Riding bikes on the Ocean City Boardwalk is a summer tradition for many vacationing families. And so is shopping at the end-of-summer bike sale at Surf Buggy Centers.
Steve Tomchick of Wayne, Pa., who has a summer home in Ocean City, says cyclists who are in the know count on the sale for great deals.
"Everybody knows that at the end of the season, they get rid of the bikes. The problem is the environment down here is so brutal, the sand and the salt and all, it makes sense to buy a second-hand bike."
Starting Saturday, September 4, at 7:00 a.m. Surf Buggy will begin to sell off close to 1,000 bikes that were purchased in the Spring and used as rentals over the Summer. The sale will be held at their rental location at 8th Street and the Boardwalk.
Owner Laurie Elmer says, "The savings typically would be, on a bike that was used for just a ouple of months, they're about half of what they would be retail. And they're awesome bikes, because they're bike shop bikes, they're not typical 'beater' bikes that people would associate being here at Ocean City and Sea Isle City and beyond."
Most of the sale bikes are Fujis, with a few Sun Cruisers as well. They usually retail for $340 to $360, but will be sold for about $180. Children's bikes will cost even less.
And Elmer says these bikes will last for years, even in the salt air.
"Most of the bikes we have are aluminum, so they're rust-resistant and you don't have to worry about them becoming rust buckets if people leave them in their garages over the course of the Winter. They're really lightweight and comfortable to ride, so that's one of the reasons why they're so popular."
Laureita Warner has a bike from a prior year's sale.
"I think it's terrific. You get to ride the bikes all summer long and you get to see what you like and you have your choice," she says. "The price can't be beat."
In addition to the sale at 8th and the Boardwalk, Surf Buggy Center will also be selling bikes at their JFK and Pleasure Avenue location in Sea Isle. For details, click here.
There will also be a bike sale by Cape Bike Rentals in Cape May, New Jersey. That takes place on weekends through September at their location at 135 Sunset Boulevard in West Cape May, New Jersey.
Bradley Bikes of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, will begin selling off its fleet after Sept. 7, 2010, at Rambler Road and Ocean Avenue.
And A.J's in Beach Haven will start their sale Saturday, September 4, 2010, at 311 South Bay Ave.
