My budding C&V career is now official and out of the closet (no chuckles please...)

Talked to my wife tonight after handing her $102.50 from the sale of my Fuji Tivoli, explained that I REALLY enjoyed doing the work on it, and that I thought that I could make some limited money doing more of them.

She said that she noticed that I had really enjoyed doing it (I didn't know she had noticed) and that she hadn't seen that in me since I was designing and building RC sailplanes (in a life before kids...). I told her I might want to hang on to one or two of the neater bikes but wouldn't hold on to any more than that and that there'd typically be a one-in-one out policy (unless there was an exceptional weekend of garage sales or something), which for me kind of works since I don't have a ton of room. No argument. Funny, her practical side seemed to have taken over saying if I could make even some money doing something I liked she was for it. And I worried for nothing

Her requests: don't take over the house, don't ignore the family. Reasonable.

I was talking to the VP at one of my clients...Featherlite Exhibits. They manufacture custom trade show displays. We were discussing how with rare exception all guys (and some gals) have their "tinker". Something, whether they know it or not, that they are destined to do with their hands. Some do cars, some do woodworking, Preston (the VP) designs and makes trade show displays...and some do bikes.

I've found mine... Yay!!!

+1. My girlfriend would get a little annoyed but when I buy her things or take her out to dinner with "bike money" she started to like my little hobby. We will see if that continues in the summer when we move in together and the 5 bikes in my apartment are now in our apartment...wish me luck!

I agree though with the "tinker" idea. I worked over 12 hours today (behind a desk) and came home and spent another hour working on one of my Raleighs...relaxing and rewarding.

See, that's why I haven't gotten more involved in flipping bikes; I can't make those promises.

I have some work to do around the house to fix things up so we can sell. I think it's getting to be understood that a requirement for our new house is a shop area for me and my bikes. So.... I just need to bide my time.

I started in 2000, when the dot-com boom went bust. Network Engineers in CA were practically standing on the corners with "will work for food" signs. That was a tough two years. Finding junk bikes and rebuilding them was excellent (and cheap!) therapy.

Still is.

Be careful what you promise. It is a slippery slope as they say! I got into collecting a few bikes after I had collected a few cars. Vintage Panasonic bikes are sure a lot cheaper than the Audi quattros and Porsches I had been buying and tinkering on.

I took the little Centurion to work today to ride over lunch. It's a nice little bike, but I can't believe how many people liked it. One young kid asked me if it was a new bike! So I'm right there with ya, khatfull.

I never did get my secret decoder ring...hopefully your's is in the mail. My fiancee has been pretty understanding...when we first met and she saw my one bedroom apartment with 7 bikes in it, she thought I was a hoarder. Since that time she's seen me sell several and has learned I do get rid of things and replace them. She's also seen that most of my hobby does pay for itself and becomes self supporting. We're currently finishing our basement and I'm getting half as a bike workshop/garage.

that's how it goes (But He** don't post your client's names here; that can hurt more than you wife discovering an N+xx)

Just toss her a shiny bauble now and then, or maybe a night on the town paid for with flip money, and the squawking will cease.

Works for me.

Congrats on the sale Khatfull. I saw it on the local CL and I thought you'd sell it quickly. Great bike, nice ad, fair price. All of these factors along with warmer weather equals a fast sale. You deserved it.

This is a pretty simple formula to follow, even my kids are hauling home bikes to sell on CL.

As for support for this "little" hobby, I think we have it figured out around here. Find a great wife like mine. I built her a De Rosa Primato that she'll use for training rides with her group this summer, and she rarely complains about the never-ending flow of bikes through the house. She gets to ride great bikes and get the kudos from her group.

Just enough balance around here to keep it real.

Now, THAT would be cool...I've always wanted a decoder ring of some sort...

Oh they're cool...after 7+ years I'm more of an employee than "hired help"

Odd you say that, 3 of the 5 respondents mentioned the photography as a reason they were interested...guess the DSLR helps.

That's one thing I'm always good at and, oddly, I like shopping for jewelry...amazing the haggling you can do in a jewelry store with cash in hand, especially the last couple of years.

I'm having fun. I'm taking a car trip for hours tomorrow to buy and sell bikes. This is getting to be a business for me!

My wife was getting irritated till in one weekend I had 4 bikes sell and cleared $600 over the purchase price and parts needed to resurrect them. She was good with it at that point since I can fund my bike addiction without getting into house money. It is a LOT cheaper then the 4x4 trucks I was playing with before.

Now she hits the local thrifts Monday's while I am at work scoping for the Sunday drop offs. LOL

You won't miss the 41 at all.

Some of the people, yes. The general tone and feel? Nope.

Like I've said in another thread, when I read most stuff here I smile and laugh, when I read most stuff in the 41 I want to take a shower

Congratulations! It's good to have an understanding spouse. My wife has been very pro about my bike hobby. I haven't really made any money at it, but I do get the kids out riding some and everyone has good bikes to ride. It's been good exercise, but I do have to get rid of more of the 'junk' that's around, and yes that old huffy frame is junk, the only reason I'm keeping it is that I need something to learn how to weld on this summer.

Grunt! Grog make fire! Grunt!

Welding...really the ultimate tinker. You're melting and fusing metal...how cool is that when you think about it.

What is the 41?

https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php41-Road-Cycling&daysprune=

My hobby is playing bass and guitar. I've spent tons of time and money on that- and for the most part it's been rewarding.

Now that I'm all old and have a family to worry about, I don't get to practice as much because of the time it takes and I make too much noise and disturb the wife and/or kids- and half the fun of it is cranking up the amps and watching your pants legs flapping in the breeze. So now I'm relegated to "brushing up" when I have a show coming up... I rarely play for the fun of it anymore.

So now I've taken up biking- I started my first bike "tinker" this past weekend. Pulled apart two beater bikes, put what I consider the "best" bits on another bike... I still don't know if I'm going to be able to make it go like I want it to. But I'm enjoying being out in the garage, heater on, fingers all greasy, downing a couple of beers and solving a few problems. It's a whole lot of "win" for me. I quit smoking last year, I want to get in shape, my back is better now to the point I can ride a bike without discomfort, I can lose that extra 10-15 pounds I complain about, I can work out what little mechanical aptitude I do have, and have fun.

Rookie

True....but, well, we all have to star somewhere right?

My first bike sale was a nice Lemon Yellow woman's Schwinn Collegiate 5-speed. Handed $140.00 to thje wife for clothes. Been no problem having bikes in the house since then. Bike money is to be spent for our enjoyment only. This policy has given me total freedom to buy two-wheel stuff.

Welcome to the club. Finding bikes worth buying & fixing is getting harder these days.

Tinkering with bikes is a great pastime, I just can't seem to get around to getting rid of any. That's becoming a problem.

I also find it very therapeutic and, even though the money is nice, finding a bike that is very cheap that will fit a friend is even nicer. Every last one of my friends has an old bike that I have given them for booting around the 'hood or going for rides along the lake. I had such an awesome feeling last summer when 9 friends and I went out to the Toronto Island for a picnic and 8 of them were on a bike that I had given them.