The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

mat135ta said:

It was easily the best Chester Barrie that I ever thrifted. I thought it fits you...

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Tried so hard to make 23" sleeves work...everything else about it is perfect from the shoulders to the chest and length. Oh how I'd kill to have it be 24" sleeves with 1 to let out instead of 23". Figured I'd see if someone here could fit it and enjoy it. I't's a serious heartbreak haha.



hmmurdock said:

Couple shoe finds
Alden 920's

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Are these available? If so what size are they?



Nataku said:

I have this same shirt. Purchased new in 1981. Rounded button-shut flap pockets, right? I love the colors/pattern and it's my favorite Pendleton.

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I have one in this exact color, too. More recent, though - no button-shut flap pockets. But warm as all get-out.



Nataku said:

I have this same shirt. Purchased new in 1981. Rounded button-shut flap pockets, right? I love the colors/pattern and it's my favorite Pendleton.

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It came with a flawless mate that I didn't bother showing, since I'm going to keep both. But if there are any lumberjacks-***-Johnny-Cash lurking, I did find a black Pendleton the other day with leather elbow patches. It's a medium, and available.



330CK said:

Raleigh (only English made)
Pinarello
Colnago
Bianchi
Turner
Litespeed
Lynskey
Ellsworth
Pivot
Moots
There are probably a few more I didn't think of, and it's unlikely any of those will ever turn up, but it's worth a shot.

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Some of those would be insane to find at a thrift store (Moots, Lynskey), just because they're generally newer brands and their high-end status. Someone could luck into one, though.

I've been a bike-nut for many years now and I rarely find great stuff, but have had a good string of finds the past couple years. First, I found two vintage (early 80s) Trek road bikes in my frame size (25") within about six months of each other (one for $50, one for $15). I turned one into a poor-mans cyclocross bike and have put thousands of miles of crushed-gravel riding on it. The other I had blasted and powder-coated and modified it into a super-upright commuter (inspired by early Raleigh, etc). It's the best of both worlds, as it's super comfortable and yet incredibly lightweight and maneuverable. Here's a pic of that one...



For my money, the Trek road bikes from the 80s are incredible in terms of value, especially if you can get Reynolds tubing. Just the right mixture of lightness and flex, super comfortable to ride.

My most recent find was a Mercier Galaxy for $50 (which can be purchased on Bikes Direct for $400. It had an ass-ugly nutsack-saving ergo seat on it that I sold on ebay for $40, then put a comfortable seat I had laying around at home on it. My goal this spring is to mod it out and turn it into a commuter/infant hauler.

Oh, and unrelated to bikes, I have to give a huge shoutout to 330CK for hooking me up with some amazing Hickey Freeman blazers. Great stuff and great fellow to deal with.

330CK said:

If you ever want to sell that Fuso, let me know.

Pinarello
Colnago
Bianchi
Turner
Litespeed
Lynskey
Ellsworth
Pivot
Moots
There are probably a few more I didn't think of, and it's unlikely any of those will ever turn up, but it's worth a shot.

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If anyone finds on of these in good shape at thrift prices, I will be amazed. I'm more on the level of looking for post WWII porteur/city bikes with 3 speed hubs. I've found a few so far for between $5 and $15. They usually have zero aluminum on them and will never die, as well as Brooks saddles. The closest I've ever seen to a thrift level bike in your list was a 20 year old Litespeed MTB that was donated to our shop, but that had an ovalized headtube. It was unrideable, but had ancient XTR componentry. A Lynskey will never happen, as they've only been in business for 6 or 7 years. Same probably goes with Pivot and Moots, as those owners know precisely what they have. I've seen a few stolen Moots roll through with some getting back to their original owners, but I've never seen a legit owner trying to dump his Moots in the least ceremoniously way possible, donation.

The Fuso was recently broken down and sold piecemeal. I just shipped the frame and fork to Germany.

pnutpug said:

It came with a flawless mate that I didn't bother showing, since I'm going to keep both. But if there are any lumberjacks-***-Johnny-Cash lurking, I did find a black Pendleton the other day with leather elbow patches. It's a medium, and available.

