Can we have a running thread for swap meets?

+1

I am for it.

Seems like there at THREE swap meets this weekend.

35th Annual Ann Arbor Classic Bicycle Show and Swap Meet, Ann Arbor, MI

Memory Lane Spring Classic Swap Meet, Grand Rapids, OH

Midwest Bicycle Swap - Coasters Bicycle Club, Wichita, KS.

I have no experience with any of them, do any of you know what to expect from any of these?
I need to pick one, im hoping to sell AND buy... mostly Classic and vintage road bike stuff

I've been to the Ann Arbor swap meet 3 or 4 times. It is huge. Expect to see a lot of 60's and 70's US middleweight bikes and parts but the road bikes have recently become a larger presence.

I've only heard from some old friends who were huge ballooner collectors that the Ann Arbor swap was THE swap to go to in the midwest. I've heard of the Memory Lane swap but nothing good nor bad. Kind of sucks I'll have to wait until next year for the bike swaps in Michigan. Seven weeks left and we're back in the midwest! Not sure how many say that with joy. Lol.

Thanks! I think I will try to make it to the Ann Arbour swap in that case.

The Wichita swap meet is heavy on cruisers and muscle bikes. Most of it is high quality stuff though.

A couple of them have already come and gone this year. The Madison one was/is in January, and want to say a major one in Chicago was not long after.

There's a smaller swap in West Bend, WI in late winter about a month later after the Madison show. It's part of a automotive swap but has its own building it's housed in.

Then there's another at UWM in Milwaukee in December. Another in Oshkosh WI held at the fairgrounds at the end of March.

There's also the Iola Swap meet in Iola WI during the hottest days of summer normally which is a automotive swap meet but some bike stuff turns up there. But sweet lord get your walking shoes on, sunscreen on because this place is big and not much there for hiding from the sun. Plus it's Wisconsin so it's a humid hot.

This comment comes a little late, but the Ann Arbor swap (today) is considered the Super Bowl of classic bike swap meets. Never been there, but apparently it is overwhelming.

Went to the Memory Lane meet on Friday, decent size and worth a look if you are into vintage bikes. A little bit of everything, a lot of ballooner bikes but just as many later middleweight and some vintage road bikes. Not a huge selection of old BMX, but some. Lots of parts.

That one grew QUICK.

I don't think the car people that organized the meet expected there to be much of anything for the bicycle stuff.

I think that show is put on by the model A club or something but I enjoyed it. Never found much decent road stuff but picked up my first Sports Tourer there but it was rough. Just a lot of cruiser type stuff but I'm a sucker for swaps and can walk around for hours looking at the same stuff and never get board. Haha. Can't wait to get back and enjoy our new house up in the thumb in a few weeks.

WOW. Ann Arbour was VAST. huge. at LEAST 250+ spaces indoor and out. it was pretty amazing i sold everything. made 1000+ selling my unwanted bits... Picked up a low miles wheel set (Omega rims with record hubs) with tires for 60! pretty awesome!

On the downside there were a lot of buyers looking for good deals, mostly ebay re-salers and shop owners.. they know what things weer worth and really made it hard. but it ws a quick way to turn alot of old bike pars in to cash.

this swap was worth the 6 hour drive. even my wife had fun!

also I forgot to mention: the overall "genre" was mostly older american cruisers, alot of bmx and schwinn 6speeds... Nicer road bikes were a little far a few between, but the campy/dur-ace i brought went in the first hour.

This St. Louis Bike Expo already happened for this year (back in January), but there was some very nice stuff to be had. I'll be back.

2015 Bike Expo Vendors - trailnet

Heads up! These midwest swaps are coming up!

Bike Expo - trailnet (maybe not this year?)
Chicago Winter Bike Swap Home Page
Twin Cities Bike Swap | The Biggest Bicycle Flea Market in the Midwest

Please post if you know of others!

Brazen Dropouts swap is happening this weekend in Madison, WI

thank you, link for the lazy:

Swap Info ? Brazen Dropouts

STOP SWAP AND SAVE | The East Coast's Largest Indoor Bicycle Swap And Consumer Bike Expo

Anyone know about this one in Westminster, MD Feb.14th?

Madison is 1/9/16. Some of you will be there.

It's huge, and definitely worth going to. I am hoping to go this year.

Jim

Upcoming event in Vermont: The biggest, baddest fat bike festival in Vermont | Old Spokes Home

Madison was great i would say it was about the size of a football field, and had 100 venders or so...

The Central Indiana Bicycling Association is having its annual swap meet soon: Swap Meet

I’ve never been so can’t comment on its size.