Interested in having a go a restoring an old collector’s bicycle or perhaps you’ve just come across your very first project! This short guide is a great start in planning bicycle restoration, improving the mechanical and cosmetic condition of an old bike. This first article looks into the collectors market, the kinds of bicycle that the avid bicycle collectors and restorers go for.

Research & the Collectors Market

Firstly, if you’ve come across a bike that is in need of restoration, it’s important to get some research done on it before you venture further. Find out the manufacturer of the bike, model and when it was made. There are so many bikes out there, and the most collectible bicycles are the ones dated from the 1930’s to the 1970’s. Types that are the most collected include those with balloon tyres, Sting-rays, lightweights, middleweights, British models particularly racing bikes, and racers in general.

Early racing bicycles are especially sought after. They are in high demand by collectors because of their high quality components, supreme mechanics, engineering, construction, and design and as there are few out there. As they weren’t made for general consumer market at the time, this is reflected in the price of them today.

Other trends in the market place for collectors’ bikes include that boy’s bikes are more popular than a girl’s. Partly because there are fewer boys bikes out there, typically in poorer “played with” condition and some collectors tend to favour the aesthetic designs of them, over a girls bike.

Also a more fully equipped model of bike is more sought after than the plane basic model. Lights, bells, horn, and rack, etc, all these original additions make the bike more desirable. Finally, with many collectors the older the bike is, the more rare it is, and so fore the more collectible it is.

Of course with these pointers in mind, it's more about personal preference when you start on your very first restoration project and what bicycle you can get hold of. So if you've found something already, in the next article we'll be looking into getting you started with your own restoration project.

Further Reading