The 1950 Schwinn cycle truck may not have been as good a catch as some of the older, rarer bikes at the 12th annual Chicago Area Bicycle Swap Meet Sunday in Oak Forest, but it had its share of fans.
One woman thought the bike, with its roomy basket attached to its cross bars and fender, would be perfect to transport her miniature poodle to and from work.
The cycle truck which was priced at $500, was used in its heyday by grocery and newspaper companies for deliveries, said Joan MacKenzie of Oak Lawn, who was selling the bike. She and her husband, who are both retired, have been in the bicycle collecting business for about 20 years.
“It keeps life interesting,” she said.
About 43 bicycle collectors were selling bikes and swapping parts to restore bikes from a bygone era. Most were retired and from the Midwest.
Bikes ranged from the rusty Schwinn from the ’30s to the repainted Schwinn Black Phantoms of the ’50s being offered by Lee Williams of Robbins for between $700 and $1,200. Williams, who is retired from Northern Illinois Gas Co., reconstructs bikes from old parts. Phantoms were popular at the event, with their sleek, black physiques and “Black Phantom” in bright red lettering painted on their sides.
Proceeds from the swap will help support the Oak Forest park district’s wrestling team for children ages 6 to 14.
According to Jeff Trotter, 18, who works in building maintenance for the park district, the team helps get kids in shape for high school.
“They get disciplined and a good workout,” he said. “They also have teammates and learn to look out for one another.” Trotter had been part of the team for eight years.
Though larger bike meets take place in Ann Arbor, Mich. and other parts of the Midwest, sometimes drawing several hundred sellers, the Oak Forest swap has been a strong city tradition since it was started by Ed Boros in 1986. Boros, who is building supervisor for the park district, says he and some of his friends got involved in bike swaps as a way of sharing information and parts.
His love of bikes has spanned three decades. Before his job with the park district, he owned Tinley Schwinn in Tinley Park and, before that, Mr. Ed’s Bike Shop in Dolton. He has also written three books about bikes. Amidst his collection of 3,000 bike plates (like license plates on a car) is a 1936 one that reads “Chicago Tribune.” It was used on a Schwinn bike and given as a prize to the paper’s employees who sold the most subscriptions.
Business was a bit slow at the event for sellers like Jim Taylor of Green Bay, Wis., but it couldn’t dampen his love of bikes and trading. His bikes included ones from the “Balloon Era,” which lasted from 1933 to 1959, when balloon tires were popular. Taylor was asking between $500 and $2,000.
“People think these bikes and parts are priced out of range,” Taylor said, “but when you spend so many months looking for just the right part, it’s worth it.
“It’s like a puzzle; if you can’t finish that last piece, you get discouraged. But if you have missing parts, that’s the most fun. You’ve got to have the desire and fascination.”
Luke and Valerie Bruheim from Madison, Wis., considered a 1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost, priced at $1,500, and admitted a fascination with building a classic bike from scratch. Luke Bruheim purchased part of a bike for $20 from a thrift store, and after reconstructing it, was offering it for $500.
According to bike experts like Mark Mattei, who has collected bikes since 1983 and now has at least 200, the value of a bicycle depends on age, rarity and desirability. A 1930s bike could be of more value to a collector than a 1910 bike, he said.
A “bone shaker,” or bike with wooden spokes for wheels, from the late 1860s, might be worth $3,000 to $7,000 to a collector, whereas a 1940 Schwinn Whizzer motorbike, which has a gas motor and a tank that fits across its cross bars, as well as the ability to go 120 miles on a gallon of gas, might go for $3,000 to $4,000.
Boros, who is set to retire at the end of the month, said that regardless of the money involved, the “fun is in the chase.”
In retirement, he’ll have more time for his hobby.
“I’ll be able to go out and hunt these bikes down,” he said.
