eBay and Craigslist finds

this is an interesting one. one month ago this was also on ebay, except it was sold as a complete geared bike:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190341785467&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT

as you can see the whole bike went for £127.83, a nice price and a great buy for someone who wanted a cheap, good second hand bike.

it's now stripped down to the point where even the bottle holder is being sold individually. selling it all on in one go, on the same items list, all to finish in the same hour.. and apparently no improving work done on anything, just taken apart. an interesting lesson in ebay wheelerdealing to watch all of the items now and add up how much he makes off it all. His pic for the crank sale even has the frame attached! lazy.. i hope he's doing it in the name of funding his vintage track build... someone missed out on a lovely working bike so he could make a hundred quid profit.

Following posting 20060 by Pajamas, I have a similar tale to tell.

Last year, I sold my 1958 Rory O'Brien to a guy in the Veteran Cycle Club. He told me that it was very rare to come across a bike in such original condition. He pleaded poverty and stated that he 'really wanted the bike'. He chiselled me down in price and in a fit of generosity, I sold it to him for a massive £75 (Original asking price was only about £100). He told me that he intended to use it for 'club runs' and stated that his friends would be envious of his new steed in such original condition.

I did him a favour, entirely because he is a fellow member of the V-CC. I didn't realise that he was entirely motivated (in this instance) by profit.

He told me that he intended to use the bike for Club Runs. I told him that I planned to do some and that I hoped I'd see him riding the Rory O'Brien on them - gotta laugh at that. Made me feel a 'right wally' at having said that, when I saw the bike (stripped) on Ebay just a couple of days later.

The following week, I was irritated to see the frame and parts for sale on Ebay. Obviously, he was quite entitled to do so, but I was annoyed that despite him exalting the virtues of 'originality', the profit motive was higher in his list of priorities. The 'original' fittings were worth more broken up and he ended up selling frame and bits for £170.

So he pulled an entirely original bike apart for the sake of £90 - he is a high-profile member of a cycling club where 'originality' is very important. He specifically stated to me that "old bikes should be kept original". I told him that I had considered fitting some modern components and he told me that would 'spoil' the bike. He is a prolific dealer on Ebay and sells dozens of old parts each month. Of course, he will extoll the virtues of originality - especially if he can sell the parts .

He is a long-time and highly regarded member of the V-CC, whilst I've only joined in the last 18 months. He is such a fanatic about 'originality' that he even wears period clothing for club rides; I don't so much mind that he made a profit on the bike, it is the hypocrisy that narks me. People will pull old bikes apart to sell the bits, it's a 'fact of life'; but if I'd known that he was going to do that, I'd have done it myself !

He is very much involved and influential in the activities of his local section (sadly, the nearest one to me) and is considered to be something of a 'guru' on old bikes. I know very little about old bikes/bike components and automatically, that gives me no 'standing' within the V-CC. Sadly, he is also the 'leader' of the nearest section to me of The Rough-Stuff Fellowship.

The matter is long since closed. I've mentally 'forgiven' the buyer of the bike - his attitude towards dealing in old bikes and originality is just different from my own. No point in harbouring grudges; life goes on and all that. However, it might be 'awkward' should we 'bump' into each other; accordingly, I have decided not to bother with any 'local' cycling events with either the V-CC or The Rough-Stuff Fellowship.