Fifty Plus (50+) - Bidding on MY bike on EBay..am I nuts?

So here's the scoop. I have a road bike that I love. I guess I love it so much because I'm totally used to it. I feel like a fish out of water on any other two wheeled object My bike is not high end but not entry level either. $1700 new. I love my bike. It's what I'm used to. I have an only child who is an obseessive rider and racer (he got me into the sport) who lives in CA and when I visit him I have no bike and have to borrow and it sucks rocks. I saw my exact bike today on EBay so I bid on it, the idea being that I'll have my bike in two locations. It's a 2004 Specialized Allez Comp Cro-Moly double and the opening bid was $500. A steal. It has a chip out of the paint on the top tube (wonder how that happened so I asked and haven't heard yet). I think I might go as high as $900 for a two year old used bike.

Is this the dumbest idea on earth or am I onto something? I am new to riding (one year under my belt) and prefer what I'm used to. There's my age talkiing! BTW I'm 61. (But Lance likes what he likes too, doesn't he?) And yes, I do love the 50+ forums).

Any advice would be welcome. :)

Hey, if it makes you happy, go for it! I know I order the same thing from some restaurants time after time, because I like that particular dish. You like this bike, and now you could have it in both locations. Makes perfect sense to me!

Me too!!! I'm really kind of touched by your story of wanting to have one on hand for when you visit your son. You know that commercial: A bike $800 (hoping you get it for a bit lower), riding with a son in California - priceless.

In my book, your priorities are right on.

Sounds like a "no brainer" to me & along the lines of what I would do. Bob.

Hey, three out of three go aheads is all I need. Thanks so much for your input. It means a ton to me. Can't wait to see what I this bike goes for. The guy said he's had it on EBay twice now but I've never seen it and I've been looking. We'll see what happens. TTYL :D

Hey, even better...find another one, buy it and keep it here at my place! That way you'll have something to ride if you ever get out to Wyoming...you know, on your way to California or coming back. Better safe than sorry...

If you want the bike go for it. Decide on your highest price (and stick to it) and then wait till the last 15-20 seconds to bid. The wait is hard but that's the way ebay works! Good Luck

I saw my exact bike today on EBay so I bid on it, the idea being that I'll have my bike in two locations. It's a 2004 Specialized Allez Comp Cro-Moly double and the opening bid was $500. A steal. It has a chip out of the paint on the top tube (wonder how that happened so I asked and haven't heard yet). I think I might go as high as $900 for a two year old used bike.

Is this the dumbest idea on earth or am I onto something? I am new to riding (one year under my belt) and prefer what I'm used to. There's my age talkiing! BTW I'm 61. (But Lance likes what he likes too, doesn't he?) And yes, I do love the 50+ forums).

Any advice would be welcome. :)

Why go for the same model bike? I know you like the Allez comp, but I have two bikes, both mountain bikes, and they are different manufacturers and both have their special ride qualities. The Bianchi is the everyday ride bike and is perfect, however for those "Special" rides I dig out the old Kona. 10 years old and getting a bit past it, but the admiration of this bike from other Kona owners, and those in the know, are well worth it. The Kona is not a bike for tough aggressive off roads in the Summer when the trails are hard as it has very limited front suspension, but for softer ground it is ideal. Then there,s the Tandem, And there is no way I can afford another one of those.

If I were to go for two bikes, I would go for possibly a bit better than you currently have, and I would look somewhere like E-Bay to attempt to get a good bargain. Paint chips will not be a problem but any indentations or bulges in the tubing would be.

If you love it, and since it will be set up the same-go for it. In this sport where everyone tries to be different, or one up each other, being grounded and knowing what you want and why is a gift. I am trying to convince my wife we need to do something similar when we go visit her sister in Colorado (We do it about 6-10 times a year), but she isn't going for it just yet......

You simply gotta let us know if you win the bidding. This is a cliffhanger and much joy will be felt if you get the bike for the price you want.

I have an vintage '80's Scapin with full Super REcord and a tremendous Joe Bell paint job (anyone familiar with J.B's work will understand what I mean). I ride it in rotation with my other roadies. I simply love the quality and ride of the old Scapin. It compares with anything else I have which includes an Eddy M. Team SC scandium frame. I finally found a matching frame on Ebay and snatched it up. Now I have either two Scapins or plenty of spares for my trusty old friend.

I feel your potential gain. Don't second guess yourself, do it it it works for you and keeps you riding.

