1983 Stumpjumper: damn.

Dave Mayer said:

So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
(which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).

Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
fork crown I've ever seen.

Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
for the next 22 years.

Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.

So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?

Money in your pocket and making others happy. If I find a nice yardsale
bike that's mint but doesn't fit, I polish it up with a stem to stern
basic overhaul, replace as few parts as necessary, but make sure the
not so sexy things like hubs are repacked, then sell it for a fair
price on Craigslist. Usually I end up making $10 an hour to do this,
but it's getting payed to putter in the garage and drink beer, a man's
dream hobby.

Last young woman I sold a mint 80s road bike to for $150 hugged me as
she knew I wanted to reunite the bike with its destined owner, not rape
somebody on Ebay for it. I do a couple like that per year, and it
usually ends up being a perfectly adjusted, rideable bike for $150
going to somebody that's really really wanting one. Yes, I could donate
them to charity, but meh, I like a symbolic amount of money as a mild
motivator.

In article <nBXwg.220846$iF6.201235@pd7tw2no>,

Dave Mayer said:

So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
(which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).

Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
fork crown I've ever seen.

Double fork crown made from two plates?

http://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/Stump055Fork.JPG

Quoted message said:

Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
for the next 22 years.

Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.

So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?

Ahh! That's the second year that regular-production mountain bikes
existed! You should have bought it so you could hang it in your living
room!

Please to be telling me the street address right frigging now, as I need
to get over there before trash day.

If you can't get motivated to pick up a 1983 Stumpjumper, then you have
too many bicycles.

Heck, that bike would have been "pre-Bridgestone" geometry, so it
probably would have made a really good touring bike (long chainstays).

The optimal use of this bike is to ride it as a starter cyclocross bike,
in series that allow flat bars.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

On 23 Jul 2006 21:47:10 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Dave Mayer said:

So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
(which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).

Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
fork crown I've ever seen.

Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
for the next 22 years.

Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.

So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?

Money in your pocket and making others happy. If I find a nice yardsale
bike that's mint but doesn't fit, I polish it up with a stem to stern
basic overhaul, replace as few parts as necessary, but make sure the
not so sexy things like hubs are repacked, then sell it for a fair
price on Craigslist. Usually I end up making $10 an hour to do this,
but it's getting payed to putter in the garage and drink beer, a man's
dream hobby.

Last young woman I sold a mint 80s road bike to for $150 hugged me as
she knew I wanted to reunite the bike with its destined owner, not rape
somebody on Ebay for it.

" rape somebody on Ebay for it?" How does this occur? I thought the
bidding was voluntary.

Quoted message said:

I do a couple like that per year, and it
usually ends up being a perfectly adjusted, rideable bike for $150
going to somebody that's really really wanting one. Yes, I could donate
them to charity, but meh, I like a symbolic amount of money as a mild
motivator.

R Brickston said:

On 23 Jul 2006 21:47:10 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Dave Mayer said:

So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
(which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).

Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
fork crown I've ever seen.

Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
for the next 22 years.

Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.

So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?

Money in your pocket and making others happy. If I find a nice yardsale
bike that's mint but doesn't fit, I polish it up with a stem to stern
basic overhaul, replace as few parts as necessary, but make sure the
not so sexy things like hubs are repacked, then sell it for a fair
price on Craigslist. Usually I end up making $10 an hour to do this,
but it's getting payed to putter in the garage and drink beer, a man's
dream hobby.

Last young woman I sold a mint 80s road bike to for $150 hugged me as
she knew I wanted to reunite the bike with its destined owner, not rape
somebody on Ebay for it.

" rape somebody on Ebay for it?" How does this occur? I thought the
bidding was voluntary.

It's called nondisclosure, misleading text, misleading photos, hidden
shipping charges, and just the nature of auction, which is a lot like
gambling, in that it can get people fired up and ready to bid more than
something's worth in the heat of the moment.

When I sell something on craigslist, I decide on a very fair price,
then stick to it. I usually give the person a week to find any hidden
faults and report back. None have needed to.

On 24 Jul 2006 07:52:17 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

R Brickston said:

On 23 Jul 2006 21:47:10 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Dave Mayer wrote:
> So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
> (which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).
>
> Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
> nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
> Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
> fork crown I've ever seen.
>
> Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
> This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
> for the next 22 years.
>
> Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.
>
> So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?

Money in your pocket and making others happy. If I find a nice yardsale
bike that's mint but doesn't fit, I polish it up with a stem to stern
basic overhaul, replace as few parts as necessary, but make sure the
not so sexy things like hubs are repacked, then sell it for a fair
price on Craigslist. Usually I end up making $10 an hour to do this,
but it's getting payed to putter in the garage and drink beer, a man's
dream hobby.

Last young woman I sold a mint 80s road bike to for $150 hugged me as
she knew I wanted to reunite the bike with its destined owner, not rape
somebody on Ebay for it.

" rape somebody on Ebay for it?" How does this occur? I thought the
bidding was voluntary.

It's called nondisclosure, misleading text, misleading photos,

Here's what I do, I ask the seller questions I may have.

Quoted message said:

hidden shipping charges,

How is this done? The auctions I've participated in clearly state the
charges up front in the listing.

Quoted message said:

and just the nature of auction, which is a lot like
gambling, in that it can get people fired up and ready to bid more than
something's worth in the heat of the moment.

Well, I must be a great "gambler" having bought two complete bikes and
enough parts to build several more, all off of ebay. I did feel a
little guilty about the almost showroom condition 1990 Trek 520 with a
few hundred miles on it for $422.

Quoted message said:

When I sell something on craigslist, I decide on a very fair price,
then stick to it. I usually give the person a week to find any hidden
faults and report back. None have needed to.

