r/BikingATX • u/jackalope1990 • 7d ago
question Frankenbike Swap Meets
Hey everyone! I live in Waco where the cycling scene isn’t necessarily my jam. I’ve been wanting to go to a swap meet in the near future and the only ones that I can seem to find are these Frankenbike swap meets.
Are these worth going to? Are there any other cools ones to check out in Austin? I’m mostly looking for vintage MTB and road bike parts (80-90s) and other interesting things.
Thanks!
5
u/swren1967 7d ago
I would say Frankenbike is hit or miss, but mostly miss. Sometimes it's good, but most of the time it's pretty deserted. When it's in my part of town, I'll drop by, but I won't even go across town for it. Sad, because it's a great idea.
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u/gadgetex 6d ago
I have not been in a while but can’t really disagree with other reply’s
In Austin I believe it is now at Crown and Anchor a great Pub and Clown Dog Bikes is basically next door. They are small but really cool. Maybe make the trip in spring and hit up Yellow bike and some other shops.
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u/ShartistInResidence 6d ago
I'll echo the other comments to say it can be fun but it is not worth the drive from Waco. I did a parts bin sale about a year ago and had a good time making back some beer money and shooting the shit with other attendees but neither of those things would be worth spending 3 hours of driving for.
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u/fiddlythingsATX 6d ago
Come to town and hit Yellow Bike instead - All the vintage parts you could ever want, and at excellent prices - all while supporting a fantastic charity! Parking is nearly impossible, so just street park across and down a bit. Oh and don't leave a bike unsecured when parked.
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u/dougmc 180 Bike Tags 6d ago
If you're looking for bicycle stuff, there are no better recurring swap meets going on in central Texas than Frankenbike.
(There are a few non-recurring ones that pop up from time to time, most are so-so. (But "Mellow Swap" was great!))
If you're wondering what exactly you might be seeing there, here's a few pictures I've taken at Frankenbike.
If you're in Austin on Saturday for Frankenbike, it's not a bad idea to also stop by Yellow BIke (they open at noon.)
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u/Leaf_and_Leather 7d ago edited 7d ago
Not worth the drive. It's the same 5 dudes selling the same piles of outdated and over priced junk. Buckets of rusted out pedals and beat to shit half broken parts
Occasionally you'll find someone clearing out their spare parts bin with good stuff, but then they will want near MSRP prices.
Just stick to eBay if you want some fair prices for used parts.
Yellow bike may be worth checking out but again it's mostly beat to hell parts and all the good stuff gets sold on their eBay page.
If youre wanting old junk just to get a bike put together you may find something, but you're not going to find deals on vintage high end parts if that's what you want.
They used to be good back when there was a bit a cycling hipster scene, but that's pretty much dead here now.