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OK cough it up! How do you find your scores??

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Here is the secret..... ride your vintage bike and ride it often. Folks love to strike up conversations . you hear alot of " i had one of those" but once in a while you get " I have one of those ". people just need to know its something your into. heres a real examlpe..I used to ride my vintage cruiser to work. a co worker says " I have my bike from when I was a kid in my dads raftets" I pick up 100 % orig. 72 Stingray "Orange Krate" for 200 bucks. I spruce it up and start riding it to work. now a customer of mine says he has one similar but its taken apart. I can have for 50 bucks.. to my suprise its a 68' Lemon Peeler Krate ! you will be suprised how much stuff is in your own bakyard.
 
Go to car shows , go to one of the many bike shows ,I bought my bluebird for 2500, I bought my skylark for 400.00, I will pay high , and I will pay low , I have payed more than the asking price , to insure the people will contact me , if anything else is found! , THE last 91 new mail I bought for 3000.00 it was hanging from the ceiling at a harley davidson shop in spartenburg
 
These are all great ideas.
Have some custom biz cards printed up with a bicycle motif, hand them out to antique shop dealers, estate sales folks, auctioneers, service people that see storage areas(as someone else mentioned)...anyone who may come across vintage bicycles. Let them know you can help value them and that you're always buying them as well. And BE HONEST about what the bike is worth if they want help with valuations.
Also, talk about your hobby with friends, acquaintances, whoever. You never know who has an friend, relative, etc that may have something really special in their basement or rafters but doesn't know how to get rid of it.
Finally, be willing to travel; this weekend I'm driving 8 hrs RT to fetch a bike I really want, I've seen serious collectors here talking about 2-3 day trips just to pickup a bike.
 
If there is a bike you are willing to pay up for then the bike shows are great.Dont expect a super cheap deal when dealing with another bike collector.Best deals are found at the least likely places to find a bike. Dont insult a seller by low balling . Make a fair offer and see what happens.Always better off getting the price from the seller first instead of shooting the first price.
 
If there is a bike you are willing to pay up for then the bike shows are great. Dont expect a super cheap deal when dealing with another bike collector...
I feel the inverse is true in the case of commonplace, lower value bikes. The collector knows it's not gold, and usually puts a fair price on it. The local Craigslist ads I've seen tend to lean towards the TV show pricing on anything old.
 
In my opinion, if you don't collect they will come to you over time. That has been my experience. Patience and being picky will deliver the goods in the end. Set a goal, keep your standards high and you might not become consumed by it. Or, maybe you will, who knows.
 
I agree. I used to buy any old bike that crossed my path. Pretty soon you have 5 or 6 mediocre middleweight 1/2 ballon tire spraybomb 80's repop wonders your gonna " restore " or "re-do ". then realize they arent worth diddly and half the parts are new or wrong. Educate yourself on values of specific bikes even if they are not your cup of tea. you can always flip an original bike to someone who is into that style and make few extra bucks to put towards your focused bike.
 
I have done very well with Craigslist, found BOTH (yes!) my 22" Dl-1s there, the first I drove all the way to Duxbury, MA for-over 600 miles round trip ! The second was only about 2 hours away. I found a MINT 1966 Dunelt with S3C hub (pictures when I figure out how) in Tuckahoe, NY, took the train for that one. Here in Mercer County, NJ we have the Trenton Bike Exchange, I found a very nice 1960s Sunbeam-with Dunlop tires.
 
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