Doohickie

Bikes I currently own and ride:

Schwinn Varsity (found at city dump while dropping something else off)


Raleigh Marathon (found in a dumpster)


Raleigh DL-1 ($30 at a church garage sale)


Just out of your price range: Schwinn Prelude with Columbus tubing for $50 at a pawn shop


Bikes I have that I intend to build up or fix up:

Centurion Accordo (the blue bike- free at the LBS)


Nishiki Sport (in exchange for the 1970 Sears bike)


Hawthorne/Hurcules, ca 1960 (from an acquaintence for $10... same guy as the Sears bike)


Schwinn World Sport, $10 from CL, the guy was just two miles from me

Primitive Don

They tend to take up a lot of space, and in a shop space is a premium. They are also primarily 1-piece crank bikes, which are fine, but won't fetch much as used bikes. Plus people in a rural area tend to leave their bikes outside, so the parts are often rusty and the consumables are shot. They will require a lot of time to refurbish (which I don't have) and need new tires, tubes, cables, housing, brake pads, etc. I did give the Raleigh Sports to a forum member; he spent the time and money needed to fix it up, and it is sweet.

The bikes that get my personal attention are typically Japanese, often with CR-MO frames, alloy wheels, and alloy 3-piece cranks. I never find these for $30.

DAYAM Doohickie, that Fuji mixte is HOT! Fuji-branded Sugino cranks and Fuji/Suntour derailleurs and everything!

Ruffinit

My LBS recently gave me two pickup loads of bikes. Mostly 70s and 80s stuff. Probably 10-12 in total and I have to go back for a few more loads. These bikes I deliver to the Bike Library in Iowa City. We build them up and check them out for 6 months at a time for a fee. IF they bring them back within the 6 months, they get all their money back, if they don't, they can keep them and we use the money for building up others. The bikes and components we don't use go to Chicago as PD stated above. They will either build them up or ship them to 3rd world countries to build out.

BUT - he also gave me a C. Itoh (Bridgestone / Kabuki) Super Light which is all aluminum except for the seat tube and fork blades. The quill seat post is stainless steel. It was missing a front derailleur and the back was a Shimano 500! All the components except the rims were alloy. I'm currently building it out.

Doohickie

I sold it to BF member Mr_Christopher. Even though I had no use for it, I thought it was just a gorgeous bike, especially with the Fuji-branded components. Even the Suntour VX derailleur said Fuji VX. I kind of wish I had kept it. It ran smoooooooth.

Ruffinit

Raleigh began using these too with the Raleigh branding just like the Fujis did. In the English case they didn't know how the consumers would react to Japanese branded components on their bikes so the Raleigh Vx etc was created. I'm not sure why Fuji did it. They're just Suntour Vx derailleurs unless they're Vx Luxe which means all alloy.

3373jones

a couple of my near $30 finds. All from craigslist. you cannot find a bike in a thrift store for $30 where i'm at, unless it is a very small kids bike.

this one was actually $35... so almost counts. **note, it didn't come with brifters, but picked up a pair for $40 on CL... so i guess the total is way over $35, but still a good deal

before

traveler as found. $30.

peugeot. $10. needed some work... clearly.

Doohickie

This thread is my new home. I wish I was a mod so I could sticky it.

Charles Wahl

I bought this Motobecane Team Champion (1984) frame for $30, because it had a cracked rear dropout. Included Stronglight 107 crank and BB, two sets of pedals.
Of course, train fare to Hastings-on-Hudson for me and spouse, taxi to Nyack and back, and lunch at a bistro in H-o-H brought the total to $150, and then the dropout repair made it $275.
But it's sweet and my son covets it.

plumberroy

I bought this ross eurotour 5 speed at a garage sale for $20 (they had a womens mate to it but the wife doesn't ride) It had a double basket on the back that kept hitting my heels. I sold the basket for $15 I aired the tires with the sellers copressor and road it home.. when I lived in town It was my run to the store bike I have put a ton of miles on it running errands and made a couple of 25 mile round trips It is the bike that got me back into riding
Roy

r0ckh0und 

Two weeks ago I picked up a Schwinn Tempo for $10 at a garage sale, Three years ago a Univega Viva Sport at a thrift store for $7.99. Last year I bought 11 at one garage sale for $30 each, they included a 531 Raleigh Gran Prix, Trek 600 Series, Trek 400, Bianchi Stelvio, Bianchi Limited, Panasonic DX3000.

mickey85

I found my '79 professional at a thrift store for $10, languishing in the toys department, and my '90 Fuji Palisade for $30 in some dude's back yard. I'd been stalking that one for a while. I was also given a Kabuki Super Speed (if you're offered one, don't take it!), and got a Raleigh Rapide mixte and Schwinn World Tourist from the same guy for $15 each.

Primitive Don

Were you at a yard sale, Matt, or just hanging out in some stranger's yard? Please clarify

Ruffinit

So Mickey, what's up with the Kabuki that you don't care for?

Poguemahone

Get a dog. Seriously. Walk it in the local alleys. While you are walking the dog, you will find stuff. I had this great lab named Bones, I pulled him off of Main Street here in RVA while he was a puppy. Walking him I found: a Bianchi Brava with 105, two Fuji S10S, two vintage track flip/flop hubs, a Schwinn LeTour Luxe, and probably some other stuff I forgot. There are plenty of cool dogs, you can often find abused and abandoned ones that are perfectly good dogs.

Here are my (and my GF's) current strays:



The beagle was found living under a bush in a local park, feral and starving. He had been adopted from the SPCA a few years back (I know this because he is micro chipped). Someone passed their test they make all prospective dog owners take and then failed at the real thing.

