Around here, thrift stores have been discovered and I rarely find bikes at one despite going to a handful of thrift stores almost every day. When I do find a decent bike, it is almost always NOT my size, has condition issues, is more likely a mtb than a road bike. Out of perhaps 500 thrift store visits in the last year, I found a total of four bikes. Three were mountain bikes. Two were so rough I parted them out. The one road bike was a modern, SORA equipped Schwinn.

99% of the bikes I see at thrift stores and garage sales are either kids bikes or crappy Walmart adult MTBs.

The key to thrift stores is looking for other stuff, not just bikes. I continue to find a lot of deals at thrift stores, just about every stop. Bu

Ten years ago, I routinely found great bikes at thrift stores at amazing (low prices).R

Garage sales tend to be the best deals right now. Even then, expect to go to a lot of garage sales before you find anything decent. So similar to thrift stores, its best to look for a lot more than bikes.

And when you do find bikes at garage sales or thrift stores, they WILL need a lot of work. You must have the time/tools/aptitude/pile of parts to refurbish the bikes yourself, or you will very likely be upside down on such "bargains".

Craigslist? You better be able to launch any time of day, be willing to drive a far distance, etc. Pickers are closely monitoring C/L too. You are not alone looking for deals.

To find a deal on a bike is tough enough, to find one in your size is infinitely tougher. I let the proceeds from bikes that DON'T allow me to pay full market value for bikes that do fit. People that pass on great deals that don't fit are missing out,

I bought a Fuji S12S, in really nice shape, from a scrap yard last year. The person that dropped that bike off got 3 cents a pound, or less than 90 cents for that bike......

Only bike I refurbished that took "tens of hours" was a Motobecane tandem. It had been left to rot, locked outside to a fence, for over 5 years. More typically I spend 4 to 6 hours refurbishing a bike. Still not a huge profit. But a good hobby.

One "trick" I use on C/L is to look while I am traveling. I bought a bike in Key Largo for example on my last trip to Key West.

As you broaden your approach in looking, finding deals will not be a problem. Storing them and moving them to a new home is the problem.