Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bike selling ethics

Over the weekend, I bought a Puch road bike in modest shape for $20. I bought it for the sole purpose of having a new toy to play with at Bike Church the following night, and to sell it this week and make a few bucks towards a saddle on my other bike. The problem I'm having is that I can't decide what I want to reveal to the potential buyer. So I guess this thread is about bike selling ethics.

I had a blast stripping down the bike, and I consider that as enjoyment and a hobby, not as an hourly rate towards what I should re-sell the bike for. I donated the derailleurs and such, they weren't in good shape and I'm not going to use them for anything. I converted the original wheelset (the two chainwhip trick to remove all the gears and thread the last one back on) to a singlespeed, and cleaned it. I Goo-Goned the bike and shined it up a bit, so it looks kinda pretty. Re-gripped it, put a nicer saddle on it that I had lying around. Now is where it gets ugly. The bottom bracket threads are heavily damaged, so I can't replace the crankset. I unbolted the smaller chainring and broke it off- the larger ring is fully attached to the crank arm at the center, and I'd rather keep the larger ring than have both on there. The gearing is 52x14, which is really stupid. And lastly, I found a tiny "Made In Taiwan" sticker inside the head tube...not Euro-made.

So my question to you is, what would you reveal about the bike when selling it? Some scenarios I came up with are:

a) "Sold As Is."

b) Take a ride, it's nice, I maintenanced the whole bike except the bottom bracket, which is super smooth, surprisingly. Bike rides fast, mash around town.

c) I overhauled the bike, minus the bottom bracket. It's stripped out. My suggestion would be to get a cheap 700C wheelset and up the freewheel to maybe 17. Then you have a nice looking setup (until you need a new chainring).

d) I overhauled the bike, minus the bottom bracket. It's stripped out. Have a bike shop remove the cranks, chase the threads and then get a new crankset for it and consider a 700C wheelset as well. You could get the wheelset first, then replace the crankset when it wears out later.

Anything I've left out? I think I've decided on revealing everything I know about it, suggesting how to fix it, and selling it for no more than $50. I feel like since I posted this, it's kind of a no-brainer.

you want to try and make $30 on a $20 piece of crap? I would call it experience and then give the frame away to someone who wants to tinker. a pig in a dress is still a pig in dress.

yes, I agree with you final comment. This is one of those times that your dad sits you down, looks you in the eye, and says, "Son, I think you know what you need to do". We don't need to actually tell you whats right, you know what is. So just do it and sleep well tonight.

"bike has a few tech issues, ask for specifics"
"great beater"
"feel safe locking this bike up"
"hard gear, but hey, philly is flat"


and 165 is wrong. its not a piece of crap, but a beater.

get a bike shop to install a threadless bottom bracket (you need to mill the bb shell, don't try it yourself). build it up so it's solid and get it into the hands of someone who'll ride it. tis the season.

A polished turd is still a turd.

You don't need to suggest what they could do with the bb problem, that makes it look like it's going to cost a whole lot of money. I think just a "The BB shell is stripped out, but it runs fine as is," would be plenty. Diagnosing the problem is fine, you don't need to prescribe a solution.

I take 10 speed bikes, turn them into single speeds, polish them up, and sell them on ebay for $100 quite a bit. Most of them I get for Free. The only one I've actually kept so far is this Peugeot P8 turd, which I'm not sure what I'm going to do with.

I wouldn't sell a bike in that condition. If I couldn't make it better, I'd either pitch the frame, and keep the parts for the next project, or give it away to someone who wanted to tinker on it. If you want to recoup your $20 investment, keep, or resell any parts you like.

edit: or just ride it or sell it for the $ I've got in it if it's rideable, but I wouldn't consider that gearing practical, so that rules out cheap practical transportation.

and 165 is wrong. its not a piece of crap, but a beater.

plus one.

you should have no problem selling it in philly for at least 100 bucks. remember philly craiglist is ******** expensive for ****ty bikes

I think I've decided on revealing everything I know about it, suggesting how to fix it, and selling it for no more than $50.
Your best move.

if you work at a restaurant and make a gourmet meal then realize you'd used cream that had soured you're not going to try and figure out how to still sell it at a restaurant

if you work at a restaurant and make a gourmet meal then realize you'd used cream that had soured you're not going to try and figure out how to still sell it at a restaurant

but the bike is ridable. soured cream is not eatable.

faulty analogies are almost as bad as lying through song, and I hate it when people lie through song.

