Oh my gosh. What have I done. Help.

[sandra]

I am so excited about my new OLD mixte, that I placed an add on a thing we have here, a Freecycle. I was looking for old bikes. I thought I might even find some handlebars or parts for my bike.

A guy just called me and said he was cleaning out a barn for a guy and he has probably 20 - 30 old bikes if I'm interested. He is planning to load them all on a trailer and take them to a flea market, but I can have first shot. He said $10 or something like that a piece.

NOW, please tell me what to pay attention to or look for. I'm so new to this, I just now found out what "lugs" are. I thought it was the bolts holding the tires on.

[wannaduacentury]

I am so excited about my new OLD mixte, that I placed an add on a thing we have here, a Freecycle. I was looking for old bikes. I thought I might even find some handlebars or parts for my bike.

A guy just called me and said he was cleaning out a barn for a guy and he has probably 20 - 30 old bikes if I'm interested. He is planning to load them all on a trailer and take them to a flea market, but I can have first shot. He said $10 or something like that a piece.

NOW, please tell me what to pay attention to or look for. I'm so new to this, I just now found out what "lugs" are. I thought it was the bolts holding the tires on.

OOOOOOOHHH!!! what a gold mine- I'm not an expert either, but go for best condition(for age) and don't worry about dust and dirt. Get several. Jenn

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Keep in mind that if these are old bikes they will most likely all be steel. Many will be lugged. You might keep and eye out for any lighter weight lugged steel road bikes from the 70's 80's, especially the lugged ones. French, Canadian, or Italian ones are good bets. Raleighs can be nice to ride if in good shape. Most bikes have decals saying where they were manufactured.
Some old lugged steel "road bikes" might have nice headlights and fenders- these may actually be very nice older touring bikes and might be worth more. I'd stay away from the heavy Schwinn type boardwalk cruisers as they are so heavy to ship and their larger metal parts tend to rust.
There are afficionados out there looking for those old lugged road and touring bikes.
Snap up anything marked Waterford, Bridgestone, Mariposa, if they are only superficial rust....and if you see anything named Rene Hearse, RUN, don't walk, with it to your car.

I'm sure others will mention other valuable brands to watch for. My brain is fuzzy right now.

[Geonz]

There *is* a link about this somewhere. Sheldon Brown?

[Tuckervill]

Classic & Vintage forum at bikeforums.net.

Listen, a lot of those bikes will be trash and will probably be kids bikes with one piece cranks, etc. Stay away from those.

Also, we have Freecycle where we are, but no one's allowed to charge money in the transaction. I hope you don't pay him.

Karen

[DebW]

Lisa has the right idea. Avoid American made bikes from the 70s and 80, as most were made with cheap welded steel tubing and one-piece cranks. An exception would be a Schwinn Paramount which was made by Waterford. If the frame is lugged, that's a sign of quality. Cotterless cranks were also a sign of quality in the 70s, but became ubiquitous in the 80s. The overall weight of the bike is important, but expect a 3-speed with fenders to be heavier than a racing road bike. I can give you more hints if you tell us what you're looking for: a vintage bike to restore, something to learn bike mechanics on, a beater bike, or a sleek road bike. If you want something to fix up, then the availability of parts will be important. French bikes use different threading than is standard today. A few things to look at:

The crankset:
- avoid one-piece cranks (see http://www.sheldonbrown.com/opc.html). They are not interchangeable with modern cranks because of the bottom bracket shell.
- Three-piece cottered cranks (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html) were once standard, but cottered cranksets are always steel (ie heavy) and can be difficult to overhaul.
- cotterless cranks (the 2 left hand pictures here http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bottom) are alloy and most desirable, and should generally be interchangeable with modern parts.

The wheels:
- steel rims on an old bike will probably be rusty, and steel rims are heavy
- alloy rims are better
- rim/tire size - some are harder to get than others
- hubs should be overhauled with new grease
- no broken spokes, true rim - really old bikes may have frozen spokes (ie nipples won't turn) and be impossible to true.

Also check that the frame is not bent anywhere. Fork get bent easily and often people ride them that way for years.

[sandra]

Please explain lugged.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Please explain lugged.

Bike tubes connected simply by welding (TIG welded):
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...954/680516.JPG

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...954/680202.JPG

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...taylor_tig.jpg

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...tig_welded.gif

Bikes tubes connected by inserting into steel LUGS at the joints and then brazed to seal:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...3Doff%26sa%3DG

http://www.ciclisucarta.it/images/drawings.jpg

http://www.vendettacycles.com/vendet...es/gallery.htm

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Here's a nice article about taking an old lugged steel vintage Raleigh and making it into a great touring bike:
http://readytoride.biz/?m=200612

Comparing Waterford lugged bottom bracket and TIG welded bottom bracket:
http://www.waterfordbikes.com/site/tech/bb.php

Some info on classic touring bikes:
http://beauty.nagog.smasher.net:81/b...es/000376.html

[mimitabby]

Sandra
10 dollar bikes might just be walmart bikes. take a list of bike brand names with you. if none of those names are on the list don't buy anything!

[sandra]

right. I could get there and they could be Murray and Huffy.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If the guy said 20-30 "old" bikes to be cleared out of a barn, I doubt there are too many newish Walmart bikes there- they would have been sold at garage sales more recently.
Probably at least one or two worth taking home.
Just remember- the bike may cost you $10 but it might cost several hundred to replace lots of rusty or broken parts. Superficial rust is usually no problem. Rusty chains, cables, etc. are obviously replaceable.

[sandra]

I just emailed the guy and asked him about the condition of the bikes and what is there. Told him I was not interested in kids bikes. If I find a good pair of handlebars for my mixte (did I mention it would be here Thursday? ) it would be worth the trip.

[mimitabby]

Sandra, if i lived near you i'd want to go along for the ride! have fun

[mimitabby]

If the guy said 20-30 "old" bikes to be cleared out of a barn, I doubt there are too many newish Walmart bikes there- they would have been sold at garage sales more recently.
Probably at least one or two worth taking home.
Just remember- the bike may cost you $10 but it might cost several hundred to replace lots of rusty or broken parts. Superficial rust is usually no problem. Rusty chains, cables, etc. are obviously replaceable.

Lisa, forgive me, i live in washington where "old" houses are 15 years old.