I find very few parts at thrift stores, but here's a pro tip: shop the thrift stores that are adjacent to wealthy neighborhoods and communities. Rich people's old junk is way better than po' folk's old junk.
You know, RJ, you are THE MAN when it comes to cycling for ordinary people. I have benefited so greatly from your tutorials using DIY tools. No, you DON'T need the $100+ Park blah-blah-blah tool to get it done. You help ensure that bikes are for the PEOPLE. Thank you for what you do. Maybe you could say the word, "aaand", a little less, lol. Love, Always, -Squiffy
@@RJTheBikeGuy thing is with me is all I want to see is bike parts or maybe interesting electrics, it takes about 5 mins to do the rounds looking for anything good. Only problem is my wife has to spend about an hour lol. So I’m walking around like a zombie for about 55 mins.
Nothing but good knowledge and words of wisdom to pass on towards your brothers and sisters thank you RJ and all my brothers and sisters sharing and showing love in our journey
Thrift Store is what made my homemade dirt jumper bike build worked. I found a good condition 26 DT Swiss wheel with a used Continental Mountain King tire for 5$
@@MrThatnativeguy it’s to the point now, if I see any 26” bike on the trash, even if it’s some junker, I’m still going to consider grabbing it just for the tires.
The last bike I picked up was a small Cannondale roadbike frame with no wheelset or saddle but was loaded with all Campagnolo components for $5 at a yard sale. When my wife asked why I wanted it I told her I just bought someone's "snob" bike for $5!
The thrift store in my town had one 16 in kids bike (which is pretty much the only bikes they have at any given time) was horribly beat up and rusty with dry rotted tires and they wanted like 60 dollars for it. Greedy greedy people
RJ Strikes again, nice work. I find best way to utilize thrift stores is when you are out and about, know where the thrift stores are near you. Most of the time I go in I do not buy anything but I have not really gone much out of my way to get there. When good stuff comes in likely will go fast so if you are able to go frequently it helps. These days with the internet craigs list, offer up and similar is a good way to find free and cheap stuff. Like RJ and other viewers commented, I don't just go in for bikes and bike parts, you just see what you find. Half of the score is finding a part, the second score is like in this video when you put the part to use. A while back found a basically brand new 700 wheel set with tires matching to the rim tubless system. came with an 11 speed cassette. Paid about $70 for the full wheel and tire set, which is basically the price of one of the panaracer gravel tires that came on it
Yep, I have boxes full of bits collected from old bikes. I even harvest parts kerbside :) Always keep a couple of tools in the car as you never know when there may be a set of wheels, forks, seat etc on a rubbish bike out for the dump.
RJ- those tires are awesome. I have a set of Kenda Kwest on my commuter hybrid. They have over 1,500 miles on them, mixed surface riding including cobblestones and never left me flat. I wish Kenda still made them. That’s a steal on a brilliant tire!!
I do the same thing! Here in Washington, thrift stores are also awesome for seats, I regularly find great seats floating around on the sports shelves for less than half of what a bike shop would charge. Found a little bag of new shifters, brakes and some drivetrain parts for $7, I have been finding just the right part in that bag for months:)
Hi, I was wondering if you had a mailing address where I could send you some bike parts. I have some of those 3x8 shifters/brakelevers in one things, and also some mechanical disc brake calipers, and I was thinking instead of throwing them out I could mail them to you. They are not new but they function. I took them off a bike I shot some video for, I've never RUclipsd before so I don't make as good videos as you and I haven't even published any yet (editing one now), but I saw in one of your videos that you like those Shimano shifter/brake lever setups. Anyway, let me know and I'll send them to you.
