Chuckk

Didn't anybody start the "Bikes I got last year" thread, or did I miss it?
Last year was a real buyers' market around here and I brought home a few!
I started out 2023 with this one. The son had moved out, and told mom to sell it for him.
She was happy to find someone who appreciated it.


~1990 F. Moser Corsa

Murray Missile 

He'll regret it one of these days.

juvela

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that be one fine luukin' Cesco!


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SurferRosa

Sold several. Added two...

Late '80s Falcon


And a '91 Bottecchia

repechage

Nothing purchased, a few completed.
a number fully serviced.

Kabuki12

No purchases , but I sold one. A start!

jamesdak 

Ummm...... I may have gotten carried away last year.

Picked this up in celebration for recovering from my first knee replacement. 2004 C40 MkIV, the closest C.F. bike I've ridden that mimics the ride quality of steel.



I also added this Colnago because who wouldn't for a good price?!



Grabbed this the final day of 2023 to use as a cheap road bike on the winter roads. Don't like exposing the steel beauties to winter chemicals and this was local and cheap.



This was bought to give me something "racier" than the Azor bike for use right after the second knee replacement this year.



Grabbed this as a frameset since I've always wanted to try an Kestrel.



Another cheapish local find. My first foray into TI was with a brand new Lynskey was not that positive, too flexy. This old baby is a great ride and gave me the fastest ride of the year.



This Moser was another Italian I've always wanted to try. Languished on another forum unloved for a year or more and then I finally bought it.



Grabbed this Pacenti from Kirk himself after it too languished awhile. Odd geometry that may or may not work for me. Maybe a keeper for as I age and grow less flexible.



Another cheap local grab, always wanted to try one of these too. Refurbished but not ridden before winter arrive. Fully intend to pass this one on after I enjoy it some.



I'm from today to 3 years out from full retirement. As in I can quit anytime and may if work keeps getting on my nerves I may bail on any given day. So, last year was probably the last big buy year. I'll go into this spring, I hope, with both new knees fully functioning. I plan to have a monster year riding like a used to and use the time to sort out which of the 30+ bikes I have are true keepers. With the current used market I'll loose a lot selling off bikes but as long as they go to someone who will use them it will be a big plus to me. I did sell a few this past year and did also do my annual bike donation to the local bike collective.

daverup 

82 Araya Road 821




75 Motobecane Grand Jubile Mixte

MrGastrognome

'81 Fuji America - My $120 score off of CL. Didn't even notice the Chris King headset until I was putting it on the car's bike rack and it's got a Phil BB. Since then I've swapped out the brakes for the slightly newer Diacompe Grand Compe calipers and aero levers, replaced it's missing headbadge, added the front rack, double wrapped the bars, swapped the saddle (honey Rivet Indy coming soon), custom handle bar bag should arrive in a couple more weeks and I will probably add some Honjo fenders by next fall.

Pompiere

I wasn't really looking to expand the fleet this much, but I found two that are definite keepers. First, an FW Evans that is around 50 years old. I knew nothing about the brand, but I figured with Campy dropouts, semi wrap around seat stays, and tubular tires, it had to be decent. It was in really sad condition when I bought it. Just about everything needed replaced. I cleaned it up and rode it over the summer. It is now disassembled it for painting.


FW Evans with lots of patina

Next was a Sears Ted Williams Free Spirit 531. Where I grew up, the Sears catalog was our link to all the cool stuff we saw on TV but couldn't buy at the local hardware store or five and dime. I never owned a Sears bike before, so when I saw this one at a Goodwill store, I had to get it. Unlike the Evans, the all the parts on the Free Spirit were in good condition, so it just needed some cleaning, lubrication, and the typical consumables.


1974 Sears Ted Williams Free Spirit with Reynolds 531 frame

USAZorro

I was very fortunate last year, and it put me in the position that I am very seriously not looking to take on any additional bikes until the project backlog disappears. I made a few deals that saw four bikes and six frames come in through the door, but four of those came in with the intent of them not remaining. I've moved one of the four along and it looks like a second will be soon following it. None of the builds are finished, and after seeing the lovely pictures, I'm not inclined to show what is sitting around short of completion - so that would mean the Burley tandem is basically what I have to show. The other two that will need to go are entry-level Peugeots. I've disassembled the Frankenbike atrocity, and the plan is to build both those two up and make some room in the next 30 - 90 days by sending them to new owners.





