First Bike

[links0311]

I am looking to get my first antique bike here soon and have a few questions? First, where is the best place to look to get a great deal on a bike? I have checked out the local flea markets and antique markets. I plan on going to some garage sales and auctions, and am in no hurry to buy my first. I'll know it's the one when I see it. I was wondering where you found the best deals. Second, I like the bikes that look like they have gas tanks under the top tube. What style of bike is this? i would like to start calling around to find one of these bikes, without doing all the driving. Did bikes come in sizes like they do now? I am taller and need a bigger frame. Can I solve this problem with a longer seat post, or are there other tricks to get around this? Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you.

-Beau

 

[shutterbugKELLY]

Hello Beau,

Let friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. know that you're on the look-out for interesting old bicycles. A guy at my dad's work brought this one in for my dad. We gave him $50 for his trouble. Here's a pic of it before restoration. It's a beauty now, I'll have to take some after pics...

I've also found that garage sales are definitely some of the best places to start, but there's a catch. I personally never found a great bicycle on sale at a garage sale. They're usually 10 speeds, mountain bikes, etc. But, by striking up a conversation with the seller about bicycles, you may come across a jewel. Our 1953 Firestone Holiday (Monark) came from a man who having a yard sale, but said that he had an old bicycle in storage that we could have if we wanted it. It was a basket case when we got it, but here it is now...

At another garage sale, a woman said that there were a couple of old bikes in the back of the barn if we were interested and that she'd sell the pair for $15. One time, we were a couple months too late. The woman had taken 2 stingrays (one was a krate) that had been stored in the attic to Goodwill. She said that nobody wanted them. Had the timing been right, we could have picked a couple of stingrays for nothing. At another sale, the couple mentioned that they had a bicycle hanging up in the rafters. The woman's father had brought it back from England during WWII, he had traded his gun for it. I think that they said that they'd sell it for $50. We passed on it, because it was a girl's bicycle. There are definitely bicycles still to be found.

Dumb luck is also good if you've got it. The first old bicycle we ever bought was a 1939 Huffman Airflyte, Twin-Flex. Shortly before my dad's cousin died, she wanted us to have it as well as her mother's tricycle to keep them in the family. Though we gave her $100 for the Twin-Flex and $50 for the Arrowcycle tricycle. We had no idea how great of a find it was. We actually left the Twin-Flex sitting in the attic for a couple of years. It was only missing the headlight and grips. The original paint was all intact and some of the chrome was excellent. Here it is after restoration...

We too like bicycles with tanks, pretty much only high end boy's bicycles from the 1920s - 1950s with tanks, lights, racks, horns, etc. For us, it's really about the quality and not the quantity.

Good luck on finding your first bicycle!
Kelly : )