Show me what you flipped and tell me WHY?

yesterday I got the local thrift store to mark this schwinn continental down from $29.99 to $14.99:

It was in sad shape and way to big for me. However the brooks saddle on it was nice! So I replaced that with an old distressed brooks saddle I had. Then sold the bike for $35 because it needs work and had some significant rust on the top tube.
Here's the saddle that was on it, a B-15 champion standard:

Selling it for $45 tomorrow...

https://www.bikeforums.net/album.php?albumid=12

Why you ask? Because I like to work on bikes. It makes me happy.

I flipped this 91 Cannondale R 400 because I picked up a newer, 96 C'dale R-600 that was in nicer shape than this one, nearly mint, and I sold it to a close freind for her niece to ride.

I flipped this Ross because I don't need another entry-mid level, 58 cm chromoly bike.

And I flipped this Fuji about two years ago because I decided to do something stupid that day.

If I ever get my hands on another 93 Fuji Club, I'll never let go.

My last four flippers. All sold because they don't fit and three were purchased with the intent of flipping. The Univega Viva touring was purchased for me, but it turned out to be too small (short 57cm top tube for a 62cm bike).

1987 Maruishi RX-6


1985 Univega Viva Touring


1982 Schwinn World Sport


1986 Schwinn Mirada

Here are some bikes I have flipped.


Fuji Sports 12 - Bought off eBay to flip. Gotta love "Local Pickup Only" when you are in a small town.


Schwinn Varsity - Bike given to me by LBS to flip. "Take it with you when you leave or it goes in the dumpster."

I flipped over 60 bikes in 4 mos last Summer(June-Sept).

I did it to buy more De Rosa's.

+1, I really enjoy wrenching and polishing all of the bikes I flip. I also offer free basic tuneups so I get to see my flips every now and then. Some times I only flip because a bike is not the right size for me.

Mike Melton frameset... Selling this frame was a mistake...I wish I had a do-over!:


1985 Ross 292s with Shimano golden arrow (I would have kept it if it were smaller)


Miyata 210 mixte (tried to talk my wife into keeping it)


1958 Norman 3speed


Last but not least, I flip bikes so I can actually afford bikes like this:

I buy anything that meet my basic criteria, in any size (vintage steel road bike, cromoly frame, alloy rims, three piece crankset, priced right). If the bike is my size, it either replaces something already in my "fleet", or it is flipped as well.

+1 I enjoy working on bikes.

My last 8 flips:

1980 Fuji S12S (nice bike, wrong size)
1981 Schwinn Traveler (did not meet my criteria, but I was short of projects)
1984 Schwinn World Sport
1986 Nishiki Prestige (a really nice bike, just not my size)
2002 Trek 4500 (didn't meet my criteria, but it was ready to sell and priced right)
1982 Univega Gran Turismo (thought it was going to be a keeper, but too small)
1992 Peugeot PE-300 (interesting bike! Not my size)
1988 Schwinn Tempo (nice bike, and my size too, hated to see it go)

On the list to go next:

1984 Centurion Mixte (kept it for my wife)
1984 Fuji Touring Series IV (wrong size) (gone)
1988 Miyata 712 (still on the project list)
1983 Trek 520 (may keep it) (gone)

I don't flip.
I leave any bargain that doesn't fit me or my kids for someone else.
If I want $100, I can work an hour over overtime.

Damn, that's pretty.

[IMG][/IMG]

Picked it up free at the end of a garage sale. Rotted tires and tubes, bad seat and a bit of rust. New rubber and some clean up and ready to go. Why flip it? Money for new bike stuff and a happy women with a great bike.

^^^^^Front fender is on backwards.^^^^^

Holy molly Jesus your collection is neat-O !!

My only flipper to date was this Motobecane, but I din't actually flip it, just harvested it for parts and tossed the frame in the dumpster because the top tube was badly rusted. I felt really guilty about tossing the frame, but it seemed dangerous. I still have the fork and snagged 600 SIS front and rear derailleurs, DA corncob 6 spd freewheel, matching araya ferruled clincher rims laced to a 600 rear and Sansin front hub, el cheapo tires, alloy stem and bars, dia-compe levers and weinmann centerpulls. I never get free **ish, so I consider it a nice haul. Sucks, 'cause it was my size, too.

I haven't flipped any bikes yet but I have several candidates.

