Classic & Vintage - With shipping the way it is today

I don't know whay I even look at ebay-UK but love to drool over what I can't have--I guess
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-GENTS-LIGHTWEIGHT-BICYCLE_W0QQitemZ230112425689QQcategoryZ69825QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
sam

That does look like quite an interesting bike.

Looking at ebay uk myself. It seems that most sellers don't want to ship at all, even within the UK. Some of the vintage UK framebuilders have bikes that go for what seem to be very reasonable prices, but finding someone who will ship to the US at a reasonable price is quite the challenge.

Did anyone see the Chas. Roberts/Tony Doyle bike on US ebay? The UK based seller wanted 130 pounds for shipping and demanded a $2.05 to the pound exchange rate. That's about $275! And, he also wanted 4% for insurance! Nuts!

Shipping from Europe seems to be much more reasonable.

those must be some of the earliest cantilever brakes known.

i think those are resilion brakes..

check out the comment from the grand-nephew ? of resilion brake inventor on this small article about an early cantilever brake patent:

http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/images/cantilever_brake.JPG (http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2006/03/early_cantileve.html)

Anyone know why shipping from the UK is so expensive? Is it taxes or something else?

Small parts are fine but rims are $70, wheelsets are even more and full bikes are at least $125. I got some rims from Finland for $25 and a bike from Germany for $60. I just sent a Raleigh (a pretty heavy one) from Chicago to Miami for $30. I don't get it.

This one is local pickup only. Too bad. It's pretty neat.