Army Surplus Bicycles

[Mercian]

Hi @Real1

Cosmolene is pretty good stuff. You can remove it quite easily by soaking the part in petrol/diesel.

There was a museum in the north of France that was selling items recovered from the seabed in the mulberry harbour area, including parts in cosmolene as souvineers.
A friend bought a starter motor bendix for a gmc, dissolved off the cosmoline and fitted it. Perfect order after 60 years on the seabed ( and cheaper than a dealer).

 

[Real1]

Yeah, I know about Cosmolene, trust me.

Kevin

 

[Axman88]

Coleman's in Millersburg, PA is my go-to for military surplus. Even though we still have a couple of milsurp stores in the area, their price and selection are better. I especially like to use milsurp packs as panniers or saddlebags on my two wheelers. Coleman's has quite a selection. https://colemans.com/shop/product-category/pouches-bags/

Of course, nowadays a lot of the stock will be coming from other countries:

Swiss Military M 93 Bicycle

THIS PRODUCT IS SOLD OUT. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR AVAILABILITY. Peddling down the dark mountainous path through one village into the next with the magnet gene

colemans.com

 

[Pedals Past]

We still have a real army surplus store in Vallejo. It's called the Victory Store. We used to have a lot more surplus stores.

Brewsters in Napa …. with the giant Ben Davis add ppainted on the side of building corner of Pearl and Main spent sll my lawn mowing money there in the early 60’s

 

[spoke2]

my first bike was from a real army surplus store,would have been in the 50.s lot of ww2 stuff,my dad bought 2 bikes for 10 bucks eack,they were nos,the only thing I remember about them is the had large spokes and wooden pedal blocks,2 top bars,army green,I would say they resembled columbias

 

[Pedals Past]

I seen to remember hearing that surplus BSA paratroopers were sold at the PXs here in Northern California.

AGE in Vallejo? or Mare Island? maybe at Travis? My cub scout leader did the bakery delivery at both bases his boys were my age we would ride along I remember piles of gas masks being given away at MI and running around on Silverado Trail on our sting rays with them on playing combat I made a wooden Thompson mounted it on butterfly bars it was our half track

 

[64Jazz]

Army Surplus stores we so much fun as a kid! A big one my dad used to take us to was in Westminster near Beach Blvd (early 70's?)
. We bought lots of parchutes to make stuff with in Indian Guides. I don't remember any bikes though.

 

[AS-1]

Brewsters in Napa …. with the giant Ben Davis add ppainted on the side of building corner of Pearl and Main spent sll my lawn mowing money there in the early 60’s

I bought all my khaki pants at the A&N Store. 1961-1980. Starched and pressed, already broken in! Those were the days.

 

[vincev]

we had 2 REAL surplus store where you could buy WW2 items,radio parts,gas masks,uniforms,military clothing,etc.The prices were so cheap. What a great time to be young....

 

[Mercian]

About 2001 I toured west coast USA, and visited a surplus store near Carmel, California.
I collected WW2 equipment at that time, and it was an eye opener to see so many things considered ‘raré in the uk, laying unregarded on the shelves.
I bought some good items, limited by my baggage allowance. (-:
Then came EBay, and all these items had long been cleared and sold the next time I was there….