A friend of mine "invests" in bicycles. No, he doesn't buy stocks of bicycle companies; and he doesn't go around to bike shops, flea markets and garage sales buying whole bikes in the hopes of price appreciation. His investment is in both time and money. He builds bicycles from a mix of off-the-shelf, custom and after market components.

He buys the parts wherever he can find them, investing a great deal of time and money building on his encyclopedic knowledge of what parts work with which others. He works with component manufacturers and bike shop owners to find, build or customize the parts he needs. He sits waiting patiently for days to learn whether a particular shade of powder coat paint will look right in combination with his latest creation.

He says he has no idea whether the bikes he builds will ever be worth as much money as he puts into them but that's not the point. He's assembling a personal art collection. Each piece is unique, truly one of a kind. The collection is unique in itself, being built up from unique pieces.

Crazy? You probably think so and who can blame you. I wouldn't give much for the whole thing myself. Having seen his work I can tell you it's a fun and interesting collection. But at the end of the day most of us don't "get it".

But that's what art is about, isn't it? I don't "get" Picasso either. But there is an audience who does, and audience who are moved by Picasso's works. They feel happiness, or sorrow, or whatever emotions Picasso's works evoke in people.

And that's the point of my friend's craft. Each bicycle is an expression of his state of mind at the time he built it. Each one makes an emotional statement to his audience. There is tremendous value in the experience. I wonder whether he will ever unlock that value? Does he even want to?