RE: [CR]Dumpster/Yard Sale/Thrift Store Finds?

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Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
Subject: RE: [CR]Dumpster/Yard Sale/Thrift Store Finds?
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:18:08 -0500
In-Reply-To: <OFD33530BF.1B9CD1D9-ON8525728B.004A0574-8525728B.004B6CB7@gm.com>
Thread-Topic: [CR]Dumpster/Yard Sale/Thrift Store Finds?
Thread-Index: AcdXUL8hwuo1vVVjSzCw11PAs2TpawAAF2JQ
References:
From: "Bingham, Wayne" <WBINGHAM@imf.org>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>


I have several stories about finding bikes, but one of the most interesting ones (especially in the bigger context of this CR community) is how I acquired my Stan Pike with a pristine full Super Record group. It's not a dumpster-find story, more similar to Chuck's Bianchi story, and from about the same time period of the early 90's. It seems that the original owner of the Pike had died after a battle with cancer and the bike ended up in the hands of his sister, who gave it to her husband. The bike was too big for the husband, and he really wanted a bike for commuting to work anyway. He knew the bike was a "nice bike" that probably had some value, because his brother-in-law had shown great affection for it. Ultimately though, he started taking it to shops trying to trade if for something that fit and that he could use to commute. The first couple of shops either flatly denied interest or offered a token $50 or something toward another bike. A friend of mine was the manager of the third shop the guy tried. My friend gave the guy my name and number and said "before you do anything else, call this guy". And he did. When we spoke, all he did was relate the story to this point, pretty much as I have done here, and he agreed to come to my house to show me the bike. I had never heard of or seen a Stan Pike before that day, but knew immediately that it was an unusual and interesting frame with very high quality workmanship. The guy also knew that the bike was not an ordinary one, but also knew he was not interested in it at that level. He respected my appreciation of the bike, and I think he respected that fact that I told him that the bike was valuable, instead of offering him some low-ball price to buy it. He said all he was really interested in was getting a bike that he could use for his intended purposes, and if the Pike ended up with someone who really appreciated it, so much the better. We struck a deal in which I would build-up a bike for him that suited his needs, and he would give me the Pike in exchange. I found a nice used cyclocross frame in his size and built it up as sort-of a do-anything commuter bike with components I mostly had on hand, investing maybe $150 or so in the project. Only after he was fully satisfied that the bike was what he wanted did I take the Pike in trade. We were both satisfied with the deal. So my Stan Pike sort-of found me, rather than me finding it. Kind of helps to be known around town as the weird guy that likes old bikes.

The post script to the story is that the Stan Pike is how I met Dale brown, long before there was a CR list, when I posted an inquiry to the old Vintage Bike Source web site bulletin board page, asking if anyone had ever heard of Stan Pike. Dale responded to my question, and the rest is history.

Wayne Bingham
Lovettsville VA USA