Fancy riding a piece of history, or picking up a unique wall hanger that'll get all your cycling mates talking? On May 19 the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna Austria is selling a selection of bikes that are gorgeous, historically significant, plain oddball or all three.
The bikes comprise the entire collection of architect Michael Embacher, which has been featured in two books, Smart Move and Cyclopedia. Embacher is described as having as an "interest in creative, rare, offbeat, and even bravely failed models" that led him to start collecting bikes in 2003.
It's not clear why he's selling up, but if you're looking for something special for an Eroica-type ride, here's your chance.
In the gallery above, we've picked out a dozen that caught our eye, from classic steel road bikes of the down-tube-shifters era, to vital pieces of cycling history such as the Lotus bike, original Moulton and Kirk Precision. Pop it out or make it full screen to read a bit more about each bike.
Opening prices range from a mere 50 Euros all the way to 6,000 for a special edition Alex Moulton space frame.
There's no need to fly to Vienna for the auction, as you can bid online on all 203 bikes in the collection. Take a look at the catalog for more details and lots more bikes.












10 thoughts on “Huge 203-bike selection of classic machines up for auction”
I remember drooling over the
I remember drooling over the Kirk at the time.
The link in the Telegraph I
The link in the Telegraph I posted on the forum has some of the other bikes – the Cinelli is a very fine bicycle. I bet that tandem handles poorly given that the rear rider sits behind the rear hub.
Couple of bikes I’d love,
Couple of bikes I’d love, Lotus Sport and Sport 110. Also the Kirk
For me the Moulton Speedsix
For me the Moulton Speedsix and the Kirk. Oh and the Lotus of course
Owned a couple of Moultons, and actually almost bought a Kirk a few years ago. Also saw a Kirk being ridden though the grounds at work earlier this year. Only one I have ever seen being ridden & I really like the look of them
The Kirks all cracked and the
The Kirks all cracked and the Lotus frames separate down the middle. They are rare because they both broke very quickly.
I know a couple of Kirks that
I know a couple of Kirks that are still being raced and in good nick.
Very nice…
http://www.veloism.uk
Very nice…
http://www.veloism.uk
@crikey
most of the Kirk’s we
@crikey
most of the Kirk’s we saw in our workshop in Newcastle had gone “floppy” to use a great technical term – if I remember correctly, they were cast from a magnesium aluminium alloy and got their alloy mix wrong, quickly leading the frame to become very flexible and unrideable and in many cases crack.
Halfords were selling lots of Kirk’s and I recall a number of the owners coming back with a replacement bike that used a standard welded tube frame
My friend had two, both
My friend had two, both cracked, then he bought a nice 753 Peugeot which I took off his hands for about 10 shillings. 42-19 I recall the lowest gear, lovely bike it was, jumpers for goalposts, mmm? Wasn’t it?
The Kirks were injection
The Kirks were injection moulded Mg and had issues with die temperature and cycling on production. I remember one of my mates hitting a half wheel size water channel on his, all that was left was dust, paint flakes and bits of frame with inserts bonded into it. It literally disintegrated.