So the store is history but the Memory Lane swap meet is alive and well. My dad and I got up here a little after noon today and there are already a lot of vendors and many of the ‘regulars’. If you have never been to this meet you are missing a good one. Yep the weather can go to crap pretty quick but I’ve never seen that slow anything down too much. There are already some pretty nice machines and parts and I saw a few things trading hands. Not shown in my pics are a really nice original Elgin Twin 60, a restored Evinrude, and a really sweet Strucel restored Ideal shaft drive. Hopefully I’ll get pics of them tomorrow. There was some really nice TOC stuff, ballooners, muscle bikes, motorized e.g. Whizzers, etc… I hope to see a lot of you there tomorrow. I’ll be posting updates and more pics for Thursday and Friday. Check out what I got so far and enjoy the ride!

Today (Thursday) I expected to see a lot more folks by the time we got here about 7:30. The threat of weather may have hampered turnout but there was a steady stream of newcomers all day long. A lot of good deals to be had. I saw a Wald Tomahawk stem sell for $250 and a girls Shelby with a really nice Troxel Toolbox seat for $200. It varied between clouds and sun all day but did get to the mid 60s which was T-shirt weather for just about everyone. A great mix of everything to include balloon tire bikes, musclebikes, TOCs, some BMX, pedal cars, scooters, wagons, etc… . Not one but two Evintudes in attendance, some killer pre-war Schwinns, more than a few big tanks Shelbys i.e. Speedline, No-Nose, and Arrows.

I had pre bought a killer, original paint ’38 Zep with 2 speed, WD front brake, Zep speedo, and ’39 Tacoma license plate. Also picked up a wagon and scooter. I parted ways with my orignal paint Bluebird but it went to a great home. I still have a nicely restored Bluebird so it didn’t sting too bad!

Most of the regulars were in attendance including a lot of the ‘old timers’. This is really the beauty of these meets. A lot of the old timers either do very little or no internet so attending the swap is the only way to meet and get to know these guys. Building rapport and forging friendships is the way to build your bicycle network. This pays off when you are hunting that elusive bike or part.

Tomorrow they are calling for rain most of teh mornign which may slow things down but I can almost bet there will still be deals going down! See you there and enjoy the ride…

So this one is in the books as far as I’m concerned. The weather started off with a strong dose of “Memory Lane Sunshine”. Originally weather forecasts called for it to end at 8 a.m. then 9 a.m. and I think it finally quit somewhere between 11:00 and noon. Then the wind picked up and I’m not talking a little breeze either. The sun came out and along with the wind and started drying things out but at least two people had to have their vehicles pulled from the muck. A lot of folks started packing when the rain wouldn’t let up but it didn’t slow too many down as people were still seeking bargains. A mostly complete girls Shelby Speedline showed up tucked in amongst a lot of lesser bikes and was sold for $50!

I added a Hiawatha Arrow to my fleet and bought a nice girls Hawthorne for a friend. Other than that a lot of the small parts I was seeking just didn’t show up. My dad and I will relax tomorrow, take in a small car museum in Bowling Green, OH and get a good dinner before packing and getting ready to head to Ann Arbor Sunday morning. I will have a seperate blog for AA. Until then enjoy the ride!