In truth all collecting has an element of irrationality. Both vintage cycle collecting and the collecting of champion racers' bikes have something important in common-the appreciation of excellence. The most valued of vintage bikes are those of those makers whose excellence has been appreciated by collectors over a period of time. Their abilities in some aspect (or many aspects) of construction was valued in their time and thereafter. Since many collectors, especially of vintage lightweights, valued the productions of those makers who were dedicated to bike racing, and since racing is in many ways, a severe test for a bike, the bikes of those racing bike builders are among the most valued by collectors. Athletic prowess is also valued in our society and many others. No one who has ever attempted to race a bike cannot appreciate the excellence of the great champion racers (whatever their other imperfections). Therefore, some collectors attach value to the cycles these men and women used-it is simply a sign of respect for their athletic talent. Now, it can be argued that the bikes used by these champions did not represent the best work of the maker. However, no bike maker, no matter how humble wants to see his bike held up to ridicule by failure during a race. So, at the least, champions' bikes were deemed race worthy by their constructors. This is hardly a small thing. Now whether society should value athletes' talents over others such as farmers, etc., is beyond the scope of this Forum. If such regard is expressed in their earnings, the answer is clear. I might add that the collecting of champions' bikes is very tough-one has to ascertain both the validity and condition of the bike and its provenance-anyone who has attempted this can attest to its difficulty. Sadly, like all valueable collectables, the value of genuine champions' bikes has spawned criminals who specialize in producing frauds, often hard to detect. CR Listers are a very important group dedicated to detecting and identifying these crooks. George George Hollenberg MD
George Hollenberg MD
CT, USA