RJ I would like to get into wheel building, by that I mean just a few sets for my own bikes. Do you have a recommendation for an online store that sells cheap wheel components. Everywhere I look is selling expensive components like DT Swiss. And..
we call them charity shops in the UK, generally full of genuinely useless stuff and no bike parts, car boot sales are OK though and there is a local charity who leave unwanted parts outside. You can no longer take tyres to the landfill here so they end up in next doors garden LOL
Thrift stores were responsible for a revival in my interest in bikes of all sorts nearly 25 years ago already, the thrift stores in the Washington DC area and for about ten years I bought lots of them for myself and family and friends and eBay sales, both local and afar. And one bike, just the frame mostly, was sold to a big-time bike-shop owner in College Park, Maryland and I thought that was cool, to be in the mix with local shops like that. And why not as Schwinn Varsities and early-model Treks and Cannondales and more were available for next to nothing and that's no fib, we're talking like ten or fifteen buckbuckbucks. It was quite a kick to swing by a handful of thrift stores regularly and I am glad I played that game and that I found good homes for those bikes. And to this day, I visit a local thrift store once a week and another once every other week. Because you never know when something good might be parked on the floor for next to nothing.
I got two 26" mountain bike tires (Blackburn) for $40 at Walmart..says made with little bit stronger materials..some stores not stock them..I had to check another Walmart til I found them
Here in europe we can get schwalbe marathons (my go to tyre for pretty much anything) for 20€ each. Available in all sorts of size I use them on pretty much every bike I put new tyres on except the mountainbike and cargobike. For everyday commuter I consider the marathon plus with more puncture resistance.
RJ please help I have a 2x6 speed vintage road bike Murray eliminator can I use 2x8 brake shifters without using the last 2 gears or I have to change other parts to please help 😢
i found a giant 80s iguana mountain bike out on a frontlawn free brought it home washed it pumped up tires rode it in front of house bottom bracket was loose left thumbshifter wasnt working great rear wheel warped and wheel bearings loose so i put it on facebook 50.00 it was gone
Another tip: document or better tag your parts with what you payed for it so you can make a good judgement if the price on your bike which you want to sell is right.
hello. how do you clean and store tools and parts? I used a degreaser, and water to clean, old clothes wipe out the water and put them in front of a fan so they would be dry. But rust still showed up.
@@RJTheBikeGuy I understand the Goodwill and thrift store bargains are hard to beat, but you looked on the Amazon for 30 dolla tires. What a blessing to rummage through the stash and find those Kendas! Just saying that if you find yourself in a pinch, need tires ASAP, Nashbar may have a deal you can't refuse!
I was helping at Park Tool earlier this year but then my local shop got super busy so I left after a couple months. Good group of people, I'll go back if things slowdown at the shop but I also volunteer at Free Bikes For Kidz where we get thousands of donated bikes and we always need help fixing those to give away. Good times!
A couple of things RJ. First, love your shirt. Gets comments. Love your channel. Has heiped me tremendously on my old Schwinn 10 speeds. Nut and bolt resto's on my Sports Tourer and Super Sport. Both '71's and both Sierra Brown. I just love living in the past. Cheers to you!
Hi RJ! Been watching your videos recently and theyve helped me fix up my dad’s old bike a lot! I had a quick question regarding a new bicycle that I just purchased. It is a Supercycle Radex 26 and it has a 9x7 gear system, where there are 9 settings for only 3 front gears. I was wondering if you have encountered any bikes like this and whether they work differently from the normal 3x7 system? Im finding it makes slight adjustments to the friction while Im riding but I havent been able to get comfortable using it yet. Thanks!
I spotted a decent bike at a thrift store in the middle of the week. Saturday was 10%. Got the idea to make it unwanted by hiding the front tire in another part of the store. Saturday came, and I went back. Found the tire, but the rest of the bike was gone. Turns out my plan to make it unwanted got it tossed in the trash. Oh well, they sold me the front tire real cheap.
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First!
dang
RJ > RJ
I find very few parts at thrift stores, but here's a pro tip: shop the thrift stores that are adjacent to wealthy neighborhoods and communities. Rich people's old junk is way better than po' folk's old junk.
