If I ever get the money to have Bruce Gordon build me a dragon-themed bike, I'll know what to use for bottle cages.

Ernie Clements designed Falcon. Lower end, rough but pretty light, early Japanese components on it. Extremely relaxed geometry. Cheap as all get out, can always use the parts on it for something. Even cooler, the long searched for bicycle liscence plate from my fair town, worth a billion Colnagos.

Cool headbadge.

Woot! $5??? What a find! I have GOT to get off my arse,and start looking harder for bikes.

A friend has offered to sell me his road bike, and I want opinions as to what's a fair price. It's an early 1990's Centurion Iron Man. The frame is too big for me (60+cm) but if I recall correctly, it's all Shimano 600. I doubt it has 500 miles on it. I'll be keeping everything but the frame, and looking for a suitable 56cm steel frame to build up with the parts. Any idea on what it would be worth? I was with him when I bought it, but since it wasn't my wallet opening, the sale price has escaped my memory after all these years. Oh, the frame is light green and white, from what I remember. Any help is appreciated.

I picked up a late 80s (I think 87, but haven't figured out if that's exact or not yet) last Firday for $125 (USD). It has the 105 components, and I think that was a fair price considering the condition it was in (needs cleaning but low milage, new tires).

Once again, a lady friend (different one this time) unloads a box of bike parts on me. Set of nice, but in need of a cleaning, cannondale panniers. Weinman center pull, dia-compe levers. Plestcher rack. Saddle, nothing special. Kinda odd, has a plastic underbody and seude covering, but has an adjusting bolt at the nose, like a brooks. Lyotard pedals, excellent steel toe clips (Schwinn approved, no less). NOS English thread shimano cup and cone bottom bracket cups. And the prize of the box, a set of Swiss threaded bottom bracket cups in excellent condition, complete with spindle. Woo-hoo! Oh yeah, and found another RVA bike plate, not in this box. Search for one for three or four years, and find two in a couple weeks. Wish that worked for other stuff...

Sure must be nice to have so many friendly lady friends... YOU SLY DOG!

Nothing too special, but it is sound and clean -a nice Motebecane mixte for $30. The rear hub has a 1976 date code, so I'll go with that. The front has a 1978 date code, but it came out of the "spare pile" in my rafters.

The curious thing is that I didn't think a mixte this early would have cotterless crank, but it does. All Suntour running gear, too.

This one will soon be off to S.F. or Berkeley as soon as the lucky future owner responds to my CL ad.

[QUOTE=bigbossman]Nothing too special, but it is sound and clean -a nice Motebecane mixte for $30. The rear hub has a 1976 date code, so I'll go with that. The front has a 1978 date code, but it came out of the "spare pile" in my rafters.

The curious thing is that I didn't think a mixte this early would have cotterless crank, but it does. All Suntour running gear, too.

This one will soon be off to S.F. or Berkeley as soon as the lucky future owner responds to my CL ad.


Nice Mixte John. Love those bikes. Just sold a Fuji Allegro a week or so ago to a woman in S.F.

Thanks. This one was a pretty dusty, grimy roller that I happened on to in your neck o' the woods, down by the 280 and 7th street. The tires and tape were rotted, but it looked clean underneath the debris so I took a flyer. Turns out I was right - tubes. tires, tape, and about 2 hours cleaning and adjusting was all it needed. Well, I did put on a nicer pie-plate, cuz girls love bling! It shows hardly any use on the drivetrain, and shifts smooth and precisely.

Obviously, the idea is to make a profit so I can have pocket money for my bikes. But, I gotta tell you with all seriousness that I would do it regardless - I get a real charge out of resurrecting these old cast-offs and making them work again. And work well!!

Check out how clean the freewheel is - there is hardly any chain wear on the teeth:

He gets an even bigger charge out of paying me slave wages to do it for him.

Go ahead bite the hand....... Jeez, this is the thanks I get for gifting you with a brand new Pletscher rack. Hey, if I give you that Bridgestone, will that shut you up?

Let this be a lesson to all of you!!

Today I was on the track of a pretty cool vintage bike, a ladies Raleigh Superbe from the early fifties. Figured I could use it as girlfriend bait, so more boxes of bike parts could appear on my porch at odd hours. Unfortunately, the guy who has it didn't show up at the scheduled meet (hope he's okay, good guy, one of the local flea market dealers and I suspect something came up. With any luck, I'll see the Raleigh friday; I'm crossing my fingers). Disappointed, I instead bought this pile of bikes for a bit more than 7$ a bike.