Thanks so much for all of you input. It was totally all positive (can you even believe that?)

So I did bid on it and the bid is up to $952. I wasn't familiar with how Ebay works (thanks for the tip, Taos Woman) and the bid was at $500 so I bid $510 and everytime I tried to bid it came back that someone had bid higher but it looked like the bid was at $500. I was confused. So I called the CA kid of mine and he said just bid what you're willing to pay. So I did and I bid $1000 and I've been the high bidder now for 24 hours and might just get it at $952. Now, I know that sounds like a lot of money for a used, year old bike but I just found out that Specialized has changed the components this year on this very same bike down from all Ultegra to all 105s and are STILL CHARGING $1700 which is what they charged for all Ultegra. Not that I have anything against 105s but they are less expensive and Specialized is still charging $1700. Doesn't that just smack of corporate greed? Anyway, I'm currently the high bidder and I actually hope I get it. The deadline is Saturday (forgot what time but I'll be watching for sure).

BTW. I am so thrilled!! Today, because the weather was PERFECT and I was in a GREAT MOOD I rode my bike for the longest time, the greatest distance and the best mileage ever. As in 35 miles at 14 mph. Yahooooo!!!! (May not sound like much but you should see my stats from a year ago when I started this obsession of mine.) :D

I have an vintage '80's Scapin with full Super REcord and a tremendous Joe Bell paint job (anyone familiar with J.B's work will understand what I mean). I ride it in rotation with my other roadies. I simply love the quality and ride of the old Scapin. It compares with anything else I have which includes an Eddy M. Team SC scandium frame. I finally found a matching frame on Ebay and snatched it up. Now I have either two Scapins or plenty of spares for my trusty old friend.

I feel your potential gain. Don't second guess yourself, do it it it works for you and keeps you riding.

I had never heard of Scapin until this month's Velo News. FYI they have an article in there about it and I was so intrigued (since I ride steel) that I went to the website but somehow I couldn't get it to work on my computer. Did you see the article? You'd love to read it since you ride them. If I had my druthers I'd get a Scapin!!

Hey, even better...find another one, buy it and keep it here at my place! That way you'll have something to ride if you ever get out to Wyoming...you know, on your way to California or coming back. Better safe than sorry...

Baggsy has a good idea and you can keep one at my place in North Louisiana (no flooding here). :D

You'll be amazed at the craziness happening in the last hour of the auction.

I hope the bidding goes your way!! I've done a lot on eBay and in most cases the only way I can successfully win the bid is to wait until the last minute or so to bid. For me, I have to have a "no higher than" price firmed up and commit to not going higher than that. Bidding can be a real frenzy and become very emotional at the end of the bidding period.

Let us know how the bidding turns out!!

So here's the scoop. I have a road bike that I love. I guess I love it so much because I'm totally used to it. I feel like a fish out of water on any other two wheeled object... I love my bike...
I have an only child who is an obseessive rider and racer (he got me into the sport) who lives in CA and when I visit him I have no bike and have to borrow and it sucks rocks. I saw my exact bike today on EBay so I bid on it, the idea being that I'll have my bike in two locations. ...
Is this the dumbest idea on earth or am I onto something?

I mean, are there any other reasonable options ? course not!
a second bike, where you really need it, certainment
hope you 'win' it - keep us posted! this is excitin stuff!

I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to show you all what I'm bidding on. I hope this works.

http://search.ebay.com//search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=specialized+allez+comp+road+bike

If it doesn't work it doesn't mean I didn't try. I figured if I was aksing for advice you should see the object of my affection. As of now, which is 9:25 pm CST I am still the high bidder. I think I've got it actually. I'm going to take the advice of Taos Woman and watch carefully at the end. However I didn't realize it when I started the bidding but it turns out that I am going to be at work when the bidding ends and it's going to be very difficult for me to follow the end of this auction. I'm an R.N.(with access to the internet at work) but I NEVER have time to take advantage of it and if I have something huge going on at work I'm just going to have to let the bike go. Priorities, you know! There'll be something else along the way sooner or later but I've gotta do what I've gotta do. Will definitely post the results tomorrow after I get off. TTYL
M.A.

Dang, there's only one other person who has bid. They must have set their limit at something over $900 and it kept bumping your bid up until it met the increment above it.

Love the colors on the bike. Is it the same size as the one you have now?

Dang, there's only one other person who has bid. They must have set their limit at something over $900 and it kept bumping your bid up until it met the increment above it.

