[CR]What a Garage Sale

(Example: Events:BVVW)

From: "Ray Homiski" <Wheelman@nac.net>
To: "'classicrendezvous@bikelist.org'" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 22:36:39 -0400
Subject: [CR]What a Garage Sale

I go to a fair amount of garage sales always looking for bikes like a lot of you probably do. I have been lucky before but not like this past Friday morning. I found an ad in the paper that says "Bike equipment for sale" so you know I am there. First I picked up a few campy wheels and hubs for $5 each. Then some other bits and pieces here and there. I go into the garage and spot a vintage Schwinn chrome heavy duty work stand. I ask how much, $25 so this is going home with me. Now I am just looking around at a lot of stuff and some bicycle junk, both useless frames and wheels. The next thing I know the woman who runs the sale wheels out a Bianchi with campy NR dated 1980. The head tube decal says Vespa but the frame looks pretty cool with embossed Bianchi on the crown head and a B in a circle on the seat stays. For some reason the top tube paint is toast but the rest of the bike is dirty and should clean up just fine. I ask how much, $20 so again this one will follow me home. Thought I had a great day already but as I gather my stuff up she wheels out another bike. This one is a 1988 Colnago XL again campy equipped with Colnago headset, pedals, hubs, seat and other parts. The paint on this one is pretty decent and I think I will awake any moment from this dream and there will be no bikes only disappointment but I ask that faithful question. How much, she say's oh this one I must get $30. Needless to say they are all resting comfortably with the rest of my collection in the group that still needs my personal touch before they are road worthy. I just had to share this story because I am sure it will never happen again to me. I struck up a conversation with the woman and asked where the bikes came from and why she was selling them and all the other stuff. Turns out her husband was an amateur bike racer who did a lot of repair work for others. He passed away and she is moving and cannot take all the stuff that she has been left. She was very happy to sell all of this stuff and I was happy... well you know why.

Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