1989 Schwinn Sprint. Got it off the curb in January. It really only needs cleanup which I'm in the middle of right now. It looks like it was ridden a fair amount, then stored outside for longer than that. Even so, it only needs cleaning and some expendables (tires, cables). I am going to put tourist handlebars on it and a wider seat and give it to a friend of my wife's who needs a bike. I won't be getting any money back from it, but it will probably be the first bike I put back in circulation.



1960 Hawthorne, made by Hercules in Birmingham, England. This needs a lot of work but it is a very cool bike. It is a fairly lightweight cruiser. It's small, I think 21" frame and 26" wheels. The rear rim is badly out of true and cranks (and maybe BB spindle) are bent. This is a fairly long-term project; I may do my first wheel build for this one.



1970 Sears (made in Austria). I got this from the same guy as the Hercules above. It is a fairly typical example of Sears bikes just before the Free Spirit nameplate started. It has one unique feature though- It has a Shimano Lark 5-speed rear derailleur, and built inside the freewheel is an internal hub shifter, a two-speed that is automatically speed activated. So it's basically like a Schwinn Collegiate 5-speed, except that when you're topped out.... CLICK! The overdrive gear kicks in. I messed around with this one a bit because the rear axle (a custom part for the 2-speed IGH) was stripped. I finally tried putting a second nut on the non-drive side where the axle was stripped, and it cinches up nicely. So now I need to do the cosmetic cleanup, true the rims, replace the cables, and try to flip this puppy. The cream-wall tires, one of which is original, look lovely.



1981 Fuji Royale Mixte. Got it off the curb on garbage day last month. I've had a couple people inquire about buying either the components or the frame but both of those fell through. It's kind of a good thing because in taking pictures and stuff while trying to sell the parts, I've decided this whole bike is really nice. The Suntour and Sugino components have Fuji markings on them. I plan to fix it up as original as possible and flip it.

1984 Trek 420. Bought it 2 weeks ago. Sold it today.

Here is my list. Mostly Trek. Plus a few mountain bikes.


X2




I know is a trek 720, but its too big for me.

IMO, Trek make better flippers then riders.

Too many to list.

Here is a short list from the last couple of years...

2- Bridgestone RB-2's
1- Bridgestone RB-1's
1- Bridgestone XO-1
1- Pinarello Surprise
3- Centurion Lemans RS + Dave Scott's
2- Fuji S-10's
2- Bianchi's-Campione

I can't remember how many Treks! Steel only. Usually make a little on these. Brand name is the draw maybe?

I don't make much on these, as they often go to friend's looking for bikes. Just for fun, mostly. I save up any extra money and it pays for my Italian bike obsession. God help me once I start with custom bikes!

My 2 flips so far:

Flipped this Peugeot, I flipped this one because...well I don't know why. I hope i don't regret it down the road..



This was my first road bike and it was too big for me...85 Ross

Some of my recent flips. Why?, grocery money and to continue flipping.

Look for my listings with the BROWN garage door in Chicago Craigslist

Schwinn Voyager


Raleigh Marathon


Schwinn World Sport

I've flipped mostly fixed gear conversions, due to the bumper crop of kids and hipsters here in Indy. Too numerous to post, and well, they're fixed gears. Here are my most memorable C&V flips:

My first flip! '87 Nishiki Olympic 12. Paid $15 for it, added a wheelset and new bar tape ($50), rode it twice, then sold it to a high school XC runner for $125. I really miss that bike.


Flipped this beautiful '79 Panasonic Touring Deluxe just to turn a fat dollar.


Paid a small money for this '85 Centurion Ironman, it was too small for me. Sold it to Robbietunes.


Last but not least, this '85 Nishiki International went out the door four weeks ago. Very nice bike, just my size, but I had too many bikes I wanted to keep, so I found a good home for it. Counting the original purchase price, and the shipping cost I had to endure, I pretty much broke even on this one, but the new owner is riding it and loves it!


Why I flip? I flip C&V bikes for fun and a little profit. The FG flippers are where I make the REAL money!

geek

I flip bikes to make money for my fleet. The easiest to sell are lower end bikes set up to be commuters. I did sell a women's Schwinn Collegiate that looks as if it had been ridden once around the block on Christmas. Went to an equally cute UC Irvine student.

I enjoy working on bikes and also enjoy the "hunt" for nice older bargains. My most recent flip was a Trek 370 sport. I had a '95 Cannondale M300 I wanted to trade, and a guy offered me $125 plus an "old road bike" for it. My jaw almost hit the floor when I saw the Trek. I gave it a good wash, adjusted the wheel bearings and sold it for $180 to a co-worker. I probably could have gotten more on C-List if I had tried.