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Wrong size, but needed a reason to post these and you said the key word... like a Digmenow signal.

Re: finding old bikes. I used to know a guy who was heavily into this as was pretty successful in finding these older bikes you are talking about. His strategy:
1. Estate/garage sales. He would hit them up early on Saturday morning, opening day. A lot of folks don't know what they've got and he would make offers from $20 -$30/per bike and be pretty successful.
2. Craigslist. He would concentrate on ads saying something simple like "bike for sale" or "bicycle". A lot of these ads are put by people who don't know much about computers let alone how to take a picture and post it to CL. Emails and phone calls would give him details and if he thought it was promising he would visit and also give them $20-$30 offers.

Well I think this guy would win the prize for best thrift find. We need to get him on SF!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/greenvi...-purchase-earns-190k-at-auction-28519106.html

Round 2 of my foray into this "WAYWT - Thrift Edition". Today we move from the Good Ol' USofA (everything I was wearing yesterday was either made in the USA or marketed by a US-based retailer) to Italy. Same rules as yesterday: 100% non-retail excepting boxers and soxers (thrift, discount, SF, Ebay). Feast (or avert) your eyes on(/from) this! I'm actually really glad Dig started this trend, because seeing that pic makes me realize how truly generous these (and probably many of my other) suit trousers are through the thigh. I was an athlete in a previous life, and do have big thighs, but this is ridiculous. Is this something a good tailor can address, or do I just need a different cut suit? Next up (tomorrow ?): Merry Old England.

Shiny said:

Re: finding old bikes. I used to know a guy who was heavily into this as was pretty successful in finding these older bikes you are talking about. His strategy:
1. Estate/garage sales. He would hit them up early on Saturday morning, opening day. A lot of folks don't know what they've got and he would make offers from $20 -$30/per bike and be pretty successful.
2. Craigslist. He would concentrate on ads saying something simple like "bike for sale" or "bicycle". A lot of these ads are put by people who don't know much about computers let alone how to take a picture and post it to CL. Emails and phone calls would give him details and if he thought it was promising he would visit and also give them $20-$30 offers.

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A friend's father sold his son's bikes at a garage sale while the son was living overseas. The father had been pestering the son for years to get his "crap" out of the basement. Despite knowing the bikes were worth something, the father sold the lot for $300 to a thrilled buyer, largely as punishment for his son's laziness. One was an early-eighties Giusseppi Olmo with Ofmega Master and Campagnolo C-Record components. It also had a pair of interesting clipless pedals that were little more than cylinders that required the user to pull out sideways. A beautiful bike. The other two were older frames that my friend had picked up to rebuild. One a Ciocc with fancy lug work, the other a Coppi from the seventies (made by an Italian maker - Pinnarello maybe? - for a shop of the same name in Montreal). I see a lot of Cannondale, Bianchi, Trek at garage sales. The Bianchi's are usually lower end. I'm always on the look out for a nice pre 90s Italian steel framed bike. No luck yet.



GMMcL said:

Round 2 of my foray into this "WAYWT - Thrift Edition". Today we move from the Good Ol' USofA (everything I was wearing yesterday was either made in the USA or marketed by a US-based retailer) to Italy. Same rules as yesterday: 100% non-retail excepting boxers and soxers (thrift, discount, SF, Ebay). Feast (or avert) your eyes on(/from) this!

