noglider 

Normally, less than 30 miles, though I drove to the Hartford, CT area one day and picked up six bikes. On the way there, I picked one up in NJ, for a total of 7 that day. I may have driven 280 miles that day. I lined up all my deals and potential deals, and the high volume made the trip worthwhile. But I don't do this often, and that was the most extreme example.

280 miles is more than it sounds like if you're in TX or someplace like that. Population and traffic are very dense around here.

cycleheimer

This New York attorney went about 30+ N.Y.C. blocks for a 1970 Moulton on Craig's List for $150.



Now added to his collection.

Chris_in_Miami

Thanks for the interesting responses, I feel like I'm in good company... Most of my finds are accidental (flea markets, thrift shops, yard sales, etc.,) and often on the way to/from work. The Moulton is the second of my road trip bikes, my Santana tandem was about 75 miles from home.

I have made several day trips of 150+ miles with no specific bike in mind, hitting yard sales and thrift shops along the way. Sometimes I get lucky, and other times it's just a sightseeing trip. As hit-or-miss as the latter strategy may be, it's my preferred mode of collecting.

rhm

How far I would drive, well, remains to be seen. It would have to be a pretty special bike... and it depends on a lot of factors, such as if I could justify the trip with other errands, visit to the parents, or whatever.

Bianchigirll 

I am with the depends on the bike crowd. my houe to Scranton Pa is a two hour drive and I would do it for nice Bianchi or Univega but driving up to, through or in NYC it would have to be a real special bike or a killer deal.

I am actually better spending hours driving to deliver bikes I lose money on LOL

dgodave

I thought maybe you were talking about this.
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Chris_in_Miami

Oh, I'd drive a long way for one of those Was that photo taken in Korea?

rumrunn6

last summer rode 200 miles round trip - that's 6+ hrs in the car, and hour with the seller and came home with a $200 road bike that I put another $200 into. may seem like a lot to someone else but $400 for a nice bike I like ... sounds good to me!

dgodave

Check it out: https://www.kevincyr.net/index.php?/about-this-site/
Look for Camper Bike and Camper Kart.
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Chris_in_Miami

Thanks for the link, I love his work! I'm particularly digging the two ice cream trucks in black & white at the bottom of the "vehicles" link.

s70rguy

Gas is obviously still way too cheap in the US of A.

kerk

I drove 700 miles round trip for one of my Voyageurs. My wife thought I was nuts and she might be right!

noglider 

Agreed, but we take advantage of it until they correct it.

jet sanchEz

I drove an hour for my De Rosa last month.

dgodave

I drove 7 minutes for my Trek 620.
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And then I drove back.
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jhefner

When three of our states (Alaska, California, and Texas) are as big as the largest countries in Europe, and the United States as large as Europe itself; don't expect us to use the same mass transit model used in Europe.

And I will leave it at that; since you can have a conversation on fuel consumption and prices on thousands of other discussion boards on the web right now; thanks to a particular accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

-James (who currently commutes 60 miles one way at his current job.)

miamijim

The plate on one of my cars: '6 MPG'

blaise_f

Phoenix is deceptively large. Being holed up in the central Valley, it's more often than not a bike will be 15-20 miles in any direction, and often more. Everyone is in the "depends" group, imo, though. Some deals are too good to pass up. Some things are worth more than the money spent on them. I personally am happy cycling 20 miles one way to pick up a bike or parts, and then back if it's a good deal. I'm "okay" with having to drive ~2 hours one way for something spectacular (but I loathe driving, honestly - and it has to be economically sound. Why would I put 400 miles on a vehicle, spend that money in gas only to pick up something just for a 100-200 flip?). If I'm going a distance, I try to make it a fruitful trip. Are there multiple places along the way I can possibly make profitable finds? If I'm spending the time anyway, I like to at least get some fun out of it.

SJX426 

About a month and a half after my accident last year (3 broken bones, punctured lung, road rash, etc.) I drove with a friend, to do the lifting, 75 miles for my beat up Colnago. It truely is a fine bike and worth the discomfort of the drive.

DiegoFrogs

Fortunately, I didn't have to go far for any of my bikes. One time I called a guy who put an advertisement in a circular, and the guy was actually pretty far away. Strange thing was, he was actually just about to leave to look into buying some tools. Turns out, the tools were owned by the lady who lived across the street from me! Saved me about 45 minutes each way.

For my most recent, and favorite, bike I just had to go up a flight of stairs.