^ Cool! And awesome lighting effects, BTW :thumb:

You got a stoker for that thing?

unfortunately not at this moment.. but hoping I might be able to attract one with this fine machine :lol:

Was that the one out in Pacifica? He had a couple at good prices.

yes, i am quite lucky and I have since that point experienced only what I would refer to as "luxury problems" . None of them have much to do with the Zurich frame, which is great. Until last week, I did not really know such a failure was possible,though I've had semi-horizontal dropout bikes slip rear wheels a bit.

Went with my dad to a local swap. I didn't take any money on purpose(Need to somehow try and stop the N+1 thing haha). I had to borrow $50 bucks from dad, I just couldn't leave this one there at that price :)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e/IMG_8576.jpg

[MENTION=116134]guzziee[/MENTION] - nice score! I paid $75 for my 520, and I thought that was a good deal. Yours looks to be in better shape than mine was. You can even read the model number on the chainstay protector.

Wow! You might send that saddle to [MENTION=185335]Big Block[/MENTION].

I was parked on the side of the road eating a sandwich, two blocks from the recycling facility when a scraper truck pulls up right next to me at the light. $20 later.......http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1q3exv9k.jpghttp://i951.photobucket.com/albums/a...pstpzulosv.jpghttp://i951.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscjr5mc4p.jpghttp://i951.photobucket.com/albums/a...pshtpfoo1g.jpg

Good snag. I gotta wonder how many decent bikes wind up crushed and on the boat back to China? I also wonder if some bikes accidentally left out back by a kid get picked up by scrappers when they shouldn't be? I see lots of bikes on the backs of the trucks.

I wonder about that as well. I took the pictures after I cleaned it up a bit and took off the old tires. It was not ridable when I snagged it. All original components. No seat or post. Front wheel had a broken spoke and needed a long time on the truing stand. Has a dent on the top tube. Not a collector bike, but the components all work. I am not sure if I will build it up or strip it down? LOL

nope, south bay. it was only up for a day :lol:

I never found anything much better than a Murray single speed in the trash before.

I've seen abandon bikes along the bike paths and near residential areas. I also have a grandson that has "lost" a few bicycles. I have always assumed that many bicycles were never bicycles that spent much time being cared for. Maybe they started life as a birthday or Christmas present... only to be stole, abandon, found, sold, stolen, abandon.............

I know of an apartment manager that says bicycles are regularly found in their dumpsters. She does not believe they are bicycles owned by the apartment residences. She believes people pitch the bicycles their children "brought home". Maybe the kids found the abandon bikes... or maybe the bikes just weren't locked up (and they took them).

Ether way... dumpster divers usually pull the bicycles out and take them away.

I drive a truck in the city of Chicago, my area happens to be close to some major scrap yards. So far I have gotten this Schwinn Cross point, a Raleigh Professional Track Frame with Campagnolo Headset and BB, a small 650 wheel Cannondale and a Miyata 912 off of the scrap trucks. All without trying. I bet if I sat there all day, 5 days a week and really tried, I could come up with lots of great bikes for $20 each. :)

Edit: I just came up with a retirement plan. :)

Pardon the long story on this one. I'm a senior English major, I can't help writing voluminously.

Two weeks ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning, I rode my bike up a random dead-end street I'd never been on before, for no reason. I found a perfectly good acoustic guitar in the trash, grabbed it, threw a set of strings on it and have been playing it every day.

I was hoping for the same luck today, and whaddaya know, lightning does strike twice.

On my leisurely morning stroll, just down the street, I spot a guy looking like he's cleaning out his garage. And, lo and behold, a bicycle next to said garage. They guy catches me looking and immediately makes a disclaimer. "That bike is trash, no good at all," or something like that. Nonplussed, I ask if I can take a look at it. The guy remains convinced it's worthless, though he does point to the kickstand and say, "It does have that beautiful kickstand." (Amazing what people put value on, isn't it?) The guy (his name is Mario, I find out) says he was "gonna have to leave it at the curb tomorrow morning."

So Mario, gentleman that he is, lets me walk off with the bike. I eagerly head home with my prize. It's a Lotus Challenger, 1987/88 as far as I can tell from a quick internet search. Didn't have a seat on it, but Thank the Lord, the seat post wasn't stuck and I had a spare saddle I'd just taken off another bike that fit perfectly.

And so at the end of the day, this is a perfectly good bike, nothing wrong with it at all, absolutely rideable (the old tires even hold air) for less than nothing. Wheels are true, shifting works great, brakes are firm. It's way too small for me, but I've been looking for a nice older steel roadie for my Mom and I think this is just the ticket....Mother's Day is around the corner, too.

So, here's before:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441833http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441834http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441835http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441836

And after:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441837http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441838

Dork disk and all ;)

Amazing what you can do with a few sunny hours on a Sunday afternoon.

Nice pick up.

Make sure to overhaul it all, maybe throw some new tires on there, and Mom will be all set!

Thanks! It'll get the full treatment, don't worry. I just cleaned it up and straightened it out for now.

Nice +2

Keep me posted not he after pics. Great project man.

"but Thank the Lord, the seat post wasn't stuck" Thank the Lord indeed! Getting a stuck seatpost out is an agonizing ordeal, you've been richly blessed!

Oh boy, tell me about it. I've been working on a stuck seatpost in a Centurion Ironman frame for over a year now. I try to get it out, get frustrated when it won't budge, and give up, till 3 months later I try again.

So far, to no avail.

Kamra Triathlee
 

Picked this up off the local CL, which is usually pretty slim when it comes to cool or interesting. 1985 Kamra Triathlee. I will do a before and after thread on this one as soon as it's done. I really like this thing and there is a lot to like. Suntour Cyclone derailleurs (3 pulley rear Yes) Hattaswan headset, 700c wheels. It's a 62cm frame in Tange 900 which I know isn't high end, but the entire thing only weigh 25 1/2 pounds as it sits right now.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441888http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441889http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441890http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441891

Looks cool!
Interesting. My catch of the day was also outfitted with Tange 900. I am a firm believer in synchronicity; it has been happening to me like crazy lately (even here on BF) :thumb:

And bike license for Subic Bay, Philippines. You don't see one of those very day. :thumb: I wonder why Nishiki decided they needed a second brand for this model? The geometry and the 900 tubing (and even the design of the headbadge) looks like my '83 landau, only in red.http://www.zoominto.com/zoomapi/ZoomButt.gif

Could be a trademark issue. That's the reason the company that controlled Centurion road bikes and Diamond Back mountain bikes decided to combine both types under the DB brand. They could not sell the road bikes under the Centurion label in Europe because of an existing brand name there while they could sell the very same bike as a DB.