I had been watching the auction for a Specialized Crossroads hybrid bike for a couple days. The bike has a 17 inch frame which is too small for me. My wife might be able to ride it, but I just bought a Specialized Hardrock mountain bike for her. But I figured I could use the parts. The rear wheel might work as a replacement for my Trek 700. And the components might be useful.
The opening bid amount was only $1. I didn’t seriously think I get the bike for $1. But I bid the $1, and also set up a snipe bid for more. The shipping fee was list as $108. But the bike was located maybe an hour drive away, so I could go pick it up if I won. I thought about emailing the seller about pickup because some sellers wont allow it as the item might not be on site. But then I noticed that the auction listing stated “local pickup available”. Great! I know some sellers charge a $5-10 pickup fee, but that it is okay.
I ended up winning the auction for the bike for $20.50. Great deal! I emailed the seller about times I can pick it up. I got a reply back this morning saying that the seller had already paid to have the bike disassembled and boxed for shipping, and I would have to pay that fee. WHAT? Why in the world would they do that? I emailed back to find out how much this fee is. It was stupid on the part of the seller to assume that the bike would need to be shipped! Something like a bike has more of a chance to sell locally. And if you even mention local pickup in the listing… I haven’t gotten response about how much more they want, but I am thinking about telling them to keep the bike. I haven’t paid anything yet. The worst that could happen is we can exchange negative feedbacks. I didn’t ask to have the bike disassembled. I didn’t want the bike to be disassembled. I don’t think most people interested in local pickup would want or need the bike disassembled and boxed! I sure as heck don’t want to pay for something I didn’t ask for! I am not even sure how useful the parts will be. At $20.50 it was a great deal! But if they try to add another $50, then it is not a great deal anymore! I haven’t decided on what the cut-off amount will be. Frankly I am considering just nixing the deal altogether on principle.
The whole thing is kind of frustrating! I have never backed out of an eBay transaction before! And I hate getting a negative feedback.
Later-
The seller contacted me. They said the disassembly and boxing cost $30. So the total cost of the bicycle will be $50.50 plus NY sale tax. This is still a good price for the bike, though not great. I am still ticked off about having to pay an extra $30 for something I didn’t want, or ask for. It actually means more work for me since I will have to put the bloody thing back together. I paid via PayPal, but they still haven’t contacted me about when I can pick it up.
A couple weeks ago I checked out a bike listed on Craigslist. It was Trek 700. I wasn’t sure what style it was as the Trek 700 has gone from a road bike to a multitrack hybrid. It turned out to be the hybrid style. At the time I was looking for a road bike for me, or bike for my wife. For a 21″ frame it was too big for my wife, and not a road bike. Still I considered buying it as a Trek bike for $50 seemed like a great deal. That was until I noticed the read wheel was bent, and would probably need to be replaced.
Well the guy relisted the bike with a note about the wheel. But I kept thinking that for $50 it might be fun to play with. Then I came up with the idea that the bike might be converted into a cyclo-cross bike. That it might do well on the off-road duathlon next year. I swapped emailed with the seller trying to find a day and time when he was around that I might get over there to pickup the bike. It took over half a week, but I finally manage to get the bike. The shifters on the front are kind of goofy it little dials to show what gear you are in, and I hope to replace them. One thing I noticed after I got the bike home is that the forks seem to be bent back a little bit as if someone had collided with something. I think I can straigten them. It will be a project bike. I can’t afford to build one of those cars from the Fast And Furious movies…well I actually I can…but I have better things to spend my money on. But a $50 bike is something I can play with. I am thinking of taking appart the rear wheel, straightening the rim, and then rebuilding it. It could be interesting. And if I can’t get it straigtened, it probably need to be replaced anyway.
Since I am looking for a couple bicycles (a road bike, and maybe a hybrid that can be converted to a cyclo-cross bike), I often check Craigslist to see if anything new pops up that I might be interested in. This morning, an ad showed up on Craigslist with a title of “Really nice bikes”. Okay. In the ad it said “All models, colors, sizes”. And it was in the same area where I was currently at work. There was a phone number. I called the guy. He sounded half asleep. The ad had been placed less than half an hour before. I asked about the bikes. He asked if I was interested in the mans bike, or the woman’s bike. I said I was looking for a man’s bike. I asked what kind of bikes they were…were they mountain bikes, or road bikes. He said they were bikes…two wheels, and a frame…bikes, and asked if I wanted to come look at them. He obviously didn’t know much about bicycles! I got address, and managed to convince him I didn’t need directions. I told him I would come over at lunch. I got $100 at a cash machine, not knowing if he had anything worthwhile. The ad didn’t mention how much the bikes were.
I found his house, and knocked on the door. He let me in to look at the bikes. There were only two bikes (oh, and an exercise bike). A Huffy, and a Free Spirit. Not even in great condition, as if it would have mattered. *sigh* I told him they weren’t what I was looking for, that I was looking for a little higher end bikes. He asked how much the ad said they were selling for. I told him it didn’t say. He ask how much they might be worth. I told him that bikes like that can be bought at Wal-Mart new for under $100. So he thought the Huffy might sell for $50. I didn’t want to shatter his illusions, so I thanked him and left. Who knows…maybe I could have shown up, and he might have had a Trek, or Specialized, or Cannondale, etc bike that I might have wanted. You never know. I will keep looking!
French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France by Tim Moore
SUMMARY: Author rides the route of the 2000 Tour De France course. More of a travelogue than a book about cycling.
I got this book from the library thinking it would be about riding in the Tour De France. It turned out to be written by a magazine editor who rode the 2000 Tour De France course before that actual race. He of course rode it much slower, on a bag equipped with panniers. He did skip a couple very small portions such as the last part of the climb up one of the grueling hills on the course. But the book is less about cycling, and is more of a travelogue. So the book was a little bit of a disappointment. I thought it was actually going to be by a Tour De France Competitor, and I thought it was going to be more about cycling. The book was also slow in spots. There were times when I considered skipping the rest of the book, and going on to another. But I stuck it out.
It did reinforce my goal never to travel to France. Such as when he tried to take his bike on the train, and they forced him to take it off totally ignoring the fact that there was a little bike symbol on their train schedule.
I was also disappointed when the author mentioned that after his trip, he put the bike out with his kids bikes and that the chain was rusting, and the bike was gathering cobwebs. What a waste of a nice bike.
Read more…
I am reconsidering the Trek 700 with the bent rear wheel. If it is still available, I may try to pick it up for $50. I emailed the guy, but haven’t gotten a reply back yet. It could be fun to play with. For only $50, I can really play with it. I can pull the back wheel of, and try to straighten it. If I can’t straighten it, I could always replace it. Maybe look at replacing the front handlebars with road bike type handle bars with drops. I could take it out to the course where the duathlon was held, and see what kind of time I can ride versus my mountain bike. I think it could be significantly faster on the crushed gravel path, and on the hard packed dirt trail. Not sure how it would handle in the soft sticky mud with the narrower tires.
It would kind of suck to have passed up the bike, then decide I want it, and not get it. Oh well. I might still get it. It’s a project bike and many people might not be into that.