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Robin Williams’ incredible bicycle collection up for auction, proceeds going to two great causes

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Robin, myself, and Robert Choi *(please read below for a note on Robert)

I’ll never forget the day that I met Robin Williams. I was working for Volagi Cycles at the time and happened to be in California. Specifically, Sausalito, working a demo event in front of A Bicycle Odyssey. Other than being an incredible shop positioned right in the middle of one of the Bay Area’s busiest bicycle routes, the shop also happened to be a favorite of Robin Williams. As luck would have it, he just happened to stop into the shop that day to check on one of his bikes.

Like any true A-list celebrity I might imagine, Robin was withdrawn, trying not to draw attention to himself. But his inner cycling fanatic got the better of him, and the Volagi Liscio caught his eye. After a bit of small talk, he seemed to realize we wanted to talk about bikes more than his latest movie, and his demeanor did a complete 180. All of a sudden his eyes were bright with excitement and he let his irreverently funny personality bubble to the surface. After taking a spin on the Liscio and cracking a joke about having too many bikes, he was on his way.

Obviously, his story doesn’t have the happiest of endings, but I feel fortunate to have seen his genius first hand, and to have had a chance to talk bikes. People always talked about the fact that Robin was a cyclist, but to get a sense of how much he actually appreciated bicycles, you only need to take a look at his extensive collection. In total, there are 84 bikes or frames, one trainer, one scooter, and one unicycle up for auction after the collection was donated by his children. Stating that they ” hope these bikes will bring their new owners as much joy as riding them and helping these causes always brought Robin,” the Williams family has decided that proceeds from the auction will be divided between the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Check out a few of the standouts after the break…

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The quality of the bikes in Robin’s collection is so stellar, that it’s hard to figure out where to begin. If you go on starting price alone, the Colnago and La Carrera Master Pista, Futura 2000 is worthy. Already bid on at $10,000, the collaboration between La Carrera Bike Shop, Colnago, and Futura 2000 seems to be holding its value well, though no doubt buoyed by Williams’ ownership.

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Along with a number of custom builds there are also a few Dario Pegorettis including this Responsorium. The three other Pegorettis have a bit more subdued paint, but this one is at the top of the bids at just over $6k.

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Robin was quite the collector of road bikes with anything from steel and titanium custom builds, to more modern bikes though the exclusivity is still there. Just look at the Trek Madone with the Limited Edition Discovery Channel Diamond 7 paint. While it is a replica of the one ridden by Lance in his 7th Tour de France one the final stage, this still has a diamond embellished head badge. With a starting bid of $10,000 and Lance’s current state of affairs, we have to wonder if this one will move.

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There are quite a few oddballs thrown in there as well like this Zipp 2001. The list includes a Softride Rocket Wing, a number of fixed gears, a custom Sycip Java Town, Litespeeds, Merlins, BMCs and a lot more.

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Of course it’s not just road bikes either. Historically significant mountain bikes like this Outland VPP are ther as well as a K2 ProFlex 5500, a Trek Y33 OCLV, and the list goes on.

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Proving it’s not just all serious riding, Robin apparently also had a collection of less serious riding implements like a Z Turbo electric scooter, Schwinn Unicycle, and a Just Go Mini Bike. If you’re hoping the unicycle would be a cheap way to get a piece of the Robin Williams’ collection, the bidding is already up to $2,600. The other two? Just a mere $850 each.

The auction closes on October 25 at 1pm EST, and you must join Paddle8 before you can bid. Check out the full list of bicycles here.

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*If you haven’t heard by this point, Robert Choi was recently hit from behind while riding his bike near the Volagi office in Ogden, UT. One of the founders of Volagi cycles, Robert has been a steady force of innovation in the bike industry for years, from pioneering LED lighting technology with Vistalite to his current position with Volagi. Unfortunately, the left him thinking he was ok, only to later collapse at the office. Sustaining a traumatic brain injury, Robert has a long road to recovery but he has never been known to quit. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with the mounting medical bills as he has been transferred to a long term acute care facility. Any help and support is greatly appreciated!

 

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Allan
Allan
8 years ago

What does it mean “they left him thinking he was OK”? Did the driver flee or left only after stopping and assuming he was OK?

Sad that if one wanted they could probably find a story every day about a cyclist hit or killed by drivers.

Robin
Robin
8 years ago
Reply to  Zach Overholt

Robert’s tough. He took successfully took on Specialized, so my money’s on seeing Robert back out the road in the future.

carbonspoke
carbonspoke
8 years ago

Is it me or are they missing size info on almost all of the bikes? I’m guessing they are mostly 54cm?

Maza
Maza
8 years ago
Reply to  carbonspoke

I’d guess smaller since he was only 170cm tall.

Papi
8 years ago

Amazing how much the celebrity pedigree adds to the auction price of these bikes. A good example: The bidding on The Original Runt Mini Bike is up to $1500, and yet cab be purchased brand new on Amazon today for under $200.

Maza
Maza
8 years ago
Reply to  Papi

That’s like saying why make a charity phone call that costs $100 when you can make a regular phone call for $0.01

AngryBikeWrench
8 years ago

I love to think that if I had more money than I knew what to do with, I’d be a true “patron of the arts” and would have a barn full of bikes from every custom builder out there. Does anybody know of another patron like Williams?

bob
bob
8 years ago

I know I would have a collection, if I had the property and income to keep them. Bikes can be mechanical art, nice to take down from the wall and take the art piece for a spin.

mike
mike
8 years ago

What happened to his Merlin News Boy? or are the family keeping it? It would have to be up there in value with the Futura 2000 Colnago!

Seraph
Seraph
8 years ago

Hey cool, I built that white and green Seven VII road bike that’s up there for sale. Back when I was working at Mill Valley Cycleworks.

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