SamSpade1941 

So there are a couple of bike co ops close to me . The Northwest Hub in Salem and then the Corvallis Bike Collective in Corvallis. I frequent both when I need parts and to donate items I am not going to use.

There are those times though when something really special shows up and you get a rare opportunity. Today was that day .. I drove to Corvallis to hit the Collective and get a Tange Seiki headset which they sell new for $12

While I am rummaging I find this very cool NOS set of light weight Panaracer racing tubes .

As I rummage I hear the Collective manager telling a volunteer what to do with bikes they are processing to sell . Continuing to listen I hear the manager say strip all the parts off and then clean the frame and we will put in the window for sale . As I step around the corner I see the volunteer holding a Co Motion bike .

Needless to say 15 minutes later I was leaving with a Co Motion cyclo cross bike and part of a dura ace group set with tubular wheels which looks like it was raced hard then retired at some point .


So my plans obviously are to strip the frame and wash it then decide on how to build it back .

advice and suggestions on component selection are as always welcome .



oh and the awesome C&V tubes I scored

VtwinVince

Well done, some very cool finds.

TiHabanero

Once word got out that the poly tubes were unable to be reliably patched, they sat on our shelves for a decade or more until we gave them away.

ryansu

I spent some time in Corvallis BITD, go Beavs! I wish I had a solid C&V bike to get around back then. Nice pick up OP

merziac

SamSpade1941



Nice! Makes me shake my head and say "how in the H**L" does such a thing even happen?

wrk101

By all means, many of us here have more than enough parts, I know I do. I try to donate something every week. I donated two bikes today. We are fortunate to have two co ops in Asheville.

I also visit co ops in other parts of the country. Met Nesteel (John) at the Lincoln, NE co op. Picked up an interesting 1930s pedal powered grinder there. Omaha co op has a basement full of projects, check them out.

Be sure to leave as much as you find, surplus parts, bikes, and many appreciate a cash donation too. It's all good. And occasionally you will find something nice! That Carabela Professional I had last year came from a co op. The fork and frame ended up in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

Donate time too!

SamSpade1941 

Dunno cause I rarely if ever find something that nice at the Co Op .. Having said that this bike needs a rider with longer legs but I will be able to say I did indeed own a Co-Motion for a period of time..

Thanks again friend.

deux jambes

Cool find! Even here in Eugene where Co-Motion builds bikes, you just don’t see them on the road very often, and never for sale.

I first gained an appreciation for Co-Motion when I was digging for info on Gary Hale. Gary Hale built frames in Eugene from mid 70’s to mid 80’s under the name Early Cycles. He built around 300 custom order diamond frames during the course of a decade. Otherwise, he focused on innovative design, and played a huge role as a pioneering figure recumbents and hand powered bikes.

At the time that I was digging for info, I had the pleasure of owning a beautifully crafted Gary Hale frame with full Columbus SL. Campy dropouts and fork tips. Very elegant lug work and clean brazing. The fastback stays featured a recessed binder bolt hidden on one side. It was my introduction to high end ride quality.

Anyhow, I became aware that Gary Hale taught Dwan Shepard how to build frames and then took him in as an apprentice for a spell. I knew then, for the first time, and based of of my experience with the Gary Hale that Co-Motion frames must also be top notch!

A couple of those links:

Co-Motion History

Interview with Dwan Shepard

nesteel 

Twas a pleasure and surprise to meet you there Bill. Volunteering at the co-op was a very eye opening and rewarding experience. Although I no longer volunteer, and I've retired from the board, I do still visit on a regular basis.
I was just there tonight looking for some hub cones, and came home with another frame instead. Ya never know.

The Thin Man 

Ah rats! Looks like I missed that one. The CBC team is great. Being a Corvallis resident affords me such luxuries as them giving me a call when a vintage gem comes in. But, that one didn't make it my way. Maybe they thought it was too new for me. Either way, well done on your end!

Lascauxcaveman 

First time I visited the co-op closest to me, I scored this old raggedy-ass lower-mid-grade Canadian market Apollo:



Which I built into this more presentable faux-Legnano:



Every time I've returned since then, I've been discouraged from browsing their stockpile of frames, for some reason. Maybe they've decided they want to build them all themselves?