Love the colors on the bike. Is it the same size as the one you have now?


Same exact bike! However I'm at work and I'm sneaking into the lounge to watch and I just saw (as you did) that I've been outbid. My high bid was $1000 and I'm going to have to let it go. I'm sure I can find something comparable for that kind of money. It would have been ideal to have that bike but this will force me to try something new and maybe even more exciting. It was sure fun thinking about it for the past 3 days though. I'm going to keep my eye out on Ebay. There's one other bike that looks good but the guy says theres a dent in the stem and I am leary about buying a steel bike with a dent. Oh, well. Gotta go back to my patients. Will check to see what it went for when I get home this eve. Thank you all for rooting me on!!!
M.A. :(

Bummer. Oh, well, a blessing in disguise I guess. Something even better is just calling your name around the corner. I thought it was going to end up yours. By the way, you might have your son check out Craigs list for the area he lives in and try and spot a nice bike for you. Would be good not to have to ship it around and all. As he has some experience with bikes, he could check it out first hand prior to purchase.

So, guys, I didn't win the auction. The bike went for $1110 and I'm glad I was at work and couldn't fight 'til the death because I only paid $1200 for my bike new. The place I bought it had a 20% off all Ultegra sale. The regular price was $1500 (which was already $100 less than MSRP) so I got it for $1200. (It now sells for $1700 with all 105 components!!) The bike shop had probably decided to dump all the steel bikes (because they don't have any anymore and this one was a 9 speed to boot) and I happened in and they saw me coming and "dumped" it on me. Funny thing is I'm so glad they did because I LOVE it. So anyway, I wouldn't have felt good paying so close to my "new bike" price for a year old bike with a chip in the frame that I couldn't even see in person. The shipping cost would have brought it up to just about what I paid for my brand spanking new bike.

So be it. Now I can still have the joy of looking for a bike and, Keith A, I will do what you suggested and check out the Craigslist in the SF Bay area because they have TONS of bikes always. So the quest isn't over and I'm happy that I started it. Who was it that said, "It's not the destination, it's the journey" or something like that?
Ta Ta for now! :)
M.A.

I'm amazed at how much stuff getz sold at crazy prices on ebay. Crazy HIGH and crazy low. It has to be cause a lot of people may be hampered by geography and limited bike shop accessibility.
Anyway, definitely put your son on the project. Bikes are currently in big 'markdown' stage. October is always the slowest retail month and until thanksgiving, many have considerable markdowns. I went into 2 LBS 2day (CA central coast area) and both had almost all their floorstock marked down anywhere from 20 to even 30%.
And if your son is seriously addicted, he should likely have some bike mechanics knowledge (and tools) and should be able to slowly put together a nice frameset with parts specifically to fit and work for you - a custom bike, if you will. Given ebay, LBS and online stores you should be able to put together a very nice rig for what you;re willing to spend.
Keep us posted, very interesting to read your progress to bike-aholic status ;)

Sorry it didn't work out for you, but now you know how to bid on ebay.
Good Luck next time

It has been my experience that, typically, popular items on EBay often sell far beyond their value. Especially computers and I guess bicycles.

As many of you know, Wal Mart is now marketing a road bike, which I believe they are selling for about $145 or so. One of these recently went on EBay for about $300. And, frequently, you can find a cheaper, new and better computer on the Dell website than the price on EBay.

It is difficult to compete with uninformed bidders.

OTOH, I got a wonderful set of very high quality brand new, but 1992 model, Blackburn front panniers (yes, they used to make them) for $17.00.

So, guys, I didn't win the auction. The bike went for $1110 and I'm glad I was at work and couldn't fight 'til the death because I only paid $1200 for my bike new. Ta Ta for now! :)
M.A.

Glad you didn't!!! Just looked at the picture and spec on E-Bay and $1,000 for a 10 year old bike is definitely not cheap. After looking at it, I would have said less than 50% of that as a higher price. No I do not have a bike to sell you.

At this time of year, dealers are trying to offload 2005 model bikes. $1,000 wil buy you a lot of bike in one of these sales, like a new one costing £1500 could be down to around this price. OK. It may not be the same as your bike, Drivetrain may be cheaper, but Frames and ancilliaries have got better over the year, in particular from 10 years ago, and will be lighter and more efficient.

Glad you did not get it, but do not be disappointed. You now have the chance to get an improvement on your current bike, at less cost than you were planning.

