| My dad says that "Somethin's only worth what someone's willin ta give
ya for it." (Old Yankee sage my dad :-)
Collector value...not yet, but if it's really mint and has any optional
equipment, such as a generator front hub (not the cheap tire driven
type) then it may be worth keeping. Today's cast-offs will be sought
after in the future.
The fact is that these bikes can be found at yard sales and in the ads
for as little at $25. My wife Kathy and I bought a matching pair last
year, baskets, lights fenders and all. All the "gee-gaws" Kathy says.
(She's so technical it kills me :-) And for $25, what the heck, a good
700c clincher tire costs that!
None the less, I like them. I also have my dad's 21 inch Phillips. I
cleaned the chrome and polished the black laquer paint when I got it
from him. It looks like new. It's a pleasant bike to ride on quiet
country roads. People say "I used to have one just like that! I rode
that thing everywhere; to the beach, the store and to my friends house
seven thousand miles away." (Remember your first long ride. I just seemed
that far.)
I ride it wearing my plaid shorts, white tee shirt, canvas sneaks (Black
Converse with the white dots over the ankle) and my black Wayfarer shades
and pretend I got thrown in a time warp. "Retro grouch" is in you know...
"We don't need no stinkin' new fangled bikes"
Keep it. It might help you escape all the bullshit we have to deal with
lately.
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| Reminds me of a piano I once had - an 1885 Steinway 85-Key upright. I
thought it was worth a mint. It appraised at $1600.
"What? The thing's an an-TIQUE!" I complained. At which point the
appraiser told me that as a piano, it was worth no more than $1600,
because you could buy a NEW piano for that much. But as antique
furniture, it was worth about $400. I could take my pick.
Life just ain't fair. :-(
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