[CR]Food for thought: peer pressure and value

(Example: History)

Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:29:58 +0000 (GMT)
From: "Nick March" <nicbordeaux@yahoo.fr>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Food for thought: peer pressure and value


Not in the mood for fun at the moment, so a serious subject: to what extent does peer pressure (as in I will buy this bike because it is CR ontopic an d everybody else wants one) influence one's collection, rather than what on e actually loves in a bike or in the way of bikes ? I can only give my sill y peronal opinion: 80% of us are buying what the experts or people we perci eve as knowledgeable are talking about in glamorous or admiring terms. A pi ty, I think many will regret this in a few years. Because although there is a love of bicycles in almost all bike collections, there is money involved , and expensive is generally deemed better. As in "if it's dirt cheap and n obody mentions it on CR, it can't be good and/or collectable. The problem i s that concentrated demand and limited supply lead to price bubbles, and as most of us will have discovered through traumatic infancy experiences blow ing soap bubbles, it is the fate of most bubbles to burst, and the biggest bubbles are the most fragile.

My second point also pertains to monetary value. What is a bike worth ? Nor mal answer is "whatever a buyer is prepared to pay for it". On a consistent basis, in the demand outstripping supply situation mentioned above. Howeve r, if a load of bikes start hitting the market, how much is your bike worth ?

Is there a moral to this ? Who knows ? Maybe this: don't put all your eggs in the same basket, and most definitely, don't count your chickens before t hey're hatched.

These thoughts occuring to me owing to a few factors, amongst which finding myself thinking, when offered a beautiful bike for a pittance "I don't nee d that, nobody is going to like it". Common sense prevailed and I bought it .

The last issue is that of bikes meaning money, and money meaning that the e nd justifies the means. I have witnessed on the local scene some pretty uns avoury events recently, a lot of hatred involved. Collector infighting and shopping people... Rather spoils the fun of collecting. But then, that's hu man nature, the meanest monkey get's all the bananas.

Nick March Agen, 47000 Lot et Garonne, France

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