Last evening I happened to look at the prices of film style Hasselblad cameras. Use to be that they were very expensive, but now, with digital technology, the price is way down. You can buy a camera back for them which gives you digital, but this finest of cameras is now worth very little especially if current used prices are adjusted for inflation.
With new technology, will the same happen to bikes. The interesting thing (to me) is that with bikes one can have the very best for what seem like reasonable prices. A Black Shadow for $40K to 100K, mint condition British bikes for 10K to 20 K. This suggests that there are still a lot of really high grade bikes around, if market conditions are anything to judge by.
Now if some new system, or the established electric powered one, takes hold, will the price of these marvelous antiques go way down? It happened to Hasselblad, why not to bikes? This seems to be a by-product of the electronic age. Old computers, top of the line in their time - now go to the junk heap, same with every other electronic device. Old means only five or ten years old, sometimes less.
We may be just seeing the start of a new revolution in bikes including more use of light metals, more efficient forms of power, even stylistic changes. Will all the old bikes then be fit for only museums or the junk heap? Oh, it couldn't happen, you say - but I never would have thought I could buy the very best camera ever made for less than 500 inflated bucks!!!