So, I’ve got plans to study abroad in Freiburg, Germany next year for 10 months. From what I can tell, there’s not much in the way of tarck to be had other than KeirinBerlin, but it appears they deal in high-end stuff that I can’t really afford. Plus, Berlin is on the opposite side of Germany. I’ve looked at Veloheld stuff and it doesn’t really seem too impressive for the price. Are there any deals to be had on vintage track frames or whatever in Germany or its neighboring countries, or would I just be better off bringing my own bike on the plane with me? Are there any other options? Going on without tarck for 10 months is not one of them.
bring your bike with you. buy everything you want to buy before you go. your life will be much easier. There are sometimes sweet deals but a bike counts as one of your bags, so just build it down and stick it in a box. Put other shit in there too and keep it under 40 pounds. There’s shit to be had over here, but don’t waste your cash. think about fenders etc.
And for fuck’s sake come up and visit me asshole.
Well if you’re into italian steel I guess it’s cheaper to get something from italian ebay shipped to germany than to the US. If I were you I’d bring my bike if the airline lets me do it for free. I’m told intercontinental flights usually allow a bike on top of regular luggage. Never shopped for bike stuff in Germany so I don’t know the prices.
i’m in spain for the semester (until august), and i already feel i made a mistake not bringing my bike with me. i thought i would just pick up something cheap over here but no dice so far. it’s all folders and shitty mountain bikes. there is a group of guys that ride around and sell some stuff here (madrid), but i’ve yet to make a move.
for any spanish speakers…
http://www.trafficmutants.blogspot.com/ http://www.fixidixi.blogspot.com/^ Those huge-sized 150€ frames the fixidixi (whatever…) guys are selling on look good, most likely you’re not gonna find anything cheaper/better anyhow. Scoring some incredible Italian/other European vintage track frames for peanuts just doesn’t happen, not even in Italy anymore.
Walrus, bring your own bike along. However, French ebay is where some good scores can still sometimes be made, helps if you speak some french, though.
what size are you AB?
google translator helps with french Ebay
http://www.leboncoin.fr/vi/37125277.htm?ca=18_sdoes this work AB?
I regret not bringing my tarckbike to France. Shit is expensive here. There are affordable, old frames aplenty (only slightly overpriced compared to the crazy prices on vintage frames in the US tarck market), but components are about 1.5x their US prices. Then it’s also painful to have to put together a cheap bike when you’ve got a nice one that you’re already familiar with sitting somewhere else.
Or, I should’ve brought my wheels, cranks, bars/stem in a box (wouldn’t be over-sized luggage, so no charge) and found a frame here. And it makes things much easier if all you’ve got to sell on your way out is the frame.
again, i didn’t get charged for having a bike box in addition to my giant bag. just keep it under 40lbs
Hrm, Air Canada and Air France charge for bike boxes since they’re inevitably over-sized. Keeping it under 40lbs was moot since their max. accepted length+width+height was well under even the smallest bike box.
What airline did you fly with?
Flew with united and SAS. I think with transcontinental at business class you get 1 piece of sports EQ on top of all the other crap for free.
Hrm, well most of us don’t fly business class.
I don’t either, just saying that’s an option…
Any input for England?..I’ll be in Manchester next fall and I’m thinking there should be a decent relatively cheap (?) used market for track shit due the the velodrome…or I could be way off base with that. Maybe just better off just bringing my bike?
What reason is there not to? 24 hours of discomfort lugging it are worth having your baby with you. That said, londondonfgss.com has pretty sweet deals.
Like Bold said, in the UK the whole scene apparently revolves around the londondonfgss.com so check it out, lots of stuff for sale there all the time. But the velodromes and cycling clubs do jumbles/flea markets quite regularly and that’s where you should also go to.
Yea, well put; my main reason for leaving the tarck bike behind, besides the fear of damage, was to avoid the discomfort of lugging it. Stupid logic in hindsight. Taking it on the bus, assembling it at the train station, locking it up, bringing my luggage home, returning to the train station to pick up my bike…it’s a day’s worth of work, but it would’ve been well worth it.
Damn it.
awesome I’ll start checking out londonfgss then. And yea that is a good point, it’s only really one day of hassle and it’s surly worth it. The jumbles/flea markets sound like they are defiantly worth a look too. thanks.
are you playing some sort of word tricks with us, fucker?
hahaha wow that’s pretty bad
What about a fixed gear Bike Friday Tikit?
Ok fine, I confess, I am projecting my own desires as the solution to someone else’s problem, but regardless, you know it’d be freakin’ sweet.