Originally Posted by
Coophawk
Hence why I'm looking at Craigslist in places I'll be traveling sometime in the relatively near future. They do seem very well maintained, having been continuously ridden by the owner since the original purchase, with maintenance at the same shop.
Tip, don't just check destinations you may be traveling to, check "on the way/near your route" as well. Its a strategy I have used successfully many times in the past. Don't overlook garage sales either. I was heading to Chicago on one trip, and quickly checked garage sales in Indianapolis. WTF? A titanium Litespeed at a garage sale? Well, I had to hit that one. The Lightspeed was a deal, but I passed on it. But I asked the question: "Do you have any other bike stuff?" Out came the large crate of all 9 speed Dura Ace, two complete bikes worth, plus a lot of other stuff. Score.
On my last trip to Illinois a month ago, I was checking the next day's garage sales in Illinois (I was at a hotel in southern Indiana at the time). Holy cow, a Panasonic racing bike? Damn, I wouldn't be through that town til about noon the next day. But I took a side trip (maybe 10 miles out of the way max). It was still there! With a really low price tag. And the garage sale down the street had a nice Schwinn LeTour Luxe, at an equally low price. And the one in the town five miles away had the vintage MASI and a nice bike work stand...... Car was full before I arrived at my destination.
Pretty much every road trip I go on, includes picking up bike stuff. Its everywhere.
To below, although I mentioned the score in INDY above, a lot of my scores are in the smaller towns, far enough away from Chicago/Memphis/Nashville/etc. Larger cities tend to be full of scoopers. But 50 to 75 miles out, the scoopers are gone, and sometimes you will find some real deals.