There are few bicycles more historically significant than the Trek Y-Foil:
And of those, none is more venerated than this, the Golden Y-Foil that not only once belonged to George Plimpton…
…but is also the only Y-Foil ever to actually sport the Rock Shox road suspension fork for which it was designed:
I have been fortunate enough to have this bicycle in my possession since July of last year, but there’s a new test-cycle here at BSNYC/RTMS/Tan Tenovo headquarters that demands my attention, and so it is with a great sense of honor and occasion that I hereby announce George Plimpton’s Y-Foil is officially for sale from Classic Cycle.
It’s exceedingly rare if not entirely unheard of to come across an object of such import in the worlds of both cycling and letters, and in this context George Plimpton’s Y-Foil is perhaps surpassed only by Mark Twain’s pennyfarthing:
But good luck finding that.
So how do you put a price on an object of such profound cultural significance? Well, I did take it to storied auction house Sotheby’s this past Sunday:
I’m not saying I had it appraised or anything, I’m just saying I took it there:
Though when people emerged from the building I did call out to them, “Hey, I got George Plimpton’s Y-Foil here, what’ll you give me for it?”
Their feigned indifference notwithstanding, attempting to express the value of this bike in mere currency is an affront to good taste. Yet Paul has somehow managed to assign a price to this priceless machine, and the figure which will secure you ownership of this gilded vessel is US$1,800.
I should disclose that when you purchase any Y-Foil, let alone George Plimpton’s, you don’t just get a bike, you also get lots of attention. Indeed, the only other bicycle I’ve ever ridden that generated this degree of unsolicited commentary was the Renovo Aerowood, whereupon at least once a ride someone would ask me, “Hey, is that made of wood?”
As for the Y-Foil, riders will generally remark upon it appreciatively, and on this particular occasion I heard the riders up ahead discussing the bike amongst themselves in hushed tones as they passed me:
“Did you see that? That’s that banned Trek!,” the one rider explained to the other, making me feel like a true outlaw instead of just the solitary weirdo I really am:
As for the Y-Foil market in general, I’ve taken a quick survey. $600 will buy you this frame:
This Ultegra triple-equipped specimen is a little over $1,200 when you factor in the shipping:
And this baby will cost you a cool $2,600:
Though none have the sheer star power of the Plimpton Bike:
Nor do they come with both the Rock Shox suspension fork and the original rigid fork and the Zero Gravity brakes:
I don’t know about the Tri-Spokes, which I already sent back to Classic Cycle along with the LeMond, but if you’re actually going to ride the bike the Ralphs are a much better choice anyway…
…and I would recommend you ride it, because it really is a lot of fun. In fact, I’m quite tempted acquire it myself, put the Super Record stuff from the Faggin on it, and turn it into a wild and unrestrained expression of Fredly exuberance that is in sharp contract to my staid stable of steel steeds.
I mean if you’re gonna have a crabon bike you might as well go all the way, right?
But perhaps someone out there will save me from myself, and if you’re that someone drop me a line.
