Cleaning the team garage: talking things out

[Marburg]

Hi all,

This has been ping-ponging around inside my head for a while. Time to let it breath like a fine wine.

I'm the "equipment manager" for the Stanford Univ Cycling Team. Before you get any ideas, despite the big "S" on our jerseys, we don't really have an enormous underground bunker full of C40s and Zipp404s.

What we do have is a 20' shipping container full of cycling technology from the 1980-1995. I want it out of here. I can't figure out how to do it.

So:

- I have vast (100+) quantities of tubular/freewheel wheels, Campy hubs, Shimano 600 components. Non-aero brakes levers, quill stems.
- Let's assume there's nothing NIB or NOS. It's almost all been used at least once and looks it. Overall the whole collection is about a 5/10.
- A few bikes (80s-era Pinarello anyone?), lots of junk frames.

- Assume I want to make a few $$ from this stash, which we'll roll back into tools, tubes, underground bunker for our C40s and Zipp404s. But I don't want to go through the trouble if figuring out if this CRecord hub is shinier and worth $15 while this other one is dirtier and worth $10.

- Some of this stuff is just junk.

How the heck do I get rid of it without going insane?


Idea #1. Hold massive "yard sale" Put stuff on tables with ridiculously low prices. Hope someone shows up.

Pro: Might get rid of some of the stuff. I can get volunteer labor so I'm not doing all the work.
Con: Noone will drive across the Bay to buy $5 bike geegaws. Lots of work to setup, coordinate volunteers.

Idea #2. Massive online sales. Catalog parts on a webpage with ridiculously low prices. Post lists to craigslist and local email lists, valuable stuff (that someone might actually want to pay shipping on) to usual forums suspects, then ebay. Anything that don't go gets donated/trashed.

Pro: Doesn't rely on customers coming to campus at a particular time. Can let parts lists "soak in" on the internet (as long as we aren't too annoying).
Con: Harder to farm out to volunteers. Lots of trouble managing 20 parallel internet sales, packing, shipping, meeting folks for craigslist sales.


Idea #3. Just donate it all to local bike charity and forget the whole $$$ scheme.

Pro: Quick and easy
Con: No $$$, no tools, no bunker.



Argh. This is driving me nuts.

[Serotta PETE]

I know on the east coast there are a few swap meet/sales in the spring.

One that comes to mind is Trexeltown PA (does not do you much good on west coast BUT there must be something like it in the bay area)


There are all types that come to these events so you must have your "smile" and "patience" breakfast (and maybe a century and bottle of red) prior to attending.


Folks on west coasts and local shops can probably point you toward them (if not, local race clubs in bay area)


PETE

[Argos]

You should catagorize all the cool stuff and post it here first, then I would do ebay or online for the rest, and promote it on different boards and forums as a Stanford cycling team fundraiser.

Some of those nerds must know how to use a digital camera and set up a site.... :D

Good Luck! (I like a 51cm with a 53 or 53.5 TT)

[Marburg]

There is the annual SF Veloswap, but its held in the Fall.

Hm. I'm trying to figure out if I can organize a team of webnerds into helping me sell this stuff. Unfortunately I've got the impression that I'm the only one who knows anything about some of this gear. Much of it is older than the undergrads, you know!

[coylifut]

Idea #3. Just donate it all to local bike charity and forget the whole $$$ scheme.

Pro: Quick and easy
Con: No $$$, no tools, no bunker.





you'll likely see the workers at the local bike charity (along with their friends) sporting some cool retro gear around town. Sorry to be a cinic, but that's the case around here. Argos seems to have a good idea.

[alancw3]

you might come up with a figure in your mind that you would be happy with for the whole lot and then contact some bike shops, particualarly any that seem to specialize in vintage bike parts, and see if they are interested in a bulk sale. here again you are limited to local shops.

[Ginger]

Yeah...and if you come across any track style bike in there with a 50cm top tube let me know. ;)

It sounds like cataloging the stuff is the first step. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't have a few gems hanging out in that container...they wouldn't have been gems "in the day" but perhaps now are commanding attention.


Banana

[Marburg]

Cataloging?

Oh there's been lots of cataloging:

http://ur.notetofutureself.org:2080/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=StanfordCyclingCage


It's going through all the small parts that's gonna kill me...

[Ti Designs]

Stanford has a cycling team? I thought it was renamed Harvard west! Each year we see more Harvard riders defect to Stanford, next time we're gonna be asking for cash...

Harvard has an odd way of dealing with the equipment issue, it's called Mr Potato-Ed (that's me). At any given time all the right equipment is there, it's just on all of the wrong bikes. So, with the massive stash of random parts left to me by parting alumni (on there way to Stanford no doubt) I change out parts until everything works out. Take the great crank length swap of '05 for example. All Bianchi Pista's come with 165 cranks while all Specialized Langters come with 170 cranks and smaller Lemonds come with 175's. I took the crank off Josh's Lemnod, swapped on Eve's 170's. Then I took Lily's 165's and put them on Eve's bike, put Josh's 175s on Collin's bike... It all works out somehow...

