# Old Schwinn... Whats it worth?



## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

It wasn't a "barn find" but more of a guy walks up to me at a bike show and says "Do you know anything about old Schwinns? I need a front fender for my dad's old bike... It's got an airplane on the side of it". Anyone here on the Cabe have an Idea what it might be worth? I know Aerocycles inside and out but really don't have a clue what the current value would be.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

Picture number 3 shows the "original" grease and grime, It's only original once and that goes for the dirt too!  I WON'T BE CLEANING IT.


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## chitown (Jul 24, 2011)

*Lots!*

No idea on appraisal but just wanted to say... HOLY COW that's a sweet find you got there! That headlight lens alone is probably worth more than most the bikes people ask about on this site for an appraisal.

Hope you're ready for a PM onslaught!

Chris


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## irene_crystal (Jul 24, 2011)

I'd say its worth about $200, but if you really want to move it I'd double that offer!


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## Talewinds (Jul 24, 2011)

Man, every time I see one of these "I tripped over a pile of dog $%!& in my front yard and it turned out to be crude oil" threads I just wanna die.
 Incredible!


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## chitown (Jul 24, 2011)

Talewinds said:


> Man, every time I see one of these "I tripped over a pile of dog $%!& in my front yard and it turned out to be crude oil" threads I just wanna die.
> Incredible!




I have a similar experience but with me I tripped on a pile of dog $#!+ in my front yard and it turned out to be dog $#!+.


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## cyclingday (Jul 24, 2011)

$6,000.00 t0 $12,000.00

 The original paint fender in matching patina, which this bike cries out for is probably going to be a very tough find.

That will affect the value somewhat.

Those fenders are either attached to a complete bike, or they have been damaged and repainted.

The buyer for this bike is the guy who already has one, and he wants another one to mix and match the best of both bikes.

Needless to say, It is a very nice bike, and a great story of how it came to light.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

Now for the rest of the story, I've been collecting Aerocycle parts for a few years in a vain attempt to piece one together when I stumbled across this one. I was at the 2006 Oak Forest, Illinois bike show and been standing at one particular bike dealer's table when this guy (his name is Kevin) happened to ask the dealer about finding a fender for an old Schwinn. The dealer just kinda blew him off and went back to talking to one of his buddies. My father and I were standing right next to Kevin when this happened and we were talking about finding some schwinn parts at the time, Kevin turned to me and said "do you know anything about old Schwinns"? And then asked me about finding a front fender for his dad's old bike and then described it, the first thing I did was look around to see which bike dealer put this guy up to screwing with me. I asked him if I could see "this bike" and he said "sure, I only live a few blocks away", He gave me his address and rode off on his mountain bike. We drove over to the address that he gave me and when we pulled into his driveway, the Aerocycle was lying in front of his garage door. He told me that his father got it for his 16th birthday and he just wanted to fix it up a bit. I asked if it was for sale and he said that it wasn't but asked that if it were, what would it be worth? I told him that it was very rare and was probably worth around 4000 dollars or so (he said that he was thinking more around 400 dollars). I told him that I'd be interested in it but all I had on me was 2500.00. All I left with that day was Kevin's phone number and I checked on him/the bike about a week before the bike show the next 2 years just to make sure he DIDN'T show up with it. In 2009, I missed the bike show, but Kevin didn't. He entered the north end of the bike show with the Aerocycle and showed it to the first dealer that was set up on the north end of the show. It happened to be the only dealer (very well known and I'm not naming names) that I had ever said anything to about the bike. He offered him 1500 dollars for the bike and told him good luck getting any more than that and that I was full of crap with my estimate of the bike's value. Kevin then called me and his call went straight to my voice mail, He asked if I was at the show, said that he hadn't heard from me and was thinking about selling the bike, was just offered 1500... and to CALL HIM BACK. I called back and got his voicemail, I left a rather frantic message saying that I can't afford the bike so I guess I lose out but he's crazy if he takes less than 4000 for it...Screw that guy and his 1500! I figured at this point, after the bike being taken to a bike show, the Aerocycle was gone. An hour later my phone rang again and it was Kevin. He said that he only showed it to the one dealer and that "Jackwagon" pissed him off, so he left. He thanked me for being honest with him, and that the Aerocycle was back in his garage attic, and to just call him when I get the money, it would be waiting for me. In May of 2010, I refinanced my house to combine a 1st and 2nd mortgage and was able to borrow enough extra to pay off some bills, get the Aerocycle and a 1970 Dodge Super Bee that I've been Chasing since 2002.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

*A few more pics*


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## chitown (Jul 24, 2011)

Aerocycle36 said:


> ... the Aerocycle was back in his garage attic, and to just call him when I get the money, it would be waiting for me.




So you sat on that thing for 4 YEARS hoping he was still keeping it for you???!!! Crazy story! Great ending! Funny about the dealer low balling.

Show us some pics when you get some rubber on her.

