by Brian MortonVancouver Sun

Are you in the market for a never-before-used, 50-year-old bike that鈥檚 still in the original box?

Then consider attending a unique auction in Surrey on Sunday that will see up to 200 bikes owned by Cap鈥檚 Bicycles 91原创 鈥� some dating to the early 1900s 鈥� sold off. Many are described as 鈥榤useum-quality collector bikes.鈥�

There鈥檚 unicycles, tricycles from the 1940s, beautiful 鈥�50s-era bikes with white walls and chrome, and plenty of European road bikes from the 鈥�70s.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a big variety of bikes there,鈥� said Cap鈥檚 store manager Jeremy Gosse.

鈥淪ome of them are brand new and still in the original boxes, decades old. A lot of them were never touched.鈥�

The auction, which starts at 9:30 a.m., takes place at Able Auctions, 13557-77 Ave.; preceded by a Saturday preview from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot from Schwinn, which used to make bikes decades ago and another one is a road bike made by Peugeot,鈥� added Gosse. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of cruiser bikes as well. He (late Cap鈥檚 founder Gerald Hobbis, known as 鈥楥ap鈥�) just kept a collection of all the bikes from the different eras.鈥�

Gosse said the bikes being offered at auction only represent part of Cap鈥檚 historic collection.

鈥淲e still have a huge number in the store. It鈥檚 not our whole collection. And we still have a display of every era of bike in the store.鈥�

He said the auction will open up other business opportunities for Cap鈥檚. 鈥淭here鈥檚 now more space to work with.鈥�

has been a family run business since being founded in 1932. Cap Hobbis and his brothers started out with a hardware store at Sapperton in New Westminster, repairing bicycles for friends and family. The 91原创 Cap鈥檚 location was opened in 1979 and re-established in 2002.

鈥� Brian Morton is a writer with the Vancouver Sun