Well, boys, it was a good run!
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Well, boys, it was a good run!
Well, I'm going back to work, so my time as a make-believe bike shop is coming to a close. I never thought that wrenching on bikes would be a full time gig, even for a little bit. It was incredibly fulfilling, and I'm grateful that my hobby was able to pay the bills for a while, and also put ~50 bikes under new riders when there was such a critical shortage. Here's a selection of the vintage bikes that came through my garage; I'm just glad more weren't in my size, or else I'd have to build a new shed!
89 Trek 420, non drive side, please forgive me.
Austro Daimler - AD SL. Sold instantly, that's when I knew the market had flipped.
Bianchi Premio. People REALLY like Bianchi, even in red, even with Shimano
Lotus Challenger SX. Probably one of the best bikes ever to have stem shifters AND turkey levers.
Marin Limited Edition. Road bike built from Tange Mountain bike tubing. Because 'Murica
Mercier Mixte. French. Because I hate myself.
Miyata 312. Funny story, sold this one twice.
Miyata Triple Cross. "Flat Bar Gravel Bike" is way sexier than "Hybrid"
Miyata 610, beautiful time capsule, if only it was my size.
Miyata 712. Tiny bikes sell fast!
89 Trek 420, non drive side, please forgive me.
Austro Daimler - AD SL. Sold instantly, that's when I knew the market had flipped.
Bianchi Premio. People REALLY like Bianchi, even in red, even with Shimano
Lotus Challenger SX. Probably one of the best bikes ever to have stem shifters AND turkey levers.
Marin Limited Edition. Road bike built from Tange Mountain bike tubing. Because 'Murica
Mercier Mixte. French. Because I hate myself.
Miyata 312. Funny story, sold this one twice.
Miyata Triple Cross. "Flat Bar Gravel Bike" is way sexier than "Hybrid"
Miyata 610, beautiful time capsule, if only it was my size.
Miyata 712. Tiny bikes sell fast!
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Novara Corsa touring bike, surprisingly hard to sell! "REI Brand" is way more enticing.
Peugeot PH something, turned from a junker SS to a rideable 1x5
Peugeot Mixte, rare in such a large size, converted to 700c & 6spd, broke my heart to sell this one.
73 Raleigh Grand Sports built up with mustache bars. 531 frame, Stronglight cranks, would have made more parting it out!
Later Raliegh Grand Sports, Hi-Ten frame :-( But made more profit on this one than the '73
St. Etienne Mixte. Seriously, someone stop me, why do I do this to myself.
'92 Schwinn Paramount PDG. Almost kept this one for myself. Still on the hunt for a waterford paramount, though...
Schwinn Traveler, A bike for giants.
Schwinn Voyageur 11.8, people like red bikes.
Finally, a cro-mo Mixte, god bless the Japanese!
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Bought this one based on a fuzzy picture, turned out to be a Hi-Ten frame with all steel components. Thought someone filled the seat tube with lead shot, it was so heavy. Swapped all aluminum components from a donor and shaved off 3.5 lbs.
Specialized Sirrus! Does anybody else love RSX? Flush with solvent, spray in white lithium grease, ride for another 20 years.
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Looks like a good run. Hard to make ends meet on used bikes. Good luck with the new job.
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Really, really cool stuff. I've been tempted by a few of those crmo Shogun mixte frames myself, hah. One had an immaculate looking blue/green Deore group...
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#6
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What a great story, thanks for sharing. Those bikes will accumulate untold miles and memories. And although the bikes look incredible, I was drawn in to the diverse methods by which they were propped up for photos: a rock, a brick, a curb...and extra style points by using a can of Modelo!
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I have to be thankful that even though my primary skill set was devastated by the pandemic, my secondary skill set (bicycle repair) was in unprecedented demand. Prices were inflated enough that, for a brief moment, I could make ends meet by doing something I enjoyed!
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Mixtes have been mainstay for me, but I live in a university town with good cycling infrastructure. I always try to have a few mixtes ready to go in August, September time-frame when the students come back. The mixte equivalent of the entry level road bike is almost always more desirable than the pure road or "men's" version
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Nice work on the bikes, looks like you had some fun!
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The aforementioned Shogun. Straight gauge Champion 5 crmo and an original Deore group. Got posted for $350 and gradually reduced in price to $250 when it got snapped up. Good thing, because if I had room, I totally would have been tempted...
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It shows that you loved that job. I’d buy a bike from you any time.
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N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
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I've also noticed very well equipped Novara and Performance bikes just don't sell. Seen a few extremely high end hardtail bikes (Tange Ultimate tubes) for good prices and they just refuse to sell.
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Friend of mine's teenage son started up a garage business fixing bikes late spring. Word of mouth only, and people keep coming by to drop off more repairs. He started patching tubes when they became hard to get for awhile. Kid was making about $25/hr.
There was a sign on our trail for someone 2 blocks from me taking on repairs, I would guess the person was laid off.
Seems our vintage bike skills are our emergency backup jobs!
There was a sign on our trail for someone 2 blocks from me taking on repairs, I would guess the person was laid off.
Seems our vintage bike skills are our emergency backup jobs!
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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I have a Univega Hybrid up on CL, if it doesn't sell this week I am stealing flat bar gravel bike
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