Have you seen a VERY pink IF track bike out there? I built it up for Julia Oh while she was at Harvard. I've heard that she isn't riding, I wonder what has become of the bike.

[Fixed]

bro looks like you got some good mess. bikes there ginger look at page two that looks close to your size cheers

[yeehawfactor]

why don't you see what the team wants? guys here go nuts for oldschool lugged stuff for fixies, so at $25 for the nastiest frames to whatever you can get for the nice ones, that could be a weekend of racing. except for a 61-62 cm that you send me gratis...............

[Ken Robb]

If you made up grab bags(or boxes)of small parts, paired where appropriate but not fully identified you could probably sell them for $40-50 each on the iBob or Classic Rendezvous sites. "Box of mixed parts from early 1980s including 1 set each brake levers, calipers, shifters, derailers, plus miscellaneous small parts". You don't want to take the time to answer all the "just one question" emails from collectors.

[stevep]

a thought that i have used in the past. we have a big club out here in which everyone has a basement half full of useable but no longer being used parts. find a company to pay freight for you and donate the stuff to a racing team in cuba or the dominican republic. they die for this stuff and if you can get someone to donate the freight out ( some bike enthusiasts company or local outfit ),
you might get a nice dominican jersey and a warm feeling that the stuff is being well used by riders with fewer/ no resources.

[Marburg]

Have you seen a VERY pink IF track bike out there? I built it up for Julia Oh while she was at Harvard. I've heard that she isn't riding, I wonder what has become of the bike.


She lives in the grad dorm next to me. It's locked to the railing in the same place every day. I've really thought about writing a nice note to the extent of "Please ride me or give me to someone who will.."

Maybe we'll get her to come down to the 'drome come spring.

[Marburg]

bro looks like you got some good mess. bikes there ginger look at page two that looks close to your size cheers

That one with the flat primer gray paint job is so totally mine.

Yeah, come to think of it, there's at least one frame with a Harvard bike reg sticker on it.

And yeah, part of any sort of selling-off deal would be a "bikes for bros" sale to the team. If I just did that I'd be halfway there...

[jel]

ROMP has a swap meet in April.

Romp Site (http://www.romp.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=25&page=1)

[manet]

Cataloging?

Oh there's been lots of cataloging:

http://ur.notetofutureself.org:2080/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=StanfordCyclingCage


It's going through all the small parts that's gonna kill me...

the white yamaguchi track frame (pg. 2 frames) what size is it?
is it all dented up or just a tad scratched?

[Ti Designs]

She lives in the grad dorm next to me. It's locked to the railing in the same place every day. I've really thought about writing a nice note to the extent of "Please ride me or give me to someone who will.."

That bike was given to her with no strings attached, if you knew her history in racing you would understand. Just the same, it hurts knowing that it's not being used. If you do get around to leaving the note, shorten it to just "call Ed" - thanks.

[sc53]

I think her very pink track bike was posted in another thread this morning, entitled "Don't look before your morning coffee." So pink it's blinding! It's photographed leaning against the Golden Gate Bridge.

[Marburg]

I think her very pink track bike was posted in another thread this morning, entitled "Don't look before your morning coffee." So pink it's blinding! It's photographed leaning against the Golden Gate Bridge.

That's actually not it. The one I'm thinking of has IF logos and Suzue hubs. Maybe I'll snap a guerilla pic later tonight...

Hers isn't nearly as .... psychedelic....

[Ti Designs]

That's actually not it. The one I'm thinking of has IF logos and Suzue hubs. Maybe I'll snap a guerilla pic later tonight...

With 3ttt bars, AGC levers and a single campy Delta brake on the front. I put my last role of pink Benotto tape on it before I sent it to her, don't know how well that held up. The first try at that bike was more of a bubble gum pink with Ti Designs decals, but it ran into some geometry problems. On the second try Julia ran into Lloyd from IF at a local training race and asked if the bike could be painted the same color as her fingernails. On a Sunday, after a race, Lloyd went back to IF and mixed the custom color. If Lloyd Graves from IF ever tells you he's gonna do something, you can be sure it'll get done.

By far the best thing about that bike is the owner. I coached Julia for 3 years, watched her go from the slowest thing on two wheels to a cat 1, but I didn't get to see her race enough and it all went by so fast. I would do anything to see her back on the bike, but I don't think it'll happen. Her last season of racing was a disaster, fast enough to win any sprint, but without support she had no chance against teams like Saturn or Diet-Rite. She would call me from stage races in tears. She would have made a great track rider, perhaps a national champion. I even asked Sarah Uhl to be her teacher on the track - the two had raced for IF together a few years back. It turned out to be too little, too late.

It's like asking what if the post cancer Lance took up golf or bowling?