R Brickston said:

On 24 Jul 2006 07:52:17 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

R Brickston said:

On 23 Jul 2006 21:47:10 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>
wrote:

>
>Dave Mayer wrote:
>> So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
>> (which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).
>>
>> Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
>> nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
>> Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
>> fork crown I've ever seen.
>>
>> Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
>> This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
>> for the next 22 years.
>>
>> Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.
>>
>> So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?
>
>Money in your pocket and making others happy. If I find a nice yardsale
>bike that's mint but doesn't fit, I polish it up with a stem to stern
>basic overhaul, replace as few parts as necessary, but make sure the
>not so sexy things like hubs are repacked, then sell it for a fair
>price on Craigslist. Usually I end up making $10 an hour to do this,
>but it's getting payed to putter in the garage and drink beer, a man's
>dream hobby.
>
>Last young woman I sold a mint 80s road bike to for $150 hugged me as
>she knew I wanted to reunite the bike with its destined owner, not rape
>somebody on Ebay for it.

" rape somebody on Ebay for it?" How does this occur? I thought the
bidding was voluntary.

It's called nondisclosure, misleading text, misleading photos,

Here's what I do, I ask the seller questions I may have.

Quoted message said:

hidden shipping charges,

How is this done? The auctions I've participated in clearly state the
charges up front in the listing.

Some do list the shipping charges "up front", but some don't. Another
trick is the "packing fee" or the "handling charge".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and just the nature of auction, which is a lot like
gambling, in that it can get people fired up and ready to bid more than
something's worth in the heat of the moment.

Well, I must be a great "gambler" having bought two complete bikes and
enough parts to build several more, all off of ebay. I did feel a
little guilty about the almost showroom condition 1990 Trek 520 with a
few hundred miles on it for $422.

I found this years ago, and it is very apt for the eBay experience:
"You get what you pay for if you know what you're doing; otherwise, you
get what you deserve".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I sell something on craigslist, I decide on a very fair price,
then stick to it. I usually give the person a week to find any hidden
faults and report back. None have needed to.

Quoted message said:

R Brickston said:

On 24 Jul 2006 07:52:17 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

R Brickston wrote:
> On 23 Jul 2006 21:47:10 -0700, "landotter" <[email hidden]>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >Dave Mayer wrote:
> >> So I pass this up at a yard sale yesterday. It wasn't the $20 asking price
> >> (which I could have negotiated down because the sale was almost over).
> >>
> >> Nor was it the condition of the bike, which was mint including the little
> >> nubbies on the tires. All original parts including the spindly Suntour
> >> Mountech derailleurs, the very nice Sugino AT crankset and the strangest
> >> fork crown I've ever seen.
> >>
> >> Actually, it did have a fatal flaw: a flat front tire (rim was dead true).
> >> This must have occurred in 1984, and led to the bike being hung in a garage
> >> for the next 22 years.
> >>
> >> Nope, I seem to have lost the fire to drag home old bikes.
> >>
> >> So what did I give up here, and how do I get motivated again?
> >
> >Money in your pocket and making others happy. If I find a nice yardsale
> >bike that's mint but doesn't fit, I polish it up with a stem to stern
> >basic overhaul, replace as few parts as necessary, but make sure the
> >not so sexy things like hubs are repacked, then sell it for a fair
> >price on Craigslist. Usually I end up making $10 an hour to do this,
> >but it's getting payed to putter in the garage and drink beer, a man's
> >dream hobby.
> >
> >Last young woman I sold a mint 80s road bike to for $150 hugged me as
> >she knew I wanted to reunite the bike with its destined owner, not rape
> >somebody on Ebay for it.
>
> " rape somebody on Ebay for it?" How does this occur? I thought the
> bidding was voluntary.

It's called nondisclosure, misleading text, misleading photos,

Here's what I do, I ask the seller questions I may have.

Quoted message said:

hidden shipping charges,

How is this done? The auctions I've participated in clearly state the
charges up front in the listing.

Some do list the shipping charges "up front", but some don't. Another
trick is the "packing fee" or the "handling charge".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and just the nature of auction, which is a lot like
gambling, in that it can get people fired up and ready to bid more than
something's worth in the heat of the moment.

Well, I must be a great "gambler" having bought two complete bikes and
enough parts to build several more, all off of ebay. I did feel a
little guilty about the almost showroom condition 1990 Trek 520 with a
few hundred miles on it for $422.

I found this years ago, and it is very apt for the eBay experience:
"You get what you pay for if you know what you're doing; otherwise, you
get what you deserve".

True enough, but I wonder if the leap from "otherwise" to "know what
you're doing" is that great of a jump to figure out.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I sell something on craigslist, I decide on a very fair price,
then stick to it. I usually give the person a week to find any hidden
faults and report back. None have needed to.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

R Brickston said:

How is this done? The auctions I've participated in clearly state the
charges up front in the listing.

Some do list the shipping charges "up front", but some don't. Another
trick is the "packing fee" or the "handling charge".

So only buy from sellers who list all their fees.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and just the nature of auction, which is a lot like
gambling, in that it can get people fired up and ready to bid more than
something's worth in the heat of the moment.

Well, I must be a great "gambler" having bought two complete bikes and
enough parts to build several more, all off of ebay. I did feel a
little guilty about the almost showroom condition 1990 Trek 520 with a
few hundred miles on it for $422.

I found this years ago, and it is very apt for the eBay experience:
"You get what you pay for if you know what you're doing; otherwise, you
get what you deserve".

Sounds like buying on the internet in general, whether it be Ebay, Craig's
list, or rec.*.marketplace.

Greg