Anticipation or.. A tribute to Hugo

[ACD]

We all know in many areas of the US there are literaly piles of cool old bikes in barns, fields, dumps, and more. There's the dump find which is great, the Craigslist deal which is awesome when it works out, and my personal favorite..... The "there's this old bike in (pick your location)" told to you by someone. In my case I have a great job for this sport. I am a carpet cleaner. This means I get to go to between 3 and 5 houses a day and meet someone. At least twice a week there could be a bicycle to be had. Yesterday was such an occasion. An elderly gentleman I have done work for in the past had me out again to clean rugs. We got talking and the subject of bikes and the buildoff came up. He said and I quote "You like messin' with old bikes? I have one out in the barn that we were gonna throw away. It's been there since the 70's when my son moved on to college. I think it's a 5-spd but it's a kids bike not a big one. I'll talk to him tomorrow, and you can come get it." Now what does a 5-spd kids bike sound like to you from the 70's... I love this feeling of anticipation... the thoughts of a near mint Apple, Grape, Lemon, Coal, or any flavor crate bike...floating through your mind. The heart pounding excitement as you walk out to the barn with the old man, listening to the stories he tells, nodding appropriately, all the while your head is just thinking what is it!!! Even when you discover it's just a ratty old Murray 3-spd or anything else your still not really dissapointed, you still got a free bike, and a brief but cheap high off the event. What is the bike in the barn??? Don't know yet, I don't push or hound people. If he never gets back to me, so be it. The longer I wait the longer the unbearable anticipation. The thrill is in the hunt guys and gals... don't put all your energy into the kill.

Aaron

 

[october]

well said, Aaron...
i can relate :lol:

 

[RatRodDad]

Aaron, you are right on. I get all excited about finding a cheap deal on Craigslist or going with my brother and finding some bikes for $5 at the scrap yard.

Then I get the bikes home and into the garage and they suddenly become work!! I either have to fix them or clean them up or do something - just so that I can try to sell them and make a few dollars.

In the long run it's mostly entertainment and I'm doing good if I break even most of the time. I guess there aren't many things you can do that are fun and don't cost you anything, though, so that's not a bad thing. :lol:

So yes, most times the anticipation of getting something is much better than the feeling after you've gotten it.

I also have a similar bike story to yours. My neighbor who lives across the street has been watching me messing with the bikes in my garage, in my driveway, when I am riding them, etc. He told me one day that he had some bikes up in his attic that were put up there a couple of years ago and sometime he would try to get them down and either give them to me - or maybe let me try to sell them for him.

I'm guessing they are probably a couple of mountain bikes that his kids out grew or something. The interesting thing he told me, though, was that he thought he also had a bike of his daughter's up there from a while back - one that she had in the late 70's or maybe 80's but hardly ever rode. He said he thought it was one of those "Stingray type" bikes but he couldn't remember. I guess her friends lived close by so she always walked to their house and she rarely ever rode the bike.

So I'm envisioning this pristine girl's Schwinn bike of some sort laying up there, but the reality is it's probably a K-Mart brand or something.

I wouldn't have expected them to spend big dollars on a Schwinn when there were lots of other cheaper alternatives back then.

So like you, I haven't mentioned it to him since then and I figure if he ever gets around to getting the bikes out of the attic I will see what he has, or if not, that's where they will stay.

 

[aka_locojoe]

I'm just so excited about coming across a bike I nab it and after bring it home I wonder why I did. "Catch and release" comes to mind. Sometimes I wish I could take it back.

 

[CCR]

i also travel for work and meet several people a day, ive gotten 3 old tricycles recently (colson, roadmaster, mercury) just by sayin "hey thats a cool tricycle", all 3 of those i got an immediate "take it", if my car was bigger id try for more bikes :mrgreen: also got a schwinn exercisor from the same situation when im able to get back that way and haul it.

 

[Hugo]

Ei man, if you're going to use my name on the title, I want 20% of your bike finds!

I can relate to that anticipation and to how fun it is to hunt. Not exactly pertaining to bikes (hard to find anything cool here), but more about old Vespas and Lambrettas. Good luck with your chase!

Hugo

 

[ACD]

And the answer is.... drumroll please.... An old Metalic Green small Sears and Roebuck 10-spd.... Like I said the hunt is more fun. But it has some nice dia-compe brakes, decent wheels, and stuff. As I said you can't be disappointed. It is after all a free bike. I'll keep looking for that elusive Crate bike.

 

[CCR]

free bike = i'd still be smilin

 

[dumpster_diver]

Well said. The last bike I saw, I walked up and no one was home, so the next time I was in town, I stopped again about the rusty bike she had leaning up against a shed. She said it wasnt for sale. So I asked if I could look at anyways, turns out she want someone to fix it up for Christmas....so some time you dont get to keep that find but fix it, enjoy it, and pass it on to original owner. Good luck with your hunts!

 

[br549]

yeah, don't crush em, restore em

 

[musclebikes]

You guys are so right about the hunt being the best part.

But then again what do I know Im 2 for 3, right now. :mrgreen:
The first time I found a bike, It was by accident, I was looking at trailer full of junk bikes and knocked on the door. He didnt wanna sell the stuff in the trailer, but when I was turning around to walk off he askes "Hey, what type of bikes are you looking for?" I told him stingray style and old tank bicycles. He says "Come back when its lighter out,Ive got an old Firestone in the house next door".I came back 3 days later, and he unlocked the house and I went into the basement. There was half a foot of water on the floor, and I sludged through all that gross stuff to get to the room where he said the bike was, I got to the room and all that was there were 3 girls bike. I started walking backward,tripped over something , and fell. I had fallen right over a Boys firetone Super Cruiser. I dont think the basement had been floded verry long because the old gal wasnt that rusted.

My favorite find was when a guy I work with said "so your the guy that likes the old bikes?" I respond by saying "ya, why? Do you have one?" He says that he had one in his barn but people keep on steeling stuff out of it, he didnt know if ot was still up there. He said he didnt know how long it had been up there but it was really old, and he was sure his dad had put it up there. His dad had been dead for 28 years. He said the bike was really fancy and must have cost alot of money because it was all chome. Two months later when our scheduels finally worked together I went and checked it out, it was a Monark Silverking 26x.