Thrift stores, markets, europe
 

I am searching for some good locations to buy cheap old bikes to restore them. I am focusing on Switzerland and Holland, I know they have alot of these(including salvation army)
http://yellowpages.hollandsentinel.c...stores.zq.html
http://www.igvelo.ch/boersen/nachDatum_d.php
http://www.velomaerkte.ch/Velo_Occasionen.php
http://www.sportboerse.ch/alle/seite/de/_home.php
But, of course I don't want an online biding place, I want a big place/market, or en-gros sellers(or a list of them) to go on to a short trip to get some matherial
If anyone can help, please.
Cheers

I live in Switzerland, but do not know of any more sources than the ones you already listed - you seem to have most of it covered.

thanks man, any hint of how i can find wich of the salvation army's would be full of bikes when i come? any chances that i contact them, or any chance that i would hit ones that have big stock usually?
thanks

You may be able to phone the Salvation army stores and ask, the numbers and locations are given on the central website: brocki.ch. I've only been to the one in Lausanne and that has had between zero and about three bikes in there at a time, nearly always very low quality stuff. Be careful with their opening hours - some are only open about 20 hours per week at random times.

I am visiting Holland and Belgium in a few weeks and I would love to bring back a nice old Merckx from the '80s or '90s, where do you guys suggest I look? I found this site--- http://www.kapaza.be/ ---and it looks promising but I don't understand too much of what is going on, it seems that some items are up for auction and some are listed with firm prices.

The Kijiji has turned up some nice bikes, this one looks great to my eye http://fietsen-brommers.marktplaats....fta_ind=6&fs=1

Any other places?

as far as i can tell these seam to be online bidding places. from my experience they don't communicate well on email, and they even banned me once for no reason on marktplaats. i think the best thing to do on those sites is to call(if you have someone to help with the dutch)
i don't know markets in holland, but i would love to know, i want to make a trip to buy some good old steel.
@chris_w, i knew the brocki.ch, thanks, i suppose the salvation army's is not my solution then. and again, i hear different people saying they buy from switzerland, but they don't tell where:(

Or you could call and see if they speak English. Odds are good that they do.

^
metzinger, any good versatile and cheap markets you recommend?:)

I don't know any good abundant sources.
I've only ever seen a couple of bikes at a time in stalls at weekend markets in various Dutch cities. And with some I'd be quite concerned about the bikes' provenance.

I've bought from a nearby shoe repair guy who sells bikes he buys from seniors' homes. :twitchy:

Hheh, here in Toronto there is an old guy in my neighbourhood named Sylvester who sells bikes that he buys from his older friends who cannot ride anymore, maybe we should get the two of them together!

I've found on past trips to Europe that a lot of people speak English so, when I get to Belgium, I will start emailling around and see what happens. That purple Merckx I posted above really looks great, how crazy would it be for me to cycle from Belgium up into Amsterdam on that?

Any places specifically in Geneva? Ill be there for a few weeks, it'll be sweet if I can bring home something special...

Some of the sources in the original post list events or stores in Geneva specifically. Swiss people tend to use the online auction ricardo.ch, and very rarely use eBay. Ricardo is better because there is no PayPal, and you deal directly with the seller, no middle man (although this takes away the security blanket, I've never had a problem in buying or selling items through it). There are always loads of old bikes on there, some of which are decent, but the interface is all in French or German. Here are direct links to the 400+ road bikes currently open to bids, and 150 touring & city bikes.

anything else new here?:D
still wanna make that trip, now i even have the money on me
please more massive locations, massive markets, hit me:)

You can try the Geneva bike inpound. They sell non reclaimed biks after 3 months. Some interesting things there, as well as many spares, i.e. swiss army bikes with rod-actuated brakes, sturmey hubs, etc......