I know its vulgar and rude to talk about the folding stuff.
But, I will. (as I am often rude and vulgar)
very roughly, what sort of money would one expect to pay for such a beast?
I'm going to buck the trend also, yes, ugly as sin, but if I could - i'd buy it.
the bits on it!!!!
I know, it's incredible isn't it? And everything is brand spanking new! The seller even had all the original boxes for most parts, with all the manuals and stickers etc! 
the ringle stem, the cranks, etc will fetch a fortune on retrobike
It's rather tempting to sell some of the bits... I think I need to get a retrobike login and start trying to work out values. As mentioned above, I googled a few things last night and, as an example, the SRAM gripshifters and dérailleur seem to be fetching around EUR499!!
very roughly, what sort of money would one expect to pay for such a beast?
I paid around the same amount for all this as one would for a top of the line modern frame, such as an Ibis Mojo SL... worth every penny I think 
Getting it insured for it's replacement value could be interesting though!
Noooo! It's never going to ride like a modern bike, so why try and turn it into one? Stick a disc brake on a modern fork if you must, but don't spoil such a unique frame - a V brake will be fine back there.
Fair point, it's something I'll really have to mull over, though it does seem to be the way most Bow Ti owners go (getting a rear disc mount fitted). Needs to be done by a skilled individual, Steve Potts in the States seems to be the artisan of choice...
Congrats on getting what you wanted.
Now stop all this talk about investment and covering it in plastic.
It's a bike. Go out and ride the **** thing 
if it's so good why don't they make them anymore?
surely a gap in the market for somebody to cash in on a willing doe eyed market?
advertise it in germany for sale and wait for the euros to roll in.
They will pay an absolute fortune for that complete or broken down especailly if you have the original boxes!!!
I wonder if we will look at the current Ibiseseses in several years as being so ugly dated?
Heh, don't worry about the baby noobs, psychle!
god... just ignore the BS comments, yes its old but its a classic and prob the best and newst example in the world, its a retro bit of history so enjoy it, I think its great and should be enjoyed.. funny the comments around its ugly, but then on another post same person will say function over form.
I think the modernised one in the photo you posted looks the bollocks.
That is a beautiful bike built by a superb craftsman. I would love to own that rather than some junky piece of Taiwanese plastic or copy cat 'me too' bikes that most of these MTB noobs get wet about (until they are told to jump on the next bandwagon).
If you want to update then get Steve Potts to do it, he's the only person worth trusting (there's certainly not a single UK ti builder capable)
As far as investment, yes it will hold it's value and increase over time as there are many people who collect early and notable MTBs just as there are those who collect BMX or skateboards. There are many 20-30 year old MTBs changing hands for £5,000 - £10,000 already.
If I was you I'd sell almost all of the parts that came with the bike as they don't do it justice, and get some plain parts of it like M900 XTR - the frame is the star!
i think thats awesome. yep, pretty ugly, but hell, i'm only 23, but i realise what a classic that it. if i'd seen it for £2k, i would have been pretty intersted in buying it myself.
whether to ride it in its current state or not is a difficult one. i'd probably not. but i'd DEFINITELY not get a disc mount added. it might update it somewhat, but i reckon the frame in its original state would be more worthwhile. imo it would lose its retro appeal with a disc mount - if someone wanted, in the future, to build it up back to how you bought it, having the disc mount would spoil it, imo.
psycle
hope you dont mind but i popped this thread into a new thread on retro bike, they'll be along to give you chapter and verse on what you have.
taking aside the value of bits vs what you paid for it all.....
its beautiful!!!, and will make a stunning bike with old or new kit.
Lots of people would probably insist on it being built up with all correct spec kit (ie exactly what it was originally shipped with by age etc) but id be tempted to go down the modern route.
best of luck with it, if i had the money id buy it.
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=641487#641487
I just hope young kids on there santa cruz's don't point and laugh at the old guy on his contraption.
17 here, and I own a chameleon.
Not liking the colour scheme, and it looks like someone designed a bike on a piece of paper, which then got ripped up, and they asked the coffee boy to stick it back together. Still, can appreciate it must be quite special for you to be so proud of it.
wow... pete_mcc got out of the wrong side of bed didn't he. Nice to see a rational response to people saying it's ugly.
Personally I wouldn't pay that much for it (honestly, not sure I'd pay anything for it unless I was planning to sell it on), but Psychle isn't me and his money is his so everyone is happy.
Glad to see you're happy with the addition to the bike family Psychle.
Gorgeous bikes. You lucky man.
i was dead against the idea of adding a disc mount, but that one looks the business!
That modernised version is lovely! such an odd frame i think its brilliant 
hope you dont mind but i popped this thread into a new thread on retro bike
No worries Tim, have registered for their forum now, so shall no doubt be posting on there shortly 
If you want to update then get Steve Potts to do it, he's the only person worth trusting (there's certainly not a single UK ti builder capable)
Enigma might be worth a look perhaps? Though I do think you're right on Steve Potts, he certainly seems to be the man for this sort of thing!
If I was you I'd sell almost all of the parts that came with the bike as they don't do it justice, and get some plain parts of it like M900 XTR - the frame is the star!
It's what I'm leaning towards, I need to figure out values for everything, which may be difficult perhaps?
I think the fact that it is clearly completely unridden is bothering me actually, I'm torn between keeping it in it's current mint condition (almost as a museum/art gallery piece!) or actually riding it! 
