How do YOU find your bikes??

[CranksAndCogs]

New here, so I want to say hello first off. I lurked for a while, had an old account I didn't use too much and have since lost all info on the account. Thus, i'm new...again. On to the thread now that my hello's are said.

I have scoured Craigslist, rummaged garage sales, searched the salvation army, and looked around neighborhood...but I can't find ANYTHING! I want to build a stretched out bike, as well as a tall bike, and of course the older 50's type framed bike. Am I doing something wrong or am I simply in a dry area? (South MS)

 

[scrumblero]

howdy! might try the local paper and flea market too, i have scored a few from each of those..

 

[CranksAndCogs]

I forgot to add the newspaper in my search. I think the area is just a dried up area for bikes. Not many people ride outside of campus, sadly. I am trying to move to Denver, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Chicago, or Seattle for that reason alone...just can't get any bites on jobs!!! URG!

I may have to ask about frames on here that people have extras of. Maybe they will be nice to me! I'd LOVE to ride a tall bike one day, especially for the pub crawl in October.

 

[FunkyStickman]

I get them from the trash, from friends, etc. Haven't paid money for a used bike since 1995.

 

[Scruffy49]

South Mississippi? Just pop over to Slidell, Pearl River, Lacombe... I used to drive a garbage route over there and in the Picayune MS area. Old bikes were everywhere. I picked up a Whizzer one day from somebody's trash, a sparkplug and two tires later... traded it for a nice Honda CB450 twin. The flea market north of Long Beach was always good for a few classics, not sure if it has ever re-opened post-Katrina though.

I moved back to the Memphis area from the Seattle area. Better paying jobs here (and more of them), better coffee, nicer people. I grew up outside Seattle, the rats and roaches are welcome to it. If you want a real bike friendly Pacific NW city, try Portland Oregon. Good doughnuts, decent coffee, legal clothing optional beach 15 minutes from town... Tight job market, state income tax, high property taxes, high cost of living and you are not allowed to pump your own gas are drawbacks though.

 

[udallcustombikes]

1. You might try contacting the guys that advertise on CL looking for scrap metal. Tell them what you are looking for and pay them more than scrap value.
2. I have also found a few at the metal scrap yards. I picked up a '65 Coppertone Stingray for $1.40. Sure the rear triangle was bent, but I still sold it at a swap meet for $25. Saw it again at the next swap, all straightened out and cleaned up with a $125 price tag.
3. Drive the back roads and look in peoples yards, behind barns, against garages. If you spot something you like just stop and ask. Yards that are piled full of stuff will be hiding bikes more often than not around here.

 

[Lucky Strike]

A shop I live near set out a 1948 Rollfast frame with the crank set and chain wheel still on it, plus the forks, and fenders. They were just going to let it go on heavy trash day. They only sell new road bikes..... probably didn't have a clue what it was. In fact, I KNOW they didn't.

A friend gave me most of a Western Flyer x-53 free. All of the moving parts were worn out, but that was an easy fix once I sourced the bearings / cups / cones etc. Critically, I got a new (NOS) hub driver form a fellow member of this forum that saved the rear hub. For $8.00 I will be eternally grateful.

I guess I would pay money for a bike, but even getting these for "free" I've had to put a bit of time and money into them. If you add up all the: stripper, paint, sand paper, wire wheels, handle bars, head sets, crank sets, etc. etc. You'll be shocked.

 

[Outlaw90]

you can find alot of cheap frames on here. just look around even at your LBS and see if they have anything used. ive found a bike or two in black berry bushes and talked to the owner of the land and got them pretty much free just a battle with thornes.

 

[CranksAndCogs]

South Mississippi? Just pop over to Slidell, Pearl River, Lacombe... I used to drive a garbage route over there and in the Picayune MS area. Old bikes were everywhere. I picked up a Whizzer one day from somebody's trash, a sparkplug and two tires later... traded it for a nice Honda CB450 twin. The flea market north of Long Beach was always good for a few classics, not sure if it has ever re-opened post-Katrina though.

I moved back to the Memphis area from the Seattle area. Better paying jobs here (and more of them), better coffee, nicer people. I grew up outside Seattle, the rats and roaches are welcome to it. If you want a real bike friendly Pacific NW city, try Portland Oregon. Good doughnuts, decent coffee, legal clothing optional beach 15 minutes from town... Tight job market, state income tax, high property taxes, high cost of living and you are not allowed to pump your own gas are drawbacks though.

I'm in Hattiesburg to be exact, I make it to the coast regularly but I tend to stay away from Carriere/Picayune. Petal may be a better place to look for me as I haven't looked much over that way yet.

As for moving, I guess everyone has their wants and needs in where they live. I love culture, and while Memphis has culture...it's arguably a food based culture. My parents absolutely loved Seattle when they visited and recommended it for somewhere to live if ever given the chance. I don't plan on staying put for too terribly long regardless of where I move. I've lived in Hattiesburg for 5 years, and it's been 5 years too long imo. I grew up in Orlando; i'm still not used to this area at all. I want to try multiple areas before picking a place to call home for the rest of my time. I'm only 24, so I have some time to do just that.

