Been away from my email until today so responding a bit late.
Here's a mini report on the mini Velo Swap (aka Velo-Expo)...
I drug my wife Linda to the Velo-Expo a few Saturdays back (secretly I think she likes to come along to make sure I don't spend too much), we arrived just a bit before 9:00am.
First hint that this was much smaller than Velo-Swap was the fact that the line forming to get in was still quite small. For Velo-Swap we would've been a quarter mile from the doors waiting in line.
Once they opened we all poured in. Again much less crowded going in. And much less crowded looking around the place. First stop was the side of the complex that the swap meet was being held on. Saw several good bargains but money was tight (still accumulating it for the Alex Singer) and Linda wanted to do some clothes shopping later in the day so I passed on many items. I did pick up a nice Huret front derailleur for $1. And I saw a Jubilee set (front and rear derailleurs and guides) for $35 - I should've grabbed it but ended up passing on it. I saw a pretty Mercian but outfitted with Campagnolo Ergo was pricey($1300). And I saw a nice Motobecane (the typically black and red model with Nervex lugs) that was in exceptional condition for $650. (I heard from a gentleman that bought this that the seller also threw in a tandem as well - I seem to recall a decent one there with it but don't remember the make - perhaps a low end Schwinn ?) There was a nice Torelli (post CR) there for around $500. And I saw several interesting lugged Italian framesets too. Didn't see any Mafac Competition brakesets (was ready to buy if I did). And I didn't see any Campagnolo 2-bolt seatposts (saw several at Velo-Swap figured some would show up at this one). Of course there were many, many mtbs for sale and there was lots o' modern "hi tech" bike stuff for sale, aluminum framesets, Ergo power, STI...
I'd say I saw more bargain prices than Velo-Swap but fewer vintage "CR" era parts and bikes.
The other half of the complex was devoted to new dealers, bike clubs, advocacy groups...
Of course this side of the expo had all sorts of new bikes - the latest from Lightspeed, Merlin (including the "lugged" Cielo), Trek...
Anyway, if they do this again next year I recommend it. Just prepare to have money for the swap meet. And don't forget the "regular" Velo-Swap in Oct.
John Price Denver CO
-----Original Message----- From: Rod Kronenberg [mailto:rodk3d@attbi.com] Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 8:46 PM To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: RE: [CR]Velo Swap, new spring edition...
Hi all, I went, and it was ok. While it was only 1/4 to 1/3 the size of the big swap in October, anytime I can peruse vintage bike goodies is a good time for me. I know John Price went also.
I didn't go with much money, but managed to pick up a nice Rauler frameset. They were selling it as a Raleigh! The frame had no decals other than the Columbus one, and I honestly didn't know what it was at the time, I just knew it was a very high quality frameset, and I had enough dough left in my pocket to buy it with change left over! It was not close to being my size, so I sold it to a fellow list member for cheap. I also picked up some Campy shifters and some other bits.
There were some nice vintage bikes in attendance, a beautiful Grand Record in my size (62cm) comes to mind for (YIKES!) $650, a Paramount for $1250, a Trek 970 frame for $400, etc. There were certainly some good deals to be had, like a mint Mavic 631 crank and bottom bracket for a $60 asking price, lots of Mavic hubs, and so on.
I'd say the October swap will be awesome as usual. There's always lots of booths with new stuff and the usual mountain bike crowd, but there are tons of bikes in Colorado, so I'm certain that the "well" will be pretty full.
Rod Kronenberg Fort Collins, CO
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of OROBOYZ@aol.com Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 8:09 PM To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Velo Swap, new spring edition...
Did any of you CR folk attend this? Was it a success? Or are they "going to the well" too often? Will this mess up the October VeloSwap? Tel us what you saw, bought or sold if you went... Thanks Dale
Dale Brown
Greensboro, NC