Truth
Nothing but 💎💎💎🌱🦋💖🐺😇
the
For sure!
Our goodwill has a central hub, and everything goes there and gets portionednoutnto prevent that.
Meh
You know, RJ, you are THE MAN when it comes to cycling for ordinary people. I have benefited so greatly from your tutorials using DIY tools. No, you DON'T need the $100+ Park blah-blah-blah tool to get it done. You help ensure that bikes are for the PEOPLE. Thank you for what you do. Maybe you could say the word, "aaand", a little less, lol.
Love, Always,
-Squiffy
And.
Damn gummit
Thing I don’t like about thrift stores is 95% of the time they don’t have any bike parts. And it’s so time consuming going to the thrifts.
I go to thrift stores all the time. I look for lots of stuff. Not just bikes/bike parts.
You buy a whole bike and part it out
@@RJTheBikeGuy thing is with me is all I want to see is bike parts or maybe interesting electrics, it takes about 5 mins to do the rounds looking for anything good. Only problem is my wife has to spend about an hour lol. So I’m walking around like a zombie for about 55 mins.
@@BruceChastain the importance of properly vetting women before putting a ring on them
My local goodwill is a goldmine of bike parts
Nothing but good knowledge and words of wisdom to pass on towards your brothers and sisters thank you RJ and all my brothers and sisters sharing and showing love in our journey
also a good source for stolen bike parts. if you buy without an original receipt shown, you encourage bike theft.
Do you really think a lot of people steal bikes, and then donate them to Goodwill? Really?
@@RJTheBikeGuy the title says thrift stores, doubt that all thrift stores only take charity donations.
Thrift Store is what made my homemade dirt jumper bike build worked. I found a good condition 26 DT Swiss wheel with a used Continental Mountain King tire for 5$
I get annoyed by the cost of tires, for the cheap bikes I like to mess with the tires seem to be the most costly part.
Tires have gone up exponentially in value
@@MrThatnativeguy it’s to the point now, if I see any 26” bike on the trash, even if it’s some junker, I’m still going to consider grabbing it just for the tires.
@@BruceChastain I hear ya brother , one of my pet peeves is bikes with mismatching tires so I too find it difficult
Great tips RJ. If you know someone that works at a metal scrap/recycle place sometimes you can find bicycles stuff there too.
Glad to see you are still uploading RJ, I have your videos playing in the background while I’m tinkering. You are like the Bob Ross of cycling.
Wow that is a steal of a bargain for a set of mb tires. Great find, Rj.
The last bike I picked up was a small Cannondale roadbike frame with no wheelset or saddle but was loaded with all Campagnolo components for $5 at a yard sale. When my wife asked why I wanted it I told her I just bought someone's "snob" bike for $5!
The thrift store in my town had one 16 in kids bike (which is pretty much the only bikes they have at any given time) was horribly beat up and rusty with dry rotted tires and they wanted like 60 dollars for it. Greedy greedy people
The thrift stores in my town vary day to day, week to week.
RJ Strikes again, nice work. I find best way to utilize thrift stores is when you are out and about, know where the thrift stores are near you. Most of the time I go in I do not buy anything but I have not really gone much out of my way to get there. When good stuff comes in likely will go fast so if you are able to go frequently it helps. These days with the internet craigs list, offer up and similar is a good way to find free and cheap stuff. Like RJ and other viewers commented, I don't just go in for bikes and bike parts, you just see what you find. Half of the score is finding a part, the second score is like in this video when you put the part to use. A while back found a basically brand new 700 wheel set with tires matching to the rim tubless system. came with an 11 speed cassette. Paid about $70 for the full wheel and tire set, which is basically the price of one of the panaracer gravel tires that came on it
I buy a lot of CDs. I have over 2000 of them. :D
@@RJTheBikeGuy I buy some, mostly get them from local library, convert them to MP3 and play music on bluetooth speakers while riding bike
Forgot to mention the speaker I use on my bike was also a thrift store score. BOSE Sonnd link mini retail price $150-200 at thrift store $25
Yep, I have boxes full of bits collected from old bikes. I even harvest parts kerbside :) Always keep a couple of tools in the car as you never know when there may be a set of wheels, forks, seat etc on a rubbish bike out for the dump.
