Originally Posted by KDB

First place: Dick's Schwinn in Tonawanda, NY; when I walked in with my 30+ year old traveler the response was "cool old bike, used to sell 100s of those, what can I do for you?" They are way out of my way, but always worth the ride/drive.

Second choice: HandleBars in Kenmore, NY; always friendly, always helpful, prices are good, but they are the ones with the "Bike is getting old" comment.

Originally Posted by alanbikehouston

"Pro Cycles" in Houston specializes in road bikes. The owner, Dan, loves older road bikes. Of course, he especially loves the beautiful pro level Italian bikes of the '60's and 70's, but he was polite and respectful when I asked him to fix up a 1988 Schwinn that was kinda at the bottom of the food chain.

And, he has an amazing assortment of old parts. I was looking for an "odd" bolt for an old seatpost. He turned, reached into a pile of old parts, and instantly laid his hands on exactly the bolt I needed.

He is a fanatic about doing things right. I had a loose headset on a 1985ish roadbike. He stopped a much more important project to adjust it, so I could get back on the road. After I thought it was in perfect adjustment, he started the project over, because he thought it was in less than perfect adjustment.

Because of his drive for perfection, some projects can take a bit of time. I foolishly asked him to restore some mid-priced mid-80's wheels because I like the hubs, and I wanted to keep the bike original. Foolish, because he decided doing the job right, so he totally rebuilt the wheels, regreasing and adjusting the hubs, and installing all new spokes. He is just not willing to do "B" work, even though I mostly have "B" level bikes.

Originally Posted by tolfan

We need to make this list a stickey.
Cycle Circle
N.Plum st
Lancaster, Pa.
The owner knows his stuff. Any decade. Any part.
The kid part time trys his best and he's good.
We need to make this a stickey

Originally Posted by tjspiel

The young staff at The Hub Bike Coop in Minneapolis at least has an appreciation for old bikes, although my guess is that they're first inclination would be to turn them into fixies ;-)

I don't believe they stock much in the way of old parts. The do have a "Salvage Yard" where there's good selection of used components, and some of it is really old.

There are actually quite a few LBSes within a couple of miles of where I live and a few more near where I work. I need to visit more of them.

I don't see the LBS as something in decline around here. Some have adapted to the times. There's a couple that are a combination of bike and coffee shop.

Originally Posted by ang1sgt

Old Schwinn Shops are few and far between! In Rochester NY I think the oldest continuous shop is Towner's. They have all sorts of stuff in their back room but it will cost ya.

Our two original Schwinn shops are long gone and their stock and parts gone which is a darn shame. Thanks for the tip on Dick's Schwinn, I might have to check them out!

Chris

Originally Posted by jfmckenna

I was just out in Boulder CO. and visited a shop called Vecchios. I talked awhile to them about my recent project and they were very helpful and had a nice selection of old parts under the counter.