 

[Fahrrad]

1. You might try contacting the guys that advertise on CL looking for scrap metal. Tell them what you are looking for and pay them more than scrap value.
2. I have also found a few at the metal scrap yards. I picked up a '65 Coppertone Stingray for $1.40. Sure the rear triangle was bent, but I still sold it at a swap meet for $25. Saw it again at the next swap, all straightened out and cleaned up with a $125 price tag.
3. Drive the back roads and look in peoples yards, behind barns, against garages. If you spot something you like just stop and ask. Yards that are piled full of stuff will be hiding bikes more often than not around here.

X2 on #3

 

[highship]

I'd LOVE to ride a tall bike one day, especially for the pub crawl in October.

Be careful! I have had my own pub crawls right here at home :lol: and then taken out the tall bike...its a recipe for disaster

 

[Philphine]

mostly flea markets for me. can't say i've gotten many free (and nothing real vintage either), but most times somewhere bettween $20-40 gets me something interesting.

 

[CranksAndCogs]

mostly flea markets for me. can't say i've gotten many free (and nothing real vintage either), but most times somewhere bettween $20-40 gets me something interesting.

It's weird, the flea market here on highway 49 seems to be like a market of retail goods and cheap rubber band guns lol. I go every now and again but haven't in a bit because of the lack of success.

 

[Elmer]

I have had great luck at sit down auctions. 76 Raleigh for $5- gave me a great alloy rack & bell, and my cousin a great rider. Early seventies Huffy, $9- my project bike.
Mostly farmers, collectors, house wives. Kids bikes sell well, but others go cheap. You may need to try several auctions before you find the right mix of customers & merchandise.

 

[clamdigger]

I find my bikes to be rather pleasing,thankyou. Sometimes a bit challenging though.

 

[ozzmonaut]

I find my bikes to be rather pleasing,thankyou. Sometimes a bit challenging though.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! :lol: I have found them on CL, goodwill, scrapyard, flea market, bike show/swap, yard sales, this forum. Also my dad is an exterminator and when he treats a house, if he sees a bike he asks the owner about it. He hauls a few free bikes home every week. Sometimes junk, sometimes great. If you want a tall bike then you are in luck. They are easy to build from even the least valuable frames. They're a cheap source of entertainment to be sure. I have four and they are built from old trashed off-brand bikes and those horrible NEXT brand mountain bikes.

 

[Scruffy49]

Whoever told you Memphis is a food town flat out lied to you. Unless you just really like grease. Great food in the surrounding area but Memphis proper... I don't eat in the city. As far as culture goes, most of the "culture" here is found in petri dishes... :wink: And most of the local bike shops I've been to sell either cheapy chi-com copycat crap or super high end chi-com crap. Parts? Yeah right.

If you are dead set on seeing Seattle... don't buy anything from Pike Place Public Market. Pioneer Square is really cool (in the daytime). Taco Tuesday or Taco Thursday (day of the week changes frequently) at Alki is a blast. Try the bedroom communities of Ballard or Wallingford for bicycles, also the indie shop down in Sumner. Drive in next door is straight out of the 1940s. Triple X Drive In in Issaquah is worth the trip. Not that kind of XXX... Baker Hot Springs is a nice trip, so are Mt Rainier and Mt Saint Helens. Any place that has "local" seafood will give you the runs, Puget Sound is nicknamed "Putrid Sound" for a reason.

I live on 54 acres 35 miles or so north of downtown Memphis.

 

[CranksAndCogs]

I meant food culture in a way that is prevalent through out the south. Things revolve around it.

I'm not dead set on Seattle, just may have an opportunity to go. I'd rather Minneapolis 10-fold but I am ready to start a career and any larger city is welcomed in my mind. Why do you mention that of Pikes Place? Sanitary reasoning, quality reasoning, or simply monetary?

 

[Philphine]

mostly flea markets for me. can't say i've gotten many free (and nothing real vintage either), but most times somewhere bettween $20-40 gets me something interesting.

It's weird, the flea market here on highway 49 seems to be like a market of retail goods and cheap rubber band guns lol. I go every now and again but haven't in a bit because of the lack of success.

yeah, i notice that more with indoor flea markets, where booths stay set up and a lot of new cheap stuff is sold. outdoor ones are better for finding bikes, and usually cheaper too since it's not a permanent set up and they have to haul it back home if they don't sell it.

another thing is go early. that might seem conterintuitive since people might be more desperate to sell for less later so they don't have to take it home. but what happens a lot to me is, you look at a bike and the seller is pretty set on the price. then you find out he just got it from some other seller thinking he can flip it on the spot for more. that's happened to me enough times that i try to go early to be the first buyer.

 

[pick]

1. You might try contacting the guys that advertise on CL looking for scrap metal. Tell them what you are looking for and pay them more than scrap value.
2. I have also found a few at the metal scrap yards. I picked up a '65 Coppertone Stingray for $1.40. Sure the rear triangle was bent, but I still sold it at a swap meet for $25. Saw it again at the next swap, all straightened out and cleaned up with a $125 price tag.
3. Drive the back roads and look in peoples yards, behind barns, against garages. If you spot something you like just stop and ask. Yards that are piled full of stuff will be hiding bikes more often than not around here.

X2 on #3

I just follow udallcustombikes around & pick up the leftovers. Got to get up real early to beat him to the good stuff! :lol: :lol: