I: [CR]why is Europe less expensive? Was: A tale of two auctions

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From: "The Maaslands" <TheMaaslands@comcast.net>
Subject: I: [CR]why is Europe less expensive? Was: A tale of two auctions
To: Classic Rendezvous <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 08:42:38 -0500

Marty asked:


> After watching the auctions, and the thread I
> wonder why are classic components cheaper in Europe?
> Is the issue supply and demand here in the U.S. (and to
> and extent Japan, but I won't go there)?
> Are European riders just into the latest and
> greatest and yearly dump their old rides/components?
> Or are U.S. collectors just more willing to shell out?

The supply of components is much greater than here in the US to start with. Secondly, few people in Europe have anywhere near as much space to store their old "stuff" as does the average American home. To give you a better understanding of this, when I lived in Italy, I had a 1200 square foot apartment in Turin. By Italian standards, this was considered quite spacious and would only be commonplace for the upper middle class. Available storage space consisted of part of the garage and a small storage room in the building basement. In the less urban areas, the residences are a bit bigger, but they still don't have the space to store that we do here in North America. Lastly, cycling is generally considered a sport that you can participate in until approximately your 60's in most parts of Europe. There are generally two groups of people who bought top end gear: by parents for their chidren who raced successfully, or financially secure adults. In the first case, the kids often traded for newer groups long ago, whereas in the latter case those who bought top end gear back in the 70's are often now deciding that it won't be used anymore and making it available.

Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ

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