Kaneman

Disappointed by the lack of inventory and high prices at the local thrift/pawn stores I'm hitting the garage sale circuit tomorrow determined to find a sub $25 deal on a cool bike. Whether its a BMX for my son or a roadbike for me, doesn't matter.

I'm wondering if you guys target specific neighborhoods or just drive around randomly? Here's the place to post up your garage sale finding tips. Thanks!

JunkYardBike

My experience:

1) If you're driving an automobile, expect to waste lots of gas (maybe even more in Texas?).
2) Get there early, the bikes sell fast.
3) Wealthy neighborhoods do tend to have higher end bikes, but they're usually not bargains. Of course, this isn't a hard and fast rule. I've gone to estate sales at mansions with low-end gaspipe department store bikes marked at $200! No kidding.
4) Neighborhood or townwide sales will give you the most bang for your mileage buck.
5) Most of my best finds have come 'accidentally' at garage sales I didn't plan to visit. So if you have the time and inclination, follow random garage sale signs!
6) It's more about serendipity than planning. I've been to more garage sales than I'd like to admit. Honestly, with the time and gas money I've spent, I would have been better off paying premium ebay prices. My yard would also probably have fewer weeds.

But hey, what can I say, I'm addicted to the hunt!

randyjawa 

I plan my yard sale route on paper the evening before just to save gas when I use the truck to travel with. I plan also when riding to get the most bang for my buck. And most important of all...

If you don't see an old road bike offered for sale - ASK if they might happen to have an old Ten Speed bike, the kind with skinny tires and curved down handlebars that they would like to sell. I get my best deals this way all the time.

BigPolishJimmy

The garage sale that's off the beaten path will yield more low-hanging fruit. Hows that for mixing a metaphor ...or sumthin. Ok, what I'm trying to say is that garage sales that are not in "neighborhood" garage sales, and not on major streets get less traffic and therefore are more likely to bargain for better prices. Check the paper or craigslist for sales that are outside of town, rural sales have been my best finds garagesale wise.

HSean

Agreed with the asking part. go there look around, then be dissapointed and talk with whoevers selling. eventualy get into the bike thing. out of ten garage sales five to six actual have old bikes thed sell. as for if you want old bikes. ride around the oldest part of the city you live in, the bikes await you there. sadly I get alot of rust buckets due to lots of snow in canada lol but for 5$ lots of parts or a good whole bike.

DX Rider

I fixed that for you.

+1

I just stop when I happen upon yard sales that have bikes for sale. Since, I've walked away from more yard sale bikes than I've purchased, planning can be fruitless.

The recycle-a-bike organization in Providence just had a yard sale a couple of weeks ago. I made a special trip to their yard sale only to find that their prices were ridiculous, the $200 dollar bikes needed at least that much invested in them in order to make them rideable again. And they were selling rusted out Huffy's for $75.

I even walked away from a freebie last night, because the chain and components were a block of rust. As someone pointed out on another thread not all used bikes are bargains. Some are money pits.

vjp

Do you want the best garage sale tip?

It is a fluke if you find a good bike for a cheap price, generally people with good bikes know what they are worth and price them accordingly. The chances that you will hit a garage that has a bike, let alone one that fits you or that is decent is very slim.

Increase your odds. Find the people that go to ALL the garage sales to buy stuff that they flip on ebay, CL, flea markets and to dealers. Locally they are called "pickers" and some of them go across the country knocking on doors, going through barns etc. and filling up trucks with stuff that they move on to antique shops etc. Give them your list of stuff you are interested in and ask them to contact you when they see stuff. Have them send you a pic from their IPhone or whatever. Pay cash and you can get great deals.

vjp

wrk101

+1 Route ahead of time.

+1 Ask about bikes and bike parts. I had a guy go up into his crawl space after I asked, and he gave me a box of parts.

I have found some good/great deals in mediocre neighborhoods and have seen a lot of crap in fancy neighborhoods (like the two Huffys last weekend for $160). There doesn't seem to be any trend in that regard. I have also gotten a lot of good deals late in the day. While it is best to get there early, you can't be early to every sale..

The average garage sale customer around here is looking for the $10 bike. If you find a $300 bike for $50, its a great deal, and one that the cheapskates will pass on. My best deal recently was bought at 2PM (sale started at 7AM). By then, sellers can be very motivated.

Last weekend I picked up a Cannondale, and it was listed in the ad. I couldn't believe it was still there...

I picked up four good bikes last weekend at garage sales along with a lot of parts. You better believe I am hitting the garage sales this weekend!

For whatever reason, most garage sale customers are not looking for bikes.

I don't think it is a fluke or luck to find good bikes at garage sales. I have found Treks, a Cannondale, a Nishiki, several Schwinns (good ones, not the steel wheel low end stuff), etc. Its just a matter of going to enough sales.

evwxxx

I have found Colnagos, Treks, Raleigh Internationals and Competitions, Bertins, Atalas, etc at yard sales. Never paid more than $100 for any of them. Pretty much luck of the draw, but it helps if you are in a larger, "Bikey" area, you are not going to find this stuff out in small towns in Appalachia, for instance (which is where I am now). The best find I ever ran into was a yard sale ad that said "road bike parts". Went over there and found a guy who had been the manager of one of the pro womens teams back in the 80/90's (7-11 I believe), and he had a bunch of their old stuff!!! What a motherload! Wheels, hubs, cranks, derailler, handlebars etc etc. Of course I had to be picky and just took what I thought I could afford at the time, should have grabbed it all!