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Suit: Zanella charcoal with beige pinstripe, Super 120s Shirt: Borrelli Napoli brown and blue windowpane Tie: Kiton 7-fold (bought from davesmith at an AWESOME price Shoes: AE Dalton tassel captoe Watch/belt: Nuffin' special (see yesterday) Black Leather car coat -- styled like a 3 button blazer, high lapels, patch pockets, working surgeon cuffs, but fits like a car coat (42R fits over my suit; extends further down my thigh) Made in Italy for Joseph Abboud (don't know by whom, but it was the GFT era, so it may be same factory as made Valentino or Armani). Partially cheating; I bought this at an employee-only sample sale and paid $50 -- retail was $1500+ Total outfit cost (incl car coat): < $200

I'm actually really glad Dig started this trend, because seeing that pic makes me realize how truly generous these (and probably many of my other) suit trousers are through the thigh. I was an athlete in a previous life, and do have big thighs, but this is ridiculous. Is this something a good tailor can address, or do I just need a different cut suit? Next up (tomorrow ?): Merry Old England.

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A good tailor should be able to do some work with slimming the trousers. Mine says he charges $35 (39?) for that job. It will, however, depend on how much they need to be slimmed as to whether the work can be done atttractively without essentially making a new pair out of the fabric (that would cost more). If you have large thighs, then you won't want to take them down too far, which makes it more possible. The only issue is that to kep costs down you can't alter the crotch itself too much. Once you get to the knee, I assume you can do pretty much anything.

Coronaeus said:

I see a lot of Cannondale, Bianchi, Trek at garage sales. The Bianchi's are usually lower end. I'm always on the look out for a nice pre 90s Italian steel framed bike. No luck yet.

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This. Garage/Yard/Rummage/Tag/etc. sales are usually going to be a better bet for bikes. Of course, there too you have plenty of junk to sift through.



Mercuryman76 said:

Well I think this guy would win the prize for best thrift find. We need to get him on SF!
http://news.yahoo.com/video/greenvi...-purchase-earns-190k-at-auction-28519106.html

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Oh Leroy should use some of that money for new teeth. I find it funny that he wants to keep his identity secret by using his middle name "Leroy" but actually talks to the reporter on the news. And shared the location of the Goodwill he visits 4 times a week.

Any of you dudebros interested in this Orvis chore jacket? 90% wool, 10% cashmere. Leather elbow patches and details. Patch pockets. Single vent. Throat latch. Tagged size L.

Missed 1 day on here. 160+ posts to catch up on...Crazy!!

Made a small road trip Monday and Tuesday. Of course I always plan my route around thrift store stops, turning a 3 hour drive into 7-8 hours is not uncommon.

Pics will surely follow:

First stop I saw something that nearly made me vomit.

New with Tags, Kasper suit displayed nicely out in the main isle on a full mannequin for....$100 (never new they even sold new for that much) Original MSRP was $425.
I should have walked out then, but contuinued on fruitlessly for 1/2 hour before leaving emptyhanded.
To think I found my nicest Oxxford suit and my first Seven Fold tie there a few months back for a couple bucks.

Things began looking up at the next stop. New donation of 8-10 Tom James suits all from same donor. I picked up the 4 nicer ones. All have 2 button coats, pleated and cuffed pants and 4 button surgeon cuffs. All staple colors.

Same stop...Nice pair of Brown Hanover Longwings in a 13 AAA/A

2 more stops with near misses.

Next I found a Hick's and Sons - Savile Row Bespoke tweed. MAINY you are apparently the only person on SF who has posted about this maker (back on '07)
This thing is pretty sweet. Medium Gray with light blue windowpane. 3 buttons, lapel has flower stitch below button hole, double vented, 2 button working surgeon cuffs and a working exterior ticket pocket. It was made in the early to mid 80's, but for its condition, it could have been made yesterday.

Same store... Attention GRENDEL
Vintage Yellow and white label BB Linen jacket. I think its 40R
Unstructured, Cream color, 3 roll 2 MOP buttons, single vent, and patch pockets IIRCC. Awesome summer coat.

Same Store...
More recent BB POW cashmere jacket.

Same Store...
Allen Edmonds Chester in Burgundy I think they are size 9

Moving on...
Older Austin Reed Suit
Brown Pin Stripe, Flat Front, Non-cuffed pants.

Then my most interesting find...
J. Crew - Camel hair Hooded Duffle Coat by Gloverall....I can't see that its ever been worn.
Crazy insane quality. No wonder thay sold for around $600