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Old 05-23-09, 10:22 AM
  #22  
wrk101
Thrifty Bill
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
Posts: 23,572

Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more

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+1 I specialize in1980s Japanese bikes. I really recommend specializing. First, you will become an expert on values and fixing the bikes. Secondly, you can accumulate the parts you will need. A lot of common parts between all the Japanese brands of that era.

!00% disagree as well. If you are gong o flip long term, then your reputation as a supplier of clean, ready to ride bikes is like gold. Buying and selling incomplete/unfinished bikes is not going to build the reputation I am seeking. I have had several people come back for bike #2 and bike #3. Even if you charge market price, buyers appreciate getting s good clean, ready to ride bike at a small fraction of a new bike.

Buy the flipper right, and buy your parts right, and your time and effort will be rewarded. I can list so many examples. But just a couple of quick ones: The 88 Tempo I picked up for $36. I put good new tires on it, tubes, bearings, good lined housings, new cables, etc. Sold it for full market value. A second one was the 80 Voyageur 11.8 I picked up for $16. New tires, swapped brake calipers with a nice set in the parts bin, new tubes, cables, lever hoods. Sold it for full market value.

The keys are:
1. Buying the bike right.
2. Buying the parts right.
3. Doing all the work yourself.
4. Don't buy crap. Crap plus your time and effort to rehab still = crap. Buy good solid road bikes only that have a good upside.

I continue to find bikes to flip, although it does take time to find flips.

Last edited by wrk101; 05-23-09 at 10:26 AM. Reason: comment
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