mnmkpedals 

I was on the road recently for work and had plenty of down time to watch the local craigslist ads and actually managed to buy a set of front/rear racks and two full sets of nice panniers for a price that would have had them sold in seconds up here in the PNW (loading the overhead bin for flight back was fun!).

But it got me thinking (couldn't find anything like this in searching past threads) and wondering what the top ten hot demand cities would be in the US specifically for C-V? (I've seen plenty of cycling-friendly city lists, etc...) Obviously, we all mostly know our own markets, but seems like folks talk here enough to know how places might rank in some vague sense to one another? I suspect everyone could name a few of the top markets, but are there smaller, less expected cities where c-v market is hot? Maybe think of it this way, if you had a bike or components to sell... where would you go in order to sell them the highest, the fastest? I know it's just speculation, but who doesn't like a top ten list now and then?

oddjob2

NYC + Brooklyn for mixtes, French, and Fujis.
Ann Arbor for mixtes, vintage mountain bikes, and lower end vintage road bikes under $200.
Apparently, Metro Detroit for heavyweight Schwinn cruisers.

Any research University town. For example, Princeton, Univ. of Michigan, Univ. of Texas, are great. Many PhD and doctoral buyers. A non-research campus, like Eastern Michigan, Stevens Institute, or Montclair State University, limited demand.

Vonruden

Agree, Brooklyn hipster market is hot. gotta think San Francisco as well.

KonAaron Snake 

I can't imagine many cities outside of NYC can match Philly - we have c/v everywhere you look, and at all levels. Boston is up there...from what I've heard, Vancouver...Denver had a lot.

wrk101

In the USA: Portland, OR; NYC; San Fran all red hot.

Medium hot Seattle, Philly, Boston, So Cal, Minneapolis, Madison, WI, Austin?.

From what I have seen on the forums, Toronto and Vancouver, BC would rank up at the top if I included Canada.


Major cities in the "not" category: Charlotte, NC; Atlanta (as below).

daf1009

NOT Atlanta!

20grit

Pull out your map. Find a place as far away from Rural Retreat, VA as possible. That is the likely place.

Of the craigslists I watch, Asheville (wrk101's back yard) is probably the most productive. Lots of mountain biking in the area, and lots of folks who look like they buy bikes but never use them. Road bikes seem to be lacking all around me.

RobbieTunes

You can't swing a dead cat in Asheville NC without hitting some old steel bike.
It's not that they appreciate them; folks there just never throw anything away.

top506

In my travels I've seen more C&V bikes on the street in Philly than anywhere else. All this and cheesesteaks too!

Top

oddjob2

Never eat a cheesesteak during/before a long bike ride. You'll feel like S*it!

KonAaron Snake 

He's not kidding...the only place I've seen that compares is Brooklyn.

I know it's my native cuisine, but most cheese steaks aren't worth eating, period.

chapel

why are we swinging dead cats?

oddjob2

Would you want to get clawed while swinging a live cat?

wrk101

Definitely true, but values have not kept up with the interest. Given the number of vintage bikes I see around Asheville, I would expect to see Portland type prices. Nope. Instead I see a lot of junkers, and only occasionally something decent.

chapel

you put it in a pillowcase, it's fun for the cat.

mnmkpedals 

This is interesting to see-- pretty much what I expected. I hadn't thought about the distinction between types of college towns (R1 versus branch). I'm in the metro seattle region so I've seen the demand here. I was in the Kansas City area watching posts and was really struck by not just the prices, but also the seemingly lower diversity of bikes coming on. I have family in Nashville, and from the outside, seems like there is a decent demand there-- or maybe just growing.

crank_addict

Have to agree with Philadelphia and also mentioned above, Madison. It's neat and often see classic rides actually in use. Another great one is Chicago and surrounding larger towns stretching out to Rockford. Perhaps this is due to once being a manufacturing metro for bike builders. You're not going to find the treasures as much on CL or postings but you have to ask around to get in on some of it. So much is stashed away. A few years back, I happened to come across a ragged looking independent bike repair with legit storefront - approx. 60 miles west of Chicago. The guy wanted out... $3,500 for all. The moment I hinted of interest, he started picking stuff not included. I left. Last year I made an attempt to visit and the place is gone. I just discovered another bike hoard of claimed 3,000 bikes. Not sure if his number is accurate but there's a lot of bikes... mostly Asian junks but treasures buried in. Weathered, left outside, parts all over, but most in old truck trailers and a few buildings.

gna

Or you may have to.

that_guy_zach

Austin stays warm to the touch.

mechanicmatt

Everytime I am struggling to sell a bike in KC I post in Seattle, Minneapolis, San Fran, NYC. 90% of those are sold to Seattle. Also Seattle effing loves Surly's if anyone is ever having trouble. Denver loves old Schwinn cruisers for whatever reason.

KC has lots of old lugged 80's-90's Treks, Schwinn's of all ages, 80's and older Raleighs for whatever reason. Every city around KC is spotty on decent bikes, Topeka, Lawrence, Des Moines, Columbia, Springfield, Wichita.

Omaha usually has cool stuff though. Go figure.

mechanicmatt

KC Craigslist is a little bit flawed, there are 2 to 3 people on there that post the same 20 ads everyday no matter what the season, so it can be a weird market. Do a search for specific brands usually yields a better search. There are some serious flippers in the town too, that can snatch up the cheap stuff quick. Like I said lugged Trek's, Schwinn's, Centurion's, and Raleigh's are fairly constant. Schwinn Preludes, Peletons, Le Tours come up a lot. I think KC was a big area for Schwinn and not much else back in the day so that is what we have. Low end Motobecanes and Peuguots come up a lot as well. Cool old cruisers are prevalent as well like Columbia's, Hawthorns, AMF's too.

spacemanz

Seattle is just crazy anymore, & I believe I'm about ready to get out of here. It's just growing too much too fast, since the 80s & 90s especially. It's probably great for the young folk, but I'm getting old & senile, & I think I'd prefer a small town, these days.

Bikedued

^what he said! x 10. I only wish it was more feasible to go pick bikes up from there. I go to Austin CL just to drool sometimes. The prices are REASONABLE too!?,,,,BD

noglider 

I see tons of old bikes locked up outside in NYC. I suspect that a huge fraction of the owners of these bikes have these bikes not because they think the bikes are special but because the bikes just work well. In particular, there's a wealth of English 3-speeds here. They just keep on running. Some bikes are refurbished in a major way, and some are not. Each bike appears to tell a story.

RobbieTunes

Well, they don't fly by themselves.....