# trexlertown, pa spring show



## kos22us (Apr 23, 2015)

any cabers going to make it to this swap ?


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## morton (Apr 24, 2015)

kos22us said:


> any cabers going to make it to this swap ?




Plan on going Saturday....hope to see many vendors and stuff to buy cause its about a 120 mile round trip for me.


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## jd56 (Apr 24, 2015)

What's the dates?

It's all about the Tanklights!!

How did I run out of room so fast?


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## mike j (Apr 24, 2015)

Fri.- Sun. May 1st thru 3rd. I may go, though it was a disappointment last spring. Possibly because the fall show is so good. You never know what may turn up & it's just about 2 hrs. away. Photo's from last spring's show.


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## Wayne Adam (Apr 24, 2015)

*I'll be there*

I'll me there because I always go to the VeloFest at the Velodrome which is next to the Firehouse. 
I went to the Spring Swap last year, and as Mike stated, it wasn't very much, but it was the first year.
Each year should get better, and it is a pretty short ride for me. 
   See you there..........Wayne


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## bikiba (Apr 24, 2015)

Going to try the Saturday... Abt 60 min drive for me


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## kos22us (Apr 24, 2015)

with the swap being so close to Copake and just days off of memory lane/ ann arbor im curious how attendance will be, pretty sure ill be going sat. though and check it out for myself


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## Euphman06 (Apr 27, 2015)

I'll be there! I think I'm taking a half day of work on Friday to go when it starts. Saturday morning is soccer practice with the kid....although maybe I'll go afterwords as well.


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## nj_shore (Apr 28, 2015)

Trex always the worst timing for me.  This weekend I will be moving, really hoping to make the 2 hour trip from NJ Saturday or Sunday.


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## 38Bike (Apr 28, 2015)

I'll be there Friday afternoon.  Hope the weather is nice.


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## Euphman06 (Apr 28, 2015)

Last I checked Friday is supposed to be messy.... I might hold out till saturday day break if thats the case.


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## bikejunk (Apr 28, 2015)

I will be their sat with a fist full of bills .....gas bill, electric bill ,visa............


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## slick (Apr 28, 2015)

Is there anyone thats going that would be willing to pick up and ship a bike for a good friend of mine? The seller is a caber.


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## kingsting (Apr 30, 2015)

I'll be there for Velofest and will probably be zipping back and forth between the two shows all day Saturday. Might bring a change of clothes and a sleeping bag and stay til Sunday.


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## KevinM (May 1, 2015)

I am coming in from Texas so I plan to see you all there. Scott the owner of this site couldn't make it. Oh well I am going to eat all the Nutterbutters then. Kevin


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## Euphman06 (May 1, 2015)

I'm going tonight after work with my kids, and will probably return tomorrow morning at daybreak by myself to see if anything new pops up.


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## Euphman06 (May 1, 2015)

I'll be looking for a pair of blackwall balloon tires and possibly some Elgin grips if the price is right... (just throwing it out there).


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## bikiba (May 2, 2015)

went this morning. weather was great. was full of schwinn krates and people buying a lot of reflectors and odds and ends. I only saw maybe 3-4 bikes go.

i bought a few sets of better pedals i needed to swap out on my bikes old pedals and an amf tricycle in pretty nice condition, some fadedpaint from the 60s.

given the number of people in attendance and the low number of vendors i think this will be my last spring show. the photos above look better than what was there this time


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## Euphman06 (May 2, 2015)

I went Friday night and there were about 15 people there and 4 vendors. Decided not to go back today with other stuff going on anyway.


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## mike j (May 2, 2015)

Arrived a little before 0900 this morning. I believe the show has improved over last year. Considering the odds against it; i.e. right on the heels of Copake, Memory Lane/ Anarbor. Not to mention the parallels to the fall show. It was fun, got to talk to some Caber's, picked up some nice parts. A couple of random photo's.


