So I recently bought a bike and it was shipped to me. If you read my blog on expectation management then you know when I buy an 80 year old bicycle I don’t expect perfection and understand that some work may need to be done or parts replaced even if I did pay a few thousand dollars.

So when I went to put this bike together the first thing I ran into was a headset bearing missing a ball. Not a big deal go to the parts bin, find one, grease it up and put it in. Then I’m putting the front hub together and one bearing is totally roached. So back to the parts bin for a New Departure Model W bearing. Oh yea and this was a restored bike-albeit a poorly done restoration.

There have been times that I sold a bike that I had never had apart and when I start to disassemble it find problems such as bad bearings, a broken stem, or bad hub parts. When I can I replace these and if I can’t then I inform the buyer of the problem and see how they want to proceed.

Whether buying or selling these things will occur and having a decent inventory of common bearings and spare hub, pedal, and seat parts along with common screws and nuts will come in very handy. If not you could be waiting days or weeks for a simple part that keeps you from riding or displaying your bike

If you have ever had to chase a part you soon realize how expensive this can become on EBay or even through other collectors. A set of common axle adjusters can easily run $15 or more. A set of bearings for pedals about the same, a brake set for a New Departure hub a minumum of $20 and the list goes on.

While $15 or $20 here and there may not seem like much it don’t take long for this stuff to start adding up. This is why I rarely throw anything away! Like a lot of folks I’ve bought some bikes just for the parts–I’m talking the major stuff such as a seat, crank, or maybe it had a decent rack or guard I needed. So what to do with the rest–build your hardware stash! This means everything from bottom bracket cups and bearings to head badge rivets–ever try to find those for a specific application? I save fender bolts and nuts, headset cups and bearings, and basically anything that can be removed. It is important to label this stuff as well. A lot of headset crown nuts are particular to certain manufacturers even though they may fit multiple applications and the same with axle adjusters and bottom bracket hardware.

Anytime I attend a swap meet I’m always on the lookout for common hardware. So why not just go to the local hardware store and buy new nuts and bolts? Well if you’ve noticed the selection is now almost exclusivley the phillips/straight combo and not just the straight head screws used on vintage bikes. Most vintage bikes also use square nuts and not six sided nuts. Modern hardware can ruin the look of an otherwise outstanding bike especially if it is an original.

So the next time you see that tub of junk hubs, pedals or seat parts don’t be so quick to pass it by–especially if it is cheap. Start building that parts stash and enjoy the ride!