I mean, how stripped is stripped? Most bikes will never have their BB's opened until either the cranks stop turning or something falls off. I'd have no problem selling someone a bike and saying, "look, the BB shell on this is kind of shot. It'll be fine if you just want to ride it and not put huge miles on it, but I wouldn't tinker with it. If the **** hits the fan in the next month, you can have your money back, and if it goes on you later on we'll find you another frame and just migrate all the parts." It's like a car where the main bearings are kind of hosed -- it's not going to last forever, but somebody with minimal cash can drive it for a while and it'll be fine.

There are also The YST BB's that are made specifically for stripped out BB's, and another option too ( I forget). Say as little or as much as you want, as long as you don't lie you're in the clear in my book.

I got stiffed by someone palming off a frame with a stripped out BB shell, I'm still bombarding him with emails and phone calls, and when I track down where he lives, I'll be on his doorstep.

It shouldn't be such a big deal to me, but getting turned over by a so called fellow cyclist just bothered me a great deal, so I will keep irritating him until I feel better or get some cash out of him.

The moral is, be honest and hope others are honest in their dealings with you.

There are also The YST BB's that are made specifically for stripped out BB's, and another option too ( I forget). Say as little or as much as you want, as long as you don't lie you're in the clear in my book.

That BB probably costs more than the frame is worth with a stripped BB. Old cheap frames are a dime a dozen. One with a stripped BB is worthless.

but the bike is ridable. soured cream is not eatable.
genericbikedude is wrong - the sour cream would be inedible

full disclosure is the only way to go on this one.

Nice variety of replies. I definitely want to make my money back on it, and I know I will...singlespeeds on craigslist clear $125 for low-end ones. I think $50 is really fair in the market. The frame is worth what I paid for it, easily. The wheelset, handlebars, brakes and so forth are worth the rest.

']genericbikedude is wrong - the sour cream would be inedible

yeah, but [165] is wrong again. sour cream and soured cream are two different things.

Act like there is nothing wrong. Sell at full price.

Tough call. Spending the time/money to fix the bb issue is probably not going to be worth it to you, but someone might be willing to take it on as a project. The main problem is the folks willing to do this also probably know what the frame is worth and might not want to bother.

I'm for full disclosure on the bb issue and pricing accordingly.

As for the origins of the frame (made in Taiwan), buyer beware. Tell the truth if they ask though.

The catch all answer to any question involving ethics: If you have to ask if something is ethical it probably isn't.

When in doubt take to the moral high ground, and if you don't care about being ethical, don't ask.

wwjd?

if you want to avoid all ethical dillemas just give it to a crustypunk, or trade it for some "heady nuggets"

wwjd?


Oh that's easy, He'd rotafix the ****er, and sell it on Craigslist for $225 as a "fixed gear racing messenger bike"

yes, I agree with you final comment. This is one of those times that your dad sits you down, looks you in the eye, and says, "Son, I think you know what you need to do". We don't need to actually tell you whats right, you know what is. So just do it and sleep well tonight.

I bet you'll still get people who want it even if you put it up with full disclosure.

wwjd?

What would Juvi do?

I think a lot of people are getting the wrong idea about the kind of person that will buy this bike. If it's in Philly, it will most likely be a college student or other younger person who knows next to nothing about bicycles. They will most likely never, ever attempt to do something like repack the BB or replace a spindle or something. They will use it to commute or to go bar hopping on the weekends. They will think it's attractive because it doesn't have any gears but isn't all hard-core fixed gear. If it works, it works.

Sell it fo $50.00. Buy yourself a new Selle Saddle or a Brooks.

a giveaway on this would be perfect - tallbike bottomframe?


yeah, but [165] is wrong again. sour cream and soured cream are two different things.
yet once something has soured, it is sour.

that is all

I think a lot of people are getting the wrong idea about the kind of person that will buy this bike. If it's in Philly, it will most likely be a college student or other younger person who knows next to nothing about bicycles. They will most likely never, ever attempt to do something like repack the BB or replace a spindle or something. They will use it to commute or to go bar hopping on the weekends. They will think it's attractive because it doesn't have any gears but isn't all hard-core fixed gear. If it works, it works.

Sell it fo $50.00. Buy yourself a new Selle Saddle or a Brooks.
or buy a 50 dollar bike and resell it for 100...

Its the law of supply and demand... If someone is willing to buy it then its worth selling.

Just be honest in your dealings and God/Karma/whatever will be good to you. :)

frankly, i'm surprised the op is not getting flamed more. seriously, you should not sell this frame without letting the person know what is wrong with it. especially something like that. i can understand not pointing out something obvious (like mismatched pedals or something minor), but the buyer won't know that the bb is stripped until they have already purchased it. if what people are saying is true, you can still be honest and not loose money. you have access to the bike church out there. consider it a blessing and don't screw anyone over.

I got stiffed by someone palming off a frame with a stripped out BB shell, I'm still bombarding him with emails and phone calls, and when I track down where he lives, I'll be on his doorstep.

It shouldn't be such a big deal to me, but getting turned over by a so called fellow cyclist just bothered me a great deal, so I will keep irritating him until I feel better or get some cash out of him.

The moral is, be honest and hope others are honest in their dealings with you.

+1

I hope you find where the cat lives. I'd love to hear how this story ends.

wait wait wait.... I was under the impression that the dustcap threads in the crank were stripped, and therefore you couldnt get the cranks off to overhaul it. saying that the bottom bracket is stripped is completely different(unless I something happened after I left the church) You can just use the ball joint separator we have to remove the crank by force , overhaul the bb and install a new crank. Then you can sell it for as much as you see fit with not ethic issues.

frankly, i'm surprised the op is not getting flamed more. seriously, you should not sell this frame without letting the person know what is wrong with it. especially something like that. i can understand not pointing out something obvious (like mismatched pedals or something minor), but the buyer won't know that the bb is stripped until they have already purchased it. if what people are saying is true, you can still be honest and not loose money. you have access to the bike church out there. consider it a blessing and don't screw anyone over.

I'm not surprised, because I already know what I'm doing about it, and it's honest. I'm not a good salesman because I always point out every last detail of what I'm selling and what could be done, good or bad. I wanted to see the responses I'd get from people, just testing the waters on who would do what. Besides, scenario postings are way more exciting on bike forums than asking about IRO dimensions and calling Tony.

By the way, after riding the bike a few times, I'm keeping it... it rides great and I didn't realize how much I enjoy it.

do unto others, homie.

wait wait wait.... I was under the impression that the dustcap threads in the crank were stripped, and therefore you couldnt get the cranks off to overhaul it. saying that the bottom bracket is stripped is completely different(unless I something happened after I left the church) You can just use the ball joint separator we have to remove the crank by force , overhaul the bb and install a new crank. Then you can sell it for as much as you see fit with not ethic issues.

+1. or just use a hammer, like the kids do when the instructors aren't looking. most constructive post so far.

YST threadless BB's are $10 or so.

biketoolsetc.com has 'em.

What would Juvi do?

650 + riser bars = $200 barspin messenger geek trick bike

I'm not surprised, because I already know what I'm doing about it, and it's honest. I'm not a good salesman because I always point out every last detail of what I'm selling and what could be done, good or bad. I wanted to see the responses I'd get from people, just testing the waters on who would do what. Besides, scenario postings are way more exciting on bike forums than asking about IRO dimensions and calling Tony.

By the way, after riding the bike a few times, I'm keeping it... it rides great and I didn't realize how much I enjoy it.

good for you dude. by the way...what's the top tube length on a 50cm Angus?

YST threadless BB's are $10 or so.

biketoolsetc.com has 'em.

Those threadless BBs require chamfering the BB shell, which requires a pretty hardcore tool that many shops may not have. According to Harris, that is.

YST threadless BB's are $10 or so.

biketoolsetc.com has 'em.

+1

easy fix... you 'da man!

A polished turd is still a turd.

But a chromed turd is worth something.

But a chromed turd is worth something.

Yeah, if that something is less then nothing.

Maybe just write up an accurate description and say you'll take offers. if the bike is in full working condition, someone will probably offer you $20+. just be sure they understand the bb issues. if they are offering you $20-$50 for a complete working bike, they probably wont be expecting something in fantastic shape (and also probably wont be trying to upgrade it much in the future).

PM me, I'll give you the $20 to ease you obvious moral consternation.

Those threadless BBs require chamfering the BB shell, which requires a pretty hardcore tool that many shops may not have. According to Harris, that is.

According to Harris, who would be put on the line if something went wrong on a customer's bike if they didn't go "by the book", and who is also making $50 when they use that tool on your bike. No insult to them intended, it probably isn't a bad idea to take the threads out of the first few mm of the shell, which is all the tool does, but generally if you've screwed your threads, the job's already been done, and if not, it doesn't really matter. You're putting a $10 BB in a bike as a last ditch effort, and removing those threads doesn't even truly affect the way the BB seats itself. I've personally installed 3 of those YST BB's with no problems on bikes, 2 of which were fixed, handbrake-less hard riding messenger's bikes. They seem to be a better design in some ways than the Mavic ones everyone goes nuts for, although the Mavic's bearings and quality are overall much better. Have yet to see one of the YST's fail in over a year of them being ridden.