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## bicycle larry (May 2, 2015)

*trexlertown pa spring show*

thanks for the pictures mike j  from bicycle larry


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## RoaringPanther (May 3, 2015)

I'm brand new to posting to the CABE but have been in the balloon tire hobby over 20 years and I thought it would help others to know not to travel too far for this spring show next year.... I thought last year's Spring Trexlertown swap meet couldn't have been any worse; but this year as far as bike swap meets go this was a disgrace! There were only a handful of vendors and most of the bikes were lightweight junkers, krates and just a few ballooners with insane prices on them. This was my second year in attendance and I will NOT do it again. The fall show has gotten bad enough over the years and probably lost half its vendors and attendance but that I will give a few more chances. I feel very sorry for anyone who traveled a great distance to get to this show.... what a waste of time and gas.


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## bikejunk (May 3, 2015)

I hit the show 2 times early sat (6am) and sunday at around 10 am  found some parts saturday-- early block chain . chain adjusters and a break lever for my bsa folding bike, and an early catalog . suday missed out on a nice enough Columbia chain-less with straight pull hubs but i bought some much needed odd service parts   so a bike show is what you make of it  

 (one of the best flea markets I ever went to had about 10 dealers and one hub lamp for 65 bucks)


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## bicycle larry (May 3, 2015)

*trexlertown pa spring show*

any body get any more pictures of the swap meet  from bicycle larry


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## THEGOLDENGREEK (May 3, 2015)

Im my opinion the reason there wasn't to many vendors at Trexlertown this past weekend, was because there was Copake a couple weeks ago plus Memory lane@ Ann harbor. I think people might have went to those instead of this show. Plus to many show's going all at once is alot for some people to attend. It would have been a great turn around if they did before all the main shows or after like maybe in July when there are none. That's just my opinion!! But Trexlertown has and always be a great show to attend in October!


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## mike j (May 4, 2015)

Last spring, I left the Trexlertown swap extremely disappointed. Possibly, this year, I went w/ not much expectations, because of last spring's experience & this show being on the tail end of Copake, Ann arbor/ Memory lane. Had a list of smalls needed to finish/ improve several projects. Was able to fill it & met some good Caber's. As previously stated, a show is what you make of it.


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (May 4, 2015)

Yes not a lot of vendors but as mike j said  talked to a few cabers bought a nice schwinn hornet and i know everyone has there opinion but to say the show was a disgrace is kind of strong.AND I QUOTE OPINIONS ARE LIKE A-- HOLES EVERYONE HAS ONE


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## bikiba (May 4, 2015)

i dont think it was a disgrace, but it was nothing compared to the October show.

i also think you can choose to have a good time or not, but saying the show is what you make of it i dont buy. if the bikes, parts, people or even weather is not on point, no amount of me "willing" the show to be good will make it a good one. that said i found some needed pedals 

an end of may or early june time for the show makes a lot of sense in terms of timings of the bigger shows


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (May 4, 2015)

bikiba said:


> i dont think it was a disgrace, but it was nothing compared to the October show.
> 
> i also think you can choose to have a good time or not, but saying the show is what you make of it i dont buy. if the bikes, parts, people or even weather is not on point, no amount of me "willing" the show to be good will make it a good one. that said i found some needed pedals
> 
> an end of may or early june time for the show makes a lot of sense in terms of timings of the bigger shows




If you drive 2 or 3 hours to get there and you see about 15 vendors are you going to turn around and go home or stay and make the best of it.There were more vendors this year then last year so that is a improvment.


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## RoaringPanther (May 4, 2015)

