Frankfurt Flea Market (or, the Mixte Motherlode?!)
Just got back from a weekend in Frankfurt, Germany. The weekly flea market is famous for "vintage" clothes but the bicycle aspect of it is just as amazing. There are hundreds and hundreds of complete bikes - many, like the clothes, vintage! Most are fit to ride away. You can test-ride before you buy. You can rummage through boxes and boxes and boxes of spare parts. People cycle to the market to search for parts they need, then buy them and fit them to their bikes right then and there. Amazing!
And about 1 in 20 bikes was a mixte. And of those, I'd say about 40% were "loop-frame" aka "swoopy" mixtes. :)
I was, as the English say, gob-smacked for the first 5 minutes... then as delirious as a puppy with two tails not knowing which to wag first. I must have trawled through that market, top to bottom and side to side, three times in each direction. Wow!
Some photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...2&l=e64e497556
Motobecane "swoopy" mixte on UK Ebay :)
This looks exceptionally nice, doesn't it?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LOVELY-OLD-VIN...pt=UK_Bikes_GL
EDIT: It is just so bl**dy pretty... I've caved to temptation and put a bid in. :eek: :p
Motobecane mixte on UK Ebay
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zen
Wow.
I hope you get it. That bike is pristine.
I'm thinking it's been 'restored', rather than being original. What do you think?
Red Nishiki going up for sale
Lots of moaning, groaning and whinging from me. All to no avail.
I have my marching orders.
That sweet red Nishiki is going up in the For Sale section.