I recently put up 2 sets of wheels on CL and answered an ISO for some more, sold a 3rd set. Didn't think much about it, other than having to drive 35 miles W to meet 3 different folks and still find a way to meet roccobike and pick up a mixte...all before 9 am.

Anyway, first customer, needed some cheap wheels for a 1983 Fuji frame he's building for "social' rides. Second customer was on her way to an MS ride, had about an 82-83 Team Fuji but also said she had a "fussy" bike. Third customer had a 1972 Puegeot and also rides a modern carbon.

The only modern bike I saw in 3 hours was roccobike's... but I know he has his stash..

Any more examples of "they're everywhere?"

New "big wig" in my company caught a glimpse of me outside with my Peugeot before I was taking off for the day. He totally geek'd out and chatted me up about classic bikes, Peugeots, and commented on how comfortable (but horribly heavy) brooks saddles were. I found out he has 8 bikes in his stable! MTB, Race, Cyclocross, etc.

Another little story that just happened recently...

Since I've gotten into bikes, especially those C&V, my girlfriend, her sisters (she has 8!), friends, friends of friends, have been wanting to get on the "bike thing". I found out my girlfriend's sister's friend's dad (phew...) has a storage of Schwinn bikes. I know, I know... Which Schwinns is the question? I have no idea, but I want to find out and I hear he's been riding for a long long time!

Around here they're always parked outside the bars. They seem to be the not-so-big town version of hipster bikes as I rarely see fixed gears.

The hills on West Main St and Westnedge Ave cured them of that.

There's no bike culture in my neck o' the woods. Other than a hispanic guy on a NEXT and some kids on BMX bikes I'm the only rider I see around here. Certainly the only C&V guy, too.
-Gene-

I ride with the Kalamazoo Bike Club on Monday nights. OF course, mostly the riders are on modern road bikes. This past Monday night 3 different riders were on C&V bikes. I saw a Miyata, a Puch Mixte, and a Fuji League.

The Miyata rider is 90 years old and a cool old guy. Says he gave up driving before he had a bad accident but still rides 3 or 4 times a week. Our local paper recently did an article about him.
https://www.mlive.com/sports/kalamazo...eps_those.html

The lady on the Puch Mixte didn't even know her bike was somewhat special. She complained on how often she hit her knees on the top tube.

The rider on the Fuji League only wanted to talk about how valuable it was. He'd put a cushy saddle and hybrid bars on it but still had the OEM bars for it at home. Funny, today it was listed on CL.
https://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/bik/1293322040.html

Alas no. C&V bikes around here are scarcer than hen's teeth.

A couple of years ago now I went the Boulder, CO vintage bike swap expecting to find all sorts of goodies since the front range generally and the Denver-Boulder area in particular has a strong bike culture but even there out of perhaps a couple hundred bikes there were like 190 balloon tired monsters with faux gas tanks and horns, a few Sting Rays, one old Schwinn Varsity, and the only really cool bike there which was some kind of 1900-ish thing with shaft drive and suspension. Actually an older couple rode up on his and hers matching Peugeots that they had bought together in the early 70's when they lived in Paris and that was really cool but those bikes weren't for sale.

Rode a metric century 3 weeks ago, a guy pulled up on a Nishiki International. I asked him about it, he said he got it at a yard sale, didn't know anything about it, but it fit. For the size of the group, maybe 200, there were probably 20-25 C&V bikes.

During the ride, when I was lost and didn't know it, I rode up next to a guy on a 1983 Centurion touring bike. He'd had it since new, was just out riding around, said he rides when it's nice, keeps intending to get a new bike, can't figure out the new bikes....

The CL ISO I answered, nice guy, wanted a "cheap wheel set, 700, 27, doesn't matter." I sold him some older Araya's on Suzue hubs, 2 fronts and a rear. We talked about the bike culture at NC State, which is C&V friendly, and it turns out he works with Otto Rax of BF.

Not so common around here either. The homeless seem to have a deep well of decent C&V bikes though. Just the other day riding past the shelter downtown I saw a Nishiki Mixte and a few others that looked promising. I bought my Lotus from a homeless man a few weeks ago.