Finding A Vintage Bicycle

For many people one of the first and most difficult steps to owning your own vintage bicycle is simply the process of just tracking a good one down. vintage bicycles are rare and it can be hard and often frustrating to find one that’s in any kind of decent condition to buy. his can be especially complicated if you are looking for a certain make or model of bicycle or if you have other specifications like a time period you are purchasing in or even a color you might want yours to be. These may seem like minor details but they can make a big difference in how long it takes you to find your vintage bicycle and what it will take to purchase it.

One of the easiest things you can do to start down your path of finding a vintage bicycle is to start tapping into the many resources for vintage bikes that are available online. Other sites just like A Vintage Bike may have tips on finding bikes or even listing for people who are looking to sell their bike. You can also try sites like Ebay and Craigslist to find bikes but be aware that when you buy from global sites like Ebay that you’ll more than likely end up paying pretty hefty shipping fees to get your bike to wherever you are.  With sites like Craigslist you’ll more than likely be looking in an area that’s close by but your selection of bikes to choose from will be a lot more limited. So weight the pros and cons of different places and make your decisions accordingly.

There are also some cities that have bicycle stores that specialize in retro or vintage bikes (either in selling or in the restoration or repair of such bikes) that can be a great way to find the bike that you want. You may end up paying a little bit more for a bike at such stores but in turn you usually get more information on the bike, including its make, model, and year and you also can pick up some handy tips on fixing your bike from the sellers at the store.

Another great place to look for vintage bicycles is at antique stores. Many antique stores (especially in smaller towns) will have a few bicycles that they’ve come across over the years available for purchase and sometimes, if you get lucky, you can find a really nice one that just needs a little care. Antique stores are usually less expensive than other places you might find your bike so that is another bonus as well but they often don’t have much information on the bike so you’ll have to do some research yourself.

You can also look at garage or estate sales for vintage bicycles but this is a very hit and miss technique as sometimes you’ll get lucky and find a bike but more often than not you won’t find anything of value and it can get frustrating to keep going to garage sale after garage sale without finding a bike. It’s best to keep your patience up here and stay dedicated because garage sales usually are very cheap ways to get a bike and sometimes you can get very lucky and find a bike you love that you wouldn’t have been able to find elsewhere.