Yes, I keep some tools in my glove box.
RJ- those tires are awesome. I have a set of Kenda Kwest on my commuter hybrid. They have over 1,500 miles on them, mixed surface riding including cobblestones and never left me flat. I wish Kenda still made them. That’s a steal on a brilliant tire!!
They are still sold here in Taiwan :) They are great tires for hybrid biking!
Just picked up several 29er tires for 4$ each at a thrift store
Guys, visit your local flea markets.
Lately I have been finding cheap seats, some tires and decent old 90s bikes in decent shape, I go to wealthy neighborhood thrift stores.
Down here the dumps & metal recycling centers, you can find bike parts.some pawn shops have deals.
@Orbital Cooker I actually have a 26" frame here,cruiser style
I do the same thing! Here in Washington, thrift stores are also awesome for seats, I regularly find great seats floating around on the sports shelves for less than half of what a bike shop would charge. Found a little bag of new shifters, brakes and some drivetrain parts for $7, I have been finding just the right part in that bag for months:)
Nice tip, we call these shops in the Netherlands: kringloopwinkels
I wasnt searching for this. I found it cause I am subscribed. It was helpful as I have let this happen to me before so thank you
4 bucks thats a steal!
Also check out your town’s bike co-op. They have tons of selection at bargain prices.
I actually found a pair of giant roller tires and a 20" marathon plus at a goodwill
Hi, I was wondering if you had a mailing address where I could send you some bike parts.
I have some of those 3x8 shifters/brakelevers in one things, and also some mechanical disc brake calipers, and I was thinking instead of throwing them out I could mail them to you. They are not new but they function. I took them off a bike I shot some video for, I've never RUclipsd before so I don't make as good videos as you and I haven't even published any yet (editing one now), but I saw in one of your videos that you like those Shimano shifter/brake lever setups. Anyway, let me know and I'll send them to you.
RJ I would like to get into wheel building, by that I mean just a few sets for my own bikes. Do you have a recommendation for an online store that sells cheap wheel components. Everywhere I look is selling expensive components like DT Swiss. And..
we call them charity shops in the UK, generally full of genuinely useless stuff and no bike parts, car boot sales are OK though and there is a local charity who leave unwanted parts outside. You can no longer take tyres to the landfill here so they end up in next doors garden LOL
Thrift stores were responsible for a revival in my interest in bikes of all sorts nearly 25 years ago already, the thrift stores in the Washington DC area and for about ten years I bought lots of them for myself and family and friends and eBay sales, both local and afar. And one bike, just the frame mostly, was sold to a big-time bike-shop owner in College Park, Maryland and I thought that was cool, to be in the mix with local shops like that. And why not as Schwinn Varsities and early-model Treks and Cannondales and more were available for next to nothing and that's no fib, we're talking like ten or fifteen buckbuckbucks. It was quite a kick to swing by a handful of thrift stores regularly and I am glad I played that game and that I found good homes for those bikes. And to this day, I visit a local thrift store once a week and another once every other week. Because you never know when something good might be parked on the floor for next to nothing.
Good advice thanks!
I got two 26" mountain bike tires (Blackburn) for $40 at Walmart..says made with little bit stronger materials..some stores not stock them..I had to check another Walmart til I found them
Here in europe we can get schwalbe marathons (my go to tyre for pretty much anything) for 20€ each. Available in all sorts of size I use them on pretty much every bike I put new tyres on except the mountainbike and cargobike. For everyday commuter I consider the marathon plus with more puncture resistance.
