Foo - Ideas on where to find an OLD OLD bike?

I am wanting to find a really old bicycle to do a landscaping thing that I have had in mind for a couple of years. Something from the 50's or 60's maybe. Just wanting a plain old bike....not a racing type bike.

Not had any luck locating what I want so far. Anyone got any ideas where I might look for such a thing? :)

The dump?

Goodwill?

What exactly are you looking for? A Cruiser or what?

Goodwill, Salv Army, yard sale... cop a diamond frame three-speed and hit it with some red oxide primer and stick it in the yard. At the end of a season you won't be able to tell the difference. :)

Make sure it's a Murray, or a Huffy or a Roadmaster. That way you won't kick yourself when the Antiques Road Show comes through.

Yeah just want an old cruiser..... Plain old flat handlebars, fenders, etc.....

Something similar to the bikes near the top of this page... http://www.geocities.com/sleeping.geo/bike.html

Antique store?

Using any one of those top four bikes is grounds for inclusion in the C&V castarati club!

Using any one of those top four bikes is grounds for inclusion in the C&V castarati club!

Not sure what that is....but doesn't sound like a club I want to join. :eek:

Posted that just as an example. Don't need(or want) a bike that is worth anything. :o

Seriously, any thrift shop should have some kind of old beater for a couple of bucks, probably complete with patina too. :)

There's a bike I think would work just a couple of miles from my house. It's just laying out in the yard with a bunch of other old crap. I want to stop but it's one of those fenced in "beware of dog" residence(sp?) that just want to be left alone. :(

Stop by with a ten spot in your hand, tell them what you wnat to do with the bike (It's for your mom ;) ) and ask if they'll trade their bike for your tenner. :)

What's the worst they can say but 'no'?

Junkyard/scrapyard. Prepare to dig

Great idea Stacy. Only one problem...there's never anyone outside, and I ain't about to go in behind that fence without being invited. Nuh uh....No way Jose.....

Oh, do you have a bike co-op in your area? They might have a scrap pile where they put junk bikes. Mine does. Ask them, and they'll be happy to get rid of one.

leave a BIG note on the fence with your phone number.

you might check out local on-site auctions (the ones where they're selling off everything at the house/farm), or go to old people's yard sales. They might have thier 50 year old kid's bikes still in the garage.

Great idea Stacy. Only one problem...there's never anyone outside, and I ain't about to go in behind that fence without being invited. Nuh uh....No way Jose.....


Just stand outside the gate and holler.

A few rounds of, "There's no nead to fear, Underdog is here." will get the whole neighborhoods attention.:)

If that doesn't work leave a note in the mailbox.

:lol:


All good suggestions! Thanks.

I have some neat 1960's space-age bikes like Murray Flighliners and Spaceliners and other cool bikes from the era.

Contact me and tell me what you are looking for.

Here is a good starter. Somebody (not me) is offering a chrome Spaceliner on ebay. See http://cgi.ebay.com/BF-Goodrich-Silvertown-880-Spaceliner-Nice_W0QQitemZ160073329527QQihZ006QQcategoryZ95155QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohos ting Now it is $55.00. It is missing the tank and the chainring spacehub. Tank; $75.00 to $150. Spacehub $35 to $50.00

So, you could piece it together for maybe $150 to $250. If whole and in good condition, these collectable bicycles sell easily for $450 to $1,000.

Attached below is the Spaceliner photo from ebay - chrome, but missing parts. Also attached is a chrome Spaceliner whole in all it's glory - gorgeous!

The Spaceliners reflected the space race of the day promoted by John F Kennedy. They were produced by Murray and sold by Sears in the early 1960's and mostly from 1963 to 1964.

All right, here's what you do.

Move to San Francisco. Meet guy named Skip. He sells bikes out of a storage container. Currently, he will sell you hundreds of Magnas, Huffys, and various other low end bikes for only $499! But you must be a serious buyer. See SF Craigslist. Search for 'container' in the bikes section.

This way you will not wind up joining the C & V castrati club.

And you'd get to meet Skip.

East Hill

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:


Gee, which would be a worse fate? :eek:

All right, here's what you do.

Move to San Francisco. Meet guy named Skip. He sells bikes out of a storage container. Currently, he will sell you hundreds of Magnas, Huffys, and various other low end bikes for only $499! But you must be a serious buyer. See SF Craigslist. Search for 'container' in the bikes section.

This way you will not wind up joining the C & V castrati club.

And you'd get to meet Skip.

East Hill

What is the C&V Castrati club?

It's when you get your nutsack stapled to a desk top by the C&V forum regulars for using a high zoot Classic & Vintage bike as garden art.

Craigslist? I'd look for free/cheap bikes that aren't in good condition and spend $50 on a nashbar/performance cheap but complete tool kit. I got this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/thaticktockman/schwinn0008.jpg) for free, and for ~$6, regreased and painted it. Considering the cost, I think it turned out o.k. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/thaticktockman/100_0199.jpg)

Craigslist? I'd look for free/cheap bikes that aren't in good condition and spend $50 on a nashbar/performance cheap but complete tool kit. I got this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/thaticktockman/schwinn0008.jpg) for free, and for ~$6, regreased and painted it. Considering the cost, I think it turned out o.k. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/thaticktockman/100_0199.jpg)

That's just about what I would like to find. :)

Just keep an ear to the ground locally, canvas thrift stores, yard sales, junk yards, metal scrap yards, etc. Depending on where you live, you can go park at a scrap yard, and watch for trucks with bikes in 'em. Offer the driver a few bucks and it's probably yours... In the yard itself you might have more trouble because the junk/scrap yards around here don't let stuff sit, it's constantly being compacted because space is at a premium, really depends on where you live. And check Craigslist/Freecycle/(there's another one I can't remember the name)/Ebay when you can. Something will turn up eventually! :beer:

I've heard of co-ops in Chicago who pull in thousands of bikes for a few bucks by waiting at scrap yards. They'll fix and give some locally, put some up for sale that are rare, and ship the rest overseas with medical supplies/clothes/etc in cargo containers.

Dragracer mentions that the bike is for a landscaping project.

I remember several years ago, A neighbor lady asked me to give her old English bike an overhaul. I completely disassembled the bike, regreased every bearing, cleaned and oiled the SA hub, and painted the bike new and shiny. put on new cables - the works. I even gave the old leather saddle an oil treatment.

Come to find out, she buried it into the ground up to the hubs and used it for a flower planter! As far as I know, it is still sitting outside buried to the hilt.

At least you got paid for your time.... Didn't you? :)

If a person were to find an old bike with a tank, is....errr....I mean would $30 be too much to pay for it?

If a person were to find an old bike with a tank, is....errr....I mean would $30 be too much to pay for it?

Virtually any bike with a tank is worth more than $30, sight unseen. Any tank in half decent condition is worth at least $30 even without the rest of the bike.