Old (vintage) parts?

Anyone know where I can find vintage bike parts on the cheap? Went to the Chicago winter bike swap and was disappointed in the selection of old parts. I'm one of those stubborn builders who only likes to play with older bikes (70's and older).

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Permalink Reply by grayn8 (5.3 - 36) on January 27, 2013 at 9:49pm

Have you checked out Working Bikes on Western Ave? I was also hoping it would be more of a swap type meet and less stores / carbon shiny thingies.

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Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on January 27, 2013 at 9:57pm

Working bikes at 2434 S. Western ave. has tons of old parts. Open Wed/Thu 12-7 Fri/Sat 12-5.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 27, 2013 at 10:10pm

I'm glad you felt the same. I was really disappointed. Nothing against new shiny thingies, but I was hoping for older/more parts available. I plan to check Working Bikes out next weekend. I'm also interested as volunteering as a mechanic there. The website says they are in desperate need for mechanics at any skill level.

grayn8 (5.3 - 36) said:

Have you checked out Working Bikes on Western Ave? I was also hoping it would be more of a swap type meet and less stores / carbon shiny thingies.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 27, 2013 at 10:19pm

I have checked their website and was unsure about weather or not the actually sold individual parts. It looked like they only sell whole bikes, but if they sell individual parts, thats great news! Thanks for the heads up!

Ace Mann said:

Working bikes at 2434 S. Western ave. has tons of old parts. Open Wed/Thu 12-7 Fri/Sat 12-5.

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Permalink Reply by Juan Primo on January 27, 2013 at 11:41pm

They sell whole bikes and single parts too. It's like the swap meet you dreamed of. Lots of diving in parts-buckets.

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Permalink Reply by notoriousDUG on January 28, 2013 at 12:42am

Working bikes, West Town Bikes and the internet are your best bet for old stuff.

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Permalink Reply by bk (aka: Dr. Mambohead) on January 28, 2013 at 1:41am

if you can follow or catch a gutter gnome and find their roost?... you'll discover a gold mine in parts... a gold mine i tells ya!...

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams 6.6 mi on January 28, 2013 at 10:42am

And Quick Release. It is a one man bike shop, and his business is not dealing in parts, but if you have a very specific need Joe might be able to help you out. He has a lot of vintage stuff filed away.

1527 N Ashland Ave
(between Le Moyne St & Pierce Ave)

(773) 871-3110

I would definitely go to Working Bikes first though - if you do find what you need there it will probably cost less than anywhere else.

notoriousDUG said:

Working bikes, West Town Bikes and the internet are your best bet for old stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Schneider on January 28, 2013 at 10:48am

You can always get some stuff on eBay, of course, but not usually cheap. You might also try:

http://www.loosescrews.com/

They seem to have a lot of NOS misc. parts. I bought something from them once (don't even recall what it was, now) and the transaction was OK. Again, not necessarily cheap, but reasonable.

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Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on January 28, 2013 at 11:20am

I think ebay is probably the easiest place to find quality parts without going on a scavenger hunt.

Loose screws is closing soon. bummer.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 28, 2013 at 12:41pm

If you don't have any luck between now and then, you may want to check out the Bike Swap on 3/9. In past years, there have been a fair number of individuals and groups selling a variety of used parts.