RJ please help I have a 2x6 speed vintage road bike Murray eliminator can I use 2x8 brake shifters without using the last 2 gears or I have to change other parts to please help 😢
Our Thrift Stores are such a rip-off you get rust garbage bikes for 50$ and up. Glade you still have good ones in your area.
Step 1: live in a capitalist economy with high consumerist tendency
i found a giant 80s iguana mountain bike out on a frontlawn free brought it home washed it pumped up tires rode it in front of house bottom bracket was loose left thumbshifter wasnt working great rear wheel warped and wheel bearings loose so i put it on facebook 50.00 it was gone
Another tip: document or better tag your parts with what you payed for it so you can make a good judgement if the price on your bike which you want to sell is right.
hello. how do you clean and store tools and parts? I used a degreaser, and water to clean, old clothes wipe out the water and put them in front of a fan so they would be dry. But rust still showed up.
BikeNashbar, , sometimes they have good deals on tires. Enjoy the videos, glad to see you back at it! Enjoy the rest of the evening!
Two Kenda tires for $5?
@@RJTheBikeGuy I understand the Goodwill and thrift store bargains are hard to beat, but you looked on the Amazon for 30 dolla tires. What a blessing to rummage through the stash and find those Kendas! Just saying that if you find yourself in a pinch, need tires ASAP, Nashbar may have a deal you can't refuse!
Kenda quests are good. Have them on my bike.
Found a park tool pedal wrench
I found a Park Tool repair stand... :D
I was helping at Park Tool earlier this year but then my local shop got super busy so I left after a couple months. Good group of people, I'll go back if things slowdown at the shop but I also volunteer at Free Bikes For Kidz where we get thousands of donated bikes and we always need help fixing those to give away. Good times!
local thrift shop has a bin of about 15 700c tubes for $1 each...
Eat less and ride more on your bike RJ, you’re getting a huge gut.
Good tip. Thanks very much.
Bike tires are just like shoes, if they dont get used they deteriorate. Gotta use them to keep the elasticity to them.
Agreed.
On craigslist list too. Cheap parts.
Where are you? I've never seen any bike parts or tires in a thrift store in North Carolina.
I'm just watching you 3 years
good one
A couple of things RJ. First, love your shirt. Gets comments. Love your channel. Has heiped me tremendously on my old Schwinn 10 speeds. Nut and bolt resto's on my Sports Tourer and Super Sport. Both '71's and both Sierra Brown. I just love living in the past. Cheers to you!
I do the same all the time more guys should do this Great video
$5 for two tires, bargain
Hi RJ! Been watching your videos recently and theyve helped me fix up my dad’s old bike a lot! I had a quick question regarding a new bicycle that I just purchased. It is a Supercycle Radex 26 and it has a 9x7 gear system, where there are 9 settings for only 3 front gears. I was wondering if you have encountered any bikes like this and whether they work differently from the normal 3x7 system? Im finding it makes slight adjustments to the friction while Im riding but I havent been able to get comfortable using it yet. Thanks!
Ironically after years of happily fixing bikes, I've just got a job in a "thrift store" bike department, and we're desperately short of spare parts...
will gravel bikes be the next trend in bikes ?
NEW Sub - Thanks for the great content ! LIKED
I got some good parts from place's and use them on things, I got a bike fixed and painted, and will sell it after I do more adjusting on it 😀👍🏻
I spotted a decent bike at a thrift store in the middle of the week. Saturday was 10%. Got the idea to make it unwanted by hiding the front tire in another part of the store. Saturday came, and I went back. Found the tire, but the rest of the bike was gone. Turns out my plan to make it unwanted got it tossed in the trash. Oh well, they sold me the front tire real cheap.
hey RJ, a brifter can be repaired?
ok
Great tip, I always actively look for bike stuff when I'm at the thrift store!
This guy's saved my days so many times thanks dude
I really wanted to see the new tires on the the bike!
Use shoe polish to make those cracks disappear!
Thanks for the information bro I appreciate it just like everyone else let's keep showing and showing love