The tall 1978 Raleigh Competition GS is a length of bar wrap and a change of pedals away from being a fully serviceable guest bike. I picked it up for free from a fellow outside of Raleigh, NC whose wife had persuaded him to let it go. It had sentimental value to him, but it had been sitting without anything being done to bring it from the state of neglect that it had been mired in for about 30 years. He wanted it to be returned to a state of good functionality, and I've done what I could to clean it up and make it ready for either of my two, rather tall sons in law to ride when they come to visit. Mission nearly accomplished.

Next in the build queue is the 1974 Super Tourer that barkeater so kindly held on to for me until I was near his neighborhood this past December. It just needed wheels, servicing of all things with bearings, cables and a chain. Still needs fresh cabling, rim strips, tubes and tires.

A very nice 1986 Schwinn Voyageur SP arrived in a box from Oregon in August from RustyJames with a critical assist from Andy_K. Still gathering a few odds and ends, and doing what is needed to finish stripping and painting it once the great spray booth of the wild reopens. It's right behind an even older project that I need to complete for my wife.

In May, I acquired what the consensus believes is a Romic with a replacement fork from jethin. It also needs paint stripping and repainting, but I've determined that this will be the first bike I've ever owned with a shiny red paint job. MadHonk sent me a couple bits for it - including a lovely white saddle.

In April, a local deal netted me a Sutton frame. It's a nice (if not spectacular) frame made in Asia in the late 70s with a rather impressive headbadge. It is also black over chrome. I started stripping the black off with the thought of attempting a chromovelato color-shifting finish, but I have since learned that there's some impressive rattle-can color shifting paint that is best applied over a dark finish... soooo.

I work like a glacier, so I'll be satisfied if three or four of these get finished this year. I promise to post pictures of the first two, and make threads for the other builds.

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Kansascity (who has helped me with a trade and a couple sales - highly recommended), and my primary enabler of late, jdawginsc. Please send good thought his way, as his pup has a health issue.

non-fixie 

I hadn't planned to buy any bikes last year, and somewhat to my own surprise I managed to stay closer to zero than in many years before. That said ...

One bike I felt obligated to buy was this Billato-built Concorde Prelude. It was a trade-in at my favorite LBS. They have been awfully nice to me over the past fifteen or so years, so when they "save" a bike for me, how can I not buy it? Currently in bits while I search for the few missing 6400 bits. Will go up for sale in spring, as it's too small for me.



This bike came up for sale on a local bike travelers forum. Nobody wanted it. Not at a very reasonable price. Not even at a very low price. Mainly because it, well, doesn't have a Rohloff hub, fenders and 50mm tires. A shame, because Jaap Huissoon was an interesting builder, the tubing is Columbus Max, the parts Campagnolo Daytona. So I stepped in and for the price of a carton of cigarettes I put the seller out of their misery. The original plan was to part it out and resell the frame, but the short ride I did may have changed my mind. This is a nice bike!



The one acquisition I did just because I fell in love with it, was this mid-seventies 'Eddy Merckx' frame. Built under license by Bernard Dangre in Valenciennes, France. A manufacturer mainly known for their 'affordable' products. Not welcome at The Real Eddy Merckx Bikes Appreciation Society meetings.

But, built with Vitus 172 tubing, Huret dropouts, painted in a wonderful seventies purple and in my preferred size, I love it.



Ready for the '24 season:

1989Pre 

This is a remarkable find. F.W. Evans bikes do not exactly fall out of trees (thank heaven). Does it have braze-ons for front derailleur cable guides? Also, can you tell us what color(s) you are planning for it? Those lugs and fork crown are going to blow us away.

Pompiere

Thanks! As I learned more about it, I felt like I had picked up a winning lottery ticket in the parking lot. To find a bike that had only been sold out of a single shop in London, in an antique mall in a small town in Alabama while on vacation from Ohio needed a lot of things to be in alignment. I am planning to paint it British Racing Green with cream on the head tube to highlight the lugs. There are cable guides on both sides of the downtube near the bottom and a nub underneath for the shifter clamp. The bottom point for the pump is broken off, but the top one is at the right height to secure a Zephal frame pump.