Chris


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## Rust_Trader (Jul 24, 2011)

*Aero cycl*

Wow man, it's awesome.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

I didn't wait, I just couldn't get all the money together and I refused to borrow it. I could save 2500 or 3000 but anything more than that and something would come up and wipe out my savings. As for the dealer that lowballed the guy that had the bike, He got rather nasty with me when he found out that I bought it and told me that I had bought it out from underneath him. I told him that if he had made a decent offer that he would have owned it.  I also reminded him that I had discussed the bike with him on a few occasions over the few previous years and that he knew that I was still trying to come up with the money. So who was trying to buy it out from under who? I see that you are from the Chicago area, Trust me on this...you know him.


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## vincev (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm glad you were honest with the seller!You earned the reward of ownership.I read alot of these stories where the buyer comes on and brags about how he screwed someone.Thumbs up!I go to that show every year since i am over the border in Indiana. There are some sellers that are really rude to potential customers at that show. I dont know many of the sellers because I dont advertise i've been collecting bikes since 1980.I am curious as to who this seller was.


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## Talewinds (Jul 24, 2011)

That is a neat back-story! Congrats on attaining a long-lusted item that's been just out of reach for so long.


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## Zephyr (Jul 24, 2011)

It's like a fairy tail story. Unbelievable that after all those years the bike was still available. Good for you!


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

The owner wasn't a bike guy and definitely didn't need the money and I wasn't telling anybody who he was! The bike had a lot of sentimental value to him and I promised that if I were to buy it, I might replace parts that are missing or broke but I'm never going to restore it. it needs to be left exactly the way it is. As you can see, I haven't even cleaned off the old grime!


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## Djshakes (Jul 24, 2011)

*This one was a barn find*








Chased this one for a while and finally got it in last week.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

@DJShakes, Definitely alot nicer condition than mine! Congrats!!!! I've seen a group photos of this one in the internet a few months ago, How rough was your "chase"?


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

@DJShakes, Are you gonna do a resto or leave the paint alone? I have 2 blue front fenders and would REALLY like to have a silver one. (that is if you're gonna repaint)


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## Djshakes (Jul 24, 2011)

Definitely too nice to repaint.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 24, 2011)

I like the way you think! But you already knew that!


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## Rust_Trader (Jul 24, 2011)

*Barn find.*



Djshakes said:


> View attachment 24109View attachment 24110
> 
> Chased this one for a while and finally got it in last week.






Are you serious?? I remember this post, please do a new post with pictures and the end of the story.

That's a clean aero cycle djshakes.


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## old hotrod (Jul 24, 2011)

Great score Tim...love to see more pics of the clean up in progress...


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## Djshakes (Jul 25, 2011)

I have since put the seat on.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 25, 2011)

*Greens07*

@ Greens07, I not sure if you were referring to my post or DJShakes post being  a rehash. The 9 photos that I posted were taken yesterday morning. When I bought my bike, I brought it home and put it in the corner of my dining room and then 2 weeks later, I took it up to the 2010 Oak Forest bike show basically to show it to some of my friends who wanted to see it (that's when and where I had my little run in with the dealer who said I bought it out from underneath him). After the show, I brought it back home and put it back in the dining room and up until yesterday, hadn't laid a finger on it...I never took photos of it or even looked at the serial number until yesterday morning. As for DJShakes photos, I saw the whole series of photos that his 2 pics were taken from a few months ago on the internet and although I don't remember who posted those photos or where, I do remember that the poster said that they were still trying to work out a deal for the bike. So I'll take DJ at his word.


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## Rust_Trader (Jul 25, 2011)

Both of you guys are so lucky!!!

I seen pictures for both and they're just awesome, I'm glad you got it and not some stingy dealer.! I wish I could make a find like that someday.

Keep us updated with any add ons.


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## schwinnderella (Jul 25, 2011)

Aerocycle36 said:


> I see that you are from the Chicago area, Trust me on this...you know him.




I am from the chicago area too,how about just giving the dealer's initials.


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## Aerocycle36 (Jul 25, 2011)

*@ Schwinnderella*

Sorry, I'm not naming names, our local bike collecting community is much too small and even though its the truth, I'm probably going to take heat for what I've posted on here already. A dealer makes a living by buying low and selling high, that's how they stay in business. The one I was talking about probably feels that he was justified in making the "lowball" offer that he made and he probably feels justified in being ticked off at me for preventing him of making a few thousand dollars profit on a single deal. If he had bought that bike, you would of read his posting of his "great buy" instead of mine. I was honest with the bike's owner and that probably cost me a couple of thousand dollars more than I probably could of gotten the bike for to begin with, but I was under the impression that it wasn't ever going to be for sale so I told him what I thought the market value for it was at the time and that's the price that I ended up paying. I guess at that point it didn't matter because an Aerocycle was my dream bike, this one was the first one that I ever saw in person and I was the guy that "discovered" it... I had to have THAT bike!


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## ABC Services (Aug 1, 2011)

*in my opinion aero*

you didnt find the bike, the bike found you.


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