> No need to stockpile parts as they are available from the guys who
> stockpiled the parts when they were young and the parts were current.
> These guys stopped riding decades ago and have no use for the stuff; in
> other words free to whoever will take it off their hands.
>
> The reality is that most bikes never get ridden more than a year or two
> in the owner's lifetime. Think about the ratio of bikes sold in the
> last hundred years to the miles ridden!
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, California
Not to disagree, but not all of these lightly-used parts are ones that I want. A buddy just found a 5 speed 14-28 freewheel at a hardware store in a nearby small town, and bought it for me, knowing that I'm a retro kind of guy. It was very nice of him, but I really don't need this size freewheel. I'm looking more for 13-24 freewheels that'll work with Campy NR rear derailleurs. These do pop up on ebay, particularly from Tom Hanson, but I don't see them anywhere else. Fortunately, I've benefited from a friend who has been seduced by indexed shifting. He gave me a good deal on a big box of Sun Tour cogs and a number of Winner Pro bodies and spacers. Ought to keep me going for quite a while if I quit using them on my daily bike. In general, the consumable items are probably the biggest risk. Tires, chains, sprockets, h-bar tape, plastic cleats for my shoes. French threaded parts? Already, 27" tires are becoming limited, and many bikes can't easily accomodate 700C wheels. Best to buy a few parts now, just to meet your expected needs, especially if they won't go bad in storage. And if you don't use the parts, you can auction them off on ebay for thousands of dollars!
Steve Kurt
Peoria, IL