w98seeng

I am looking around for a frame and I saw one on eBay. Now I know the adage, "You get what you pay for", but there are still deals around.

My question is, how do you tell quality from crap? This also goes for used older frames I see on CL.

Here is the frame I am looking at, around $200 shipped. How would this frame it compare to the Nashbar frame for $99?

Thanks,
Ian

phoebeisis

The price-and where it is made.
If the price is low(for a new frame--and it is made in China for example- it could have cut rate construction and QC).

unterhausen

no way to tell over the internet if it's not in common use

Six jours

I agree with Unterhausen.

Beyond that, though, I suspect even the cheapest internet/Ebay frames are tolerably good, in that they're reasonably aligned and adequately strong. It's not terribly difficult to miter some tubes, jig them up, and weld them together. The end result won't be a Peter Weigle, but it will almost certainly be a functional bicycle frame.

unterhausen

nashbar has their frames on sale quite frequently for $99. That means to me that they are getting them for no more than $50. Those frames seem to be reasonably capable. For my purposes, that's as low as I would be willing to go. Building up a frame into a bike is never cheap. I have almost $200 into my commuter, and I got almost everything free. It's the "almost" that will get you every time. But it seems to me that having faith in the frame is a relatively important aspect of enjoying a bike.

radshark

+1

New aluminum frames are very inexpensive. I think buying something from a reputable retailer who stands by their product is worth the extra money.

Alan Edwards

The Mosso is a mass produced frame just like Nashbar, could be made in the same place. The frame has to be made well enough to be safe so it might be heavy. Nashbar stands behind there product but it's not flashy. You can read the reviews. If you want flashy buy some stickers.

Live Wire 

What are you guys going on about?
The Mosso is clearly $101 cooler than the Nashbar...problem solved!

w98seeng

Oh, like Giant, Trek, Specialized, GT, Marin, Rocky Mountain? All these bikes are mass produced, a lot of them are also made in China or Taiwan. I don't see anyone bashing those frames/bikes. Are Nashbar frames safe? Are they heavy? Why do you say if it's safe it has to be heavy?

Sarcasm isn't required. If you can't answer the question, don't post.

Besides, where do you come up with $101? The Nashbar frame is $99 and the Mosso frame is $125

I don't see the reason to bash something someone else is asking a valid question about. It might be crap, but that wasn't the question, the question was how do you tell if a frame is good or not?

Ian

unterhausen

asking a batch of people that make their own frames if an obscure mass-produced Chinese frame is any good is probably not seeking out the right audience. Closing.