This UO8 was found at a local thrift auction (Goodwill). At that point, I could find pretty much all the bikes I wanted for under 30$ (good luck with that nowadays), but this was the only one aside from an RB2 I kept (the RB2 was forty bucks, so it doesn't figure in your arbitrary cut off). I've done some fairly major work to it; obviously it has been converted. The wheelset is handbuilt around vintage Brampton track hubs of a five dollar Raleigh from the same auction.




Also, to echo Syke's point, you really can't look for anything. You just have to be open to what you find.

noglider 

Here is the Men's Rudge. I'm really excited about this one. I hope there aren't unpleasant surprises waiting for me when I start fixing it up. The saddle is a bit splayed but in otherwise good condition. The saddle alone is worth a lot. I will probably try to get it back into the proper shape.



Here are the rest of the pictures.

noglider 

Here is the ladies Robin Hood. Front caliper brake and rear coaster brake. Baskets bolted to the fenders.



Here are the rest of the pictures.

Poguemahone

Here's two more. Little Bianchi, found at a CHurch yard sale last summer, 25$:



This one was given to me by a local bike dealer; he couldn't sell it. The hipsters only want road bikes to convert, or at least they did at that point, about 4-5 years back. It was frame and rear wheel only; but it's a nice early MTB. The geo and design are hacked from a touring bike; at that point they didn't know much about MTB design. Hence my build (The front wheel, BTW, came from the trash; found while walking my dog). Lugged steel. The bags were 2$ at a yard sale.



There's a lot more I've found for under 30$, but I don't want to torment you too much. And to be honest, now when you run into one for under 30$ it's really part (or all) dumb luck. Which I wouldn't count on if you really, really want a bike.

Sixty Fiver

Curb find... she needed a little polish, some proper bars, and I replaced the saddle...which was also free.

Sixty Fiver

Free... fellow stopped by with the intention of selling the bike for 100.00 and decided to give it to me for a handful of spare parts.

It needed an oiling and a shift cable and I was riding it 20 minutes after it arrived.

jungwiar

Haven't posted in awhile, but here is my favorite (of many, I might add...). 1972 Schwinn Sports Tourer - Sunday Rider - found on curb.
As found:


Wife rides two that qualify - one freebie Schwinn World Tourist found with above ST and $5 Garage Sale Triumph that came with Wrights leather saddle:

sailorbenjamin

I used to drive by this '56 VW beetle on my commute, the kind with the oval window. Then one day a for sale sign was on the house. I called the guy. The bug wasn't for sale but the house was. I asked about old bikes. The guy was a collector like me. He tipped me off on this town dump a couple of villages over from where I lived. Really well organized. All the bikes were neatly parked in the corner. He said he got some Schwinn banana seat thing that he resold for $200. I'm not a banana seat kind of guy but I figured I should go have a look.
It was great, there was a guard there to keep people from picking but there was a row of refridgerators between his shack and the bike pile. First two bikes in the bunch were a Raleigh SuperCourse in my size and an old Record that was too small for me. I grabbed them and ran back to my car.
I went back about once a week. just picking the shiniest bike and running. I got a nice Univega for my wife. Once I got bold and took some tools. Just sat there picking parts till the guy came over and asked me to leave. He let me keep the parts I'd pulled, though. Nice guy.
I've still got the SuperCourse. It's my favorite bike. I've replaced all but maybe a half dozen parts and it's still pretty ugly but it's a great ride. Most of the parts came from other dumpster bikes including the Brooks saddle and the barend shifters and the Paselas. It's only recently crossed the $50 mark. I've got all the parts and the general concept for the next rebuild. Just need some time.
I gave the Record to that guy Blue Order who used to post here. Haven't heard from him. I hope he liked it.

sailorbenjamin

Oh yeah, this Sport was on the curb about a block from my house a while back. My size, too. Almost seems like a set up. I was looking all around for the candid camera.

scozim 

Picked up my 87 Trek Antelope from a customer for $20 when I saw it sitting in their garage with flat tires. Nothing special but I do ride it a fair amount. Also picked up a free late 60's Gitane frame from behind the LBS when the owner emailed me about it. I frequent our local college surplus sale but have yet to score on anything under $40 at that.

Fasteryoufool

I found this:


in a thrift store for $20 in 2000. It just needed new rubber and grease to be ready to ride.

storckm

I found this bike by chance, when I had driven the half hour into Concord, NH to look at a swingset which had been advertised in the paper. After I'd decided to buy the swingset, I was in the garage talking to the wife, and I noticed some bikes. So I said, with great originality: "Nice bikes."
There was a fancy new carbon-fiberish one, and an older one, as well as a couple kid's bikes.
"He used to ride that one in triathlons, but his friends laughed at him, so he bought this new one. He's planning to sell that one at a yard sale," she said.

shogunsideview2..jpg

So I ended up buying it for $25. It's decent cr-mo, fits me well, and and was perfectly ridable, except that the seat wasn't especially comfortable.
I've ridden it quite a bit, including with the occasional heavy load. Over the three years I've owned it, I've switched the wheels, cranks (although it originally had a triple that was not essentially different from the current one) and pedals with with other bikes; I've also replaced the seat, bars, stem, and brake levers, and added racks, generator, and lights (and a good dose of reflective tape, which doesn't really improve the picture). The fenders came from an abandoned Raleigh that had been trashed. I beat them back into shape and painted them.

dscn1709..jpg

I've also been given several bikes by friends and family, but that doesn't really count.

And how do I make uploaded pictures look bigger? These were originally 1024x768.