Okay, I'll play, with examples of what I have and thoughts about what Don proposed.
First, I like the basic premise... that these are bikes a beginning collector should be able to find for less than a king's ransom. It actually sort of reflects my own collection, gathered through a combination of diligence and luck, without having to spend huge sums of money. Granted, I don't have many truly rare bikes, but a few nice, not-so-common ones.
One of the motivating factors behind my collection has been seeking out those bikes that I lusted after in my many trips to local shops as a teenager. Many of my bikes fall into that category.
gillies@ece.ubc.ca (donald gillies) wrote:
- Viscount Aerospace - Don't have one, I do keep my eyes out for them though. I remember when they first arrived at our local shop (Belair Bicycle Shop in Bowie, MD, a classic "family" shop of the 60s/70s, Raleigh dealer where my first - Dunelt one speed and second - Raleigh Record, bikes were bought), and how proudly they were displayed in the window... so exciting to think of an "Aerospace" bike! Ah, youth.
- ALAN Competition - Not yet, but I would one day like to have one of the classic bonded aluminum bikes... ALAN, Vitus, or similar. Does anyone collect the early Trek bonded aluminum? And when were they introduced?
- Peugeot PX-10<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157621631047681/>- Finally got a pretty rough one a few months ago. GIVEN to me by a customer because he appreciated my work on his bikes. :-) Still have to get it all together and running. It came to me nearly complete.
- Colnago Super (in Lieu of MASI) - I am sorely lacking in the Italian area. Must fix that. I'd go for a nice Bianchi or just about anything Italian.
- Fuji Finest, Newest, or Ace - Recently picked up a '81 America, but I'm not as happy with it as I hoped. Tight tire clearance for a "touring" bike. Gonna try it as a 650B conversion for a while before I decide whether to keep it. I would love to find a good, tall Newest or Finest. Ever since reading "Richard's Bicycle Book" way back when, I have wanted one of those. Probably a Finest for me. I also have a '81 Intermediate Track<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157612697809218/>that's really sweet. Not completely original, but fun.
- Schwinn Paramount - A couple of years ago, my predecessor at bikes@viennabrought in a chrome '73 P15-9 for me to look at and warned me "If you ride it, you're going to want it." He was right. It's mine now, decked out with NOS Bluemels fenders and a NOS Schwinn saddlebag<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157605766783776/>.
- Raleigh/Carlton Pro or International - I used to drool over the light blue Professionals at shops in the 70s, and about 4 years ago, found one for a very good price via the BOB list. It's a lovely bike to ride, but honestly I find myself longing for an International. I was just given a REALLY thrashed International frame, but it's got some pretty bad rust, broken off cable guides, and it's a hair too small. More of a project for learning than anything else, I fear. I also have a '73 Competition Mk II<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157612077597457/>that is currently set up as a fendered fixed gear, but I have most of the original parts to put her back to "normal". When I was 14 or 15 I just never tired of looking at that glossy black bike in shops and catalogs.
- Windsor Pro (in Lieu of Cinelli) - My "Faux Cinelli" is my 1978 Centurion Professional<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157604257636170/>. Clearly they were trying hard to emulate a Cinelli, and did a lovely job of it. A very pretty, very nice riding bike. Granted, it's all Japanese, component wise, but that's how they made them. And the Cyclones shift great, and gosh the Sugino MIghty Custom crank is gorgeous.
- TREK 600 or 700 series, 1977-1988 - I seem to be drawn to Treks... I bought a 1980 Trek 414<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157612080618351/>new from Larry Black back in 1980, and I've owned and ridden it ever since. A basic sport touring model, it's seen many configurations and uses over the years, and now has settled into a semi-modern day rider. A few months back, I won a racier 1978 530<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157622025392192/>on ebay as a frame and fork, but after communicating with the seller, made a deal for the bulk of the parts too, Shimano 600 "Arabesque" series. Pretty! Finally, I had picked up a 1979 or 80 710<http://www.vintage-trek.com/Trek_galleryTF.htm>frameset back when I worked at a shop in Portland, OR, but sold it a few years back. I regretted it immediately and asked the buyer to let me know if he ever wanted to part with it. Well, it came back a week ago, so I am about to start building it up as a more or less "period correct" bike... probably SunTour Cyclones, GranCompe brakes, MIghty Tour crankset, etc.
My rarer bikes, I think, are a '78 Proteus road bike<http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157622895669664/>, that I picked up off Craig's List (thanks to Marty W. for pointing me to it!) and a 1951 Raleigh Lenton Tourist that has been languishing, unfinished, for far too long. Argh. I have GOT to get that one rolling here soon. Not a lot of those around... Peter Kohler I know has/had one, and oddly enough is also in the DC area, but I've only run into a couple of other folks online who have one. I got mine when the folks at the non profit where I worked assumed it was "just an old Raleigh three speed", but one of them mentioned it had "Schwinn sized wheels"... so I looked at it and immediately asked to buy it.
I've also got a few OT bikes that are pretty spiffy in their own right... '86 Miyata 1000, and a quartet of early 90s Bridgestones, all good fun bikes.
Tim Fricker
Vienna, VA USA