Kaneman

Great advice guys, thanks a million!!

sunburst

I'd advise being open to spending more than $25. My neighbor sold a 6 yo $2000 Lemond for $500 that had close to zero miles. That's a bargain to me.

I picked up a Raleigh for $25 that I foolishly resold (too big) for $45. But I've never stumbled upon anything close to that deal since. I think a lot of what would have been garage sale bikes goes on craigslist these days, at least in my area.

mackerel

Go to neighborhoods that have a large number of old people.
As you know, old people die quite often.
Subsequently, their children have estate sales to sell off their parent's crap.
Everything must go and it usually goes for cheap.

custermustache

There is a big group garage sale at the Temple Shalom here in Dallas this weekend.

I second or third the asking - it's what works for me.

sonatageek

Asking at each and every sale has been the best thing I have done. I have gotten nice bikes from other people shopping who live close by and have one (or more) they are interested in selling. Last year I got a pair of Falcon Eddie Merckx with all Campy new record and Brooks Professional saddles for $300. Early this year I got a few boxes of Campy parts from the same women for $160.

FlatTop

+1 to always asking about bicycles, whether they are visible or not. The owners may not have thought their old bikes were salable until you asked, and even if they don't have bicycles, they may know that Fred next door has a pair of old "English Racers".

I got a very nice Soma mixte for $40 by asking. I always ask about bikes and tools, no matter how crummy the sale items are.

Picchio Special

Not just that, but older neighborhoods tend to have people who: 1) Acquired vintage bikes when they were new bikes and 2) Have accumulated a lot of stuff. That's why better neighborhoods aren't necessarily better if they're too new.
I usually find one bike a year worth buying, but I frankly don't try very hard. I walked away from a nice $15 Trek hybrid last year that at minimum I could have traded with my LBS for shop time. I'm much better at spending too much for stuff.

Picchio Special

Absolutely - scope out the garage walls if they're visible. Never hurts to ask (just don't try it at my house.)

pitchpole

That is because yard sales are just a way for them to burn time between trips to McDonalds and the mall.

Picchio Special

No way man, that's where you find new lawn chairs and stuff for your kid, so you don't have to pay ridiculous retail for toddler clothes and toys. Everybody's kid outgrows something every year. Obviously, you don't own a 4-year-old.

Whit51 

Craig's list includes a garage sale page and you can search for "bike", "bicycle" etc. You can then email the poster and ask what kind of bikes, what size, etc. None of that has yielded any bikes for me, though.

My garage sale finds have been totally random and unexpected. I stopped at one sale because there were bikes on the garage wall--a Cannondale mtn. bike and an '89 3.0 Criterium. I asked if they were for sale and the guy said no-----but what would you pay? We settled on $45 for the 3.0. At another place, a Trek 930 mntn. bike with front suspension was laying near the mailbox , seemingly not part of the sale. I said "how much for this" and got it for 10 bucks.

Have also picked up nice steel mountain bikes,a World Sport (flipped it ) and a fendered, headlighted version of the UO-8. I was dispappointed Peugeot had steel wheels, and a few houses down found a ladies' frame donor bike with alloy wheels for $5.

All of these finds involved looking at hundreds of sales and wasting no telling how much gas. The nice thing is, I come across lots of other cool, cheap plunder while looking for bikes--CDs for $1, fishing rods, tools, a like- new guitar amp for $5. My wife found a professional level, 1980's Roland synthesizer for $25.

cybertect

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Garage Sale appears to be an American phenomenon and involves people hiking up a sign and selling their stuff out the front of their own house?

In the UK we have the 'car boot sale' which usually starts at some ungodly hour of the morning (6.30am ). Turn up with your car with sometimes hundreds of others, park up and sell from there. Not so often good for bicycles IME.

bikerosity57

Yes ask ask ask! DO YOU HAVE BIKES YOU WANT TO SELL? I've found Raleighs Treks(carbon fiber, all Dara Ace), Canondales, and my Bianchi Campione del Mondo (all Campy) by simply ASKING!!!

BigPolishJimmy

There fixed that one for you ;p


+1 on asking, and not just for bikes. We're always on the hunt for legos, starwars toys and bikes stuff. Some good finds have been had by asking. Also, don't worry if you don't have cash on hand or have already spent your bike allowance for that pay period, leave your name and phone number and the price you'd be willing to pay for something if it doesn't sell. I got a nice Saris bones bike rack for $20.00 that way. That rack goes for 160.00 new and has made my life so much easier in transporting not only the bikes I bought, but also the few I sell as well as making it easy for me to go out to a bike trail that I wouldn't normally ride. I think the best finds I've had at a garage sale have been music stuff, got a Peavy reverb rack unit and an Art multi-effects unit for $2 each, it cost more to special order the power supplies to run them. Also got some fantastic deals on old tube amps, granted, not fancy looking but sound pretty good.

JunkYardBike

That's right. Despite the size of our SUV's, we wouldn't be able to fit a tenth of the useless trinkets we've accumulated in our consumer storage facilities (big is better!).

I generally avoid local 'flea markets' as they are called here, or other centralised neighbourhood sales where portage by car or bike trailer is necessary, for the same reason you cite: very few bikes. However, I did find a middling Celeste Bianchi for $35 at one once. After a cleanup, lube and adjustment, it sold for over $250 on ebay!

Picchio Special

Sound the best, IMO.