Which year should a bike be considered vintage?

Sloth Monster · Dec 13, 2023

2023.

Josh Patterson · Dec 13, 2023

Tim-ti said:
Is it pertinent though that 25 years is about 22% of motor car history, wheras 25 years is about 64% of MTB history.

If there's a divide between classic Cannondales or GT's for instance, and new-school it might be the move from made in USA to asia, perhaps that's a factor? It could explain this sentiment:

Great questions.

noapathy · Dec 13, 2023

Sloth Monster said:
2023.

Too soon. 😭😭😭

chazpat · Dec 13, 2023

sgltrak said:
This was discussed over and over here on MTBR when the Vintage, Retro, Classic forum was added. It seemed the consensus among the regulars at the time was pre-v-brakes, or roughly 1996 and older.

So is that fixed or does it expand to include v-brakes as the years roll by?

BadgerOne · Dec 13, 2023

In cars there are actually three classifications - classic, vintage, and antique. Classic is generally 25 years, vintage is 50-ish. If you find a vintage mountain bike, that would be quite a trick. And antique bikes have terrible geometry for the downs.

NC_Foothills_Rider · Dec 13, 2023

sgltrak said:
This was discussed over and over here on MTBR when the Vintage, Retro, Classic forum was added. It seemed the consensus among the regulars at the time was pre-v-brakes, or roughly 1996 and older.

What if it came with cantilevers and you upgraded to V brakes in '97 and all that stuff is still on there and works good as new? And the STX-RC 7 speed canti shifter/brake combos are still in your parts bin?

NC_Foothills_Rider · Dec 13, 2023

That's a USE suspension seat post.

kapusta · Dec 13, 2023

I think mid 90s. Early suspension is vintage to me.

noapathy · Dec 13, 2023

NC_Foothills_Rider said:
That's a USE suspension seat post.

Interesting branding. 😁

Jolyzara · Dec 13, 2023

"Vintage" is the bike you rode as a kid.

Though per the bike industry is anything over one year old.

spinkleswexler · Dec 13, 2023

2016 and older tbh nobody riding **** that old if they aint poor or an old geezer or both, also if the hta is steeper than 60 degrees its def vingage

Bassmantweed · Dec 13, 2023

shwinn8 said:
sometime in the mid 2000's(?)

This is exactly what i tell people - its worn out an i need an upgrade.

shwinn8 · Dec 13, 2023

Bassmantweed said:
This is exactly what i tell people - its worn out an i need an upgrade.

I will say, if counting weight... my 1999 Schwinn Homegrown 4Banger AM weighs about the same as my 2016 Canfield Balance.

sgltrak · Dec 13, 2023

chazpat said:
So is that fixed or does it expand to include v-brakes as the years roll by?

I don't make the rules or have the answers, but I think that question came up a lot during those discussions. I seem to remember the majority was leaning toward a fixed time rather than a fixed number of years that moves as time passes, but that has been many years ago and my mind is also "vintage".

shwinn8 · Dec 13, 2023

Bassmantweed said:
This is exactly what i tell people - its worn out an i need an upgrade.

I will say, if counting weight... my 1999 Schwinn Homegrown 4Banger AM weighs about the same as my 2016 Canfield Balance.

sgltrak · Dec 13, 2023

spinkleswexler said:
2016 and older tbh nobody riding **** that old if they aint poor or an old geezer or both, also if the hta is steeper than 60 degrees its def vingage

I fall into the geezer category, apparently.

sgltrak · Dec 13, 2023

NC_Foothills_Rider said:
What if it came with cantilevers and you upgraded to V brakes in '97 and all that stuff is still on there and works good as new? And the STX-RC 7 speed canti shifter/brake combos are still in your parts bin?

That would be called a "retro-mod"?

Bigwheel · Dec 13, 2023

As mentioned most "collectable" Vintage items are usually dated back at least 25yrs. Because of this it makes sense that category adds items on a yearly basis. So technically a bike from 2023 will achieve vintage status in 2048. However due to the fact that there are so many bikes these days that are just manufactured and sold in big batches that their intrinsic value will be diluted. How desirable will the dentist bikes of today be in the future in other words? Will a Guerilla Gravity bike for instance be desirable because they only made so many and then went out of business?

The spirit of the OG Klunkers/MTB's from the dawn of MTBing are what I consider to be "Classic" bikes. Ones like Cunninghams/Potts/Early Richies/Kleins etc. made in the 80's that are deemed the most valuable today as other classic categories tend to be. To me any but the first efforts of any of the overseas manufacturer bikes from that period like a first year Stumpjumper would be considered classic.

The Retro category is a bike made recently in the likeness of a Classic bike and probably hand built for a specific party that wants to abuse themselves or have a nostalgic wall hanger because modern bikes are just to much better than any of the other categories to ride.

67King · Dec 14, 2023

Whatever year you were born in! So 73 for me

Bikedog22 · Dec 14, 2023

The Keyesville Classic has two VRC classes depending on the bikes age.

Which year should a bike be considered vintage?

Sloth Monster

Josh Patterson

noapathy

chazpat

BadgerOne

NC_Foothills_Rider

NC_Foothills_Rider

kapusta

noapathy

Jolyzara

spinkleswexler

Bassmantweed

shwinn8

sgltrak

shwinn8

sgltrak

sgltrak

Bigwheel

67King

Bikedog22

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