Schwinn (Taiwain made) beach cruiser. Already gone to a neighbor who saw it.
Schwinn World Sport-- needs new rear mech at least maybe tires. Probably get sold to a co-worker who needs a general transport bike
Giant Rincon-- base comfort bike, gone already to a co-worker
Nishiki Cascade-- nice cro-moly hardtail, full Shimano Deore LX, cool bullhorn style bars. Little/no mileage. Likely to get stripped for parts, rebuilt, and then resold. Can use the Deore for a project of my own.
KHS Ext Trail-- Dear lord, it's a full suspension mountain bike, and not a wal-mart one, either. Never had one of these abominations. White industries hub and cranks, Mid range shimano shifters/mechs, looks okay. Know nothing about it, so I geuss I'll need to find out at least a bit. I wouldn't have bought it, but it was in the pile. Might tool about on it, and then sell it. Mostly needs mud cleaned off it.
Cannondale R400 road bike. Full shimano rx100, brifters, another abomination... okay, not really. Looks like it's been in the basement for awhile, plenty of cobwebs, but with the exception of the dry rotted tires, in pretty good shape. Sale bait.

Nothing really vintage, but some stuff I can use and sell. Had to leave a couple bikes because they would not fit in my car. Still, I'd rather have the Raleigh. Perhaps I'm turning into a version of bigbossman... hey, there's an idea, I can get Mswantank to do my work for cheap. Mswantak, I'll give you two plestcher racks! Also, I have to make space in the basement for this load... now to go find out something about them, so I can sell 'em all and buy a Rene Herse.

Great -- now I can quit my day job.

as long as the on the side decal business isn't impacted . . .

dang pogue, you aren't gonna have any room for chicks!

Today after work I stopped by the Salvation Army Thrift Store just as they were closing. I walked past the shoe rack, and there, still wearing the original tags, toes still stuffed with tissue, was a pair of Exustar low-cut cycling shoes. Brand spanking new, in gray and blue! I carefully pulled back the tongue, looking for a size tag.... Yes! Size 42! They'll be fine for use with toe clips, or with my SPD's if I decide to mount cleats on them.
Oh yeah, they cost me ten bucks. Some days it DOES pay to get out of bed in the morning!

Scored a nice Schwin Traveller a couple of days ago. $10 bought me this little gem - just needs a cleaning and one tire. Everything else is a-ok.

In other news, that nice red Motobecane mixte I posted a while back has already found a new home in SF, and the new owner was THRILLED to get it - Lucky Girl.

I never tire of doing community work, it is so satisfying on so many levels.....

Yeah, yeah -- you're a regular Albert Schweitzer.

Here's the e-mail bossman got from the Motobecane's buyer; it's too good not to share;

From: "xxx "
> To: <anon-105462517@craigslist.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 3:20 PM
> Subject: Please pick me to sell your pretty red bike to!!
>
> I like your roses.
> I live in the city but have a truck and can pick it up on Saturday morning.
> My bike was stolen but usually nice things happen to me.
> Like you selling me your bike.
> I promise promise to buy it. I will show up on time and with smiles.
> I'm sorry that the subject of this email ends with a preposition.
>
> My name is xxx
> I am 5' 5" (and a half?)
> You can call or email.
>
> Thank You.

TeeHee.....>BLUSH< You are sooooo indescreet!! Probably should've X'ed out her name, though. BTW, she followed up with a nice "Thank You" note this morning.

I swear - if I were a younger, single man I'd be in friggin' heaven with all these squealing girls showing up at my house to gush over my bikes.....

As it is, the wife just shakes her head in amazement......

Done.

Here's my catch of the day:

I actually bought it a while ago, and I just started freqenting his forum, so I figured I should post some pics.

Picked up a Rudge 3 speed today at the local Salvation Army. No great shakes but I just couldn't pass it up. I've always had a soft spot for English 3 speeds but I've never owned one, so this will be a new chapter in my biking book. I just wished that it had the original fenders otherwise she's in good shape. Of course the foam handgrips and huge seat will have to go.

I'm betting it used the same crowned fenders as a Raleigh Sports.