Looks like it was relisted and the original winner never paid. As a few others have pointed out, that did seem like a lot of money for a bike that age. I think the newer Allez' are going for around that, aren't they? Sequioa's are pretty nice too.

Steve

Like you, I am monitoring eBay in hopes of finding a duplicate of My bike, a Lemond Zurich, for use in San Diego this winter when we visit our two kids who have moved there from Marblehead, MA. I love the Zurich. I had thoughts of buying a less expensive road bike for use in California. But, the Zurich is so comfortable and such a joy to ride I decided that at age 67 there is no sane reason why I should have to compromise and adapt to another bike. So, if you are nuts for buying a duplicate bike to keep in California, you have company. Keep looking for that bike.

John

Glad you didn't!!! Just looked at the picture and spec on E-Bay and $1,000 for a 10 year old bike is definitely not cheap. After looking at it, I would have said less than 50% of that as a higher price. No I do not have a bike to sell you.

At this time of year, dealers are trying to offload 2005 model bikes. $1,000 wil buy you a lot of bike in one of these sales, like a new one costing £1500 could be down to around this price. OK. It may not be the same as your bike, Drivetrain may be cheaper, but Frames and ancilliaries have got better over the year, in particular from 10 years ago, and will be lighter and more efficient.

Glad you did not get it, but do not be disappointed. You now have the chance to get an improvement on your current bike, at less cost than you were planning.
It wasn't a 10-year-old bike it was a 2004 which made it actually a 1 year old bike. I don't believe for a minute that it only had 200 miles on it. I believe the COMPUTER he installed had 200 miles on it. But it wasn't a 10 year old bike.

Looks like it was relisted and the original winner never paid. As a few others have pointed out, that did seem like a lot of money for a bike that age. I think the newer Allez' are going for around that, aren't they? Sequioa's are pretty nice too.

Steve
You're kidding! I've got to look that up! Are you sure it's the same seller?

Like you, I am monitoring eBay in hopes of finding a duplicate of My bike, a Lemond Zurich, for use in San Diego this winter when we visit our two kids who have moved there from Marblehead, MA. I love the Zurich. I had thoughts of buying a less expensive road bike for use in California. But, the Zurich is so comfortable and such a joy to ride I decided that at age 67 there is no sane reason why I should have to compromise and adapt to another bike. So, if you are nuts for buying a duplicate bike to keep in California, you have company. Keep looking for that bike.

John
Hope you find your bike, John. I'll keep an eye out for you myself. I say if you're comfortable and feel safe on a particular bike go for it if you want another one in another location. What size and year are you looking for?

Looks like it was relisted and the original winner never paid. As a few others have pointed out, that did seem like a lot of money for a bike that age. I think the newer Allez' are going for around that, aren't they? Sequioa's are pretty nice too.

Steve

I think you guys are looking at the wrong ebay thing. It's an allez comp and its a 2004. So I don't understand "a bike that age" comment. It's not a 10 year old bike it's a new bike. Bought last year. And the newer Allez comps are going for the same price with 105 components instead of Ultegra and the MSRP is $1700. So with that info I figured that $1000 for a bike I know and that I want and can not be found in a lbs is worth it to me. I just trying to make you all understand my thinking. Now I wouldn't have bike more than $1000 which I didn't because even though the MSRP was $1600 when I bought mine I only paid $1200 because it was the end of the season and they were dumping the steel frames I'm sure. All in all, it was worth a grand to me but not more and that's the way it turned out. Also here's the site and it says it's sold so I don't think the buyer reneged. Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7186200877&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

I think you guys are looking at the wrong ebay thing. It's an allez comp and its a 2004. So I don't understand "a bike that age" comment. It's not a 10 year old bike it's a new bike. Bought last year. And the newer Allez comps are going for the same price with 105 components instead of Ultegra and the MSRP is $1700. So with that info I figured that $1000 for a bike I know and that I want and can not be found in a lbs is worth it to me. I just trying to make you all understand my thinking. Now I wouldn't have bike more than $1000 which I didn't because even though the MSRP was $1600 when I bought mine I only paid $1200 because it was the end of the season and they were dumping the steel frames I'm sure. All in all, it was worth a grand to me but not more and that's the way it turned out. Also here's the site and it says it's sold so I don't think the buyer reneged. Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7186200877&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Ooops. I clicked on the first link that you provided in an earlier post, which turns out was for a search for "specialized allez comp road bike" and it returned one result. The result just *happened* to be for a bike that the seller stated was relisted due to the buyer not paying. I just assumed it was your bike that was the one I was looking at.

No, a 2004 certainly isn't an old bike :)

Sorry for the confusion!

Steve

I think you guys are looking at the wrong ebay thing. It's an allez comp and its a 2004. So I don't understand "a bike that age" comment. It's not a 10 year old bike it's a new bike. Bought last year. And the newer Allez comps are going for the same price with 105 components instead of Ultegra and the MSRP is $1700. So with that info I figured that $1000 for a bike I know and that I want and can not be found in a lbs is worth it to me. I just trying to make you all understand my thinking. Now I wouldn't have bike more than $1000 which I didn't because even though the MSRP was $1600 when I bought mine I only paid $1200 because it was the end of the season and they were dumping the steel frames I'm sure. All in all, it was worth a grand to me but not more and that's the way it turned out. Also here's the site and it says it's sold so I don't think the buyer reneged. Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7186200877&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1


I think you have to be careful on ebay. The seller had only 4 feedback. The bike did look good, you will find another one. Good Luck.

Ooops. I clicked on the first link that you provided in an earlier post, which turns out was for a search for "specialized allez comp road bike" and it returned one result. The result just *happened* to be for a bike that the seller stated was relisted due to the buyer not paying. I just assumed it was your bike that was the one I was looking at.

No, a 2004 certainly isn't an old bike :)

Sorry for the confusion!

Steve
Easy enough to do! I didn't even see that one. I've got to stay away from Ebay because I'm a confirmed bike-aholic! And it's sooooo easy to bid.

It wasn't a 10-year-old bike it was a 2004 which made it actually a 1 year old bike. I don't believe for a minute that it only had 200 miles on it. I believe the COMPUTER he installed had 200 miles on it. But it wasn't a 10 year old bike.

Must have got the wrong link, BUT-- Buyer beware is always the byword on any non Franchised purchase. As Far as I am concerned, any secondhand item, even if it is in mint condition, starts off at a price of 50% of new the day after it is purchased new. Above that, I would want to see and try, and it would have to be in Mint condition to go much above that price. Buying second hand you would not have any warranty rights, and if any faults were found, you would have no redress.

I still suggest looking out for an end of year bargain from a local or even National shop, where you will get the backup and warranty that I would expect and as the sale price could be 1/3 off retail, would be a better and safer buy than buying on E-bay

Must have got the wrong link, BUT-- Buyer beware is always the byword on any non Franchised purchase. As Far as I am concerned, any secondhand item, even if it is in mint condition, starts off at a price of 50% of new the day after it is purchased new. Above that, I would want to see and try, and it would have to be in Mint condition to go much above that price. Buying second hand you would not have any warranty rights, and if any faults were found, you would have no redress.

I still suggest looking out for an end of year bargain from a local or even National shop, where you will get the backup and warranty that I would expect and as the sale price could be 1/3 off retail, would be a better and safer buy than buying on E-bay
Sounds like really good advice to me. And I think you've got a good guideline going knocking 50% off of the price of a bike when it walks out the door. But, on the other hand, you might be missing a good bike if you're too rigid about it, don'tcha think? But, thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind. And you're so right about when you buy off the internet you have no idea what you're really getting. Could be a lovely photo but the deraileur could be trashed, etc. I am definitely learning. And isn't that what life is all about? I am so happy I had the input of all you cyclists I have never met that I am going to pay my dues and become a contributing member of Bike Forums and have a red star next to my name. And it's only because I really value all of your collective advice and think it's so worth it. Now, if I can just figure out how to get my red star. Hmmmmm...................
TTYL
M.A.

Cool. I got my star and it was retroactive. Nice touch Joe!

Hi!!!
MaryAnn as stapfam suggest I would get to Ca and check the local shops for a sale on a ultegra bike.....with a warranty and local service on it. ebay bikes..I've bought three have worked out fair but for one who left off damaged $88 rim. most of the gearing on two of them were worn but still useable,one like new from the state of Ca. auction recovered bike...it had a bad wheel as noted. this is something you don't want to be worrying about when you visit your son. if I had the money I've invested in the bikes I bought I would 've been riding a new top line one. you should have one too. by the way the way gas prices are going, when they hit $5 + you might be able to sell it at double when all stores sell out. hahaha
can't have too many bikes now can you????