Fifty Plus (50+) - Bike Swap Meets

Just found out a couple of days ago that there is an annual Bicycle Swap Meet in Madison. It's been held something like 12-13 years. And it benefits local cycling groups.

Anyone frequent these in your area?

I found a web page that hosts information for several of them:

http://www.icyclesusa.com/swap.htm

Tom: Thanks for the post. There's a few swaps near me that I'll be checking out over the next year. You can never have too much bike stuff. :)

We have a really large one in the Charlotte area in November of each year. Individuals bring in stuff and set up booths along with LBS's, bike teams, etc. You can pick up some incredible deals if you get there early and look closely. This past time I picked up some new $60 bike shorts for $15.

I know of two annual swap meets in southern California:

1) San Diego Velodrome;
2) Chuck Schmidt's 3-day velo-retro event in Pasadena

I recently heard there's a big one in Ann Arbor, MI each summer. Know little else about it.

I recently heard there's a big one in Ann Arbor, MI each summer. Know little else about it.

http://www.ann-arbor-bicycleshow.com/

If you go to the Ann Arbor Bike Swap URL that I provided above, and click on the Classic Bike of the Year tab, it takes you to a page where you can see the prize winning bikes from the past few years. Lots of old 1930's and 1940's bikes.

for Denver & San Francisco:
http://www.veloswap.com/expo/

St Louis is coming up on Jan 28th. Actually held in Collinsville, IL.

http://stlbikefed.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=148

Here are some more ... mostly held in 2006 but likely to repeat in 2007:

http://www.thewheelmen.org/sections/swapmeets/swapmeets.asp

San Diego just held theirs last month:
http://www.cyclingscience.org/2006swapmeet.htm

As did Tucson:
http://www.bikegaba.org/Overnights&Centuries/2006/Swap_Meet/SwapMeet.htm

The 2007 Bike Swap Meet season is about to begin. The Madison, Wisconsin swap meet is this coming weekend, Jan 13th.

I've been to ham radio swap meets ... to find vacuum tube audio gear & radios. This will be my first bike swap meet. Should be fun.

The 2007 Bike Swap Meet season is about to begin. The Madison, Wisconsin swap meet is this coming weekend, Jan 13th.


Hmmm. I may have to hit that one.

The Madison meet is sponsored by the Bike Racing Club of Madison,

http://www.brazendropouts.org/swap07.shtml

Proceeds are used to promote biking in the Madison area.

I hit the one in Westminster, MD - this year it's 4 Feb (snow date, 11 Feb). Last year was my first time, after twenty plus years of motorcycle swap meets (and more than a few hamfests, too).

Immediately discovered that, as far as personal behavior goes, the crowd is much better behaved and a lot more polite at motorcycle swap meets.

Bicycle Swap meet twice a year by GABA in Tucson AZ.
For 2007: April 1 and Nov. 10.
Been held for over 20 years. Nowadays over 4- to 5,000 people attend.

Picked up my last two wives at Swap Meets.

What did you swap for them?

Pig sweet meats

I am no longer a bike swap meet virgin. I attended the Madison meet this morning. I was very surprised by how heavily attended it was. The show opened at 8:30 and I arrived at 9:45. There was a line of people waiting to get in. When I got it, it was wall to wall people. There were over 50 booths and a bike corral, where indivduals were selling bikes.

You name it, it was there. There were bikes for sale ranging from old Schwinn Collegiates in rusty condition to top of the line Trek Madones and many other pricey European road bikes. There were racks of cycling clothes, helmets, tires & wheels, hundreds of saddles, stacks of shoes many new bike frames, and more used parts than I've ever seen before. Nearly all were lower priced than what you see in cycling shops, although some were about the same. For example, one LBS brought a couple dozen brand new Brooks saddles and was selling them at 20%-25% off their normal price, a new B17 was $50 even.

I was told that there was a mad rush at 8:30 with eBay resellers coming in with multiple shopping carts. One booth had a sign up for them, giving an extra 10% discount with $1000 of purchases and 15% with $2000 of purchases. They told me that two resellers bought $2000+ from them. Other booths put together boxes of parts, marked with prices for the entire box. They sold a lot of these.

I was looking a couple of bikes, but was primarily bottom-feeding. There was good condition Trek 1000 road bike that I might have popped for when they lowered the price to $150, but it was too big for me. I could have picked up a well-used but perfectly functional Specialized Rockhopper MTB for $20, but passed. Had no use for it. Good bikes were being sold for reasonable prices, not flea market prices. There were a lot of bikes with price tags of $2000+ on them.

Here's what I walked out with:

Adjustable stem (new)
Handlebar bell with floating compass (new)
Handlebar bell (new)
Topeak Mountain Morph frame/floor pump (store demo in very good condition)
Velo exercise bike saddle (used in good condition)
Trek platform pedals (new)
Shimano 520 SPD pedals (used)
Trek front LED light (used in good working condition w/batteries)
Trek rear LED light (used in good working condition w/batteries)
pencil tire guage (new)
Trek seat bag - 120ci (new with $25 tag on it)
Serfas full finger gloves with leather padding (new with $35 tag)
Wrench Force CO2 inflator w/cartridge (new - still in package)

Total cost $50

FYI, the Chicago Bike Swap Meet & Classic Bike show is scheduled for March 11th.

Here's some info:

http://www.topix.net/classifieds/chicago/T0674PFE9JQPFPPUA

I haven't been to one in awhile but I used to go.

If you're selling it helps to make up your mind ahead of time about what's the least amount that you're willing to take for an item. If you're buying it helps if you're willing to walk away if you think the seller wants too much.

Tom: Looks like you've got the 'swapmeet fever!'
The spring and fall swapmeets in Tucson are now 'huge'. 4- to 5,000 people attending. NO charge to shop, NO charge to display. We take over about 4 to 5 blocks of 4th Ave near downtown Tucson.
Sellers/buyers come from as far away as CA and CO! Sponsored by the Greater Arizona Bicycling Ass'n (GABA).
A real happening!

I'm just keeping track of a few and passing them along. I did enjoy the one I attended in Madison, but have no plans to attend anymore, unless I kinda fall into one by being in the neighborhood. The Chicago one is a couple hours drive, but I don't plan on going.