Where can I get an old frame to restore

[tyk3]

Hi all.

For a while now I've been wanting to turn old road bike into a single speed, noting fancy, just something for doing the shopping and popping into town. The problem I'm having is that for the life of me, I can't seem to lay my hands on a frame.

Now price is certainly and issue for me, partly because I'm poor, and partly because I can buy a brand new complete bike for three hundred quid. But I don't need this to be shiny and flashy, I would literally take any road bike frame, in any condition. I can re-spray it myself.

But where do I find one? I have one shop in town that sells second hand bikes. for the prices they charge, I could buy one brand new.

I've kept my eyes on the local classifieds for the last couple of months. Nothing but mountain bikes ever seems to come up for sale.

My local police don't auction off bikes. They appear to give them all to the second hand bike shop mentioned above.

A few people have suggested a trip around London's second hand shops, but since travel to London would cost me fifty quid or more, I would need to be very certain I was going to find a frame.

So I seem to be left with my only options being hoping to drop on something at a local jumble sale, or do a daily search on e-bay and wait for something that's (1) in my size, (2) reasonably close by and (3) doesn't end up costing three hundred pounds after a bidding war.

Does anyone have any better ideas? Where do you get your frames from?

PS Hope this is the right sub-forum.

 

[Zoiders]

Is this "second hand shop" in fact a non profit Recycling Project?

And what do you consider a fair price for just a frame in usable condition?

 

[chillyuk]

Find and join your local Freecycle group. Bikes come up on there now and then, and if you only want a frame it may be worth doing a wanted. You could also place an avertisement in your local classifieds. Have you tried you local council tip. Some wont sell them but some will, so worth asking. The worst that will happen is that you get a no! Then develope cheek, and everywhere you go keep your eyes skinned. See a bike in someones garden that looks a bit neglected, knock the door and ask, you may be pleasantly surprised, especially if her hubby's at work

 

[tyk3]

Is this "second hand shop" in fact a non profit Recycling Project?

Honestly, I don't really know. I know it shares some staff with a council run project, so it might be council run. I'm pretty sure the staff in there are paid.

And what do you consider a fair price for just a frame in usable condition?

Depends on the condition. If it's in good condition, up to a hundred quid. To be honest though, I was really looking for something dilapidated and wrecked that I could restore and re-spray, in which case I'd be looking to pay more in the region of thirty to forty pounds.

Find and join your local Freecycle group. Bikes come up on there now and then, and if you only want a frame it may be worth doing a wanted. You could also place an avertisement in your local classifieds.

That's pretty much what I've been trying so far. I thought that might well be my only option.

Have you tried you local council tip. Some wont sell them but some will, so worth asking. The worst that will happen is that you get a no! Then develope cheek, and everywhere you go keep your eyes skinned. See a bike in someones garden that looks a bit neglected, knock the door and ask, you may be pleasantly surprised, especially if her hubby's at work

The local tip have a strict no selling policy, but Freecycle is a good idea. I just signed up. I'm waiting for the mod team of my local Freecycle group to approve me.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[peelywally]

look in the local canal /river if its anything like up here its an aladins cave of old bikes ,

seriously though dumped bikes are everywere skips rivers etc .

 

[brokenbetty]

Have a look at the classifieds on www.lfgss.com. It's nominally a London site but the people selling aren't particularly London-centric

 

[petmcgratt]

Hi there,

I have just spent the last few months converting a 1970's dawes galaxy into a single speed and I was very lucky in that I got the reynolds 531 steel frame on ebay for ~£50.

I then went to my local recycling dump and explained to the guys that i was looking for old racing bikes to salvage rims, handlebars, brakes etc for a project I was working on. They told me to leave my number and they would ring me if anything came in. I waited several months but finally got a call to say a racing bike was waiting for me. They even left to my house and I was pleasantly surprised as the only thing that wasn't working was a bent crank arm. Bike was in very good condition and i have now put it in the shed to start building another single speed next year. The only down side with it is that it is extremely heavy compared to the Dawes reynolds 531 frame tubing.

I would go and give your contact number to your local recycling centre. you have nothing to loose!!

peter

 

[3narf]

Try an ad in Loot, or maybe visit a scrap-metal dealer, like I did...

 

[4F]

Got mine on e bay for £ 20.00

 

[tyred]

You might be lucky on Ebay if you find something that has been badly listed. Otherwise, small ads in the local paper, local free ads papers, the notice board in local shopping centres and generally keep your eyes peeled as you go about your daily business as bikes can turn up in the most unlikely places. A friend is currently restoring a Rudge which was found lying almost submerged in a peat bog. It survived incredibly well.

 

[tyk3]

Got mine on e bay for £ 20.00

Link? Because if it's in my size I'll give you twenty quid.

First off, thanks to everyone who replied, I appreciate all the suggestions.

It does appear as though finding a frame is pretty much a case of "keep your eyes open, hope you drop on something".

As an aside, I did drop on something last year. I was in London and saw a classic steel racing frame for sale for forty pounds. I almost bought it on impulse, but eventually decided not to because I didn't want to lug it back home on the train. Ah well. Live and learn I suppose.

The second hand bike shop in the city centre have no interest in selling me an un-restored frame (and why would they, when they can restore it themselves and make ten times as much?), and since I really want to build this thing up for summer, I think , unfortunately, 'll just have to buy something new from on-one instead. Now I just need to work out how to convince the missus we don't really need a new sofa.

Unless 4F happens to be selling in the 20 - 22 inch frame.

 

[Zoiders]

So this is a whinge at the recycling project?

10 times as much? I seriously doubt they are banging out fixed rebuilds for 400 quid, half that maybe if it's an actual recycling project.

Just go on the bay, be patient, dont pay more than £100 quid, the recyling project not wanting to dance to your tune is not their fault as they still have to meet operating costs and pay the staff - even charities have employees.

 

[tyk3]

So this is a whinge at the recycling project?

10 times as much? I seriously doubt they are banging out fixed rebuilds for 400 quid, half that maybe if it's an actual recycling project.

Here's a funny story for you. Before I posted that last reply, I read back through it and realised it sounded like I was whining about the second hand store. So I went back and added the bit in parentheses, which seems to have so incensed you, to make it clear that I was not complaining. They have costs to meet and staff to pay, they're not in business to cater to my whims, and in their position I would do exactly the same thing.

I have spoken to the staff in there. They all seem perfectly nice people, and I defiantly have no axe to grind with any of them.

The single speed fixie in their window, which is the only one I looked at the price of, is three hundred quid. I should, I suppose, have said 7.5 times amount. Would that have made you any less angry?

Just go on the bay, be patient, dont pay more than £100 quid

As I said in my original post, I have spent a couple of months checking e-bay on and off, and I've gone through the local classifieds and tried the local tip. No doubt if I carried on I'd get lucky sooner or later, but I really want this for summer, so I decided to just bite the bullet and buy something new. The whole reason I posted this was because I was hoping someone would have an idea I hadn't tried. And as it turned out, someone did. I'd never even heard of freecycle, but now I'm registered on there, and if an old bike ever comes up I'll be in there like a shot.

 

[brokenbetty]

Daft question - have you saved your ebay search so you get alerted if anything comes in?

 

[tyk3]

Daft question - have you saved your ebay search so you get alerted if anything comes in?

That question may be daft, but not as daft as me. I didn't know you could do that.

Thanks