Agreed. I've been selling rare records as a business for over 25 years and have never used any of the many price guides available. They are a waste of time to anybody who's really involved in "collecting". If your are living it and paying attention, you know what everything is selling for. If you're not then maybe you pay too much or ask too little (boo hoo). As time goes on you will learn more, and education ain't free. The only folks I see using record price guides is the guy who buys some run of the mill Beatles Lp at a yard sale for quarter then runs home to look at what the price guide sez. The always inflated price listed makes him beam with pride, even though he's not really acknowledging that his new find has the wrong color label and barely grades VG, so not even close to the example in the book.
Anyway we already have a perfect price guide, it's called ebay. Suddenly everybody is now invited to the party. If you need a guide. Pick a few marques you're interested in. Bookmark searches, and once a day or week scroll through completed auctions. There's your guide. For complete bikes, have a 1-10 system to grade for originality, condition, size, etc. Do this for a year and you can write the book. Next year, kids will forget about "fixies" and all your Keiren prices will be a waste of time.
Seriously what I've learned about collecting stuff over the years is. Buy what you think is really cool, makes you happy, and you can afford. If you have good taste, it will problay be worth more one day. I know this works as I've spent the last ten years living off junk I bought in the 70's and 80's.
Cheers, Jon Williams
Grants Pass OR USA