Swap Aficianado

Question: What do Eddy Merckx, Ernesto Colnago, John Tomac, Lotus, de Rosa, Lemond all have in common? Answer: They were among the stand out monikers to be seen gracing frames, and complete bikes, at today's Bicycle Aficianado Swapmeet in Los Angeles. 

I knew it was going to happen. I knew there was going to be plenty i would have been happy to buy. And so i came prepared. I brought only a limited amount of cash stuffed down into my pockets. There would be no going overboard. I walked through the gates with priorities; the Hakkalugi being at the top of the list. What could i find to help move the rebuild along? There was a white Ritchie WCS stem - i would have bought that right away … a few months ago. Orange Jagwire cable and housing set was exactly what i want. It seemed to be retail price though, and i decided it was something i could get through my LBS. The binder full of stickers and frame decals was awesome to look through, but no Basso stuff to be seen. 

The place was a treasure trove of vintage Campy. If someone were outfitting period correct bikes, they could easily have found what they needed to build-out multiple models, all in a single stop. In all, i would say there were a good thirteen to fifteen sellers packed into the space, and an ever evolving hoard of bargain hunters looking for a deal on what they thought they might need, or at least want to have. Besides the stem and housing, i looked at wheel sets, seat posts, derailleurs, saddles, star nuts, "Campagnolo Spoken Here" stickers, quick release skewers, and various other odds and ends. Unfortunately, at least for the buyers, that is how the morning resolved itself, with me doing a lot of looking, but absolutely no buying. It was a good swap though, one i will certainly make an effort to get back to next time. You can ensure you don't miss the next one, and join me down there, by liking Bicycle Aficianado on Facebook.

Eddy

Tomes

Cool little space for a bike swap to begin with, but that guy in the corner, underneath the vines had the best spot, and a bunch of vintage stuff

bike swap

is it swim time yet?

this sparkling gold Lotus was flanked by a beautiful Colnago and the red Eddy you see on the right. On the other side of the Merckx was another Colnago and a Lemond. Quite a lineup to say the least. It was the Lotus that most grabbed my attention though, and i will share some more photos of it soon.