So much fuss over the word disgrace being used really amazes me. I didn't know only warm and fuzzy talk was allowed but I stand by my previous post because I stated fact; not fiction. Anytime a show is advertised in advance people are going to be excited about the prospect of possibly finding the item they have been looking for and have a great time doing it. If you advertise a show people expect that there should be enough vendors, parts, bikes, and related items to make the trip worthwhile. In some cases people have to drive hundreds of miles to get there and when you are able to see the whole thing in 10 minutes you are going to have a lot of disappointed people. I just happen to be one of those people and I'm not going to sugar-coat it and say how wonderful it was so that I can be viewed as a positive person. Last spring was the first time this spring show was advertised and held. I was real glad to read about it and I attended with high hopes of having a great day. Me and some friends got there and could not believe that the parking lot looked empty with way too few vendors and attendees. We figured because it was the first spring show and perhaps not advertised early enough that was the reason for the small turnout. So we went again this year and there were fewer vendors than last year. I don’t know how long some of you guys have been attending the Trexlertown Fall show but I have attended for many, many years and up until maybe the last three or four years the grounds were absolutely covered on all four sides and up and down the center with vendors, bikes, bikes, parts, and more bikes and if you didn’t arrive by 5 or 6 am with your flashlight in hand much of the good stuff was gone already… I used to leave there every year with at least 3 sometimes 4 bikes and lots of parts… but in recent years the fall show is a shadow of what it used to be so excuse me when I use a terrible word like disgrace to describe these shows, but as far as I’m concerned when people have to travel such long distances with the cost of gas being what it is, your time, etc. for such a letdown to me that’s a disgrace. For all of you who love to put a positive spin on things… here’s my positive spin on this story: The Home Town Diner coming into Trexlertown is fabulous! Whether you get breakfast or lunch their food is the best! The people, the service and the huge parking lot make it a special place to spend some time.


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## GTs58 (May 4, 2015)

RoaringPanther said:


> So much fuss over the word disgrace being used really amazes me. I didn't know only warm and fuzzy talk was allowed but I stand by my previous post because I stated fact; not fiction. Anytime a show is advertised in advance people are going to be excited about the prospect of possibly finding the item they have been looking for and have a great time doing it. If you advertise a show people expect that there should be enough vendors, parts, bikes, and related items to make the trip worthwhile. In some cases people have to drive hundreds of miles to get there and when you are able to see the whole thing in 10 minutes you are going to have a lot of disappointed people. I just happen to be one of those people and I'm not going to sugar-coat it and say how wonderful it was so that I can be viewed as a positive person. Last spring was the first time this spring show was advertised and held. I was real glad to read about it and I attended with high hopes of having a great day. Me and some friends got there and could not believe that the parking lot looked empty with way too few vendors and attendees. We figured because it was the first spring show and perhaps not advertised early enough that was the reason for the small turnout. So we went again this year and there were fewer vendors than last year. I don’t know how long some of you guys have been attending the Trexlertown Fall show but I have attended for many, many years and up until maybe the last three or four years the grounds were absolutely covered on all four sides and up and down the center with vendors, bikes, bikes, parts, and more bikes and if you didn’t arrive by 5 or 6 am with your flashlight in hand much of the good stuff was gone already… I used to leave there every year with at least 3 sometimes 4 bikes and lots of parts… but in recent years the fall show is a shadow of what it used to be so excuse me when I use a terrible word like disgrace to describe these shows, but as far as I’m concerned when people have to travel such long distances with the cost of gas being what it is, your time, etc. for such a letdown to me that’s a disgrace. For all of you who love to put a positive spin on things… here’s my positive spin on this story: The Home Town Diner coming into Trexlertown is fabulous! Whether you get breakfast or lunch their food is the best! The people, the service and the huge parking lot make it a special place to spend some time.





I'll give you a thumbs up! I got all warm and fuzzy reading your post.


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (May 5, 2015)

Welcome to the warm and fuzzy cabe


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## bikiba (May 5, 2015)

RoaringPanther said:


