The Chainlink

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).

Views: 441

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

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

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.

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.

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

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

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!...

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.

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

Loose screws is closing soon. bummer.

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.

Any reason why you prefer older parts?

I have always worked with older bicycles. My dad always tinkers with vintage bicycles. I am working on a vintage bike right now, and I just need to find somewhere where I can find parts for it. I have tried adding newer parts to older bicycles before, and most of the time it just doesn't work. Simple things like changing out the bars, chain, seat, etc are fine, but working with a BB and wheels is where it gets tricky. I thought that if I could find somewhere that carried old parts that I might be able to find something that will work for my build. 

ChrisO! said:

Any reason why you prefer older parts?

RSS

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service