BTW, does everyone know how the suspension works? It really is something else you know... It's a pivotless system, the stay you can see running down from the top tube to the bottom bracket actually flexes and produces up to 5" of travel, it's very weird to watch! More info here on the Bow Ti
I think quite a lot of people seemed to have missed the point with this bike.you may or may not have noticed that it is certainly no looker,that in itself makes it worth something,all the parts are are over ten yrs old, in mint condition,and boxed,that again makes them worth something,the bike builder has such a good heritage/history. again adding value,it is like the seller stated a museum piece,weather you or i like it or not in ten yrs time in its present unridden state that bike will be worth a fortune,i think your right to believe that there possibly isnt another one like it it the world, my advice would be to get in touch with ibis and see if they still have one.but with less than 260 made there aint many.
Imo i cant even believe your going to ride it,i no people will say its a bike its supposed to be ridden.but it isnt like any other bike youll be able to buy again in your lifetime.and as i said before its price will tumble with every peddle stroke.clean it, stroke it wave your willy at party s but for gods sake dont ride it,its not going to ride anywhere near its modern day rival,and who nows in ten twenty yrs time someone might buy it from you to bang it in a museum and well all say we new that guy from yrs ago look whos had the last laugh now.
Mb
that's my dilemma... not a bad one to have 'tis true, but a dilemma none the less!
NOOB ALERT. <<<me
Can someone explain the logic in getting a retro bike, because it is an early example of the MTB technology and a piece of history etc only to then 'modernise' it by putting on new things like disc tabs.
To me that sounds self defeating... if you want a feature like that, then why not buy a new bike with new technology and keep the old one 'old'.
This is a serious Q by the way. Not in any way meant to be offensive or trolly. I just need it explained out.
To me it would be like trying to covert a Leica MP to an M8... wouldn't make sense.
no your dead right do not put a disc tab on it ffs
What a waste of a nice groupset -
To me it would be like trying to covert a Leica MP to an M8... wouldn't make sense.
Would it be more like using modern film in said MP rather than the original film of available in the day?
No. Not to me.
I'm with you all the way there, thebikechain. As I said earlier it's never going to ride like a new bike, so why try and fail? Keep the retro bits and enjoy riding it as a throwback - it will still be fun to ride, given I can't remember everybody being grumpy about having to put up with V brakes and short travel forks back then when those were all you could get. On the contrary, I'm old enough to remember when V brakes first appeared and how everybody raved about them (still remember the thrill of upgrading my bike with a Judy XC and a new XT 8-speed V brake groupset!) Of course that also makes me old enough to have lusted after one of those - the chance to ride one has got to be more than worth any depreciation you'll suffer by doing so.
That's assuming you are going to ride it - I'm with James May on this sort of thing, it was made to be ridden and it would be sacrilegious for it to spend its life hung up on some wall. If you feel the need to make money out of it, then as suggested flog off the bling parts which will make loads of cash and replace with something a little dated but not so rare and expensive, like the M900 XTR suggested. Look after it by adding heli tape in all the areas you normally would and keep it for nice sunny dry days when you want to go out for a cruise and a pose - in which case you won't really notice a huge downside with V brakes anyway. Well that's what I'd do with it anyway.
hmmm interesting...saw this thread mentioned on RetroBike.
am a firm believer in actually riding bikes - so I do hope you do so , looks like fun - if a bit wiggly!
just an observation - but the cable routing on for the rear brake hose doesn not look ver neat - complicating the lines of an already complicated machine!
Bike nagazine reviewed one of these back in the mid 90s ...
Apparently somebody used to ride one around in Leigh Woods.
I absolutely love it. That is one of the most unique frames I have ever seen (It would look interesting with a look fournales!) and the components are a very interesting mix as well. Thanks for hating and love your baby, I can't believe the attitude of some people here. Happy trails!
It's got its place in modern history - the audi quattro of the biking world?
Thing is, there are a lot of better drives in modern day cars than the quattro at fairly attainable prices. Probably the same with this. IMO it shouldn't be ridden as an every day ride, but it should be ridden. But like a classic car, only a complete twonk would put xenon headlights, abs brakes or drop in a modern engine and so this bike should not be built up with modern parts. It needs a tidy up so the frame does not have to battle with some of those god awful colours but it needs to be done symapathetically with quality (XTR) parts of a similar era. Building it up with modern day stuff would be like building up a classic 70s or 80s colnago road from with shimano stis.
It's even worse than Clubbers klein.
If you do update it, though, you should at least do it with loads of modern syncros/salsa type bits. And purple hubs, it NEEDS purple hubs.
It's truely ghastly, but then isn't that part of the fun. Inapprorpiate bikes can be great.
A couple of years ago I scored a Raleigh mtrax-500, an mtb with bonded ti tubes to cromo lugs, and it rides nicely. Non sus forks, but did the londo to brighton nicely.
I also have a flat filled with Diamond Back bmx's from when DB were a quality name in pushbikes. So I understand the motivation.
But it is ghastly.
All the ney-sayers have no idea. It is an amazing bike.
I say modernise it; I mean nothing is going to happen to the frame if you thrash the pants off it, you can always get new stickers made for it. It won't rust, the paint won't scratch.... just brillo pad it every year and it'll be good as new. Also... who is going to care in the future that a disc mount has been added? If you're that bothered stick one of those torque arm things on it.
I sent the ebay link to a friend who was bidding and was extremely gutted that it was removed; you got a deal!
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