A week ago Thursday, I got up early to attend a city-wide rummage 100 miles away. I planned an all-day trip and hoped to get a decent bike or two. In years past it was not unusual for me to pick up between 3-6 bikes at this venue.

So I get up before 5 and I'm on the road by 6. The morning turns out to be a bust, with all the bikes being either way too expensive or needing more help than I could give them. So I left that town and went to a different town to do some other non-bike things.

Came back through the first town on the way back home, and was slowly driving around all the stops I'd been to before. I happened to be driving away from a group of 3 houses all having rummages when I saw what looked like the end of a rummage - three items in the driveway: a Trek bike missing its front wheel, a portable washing machine, and a pressure sprayer. Garage door was closed, no one in sight. I stood there for a few minutes debating whether to even see if anyone was home, as it was after the time when the sale supposedly closed city-wide. As I'm standing there debating, someone comes out of the house. I say hello and ask if the bike is for sale. A nice lady says yes, a neighbor had given it to her and her family didn't want it any more. I ask her how much, as I can't see any price tag. She says, "A dollar." For a moment, I'm wondering, did I just hear that right? A buck? Then I take a closer look at the bike, and sure enough, there's a pink $1 sticker on the handlebar. So I get out my dollar, thank the lady, stick the bike in my car and drive away.

Said bike turned to be a 1990 Trek 930, apparently the first year for this model if I'm not mistaken. Lugged TrueTemper AT double-butted cromoly. This one has a Shimano drivetrain, but the catalog says I should have SunTour (I'm much happier with the Shimano). As far as condition, the left shifter is futzed, there's a jerry-rigged nut and bolt in place of a traditional seatpost binder bolt, and there are a couple rust spots on the frame. But other than that, and missing the front wheel (pix are taken with a front wheel out of my collection), not bad for a buck. So I did wind up getting a deal after all, just not when I thought I would.