Doug Smith wrote:
> Members would perhaps be interested to know that since collecting
> frames,complete machines, period parts for my London bike collection
> over the last 10 years I have never once purchased on E.Bay. I have
> never needed cycle jumbles or auctions for my proposed restoration
> projects. They always come either , by word of mouth , contacts in the
> Veteran -Cycle - Club or advertisments in the local or national
> magazines. [...]
>
> To me this has been the most convenient way of purchasing the goods one
> requires and gives me the satisfaction of having dealt with persons like
> myself who frequently has surplus to requirements to pass on to each
> other without the uncertainty whether the purchased goods are genuine or
> not. I also accept that folk in the USA are in a different position to
> us in the UK where spares appear to be harder to obtain especially
> entering in to any proposed transaction when taking into consideration
> the distance and the size of our two countries.
That probably works well in urban areas where there is a relative abundance of high quality vintage bikes and enthusiasts who collect them, but my my area (north-eastern Wisconsin) such things are few and far between. Bike swaps are almost exclusively gas-pipe boat anchors, with a smattering of medium quality BMX and mountain bikes. I've *never* seen a road bike that I would consider to be collectable available locally, and I've lived here since 1987. In short, I rely on this list and eBay for my needs.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA