Own a vintage bike- check! (Now I have to tackle the other half of my 30 before 30 requirement- actually riding it) Less than a week after my last post debating the merits of vintage vs. new bikes, I found this guy on Craigslist. Isn't she pretty??
She's an early 60s Columbia Thunderbolt and needs a little bit of love to be a safe ride, but totally worth a try! It was listed for $140 in the town next to mine- not quite as low of a price as I wanted, but close enough to check it out. I'm perpetual haggler, so I had to negotiate: I offered him $100 and he took it without blinking- I should have started lower! He was flabbergasted, though that I actually planned to ride it and not just display it.
Craigslist isn't a miracle (I'm still hunting for a patio bench) but it only took a few weeks of hunting to find this gem! She needs a name, though- I'm thinking something 60s-inspired.... any ideas?