Where have all the good bikes gone?

[Sped Man]

Looks like there is nothing good on Ebay, Offer Up, Facebook Market Place, The CABE, or Craigslist. I have been looking for months. What has happened to all the cool bikes? All I see on those sites is bicycles I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. When a decent bike pops up the price is through the roof. Any ideas why? Has someone hoarded all the good bikes or are they waiting for the dollar to go up? Any ideas?

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

It wasn't me.

 

[buickmike]

You have not been as active as you were 5-7 years ago ?. Even now the prices of the PARTS more than doubled I been late to the party but by constantly looking I could see trends developing. So now what I do is refine the bikes I built 10 years ago Got at least five wheelsets spoked and ready to go. A quartet of long spring seat, frontloader, silveray, hornlite, so I can change accessories as I please. I am glad to own a couple CWC bikes.as well. Without the tanks the old bikes ran it's just another bike. I probably own 9-10 bikes . Hard to count because there in every corner of every room. I don't bother going to swap meets anymore. Bike or car.

 

[Freqman1]

A lot of the good stuff moves through private transactions.

 

[Rollo]

...I usually find good bikes at the premiere bicycle swap meets ...

 

[Shawn Michael]

What do you consider a good bike, and what kind of budget do you have? I have found a few lately myself. I picked up this ugly one recently for the tank.

 

[SirMike1983]

A lot of the good stuff moves through private transactions.

Yes - the really good stuff often changes hands this way, perhaps now more so than previously. Of the higher end bikes I've gotten in the past year, all but one were private transactions with collectors I knew fairly well.

 

[39Rocket]

Yep I bought a lot of great bikes this year that were never listed anywhere. The sellers told me they had them and we struck a deal.

 

[Chadillac]

It’s a matter of taste and timing or who you know.

 

[prewarbikes4sale]

You have to be willing to step up for the good stuff.
Relationships with other collectors you usually get offered bikes before ever been listed anywhere. most of all don’t be a jerk