A century (and more) of bicycles on display Sunday

A turn-of-the-century Columbia bike, vintage Stingrays, the racing bike that Greg LeMond rode as the first American to win the Tour de France in 1986.

Those are just some of the nearly 80 models expected to be on display Sunday at Village CycleSport's annual Classic Bicycle Show & Swap. The event is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. behind the store, at 1313 N. Rand Road in Arlington Heights. Admission is free.

This is the fourth time owner Joe Eberhardt has mounted the novel show, and this year he sees more interest than ever in bicycles.

"In the past year, with the price of gas going up, a lot of people are bringing their old bikes out of the garage and in for a tune up," Eberhardt says. "We're selling lots of baskets and racks for people so they can ran take short trips, like to work."

Once people enter the store, they see Eberhardt's interest in bicycle collecting. He reserves an entire corner to some of his rare and hard-to-find bikes.

On Sunday, tough, the show will expand beyond his collection to include other collectors displaying their models. He expects to see original Stingrays, restored Stingrays, the best prewar bikes, balloon tire, middleweight tire and custom cruisers and low riders.

Standouts in Eberhardt's collection include a classic 1954 Schwinn black Phantom, with its big chrome fenders and built-in headlight, as well as a 1950 Whizzer motorized bicycle, and a 1969 Schwinn Apple Krate Stingray.

Members of The Wheelmen club will ride around the parking lot on some of their antique high-wheeled bicycles that date back to the late 19th century,

"We draw a lot of collectors, but we also draw a lot of families," Eberhardt says of his annual shows. "You hear a lot of people saying, 'That's the kind of bike I rode on as a kid.'"

Eberhardt started the show as an outgrowth of his own interest, but he also saw a void in the market. While there are plenty of classic car shows in the area, there are no other bicycle shows.

Also going on at the event is the swap meet, where collectors will be buying and selling parts needed to restore bicycles. There also will be some rare and vintage bikes for sale.

Families also will find some limited food for sale, including ice cream, with nostalgic "oldies" music playing in the background.