what do you guys think?
http://nymag.com/shopping/askaclerk/51360/is this criminal?
Nah.
If they really do get 'em looking nice I’d pay 300 for an old Raleigh easy.
He’s gotta pay the rent for a space in lower Manhattan, basically.
a “bargain” $150 free spirit or ross cruiser?
thats ridiculous.
Supply and demand…
I’ll have to check this place out, maybe there’s an old gem somewhere. I wouldn’t pay $300 for an old Schwinn unless it was a USA made one.
Turns people off to bikes, that an old Free Spirit with one-piece cranks would sell for more than it sold for new.
Or turn people off to Manhattan.
Considering the amount of time and money it would take me to fix up and turn over a $50-100 Univega, $300 isn’t too bad. Plus if it’s like a regular shop they’d probably maintain it for you for free. For the average person an old road bike is probably a better idea than a brand new hybrid (really the only other option).
yay for reuse
I think it’s kinda cool. Sure you could get deals that are worlds better elsewhere. But it seems like a cool place for people to get their first bike.
Those prices aren’t too bad when you consider what bikes on craigslist sell for. With a CL bike you may have to replace the tires, cables ,chain etc… And then there’s the drive/train/ride to Hoboken or wherever the bike is.
There’s a dude in Berkeley, CA that runs a shop somewhat like this, except that the bikes he sells are assumed to have been stolen.
What’s your favorite cheap thing in the store?
We give out slushies from the Slush Puppie machine behind the register. But don’t tell the neighborhood kids, or they’ll be in here every day. I tell them you have to be 21 to be served.
that’s stupid
I’ve been to this place and mentioned it in the jackass thread. His bikes are bullshit. He’s got a bunch of janky-ass, dangerous-looking conversions, and the $300 bikes look like crap. The ones that are actually clean, like a Varsity hanging on the wall, he has priced at $650-$850.
i spy brifters in the foto.
Oh, well then…
I believe them brifters are on a reasonably-priced Paramount. Like the one nice bike he had in the shop.
Wow, fuck that.
The beauty of those old 10 speeds is when you can score one for less than $100 and not be afraid to lock it up anywhere or crash it ever. He defeats the whole purpose.
You know, when you actually think about his story, it sounds pretty fishy. “Yeah officer, I know all these bikes look hot, but they’re not - I rented a truck and toured Midwestern thrift shops to buy inventory, I swear!”