> So much fuss over the word disgrace being used really amazes me. I didn't know only warm and fuzzy talk was allowed but I stand by my previous post because I stated fact; not fiction. Anytime a show is advertised in advance people are going to be excited about the prospect of possibly finding the item they have been looking for and have a great time doing it. If you advertise a show people expect that there should be enough vendors, parts, bikes, and related items to make the trip worthwhile. In some cases people have to drive hundreds of miles to get there and when you are able to see the whole thing in 10 minutes you are going to have a lot of disappointed people. I just happen to be one of those people and I'm not going to sugar-coat it and say how wonderful it was so that I can be viewed as a positive person. Last spring was the first time this spring show was advertised and held. I was real glad to read about it and I attended with high hopes of having a great day. Me and some friends got there and could not believe that the parking lot looked empty with way too few vendors and attendees. We figured because it was the first spring show and perhaps not advertised early enough that was the reason for the small turnout. So we went again this year and there were fewer vendors than last year. I don’t know how long some of you guys have been attending the Trexlertown Fall show but I have attended for many, many years and up until maybe the last three or four years the grounds were absolutely covered on all four sides and up and down the center with vendors, bikes, bikes, parts, and more bikes and if you didn’t arrive by 5 or 6 am with your flashlight in hand much of the good stuff was gone already… I used to leave there every year with at least 3 sometimes 4 bikes and lots of parts… but in recent years the fall show is a shadow of what it used to be so excuse me when I use a terrible word like disgrace to describe these shows, but as far as I’m concerned when people have to travel such long distances with the cost of gas being what it is, your time, etc. for such a letdown to me that’s a disgrace. For all of you who love to put a positive spin on things… here’s my positive spin on this story: The Home Town Diner coming into Trexlertown is fabulous! Whether you get breakfast or lunch their food is the best! The people, the service and the huge parking lot make it a special place to spend some time.




thumbs up from me too... i like living in reality


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## mike j (May 5, 2015)

The reality is that maybe this hobby isn't as popular as it has been in the past. The reality is that if you've" been in the ballon tire hobby for twenty years", have been to shows, especially last years spring & fall Trexlertown swaps, also being aware that Copake, Memory Lane & AnnArbor have just been held,you might not, logically, have unreal expectations of this show. The reality is that there are a lot more small shows out there, than large ones. I've found some of my best deals at shows that some would find disappointing. To me, this show was well worth my drive of just under two hours. Picked up what I needed. Sounds like I should have stopped for the breakfast though.


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## SirMike1983 (May 5, 2015)

bikiba said:


> thumbs up from me too... i like living in reality




I agree as well- I think I would be disappointed too, if I drove up to PA only to find such a show. I think you need a good critical mass and good weather to drive several hours. I think this one was just too close to the other, bigger shows this year.


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## Harvest Cyclery (May 6, 2015)

Last weekend was the third swap weekend in a row for me. Copake, Memory Lane / Ann Arbor. Firehouse / Velo Fest, and this weekend the Brooklyn Bike Jumble. I drove two hours for this show. Totally worth it.  Sure it was small and not a ton of vendors at the firehouse, but I got to spend quality time with my swap buddies and got to enjoy a nice session on the track with Billy rounds rode the rolling hills in the sunshine saturday evening.   

Seems like a lot of folks who came for the Firehouse show didn't stick around or were not interested in the Velodrome show.  I scored this early Bastid Stayer / Motorpaced bike that was raced by Charlie Jaeger in the early morning at the Velodrome show.


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## walter branche (May 6, 2015)

good show, bad show -the thing is ,you never know who is going to pull in with a bike ,or pickup or trailer load . it happens , you have to be there , .. I have been involved , before bike shows were ever thought of , .. Lots of stuff happens from talking amongst yourselves while hanging around , ..  just because you did not get your part or dream bike , does not = bad show , all it takes is 1 deal to make you happy , .. have fun , share your ability and knowledge . now back to your regular scheduled announcements


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## catfish (May 6, 2015)

walter branche said:


> good show, bad show -the thing is ,you never know who is going to pull in with a bike ,or pickup or trailer load . it happens , you have to be there , .. I have been involved , before bike shows were ever thought of , .. Lots of stuff happens from talking amongst yourselves while hanging around , ..  just because you did not get your part or dream bike , does not = bad show , all it takes is 1 deal to make you happy , .. have fun , share your ability and knowledge . now back to your regular scheduled announcements




Good point.


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## JOEL (May 7, 2015)

The timing of the swap meet is unfortunate with ML/AA the week before and Copake two weeks earlier. However, this is the logical time to do it since the Velodrome meet is the same weekend. 

I did Copake, ML/AA, and Trexlertown and did well at all of them. Though Trexlertown had a light turnout, there were several quality bikes sold. I bought more bikes there than at Memory Lane. Thanks to Joe for managing it.


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