ETA: I have never visited this co-op without bringing a bunch of stuff to donate, wheels, frames, parts, whole bikes. Nothing high end, but no junk, either.

wrk101

I ask at every co op whether I can look at their pile. Some are OK with it, others not. They really don't want people digging. I prefer buying bikes they have not spent time and money refurbishing. Those should go to their local customers. Instead, I look for projects, particularly ones that have flaws, like stuck seat post.

I bought a 1963 UO8 at a co op in Denver. It was in their " dog pile" the first time I visited, and was there again one year later! I told them, "hey I saw that bike LAST year". Steer tube was split, so if wasn't really rebuildable. I let them keep the wheels. I just wanted the early Simplex parts and the non-original Belt saddle on it. The Durex? cottered crank ended up being a find too.

I also picked up a Centurion Iron Man. No wheels, rough components, stuck seat post and stem. These are the kind of projects many co-ops avoid.

SamSpade1941 

The Northwest Hub here in Salem is very much of the they don't want you digging mindset . I support them because they get a lot of bikes in to the hands of children whose families would not other wise be able to get their children bikes, aside from that though the very typically want at or above retail on most bikes they sell. They have a display case of "good parts" which I look at every time and a more often than not a majority of the parts I donated end up in there.

I love CBC because they love for you to dig and I do buy a LOT of bike parts from them for my own bikes / builds. I am a firm believer in supporting the local co op as they provide a wonderful service to the community.

deux jambes

Unfortunately that’s definitely true for the co-op here in Eugene. Until about a year ago a guy could go upstairs where all the frames are stored, and pick one out to buy. But now that section is that section is off limits. You can’t buy a frame anymore. They all get built up and displayed downstairs where inflated price tags are then attached to them.

Mr. 66

Titanium sightings at my local, lol.

norcalmike

I loved hanging out in my old co op in Santa Cruz. I have volunteered and donated. I've scored some pretty good bits and even found a mate to a rear wheel I had. I'm still close enough to visit once in a while but it's not as convenient as it used to be when I lived down the street. About a 45 minute drive now.

seedsbelize 

Sadly, the two cities I most frequently visit in the US don't have one. I haven't yet checked the third. Indianapolis, where I will spend some time this Summer.

tricky 

Bikeworks!

SamSpade1941 

This is a shame but as I said earlier the Hub here in Salem embraces this model , which I am not entirely ok with . I get that they need to generate revenue ,but in a lot of ways they are harming themselves because they are placing themselves in the LBS space.

Rajflyboy

Single speed

go single speed

noglider 

I volunteer on Monday nights at Mechanical Gardens in Brooklyn (NYC). Yes, we charge very low prices. Actually, we don't charge; we ask for donations in exchange for our stuff and services. It was explained to me that we have to do that to avoid implying any warranties. We recently sold some nice Sturmey Archer hubs for $5 each, and that was the explanation I got. The stuff we get is donated, and we don't get much high-quality stuff, but we do get a little of it. We let people pick through our piles, too. We are backlogged with bikes to build and components to sort through which further reduces the amounts we can ask for it.

SamSpade1941 

that will keep the build light weight ..

SamSpade1941 

I don’t think that’s a bad thing honestly .. it kinda keeps the cycling community engaged and encourages reuse rather than always buying new .

good on the efforts you and your co op are making .

noglider 

No, it's not a bad thing at all. It's just a bit disorienting to those of us expecting to find a profit motive. There are other forces at play at non-profits. Part of our coop's mission is to enable poor people because doing so gives them economic power. It's a socio-political effort.

There are a few items we feel duty-bound to charge retail prices so as not to undercut the commercial shops. Things like brake pads and patch kits. We charge low prices for things the shops don't even want to keep in stock. Our labor is super cheap. We ask for $5/hour, but that's voluntary. But since we are open only three hours a week, we can't be said to be competing with commercial shops. To get into our coop, one has to make a large time sacrifice.

xiaoman1 

I'll admit it, I do like to check out the stuff in the bins but I also to chat with the help and donate some of my excess.
Best, Ben