DavidW56

I just read a post from a member who drove 350 miles round trip to pick up a bike purchased online. I myself drove about 670 miles round trip to pick up four bikes to flip, and all the while I thought I should have my head examined. My wife thinks I'm nuts. The bikes are not high-end, so it's not like there's thousands or even hundreds of dollars in it. I just found them interesting, and wanted to get them cheap. Shopgoodwill.com.

So tell me -- how many of you drive or even fly great distances to acquire a bicycle? And do you do it regularly? Is this a sign I'm losing perspective? I mean, that was ten hours of driving in one day. I did not enjoy it. But I like the bikes!

vincev

I have driven 275 miles to pick up a balloon tire bike.I usually pick up about 90% of the bikes i own. My wife and I usually get up very early and bring coffee and Dunkin donuts and head out.after picking up bike we usually stop and get lunch. We usually tour the area for stores she likes and local bike shops then head for home.If it gets too late just get a room.we enjoy driving and going on these road trips.

yellowjeep

I have driven about 400 miles round trip to pick up the Canondale I just finished along with a tiny Trek 400 and a Raleigh Mixte

RobbieTunes

120 miles each way, 240 round trip to look at a "Titanium Road Bike - $200"
It wasn't. I paid $100 and parted it out, but it was a nice enough bike. Long drive.

cyclezealot

Not quite the same thing. But, when I bought my road bike, I hated the thought of it's first day of ownership would result in a car commute: since I bought it over 35 miles from my home. So , I took the bus down to the store, in order to ride back on the bike..

smoothness

I drove about 250 miles in a day, crossed three states. But it was worth it for the company and the twenty dollar bike (Shogun Cro-mo something another).

wrk101

500 miles round trip for one pick up, a local pickup only on fleabay.

I usually take a bike rack on road trips. So if I find something along the way, I can snag it.

Routinely go 150 to 200 round trip. Try to tie it in with other travel.

sonatageek

About 100 miles each way on a few occasions.

scozim 

275 round trip plus a wait for the bike and owner to come off the ferry in downtown Seattle so I could look at it. Bought it and completely love it - 1984 Gitane TdF

probe1957

According to Yahoo Maps, tomorrow I will drive 340.06 miles and spend 5 hours 44 minutes on the road to look at a 1991 Trek 520. Supposedly it is in good shape but I am not at all sure it will fit, so it may well end up being wasted gas and time.

I must really be nuts because the guy even wants too much money for the bike. Why would I do this?

Little Darwin

I traveled to Pittsburgh from the Wilkes-Barre area and back to get my first LeTour IV. Shortly after that, I got one closer to home for a set, one red, one blue.

Oh, it was about 265 miles each way according to what I just got on Mapquest.

I saw parts of PA I had never seen before, so it was fun.

plodderslusk

Nearly 30 years ago I hitchhiked most of the way from Oslo to Falun in Sweden (270 miles)to buy a Nishiki Ultra-Tour and then I rode it home.

DVC45

60mi one way. ' nice being in between two big cities (milwaukee and Chicago).

reverborama

I flew from Minneapolis to San Diego to pick up a $60 1976 Nishiki International.



(To be fair, I was already going to SD for a convention but I did buy the bike off SD Craig's list over the phone 3 days before I went there)

Bikedued

224 mile round trip to pick up my 86 Trek 520. Every time I ride it, it feels like it was truly worth it. The price was defintely worth it. Was a local pick up only, during the highest gas prices we had seen yet. Everyone gave up bidding except me, and it ended at $104.,,,,BD

RobbieTunes

I'm never without my bike rack. Not for the occasional bike, though, it's in case I find TWO.

I was working 1200 miles from my NC home in WI last summer. I managed to buy 2 Centurions (small wonder, eh?) and shipped them back to myself. Bikes are everywhere, man....

Bikedued

Truer words were never spoken!,,,,BD

roccobike

Travelled 300 miles round trip for a 86 Nishiki Prestige, my size for $75. It was worth it. The bike is very clean and I picked up an additional 700C front wheel and a bike stand.
I rarely take a bike rack with me, but I know how to fit a bike into either of our two vehicles without a rack so it's no big deal.

Scooper

In 2006, I drove from San Francisco to Thousand Oaks and back (782 miles round-trip) to pick up my 1972 chrome P15-9 Paramount. I spent a half hour talking to the seller, who had bought the bike new while a teenager working in his dad's Schwinn dealership. I'd do it again in a nanosecond.

gomango

4,759 miles each way! We just returned from our family vacation to Firenze, Italy. I ended up purchasing three bikes in Tuscany from private parties. I am having the frames shipped on a very slow boat, but they will be fun to build for friends. Two DeRosas and a Colnago Master Piu. Pics when they arrive of course. Unless you want to see ride pics!

gbalke

I drive about 125 miles one way about two times a month. I have worked out an agreement with another C&V member who lacks the time to restore his collection of bikes. Since I was laid off back in March, I have planty of time.

I usually pick up three bikes, take them home and return one or two to him after I finish what I need to do to the bikes. Basically, for every bike I work on, I can choose one bike from his collection to do with as I please, keep or flip.

The wife normally goes along with me and we make a day of it, usually stopping in Hannibal, MO for a nice lunch.

calamarichris

1446 miles from Fort Hood, TX to Diamond Bar, CA.
(Actually, I was home on leave from the killbot-factory and saw that my long drooled-over Masi Gran Crit was still languishing up in the ceiling display.)

23skidoo

Road tripping is fun, especially when bikes are involved. 660 miles from Lincoln, NE to Bloomington, IN to pick up one of the four Gitanes I scored in a group buy this spring--my wife would only allow one in her trunk--and arrange shipping at a lbs for two of the others. I'd much rather be doing the same round trip as gomango--my wife spent several weeks in Florence and still raves about it even though it was years ago.

miamijim

590 miles round trip for a Rossin I parted out. Profited over $600.

randyjawa 

Once a year I travel 3000 miles(round trip) to visit relatives and hunt for bikes. This year's trip netted me six gorgeous bikes including a Proctor-Townsend, Marinoni Special with full C-Record, Bianchi, Gianni Motta, early seventies Gitane Professional and a Miyata 1000 Touring. And my brother picked up the last one on my behalf because I had to leave the day the bike was made mine - a seventies something European Concorde with full Campy and the seller advertised it on Craigslist for free.

The bikes found paid for the entire trip and I kept the C-Record grouppo including the Delta brake calipers.