A better pic of the Nervex Professional lugs



Luckily, H. Lloyd had replacement decals

rjhammett

Glad to see oyhers are adding some keepers to their collection of bike. In 2023 I got rid of some of my keepers. I sold the following in 2023: Centurion Ironman 'Miami Vice', Tommasini Super Prestige, Falcon San Remo, Tommaso TSX, Serotta Colorado II, Pinarello Record, Pinarello Montello, LeMond Maillot Jaune and Colnago Master PIU Decor.

top506

Only one C&V keeper;




I found myself working for a Trek dealer, and their EP program provoked some rash decisions....







hate the sin, love the sinner.......

Top

RustyJames 

This years take homes were a not quite fancy but complete 1965 Schwinn Traveler in Copper, a baggy delta frame Cannondale, a Cilo that thankfully had a good BB and the crown jewel, a barn find Merz. The Cilo will likely be moved along but the Merz is “cold, dead fingers” material.

jdawginsc 

Added frames: Ciocc, Bianchi, Fauxsin, Colnago and now the Raleigh.

2024 will be the reduction stage as I keep only those that speak to me, and get a name.

Chuckk

Raining today! Either do my taxes or watch the races on Tiz and post some more.
So here are a couple more Italian bikes I scored this year besides the Moser:
Another one of "Dad's bikes" that the son didn't want.
~1999 Bottecchia Reparto Corse
Shimano Ultegra components with Dura-Ace hubs.
Columbus Brain tubing
Right at a mystery time when the original family sold the company, so information is hard to find.
(seems that I found a Willier that had the same colors in the same positions, but it had lightning bolts where this has zig-zags, but can't find it today. I think Fantic owns the name now.)


"Turn of the Century" Colnago Aluminum Reflex Dream.
Columbus Altec2 Pro shaped aluminum tubing and built up with mostly Campy Chorus 10sp components.
Famous for developing cracks in the head tubes, and got the cracked bare frame at scrap value.

noglider 

I think it's been about eight years since I bought or built a bike for myself. That might change one day. I could use an ebike for errands over the hills of the mid-Hudson valley. I could use a folding bike for taking on trains. I don't need a titanium road racing bike or a steel track racing bike, both of which I have.

Chuckk

Cannondalealanche!
Lots for sale last year. I wonder if was that the Cannondale name was sold to PON, or maybe nobody cares about aluminum bikes any more.


1984 Cannondale ST400


1987 Cannondale SR600/SR500


1997 Super V 700 with a custom Fiji Island tattoo style paint job!

randyjawa 

Free and found at the dump near my summer lake cottage...


Free from a neighbor at the lake cottage (the Trek goes to Jamaica with me next winter)...



Not free but I could not resist. Haven't even taken it out for a ride yet...

Fredo76

I didn't bring this bike home; I bought the frame off eBay and built it up, so nothing is original - even the headset had to go. Everything except for the wheels is new, if not 'modern', but I do have older front and rear derailleurs coming, because it turns out that I'm vain, too, after all.



Blue Bella

I usually find an overabundance of 'patina' distressing, but I can live with this kind:



Good patina.

Blue Bella got dissed in the Hot or Not thread. I think she's freakin' gorgeous, myself.

SirMike1983 

It seems like I'm constantly churning bikes in or out. I sold several bikes in 2023. I bought a few, and I built a few up:

• 1939/40 Raleigh Model 35: bought from a fellow collector. Great bike, keeping it.
• 1941 Schwinn New World: a unique tall frame model. Need to rebuild this bike.
• 1949 Raleigh Clubman: bought from a fellow collector. Sporty bike, keeping it.
• 1951 New Hudson Silver Arrow: bought from a fellow collector. Nice bike. Waiting for spring to ride it.
• 1953 Raleigh Lenton: bought from a fellow collector. Sporty bike, keeping it.
• 1957 Schwinn Traveler: Craigslist find. Rare tall frame bike. Haven't ridden it much yet.
• 1959 Schwinn Traveler: Tall frame bike. Built it up from a frame. Keeping it. Good rider.
• 1991 Woudt's Zwaluw roadster: Facebook find. Haven't worked on it yet. May end up selling it.

I haven't really gained that many because those bikes were offset by several bikes donated to charity or sold in 2023. I just am very active searching for nice old bikes, fixing them, tinkering around, and then sometimes keeping and sometimes donating or selling. I don't make any money, but it's a good hobby that keeps me tinkering and riding.

nlerner

Bikes I built up and gave away in 2023: