curbtender

I can walk into a garage sale and tell by the shoes, helmet, seat pack, that didn't sell, there was a bike in there somewhere. Really like when I see an older gent doing the sale. I get some great bike tales out of them.

rootboy 

Nothing personal. really...

KonAaron Snake 

I don't really think he meant anything personal. He meant the royal you and gave an example of time prioritization for himself.

MrCoffee

The reality is, everybody calls dibs on the $300.00 bike for $50.00. There are only a few lottery ticket winners, the "resourceful" people. Everybody else loses the deal. So yes, it would be a full-time job chasing rummage sales and Craigslist ads. Sorry, but I don't buy the story of a flipper "working their buns off" on a bike they sell for 10 times its original price, then go mocking people who have to subsist on minimum-wage jobs for being "lazy".

likebike23

Mr Coffee, with all due respect. What are you talking about? I've yet to see any of what you are talking about here. If there is a specific incident you are ranting against perhaps you should address that incident directly with those who "ragged", "mocked", and called you "lazy".

MrCoffee

The point I am trying to make here, is that the deals are not very common. That is, there is a limited supply of $50.00 bikes that are actually worth $300.00. Some people can get lucky and find a million dollar painting at a garage sale, but that is an extremely rare event. It has happened, though. There are a few people who do buy bikes at an inexpensive price for cash, from people who just want to get rid of them or have to sell them to pay bills. They will sell the bike to the first person who shows up with the cash money. There are brokers who hunt Craigslist ads and look for rummage sales, to buy items that they can flip for a quick profit, which leaves out others who could really benefit from something that's both nice, and is offered at an affordable price. I would have liked buying a Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 for $75.00, but someone else answered that ad within 3 seconds. I saw the same bike listed at another location for $300.00.

I recently overhauled a bike at a local co-op, and one of the mechanics asked me if I was fixing a bike to flip. I asked him what caused the inquire. He told me that the bike community is fed up with flippers who fix bikes and sell them for a quick profit, because it harms people with more limited means. I assured him that I would not sell the bike that I was working on, because I was its original owner, having been given the bike back from the person I originally sold it to. These $20.00 garage sale finds incite a lot of competition, and selling for a profit involves money. When money gets in the way of a hobby, then it is no longer pleasant and people bicker, argue, and fight among themselves. All I am looking for, is that Peugeot I once owned, or similar. So far, that has eluded me. Maybe I need to raise some capital and start a business, but then I really don't want to deal with the federal government and taxes with my Social Security disability income.

CMC SanDiego

I hadn't heard the acquisition story, but there is a Speedplay office just down the street from where I work. I had some Speedplay cleats that hadn't put on shoes yet, and I'd lost a part for them and needed a replacement before I could put them to use. I stopped in one day at lunch to see where I could get what I needed. While there I saw the bikes and talked one of the sales reps/customer service guys that works there into letting me look at them while he asked around about spare parts. Those bikes and about a dozen other classic and vintage bikes are mounted on walls all around their office space. The guy mentioned that they aren't typically seen by people other than those that work there. The guy who helped me eventually took me to the boss' office (who may have been Richard Bryne himself) and he pulled out a shoebox or drawer full of old parts, found what I needed and just gave it to me, then thanked me for being a Speedplay customer.

CMC

CrankyFranky

Heck Bill - I have to quit working and move to yonder mountains.

likebike23

@MrCoffee: this topic of flipper hate has been discussed at length around here. There is a word for the people of whom you speak, they are known as "DKO's or Dirt knocker offers". They are generally viewed as pretty low around here. At BF, the regular posters who are resellers actually do a good job at adding value to any bike they sell. First of all, the bikes are serviced to make them safe. Many times preventive maintenance is performed which will aid in the preservation of the bikes. Most times the price added to the bike is significantly less than a shop would charge to do the same work. When it's all said and done, these guys don't make out like bandits.

You have said it takes time and money to acquire bikes and you are correct. The bikes I picked up for what I consider to be a good price required significant time and effort as well as some money to refurbish. In the end a $40 bike can end up being $200 and 8 hours of work. Is that a bargain? Some say no, it's easier to just pay someone for what they want right now. Some say yes, the pride and experience of acquiring and doing the work was worth it.

I am sorry that you haven't had luck in finding your bike. My advice is to ditch the idea that you have to have a certain bike and open yourself up to other possibilities. I own a U08 that I like a lot and they are available everywhere for under $100. I proudly ride a bike that has an Ashtabula crank, turkey levers, stem shifters, steel seat post, etc. Lots of people wouldn't want it because it has all those things and is heavy. What they don't know is that the frame is handmade in the USA from fillet brazed 4130 and that's cool.

In the end you are going to put in the amount of effort that you can. If that's not enough to get what you want then you either need to put in more effort or change what you want. That's life.

3alarmer

.
...this came out of a garage sale here that i was riding past one evening on my way to the bike co-op Saturday shindig.



IIRC, I paid a hundred bucks for it; another forty for the decals; tires, chain, saddle, hoods, cables all upcharges; and probably 20-30 hours to clean and overhaul it. i could never make it as a flipper, because there's no way I could sell it for enough money to justify all that. It's a nice ride, though.




I don't know why I looked in that direction, I guess I was surprised to see a decent looking frame in my size at a garage sale.

It had no decals, so you sorta have to know what you're looking at. Generally, i don't find much at thrift stores/garage sales
hereabouts, because it's a more effective use of my time to scan CL every now and then and pay a tad more for a project worthy bike.

MrCoffee

That, essentially, is what my rants were about. The DKO, or "Dirt Knocker Offers". I know how much it costs to get a bike back into decent shape, and it is not cheap. I had to put $100.00 into my Raleigh Marathon after buying it for $40.00. I put 400 miles on that bike, and sold it for $100.00. But I was not about to let that bike go until everything on it was serviced, safe, and ready to go to work. I am sure that bike has a few years left on it, but that can't be certain unless the new owner takes proper care of it. I am happy that I was able to get someone on something that's better than anything you can get at Wal-Mart, yet priced a little lower than the cheapest new Huffy.

The DKO's, as you are referring to, help tarnish the image of anybody else on this forum who is honest and only wants a token amount for their efforts to preserve something that's worth while to own. Those old vintage steel bikes aren't made in the numbers they used to be, and I don't believe a new base-model Specialized Crosstrail is much better than a 1981 Schwinn World Sport. The aluminum frames and components of newer bikes are more delicate and prone to wear. Even the design of the chain stays on an aluminum hybrid can make it prone to chain suck, which can render the frame useless if it's bad enough. Older bicycles don't have this problem, not even mountain bikes made before the mid 1990's. I had a 1991 Specialized Hardrock Ultra with forged dropouts and chrome-moly frame, which retailed for $350.00. You won't see a bike like that today, for less than $1,000.00 brand new.

Well, OK. So tonight was my "lucky" night. The local scrapper dropped by after hearing about my "interest in an old Schwinn bike". He showed me a 1981 Schwinn LeTour, in "grey ghost" silver metal flake. Bearings are good, rims are strait, needs a new front tire, not much rust, frame looks strait and all the decals are there. It's missing a couple parts. I gave him $70.00, the bike is mine, and off he went. If someone can come up with a 1981 Schwinn Approved left turkey wing and screw cover for the left side crank, I would be happy. Let me know, and thanks.

oddjob2

I have to drop off a donation pile at the Hub of Detroit on Wed. They probably have a Weinmann lever with turkey wing, it would be $5. I am headed to A2 afterwards and can drop it off.

BTW, your graill, which I deduce is a 1985 Peugeot PGN10, just sold for $205 on ebay, from a West Bloomfield, MI seller.

MrCoffee

I know about the PGN-10 in Bloomfield. I'm the one who bid $200.00, but couldn't afford to go any higher. Like I said, if I am going to up the price of an auction, I will make sure I have the money to back it up. EBay does not like buyers who don't complete their transactions.

On the turkey wing: I need a 1981 dated "Schwinn Approved" Dia-Comp lever for the left side, plus all the bolts and washers to hold it into place. The LeTour isn't a bad bike, but I feel the Kawuhara Concord Selecta 12 has better components, is lighter, a little faster, and handles quicker. I'm sure the Schwinn would sell for more because, well, it's a Schwinn. I really can't keep both, so I guess I'll have to sell at least one of them. I would be willing to trade both bikes, if I can find a Peugeot PGN-10 with a 54cm to 56cm frame like the one I didn't win on the auction, or something similar. I'm not looking to start a a collection, I just need one very good bike instead of three OK bikes, if that's even possible.

wrk101

Just for laughs, a couple of "after" pictures of the Trek. Matching front wheel, dual pivot brake calipers, chain, tires, bar tape, bearings, grease, stainless cables, housing, etc. Sure, I will resell it, my price will be much less than what a local shop charges for the work I put into it. Front wheel is not a perfect mark, as it has SS spokes, while the original had zinc coated.

[IMG]IMG_5541 by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]


[IMG]IMG_5544 by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]



[IMG]IMG_5542 by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]

And as found:

[IMG]IMG_5416 by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]

r0ckh0und 

My MO is similar to wrk101.........I go everywhere looking for bargains of all shapes and sizes......they're out there.

A couple of years ago I bought an RB-1 for $45......a garage sale leftover posted on CL.

Also picked up a Schwinn Premis in great shape at a garage sale for $10

I'm also looking for other stuff.......A couple of weeks ago I bought a new never used Kitchen Aid mixer with a new in the box grinder attachment for $20

The bargains are out there but it can be work finding them and you can be left holding the ball for a while

Nice score wrk101

MrCoffee

That's some very nice work you put into it. And yes, a bike shop will charge a lot of money for doing repairs like that, to the point of making the repairs cost more than the bike is worth. I will have to do almost all of the wrenching on the Schwinn myself, when that project gets underway. It has a 23" frame, which is an inch too large for me. It seems like every bike I've come across lately is too big to be comfortable. It's gonna feel like a behemoth.

SJX426 

This forum is a blessing and a curse (n+1). Blessing in that I have learned so much about history, bikes, frames and parts, that now I have discerning eye and have a rough idea of the value. If I don't know the value, I can check the bay for range of sold prices. A curse in that I now am looking on CL for reasonable deals based on a criteria set from the blessing! Oh yeah, and actually finding some. My limit is around $200 unless it is a bike that could sell for twice the asking price. In a couple (2) cases, I was able to get 50% discount.
Some of my purchases would be deemed too much work and not up to personal standards. Some of you are like me in that if the frame is solid, good enough. All the work is therapy anyway (hobby).

Where I really fail is with parts. I know, buy a donor bike. Really? How much to do have to pay for a donor bike equipped with Record, Chorus, Superbe Pro or DA? More often than not, you want the whole bike unless it is the wrong size and it is a large layout. More often than not it ends up being one of the ones you want anyway.

So I bought a Pinarello Montello with the idea of flipping it. It happened to be my size. It is now part of the stable and even though it is Italian, it is decked out with DA. Would I like to have Campagnolo on it? Yes but the DA works flawlessly! Now it is a decision of do I take the Pin or the 'Nago out for a run.

vqstaphbeard

Fantastic scores!
@gomango an XO-1!? you lucky dog.

I used to find dirt cheap bikes at the goodwill outlets until they started to list them on their auction site. Found a couple mint cannondales with tri color gruppos. A friend pulled out a Bridgestone Radac with 600 ex gruppo. I did find a full delta equipped c-record SLX bottecchia at a goodwill outlet.

OldsCOOL

I like the wheels. The 460 comes out of the factory with black ano Rigida 36's with galvanized spokes. Mine had the brake scuffed sidewalls. Yours look very sharp. The 460 may be entry level but is a sweet handling, light and quick ride. When I wanted to do a TT, the 460 was my ride. You just dont see many of these little sweethearts.

Here is my 460 with polished alloy Rigida wheels just before I let it go last May: