Classic & Vintage - I'm feeling a little...dirty

A few weeks ago I listed one of our Peugeots on Craigslist. I got no responses and figured I'd just hold on to the bike until spring. Maybe my wife would decide to keep it ;-)

Today as I'm going through my junk mail folder I discover that in fact I had received several responses including one from last weekend. So I email back and say that the bike is still available if she wants to take a look.

Her response was: "Does it have horizontal dropouts?"



Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, -she wants to make a fixie out of it!

This is a bike I spent weeks researching, upgrading, and testing until I got a nice smooth 12 speed indexed drive train.

I'm thinking I should say forget the whole thing, but the money would be nice ;-)

Offer her just the frameset and keep the parts for another Peugeot find.

Neal

I'm thinking I should say forget the whole thing, but the money would be nice ;-)You can get money anytime. You have a nice vintage bike only once. If you ever want it again, you'll have to pay a whole lot more to get another one. Hindsight is 20/20.

I'll admit it... I felt bad tearing down my newly purchases Fuji to convert to fixed... it rode soooo smooth... shifted like butter... yet crisp, but alas, I had bought it for a purpose and had a nicer vintage bike already.

It's all up to you... but yes, she may be willing to pay the same price even with it stripped down... I know I've done nothing with the parts I stripped... might as well have been bare. Then again, I can put it back too ;)

Keep it! I'm afraid the whole fixie conversion thing is lost on me. Now, I have a fixie for winter training and general goofing around with friends but I bought it that way. A while back I was considering converting my Pug. Then I looked at the cost of a fixed gear hub/wheel and the basic maintenance and repairs the bike needed and decided it was going to cost as much as a used Bianchi Pista and that was almost as much as a brand new Bianchi Pista so I just went down to the LBS and picked up a shiny chrome Pista. Had the LBS owner throw in a Celeste saddle and bar tape from the misc. parts bin to replace the gaudy chrome-like WTB saddle and black tape and I was set. And no vintage bikes were harmed in the process so my conscience is clear. ;)

Tell her the dropouts are vertical.

Sell it to her with a restrictive covenant.

"The purchaser, and his or her assigns, relatives, transferees, blah, blah, agrees that he/she shall not modify the Peugeot to convert it to a fixed gear bicycle and further agrees never to ride the bike while wearing checkerboard "Vans" brand canvas shoes, and/or capri-style pants or any of their derivatives, and/or with a "messenger bag" whose purchase price is more than the purchase price of the said Peugeot bicycle"

That should keep the Peugeot safe from even the appearance of being a fixie.

Sell it to her with a restrictive covenant.

"The purchaser, and his or her assigns, relatives, transferees, blah, blah, agrees that he/she shall not modify the Peugeot to convert it to a fixed gear bicycle and further agrees never to ride the bike while wearing checkerboard "Vans" brand canvas shoes, and/or capri-style pants or any of their derivatives, and/or with a "messenger bag" whose purchase price is more than the purchase price of the said Peugeot bicycle"

That should keep the Peugeot safe from even the appearance of being a fixie.

:roflmao::roflmao:

A few weeks ago I listed one of our Peugeots on Craigslist. I got no responses and figured I'd just hold on to the bike until spring. Maybe my wife would decide to keep it ;-)
Today as I'm going through my junk mail folder I discover that in fact I had received several responses including one from last weekend. So I email back and say that the bike is still available if she wants to take a look.

Her response was: "Does it have horizontal dropouts?"



Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, -she wants to make a fixie out of it!

This is a bike I spent weeks researching, upgrading, and testing until I got a nice smooth 12 speed indexed drive train.

I'm thinking I should say forget the whole thing, but the money would be nice ;-)

Im guessing that you use Outlook Express as your email client, right? I had the same thing happen to my mail from CL. :eek: I switched to Mozilla Thunderbird and haven't had a problem. ;)

Ask her if it really matters if they're horizontal or not? A derailleur works just fine with either style.:rolleyes:,,,,BD

I remember going to an art gallery in the 70's to meet PEter Max -- he of the wacky graphic thing that was all the rage back then. He even was wearing pants with his trademark dancing characters screen printed on them. I asked him straight out what he thought of 7UP and Levi and others, buying his prints and then putting them all over their promotions and commercials.

He just looked at me and said, "they paid money for it... they can do whatever they want with it."

http://www.treadwaygallery.com/ONLINECATALOGS/March2004/modWEB/0824.jpg

You're selling a bike; by definition you no longer want it. Let it go.
I list bikes with three different price points:
1) Ready to ride
2) Stripped of drivetrain comps
3) Frame and fork.
Mostly #s two and three go out the door, leaving me with wheels and parts to build up real riding bikes with.
I also don't get the whole fixie thing, but if that's what the people want, let them have it. All the more good stuff for us ;)
Top

I remember going to an art gallery in the 70's to meet PEter Max -- he of the wacky graphic thing that was all the rage back then. He even was wearing pants with his trademark dancing characters screen printed on them. I asked him straight out what he thought of 7UP and Levi and others, buying his prints and then putting them all over their promotions and commercials.

He just looked at me and said, "they paid money for it... they can do whatever they want with it."

http://www.treadwaygallery.com/ONLINECATALOGS/March2004/modWEB/0824.jpg

Yeah, I know. It's not even that have anything against fixies. I've toyed with the idea of setting one up for winter use myself.

There's two things that bother me about it. One is that I spent so much time on upgrading the drivetrain. Where there was old, stiff, stuttering Simplex stuff, there is now as smooth as silk indexed system. That seems like a complete waste of time now. I even kept the the old parts in case anybody wanted to put it back the way it was.

The other thing that bothers me is that 6 months ago this bike was looking forlorn and wasting away in someone's garage. I breathed new life into it and now it may end up as a winter beater. I shutter to think what it may look like in another year. I guess as long as it's getting used, it's still better than just sitting in a garage.

Oh, I get the fixie thing alright - as long as I'm selling.

That Shogun I converted over a couple of months ago? Cost me $70.00 to rebuild and convert (primarily the rear wheel). Rode it fixed gear for about three weeks just to see what the whole thing was about, decided it was nice but useless in the hilly area where I ride. Had to truck the bike 18 miles east to Ashland for decent riding country.

Found a college student who couldn't wait to put $250.00 in my hot little hand. No attempt at negotiation, just "when can I get the bike".

Yeah, I understand fixies. I also understand that if I could come up with two clean Japanese ten-speeds a month to convert and sell, I could buy that blue denim Harley Street Glide I've been lusting over by using the profit to cover the monthly payments. No money out of pocket whatsoever.

:roflmao:

A few weeks ago I listed one of our Peugeots on Craigslist.
Is it for sale or not? You should make up your mind. If I offer to buy something that you have for sale, will you demand to know what I plan to do with it and then decide?

I've sold a couple bikes to buyers who talk of conversions. I mention that saving the original parts helps to keep the value up for a resale if they ever do that in the future.

I think some pictures would definatly help us solve this problem!

But to me I think its kinda like testing products on animals or something, they are killing the bikes!

I turned up a sale once because it was going to become a fixed.....way too nice of a bike to cannibalize.

Of course, my pocket was also $100 lighter, but that's the way these things go. My advice; Don't let your emotions get in the way.

Its like my dad always told me, "Once you sell/give something away its no longer yours, the new owner can do with it what they wish" OLDYELLR, this is not a personal attack ;):) but your advise,"You can get money anytime. You have a nice vintage bike only once" may not pertain to the OP ;) I know when I was younger I needed cash! Period! :lol: now that Im a bit older I dont need cash as much as I used to but still take it when the opportunity comes along :D vintage bikes will come your way most often more than just once too ;):)

Personally I think the fixie conversions are a great way to keep old bikes on the road, as long as the owners down file off all the braze-ons, etc. I've seen some old frames converted to fixies that did a great job maintaining the original character of the bike. However, I might have qualms if the new owner is going to put pink rims on it, a plaid top tube cover, and other fixie fads of the moment.

Personally I think the fixie conversions are a great way to keep old bikes on the road, as long as the owners down file off all the braze-ons, etc.
Agreed, to a point. Remember (okay, you can't) that "back in the day" many British lightweights were sold as a fixed wheel base model with a front brake and a series of upscale optional models with gears and fancy paint jobs. It's quite legitimate to restore a 50-year-old frame to its fixed base model configuration, and a lot cheaper too.

The real question is do you want to sell the bike or don't you? If you do, the use the next owner puts it to is not your concern. Some folks would think it is just as great a sacrilege to "upgrade" it to indexed shifting as it is to "downgrade" it to fixed. Personally I think either is fine, and I would prefer either configuration to the original shifting.

If she wants to buy the bike and doesn't want the drivetrain components, keep them, and use them on the next bike. Once you've got a drivetrain that works correctly together it's easy to transfer it to another bike. Of course this begs the question, if you don't want this bike anymore, why would you bother to build another one just like it. Maybe you really DON'T want to get rid of it. If that's the case, just keep it.

I don't know, I can get what the OP is saying, and to me it isn't sellers remorse
it's more of a "I put all this work into this bike and the buyer a) doesn't care, and
b) is gonna rip my work off the bike to fix it anyhow" . For me its a lack of
understanding exactly what was done to the bike, and not appreciating that fact.
I don't think the OP ever said they weren't going to sell it.

subtle difference atmo.

marty

Yeah, I understand fixies. I also understand that if I could come up with two clean Japanese ten-speeds a month to convert and sell, I could buy that blue denim Harley Street Glide I've been lusting over by using the profit to cover the monthly payments. No money out of pocket whatsoever. :roflmao:

:beer:

No more calls, we have a winner! :) Like Top says, if you're selling, you're selling. Take the money and move on.

Yeah, it really depends on the reason the OP is selling the bike.

1. Needs the money badly, so will sacrifice the bike.

2. Flips bikes for fun and profit.

3. Has lost interest after fixing it up and now wants to move on to another project.

A professional salesman would never have any sentimental attachments or moral scruples.

I don't know, I can get what the OP is saying, and to me it isn't sellers remorse
it's more of a "I put all this work into this bike and the buyer a) doesn't care, and
b) is gonna rip my work off the bike to fix it anyhow" . For me its a lack of
understanding exactly what was done to the bike, and not appreciating that fact.
I don't think the OP ever said they weren't going to sell it.

subtle difference atmo.

marty

It was listed on CL for what reason?

If one thinks they may have seller's remorse they should jack their price up accordingly for "Fixie/SS Revenge" and/or to justly price the value of their work on the bike (which it should be at anyways.) Of course they may have the bike a lot longer depending on what it is.

Most younger buyers of things do have a basic lack of understanding or appreciating anything. I did it with model ships when I was a teenager. Built them with firecrackers inside and blew them up. Some may say that's heresy, but it did make the gun turrets fly off more realistically during a battle. Those were the days....... :)

As said above, you have to let them go.

A professional salesman would never have any sentimental attachments or moral scruples.

Gotta disageee with this bit. A successful professional saleman wants everyone in the deal to be happy, and strives to make it so.

But you're right about the sentimental attachment part. In fact, a buyer is at a distinct disadvantage if they bring their sentimental attachment to the table. First rule of car buying negotiation - never fall in love with a particular car - and if you do, don't show it.

If one thinks they may have seller's remorse they should jack their price up accordingly for "Fixie/SS Revenge" and/or to justly price the value of their work on the bike (which it should be at anyways.)Let's face it, all of the fixed gear conversions are just aping track bikes. Find an old, unloved and unwanted vintage bike, buy it cheap, and convert to fixed gear.

And let's face it, the vast majority of people looking for fixed gears are trend followers who want to be seen on a fixed gear because it's trendy. Just like their Fidel caps. Does anybody really believe they'll be wearing Fidel caps in five years?

Or riding fixies?

So if you don't have an old, unloved, unwanted vintage bike, the price should reflect the value of the bike...Unfortunately for us lovers of vintage bikes. That will scare off the shallowest of the trend followers, but will also keep vintage bikes priced high, at least until Fidel caps and fixies are no longer trendy.

A successful professional saleman wants everyone in the deal to be happy, and strives to make it so.You're quite right, I was being a bit harsh. Quite often you'll see stuff sold on eBay with obvious flaws that the seller "never noticed" because he didn't want to. If you want to make a sale, don't play devil's advocate. :rolleyes:

First rule of car buying negotiation - never fall in love with a particular car - and if you do, don't show it.Good rule for selling also.

I think that's how we become bike collectors. :D

:beer:

No more calls, we have a winner! :) Like Top says, if you're selling, you're selling. Take the money and move on.

Now understand, I would only do this to a Japanese bike. Somebody gave me another UO-8, etc., no way would I fixie it, no matter what the profit.

Jap bikes (bicycles) are like Jap bikes (motorcycles) - commodities, for the most part. Tear 'em up and do what you will.

Now understand, I would only do this to a Japanese bike. Somebody gave me another UO-8, etc., no way would I fixie it, no matter what the profit.

Jap bikes (bicycles) are like Jap bikes (motorcycles) - commodities, for the most part. Tear 'em up and do what you will.

There are some wonderful Japanese bikes out there, and some total crap European ones.

Regardless though of wether it's a hunk of junk, or some sort of holy grail, making a fixed gear out of a bike does not have to mean ruining it. Don't do anything that can't be reversed, and you haven't done any harm. Honestly I have more problem with some people who do "restorations" in which serviceable but tatty original paint is replaced with bright shiny new powder coat. Original paint is only original once, and once it's been taken off you can never get it back, but if you take off the old shifty bits (which might not work that well by modern standards anyway) and store them away in ziplock bags, you can enjoy the bike more, and some day, 20 or 30 years in the future, if you want to, you can put it back to original. This way future generations can really appreciate just how bad the shifting on 1970s era Peugeots really were, and in the meantime those über rare simplex derailers and shifters have been preserved instead of worn out. ;)