when I go to the shed particularly late at night. The silence and peace I find there have me contemplating happily.

I build to ride, when I worked all bikes did work duty. All of my bikes are ridden, some more than others due to fragile paint etc so just fair weather riding for those.

From my point of view, if a bike doesn't ride right or doesn't feel right it's gone. When I've sorted a bike it stays like that until something wears out or breaks. I don't go for garage queens, it's there to take you places and pastures anew. That said if garage queens are your thing all good, sometimes history needs preservation. Unlike this luddite bashing the crap out of them on and off road.

I'm sure you'll work it out, "do in haste, repent at leisure" stands true as always.

 

[vtwinvince]

I have family and friends in Spain, but my buddy in Cadiz told me Spain would be great if there weren't so many Spaniards there. And he's Spanish.