The junk on craigslist
 

I am looking for a bike on craigslist in Washington DC but 95% of the bikes seem to fall into these categories:

1) People trying to dump off their Walmart bikes for $50, not realizing that you can buy the same junk bike at Walmart for NEW for $50.
2) People selling 20+ year old 'vintage' bikes for $200-300 . I dont understand how any bike that is 20+ year old can be worth so much? For that price I can purchase NEW entry level models from good bike manufacturers. Why would anyone buy this 'vintage' crap?
3) Stolen bikes, i.e person says 'Ill meet you somewhere' and describes the bike just as if they came into possession of it yesterday...

I have come to the conclusion Craigslist is not a good place to buy a used bike, or am I missing something? Much better to buy new.

Not sure why vintage means crap.
Just keep in mind, "Let the buyer beware."

:roflmao:

If you happen to find a Confente for $300, I'll give you an extra $300 for finding it for me!:eek:

YES, I'm serious!
But don't think I won't have it checked first for authenticity. A friend of mine used to work with Mario and can tell me if it's really a Confente.
If it IS, $600 would be stealing it! :D

WHY would I pay that much or more for an old "crappy" steel frame?

Because there are only 132 Confente's in the whole wide world and Mario has passed away.

Sooo...a piece of cycling history? ...Priceless! ;)

Bicycles technology improves every year so newer materials/manufacturing will be superior to older models. Also components wear out, so a 20-year old bike is not going to have that much life left in it compared to a brand new bike in the $200-300 range..

Would you not agree that most buyers are looking for a reliable form of transportation, not nostalgia?

Btw, you should check out this site: http://craigslistwatch.com/ and set some watches for Confente in various large metropolitan areas...

This may be true in some cases, but a good steel frame will last a lifetime. My main bike is 25 years old and I guarantee that it has plenty of life left in it. Show me a new bike that will still around 25 years from now.

Some of the very best road bikes ever made were the lugged steel frame bikes from between 1986 and 1990 with SunTour Superbe, or Shimano 105 or Shimano 600 drivetrains. A bike of equal quality today sells at Rivendell for $2,000 or $3,000, but you can find them here and there for $50 or $75.

And, over on "Vintage", guys post from time to time about REAL finds, such as a 1969 Schwinn Paramount in "like new" condition that they found at a yardsale for $25...a bike that is worth thousands of dollars.

Yeah, if you don't want to bother looking a dozens of "junk" bikes to find one gem, it is easier to go into a bike shop and plunk down $800 for a basic, entry level 2008 road bike. But, for that same $800, you could buy and restore three or four "classic" bikes that are unique and special.

My 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 road bikes all are dependable and need very little care, beyond putting air in the tires. My "new" bikes (1994ish Shimano STI and a 2004 Shimano STI bike are more fussy, needing regular adjustments to get good shifting. And NO current road bike has brakes with the light, precise feel of 1985 brakes, STI shifting makes that sort of brake feel impossible to obtain.

Bottom line: to get a 2008 road bike that performs as well as the best road bikes from twenty years ago, you are gonna be spending WAAY over $1,000, and you will be getting a less interesting bike.

Thanks DOH, but I'm not really in the market for a Confente. UNLESS it was ONLY $600! :rolleyes:

Same for a '32 Bentley! ;)

(Sold during "Concourse" week for some 2.3 million$$$!) :eek:

Sometimes you get lucky with craigslist. I bought a nice cannondale f600 on craigslist in Las Vegas for under $300. I met the guy at his house. Called the LVMPD office next day and checked to make sure the serial was not listed as stolen. Ive had similar luck with other items too. There is a lot of junk there, but you can find some good deals also.

You have much to learn young grasshopper

"Because there are only 132 Confente's in the whole wide world and Mario has passed away.
Sooo...a piece of cycling history? ...Priceless!"

Supply only makes it valuable if there is a demand... I guarantee you I could build a 132 bicycle frames and they wouldn't be priceless.

As an engineer, I don't see how old can be gold when it comes to manufactured products. A 20 year old car, no matter how expensive it originally was, is no match for a modern car. Is there some website I can read more about this?

Unfortunately most, (not all), advances in manufacturing have come about in an effort to save money, not make a better product.

I think you found it.;)

I purchased an 1983 mercedes 300TD W123 with well over 200k on the clock. I bought it with just a test drive around the block. I wouldnt' buy _ANY_ used car made in the 90's or 00's Edit: I'm not even sure what new car I'd trust to last [/edit]. It might not be state of the art for an engineer like yourself or a marketing person but the 300TD was the nicest driving and cheapest maintenance car I have ever owned, in fact in a few years of ownership it was filters/fluids and that was it.

I love my late 80's early 90's Titanium Merlin Road bike I recently purchased for well over $200. Yeah I could have bought a brand new bike, entry or maybe even mid level bike, for less but the ride was harsh and the wheels would have needed to be swapped and many other shortcomings. Now my only problem is the fact that I'll never have an excuse to get a new bike because the frame is worn out :(

A long long time ago experienced builders built stuff and engineers designed stuff. Today marketing and accounting build/design things. Engineering may have advanced a great deal but that doesn't mean they wield the power in the interest of long lasting robust products.

Beautiful lugged steel frames with interesting paint and style, chrome fenders, leather saddle, cork tape, they might not outperform aluminum and plastic, but they're a far cut above in style, and steel/leather is often a more comfortable combination than aluminum/plastic. Now, I wouldn't pay $300 for any old vintage, but something that catches the eye and inspires a sense of appreciation is well worth the tag.

You have to want that to want a vintage. And I personally believe its a great feeling to have a beautiful bike from a bygone era that you really enjoy riding. As for the performance, technology improves over time, but paying for a low-entry level bike still gets you low-entry level quality.

Amen to that. It's true with so many consumer products.

I watch craigslist DC daily, and have bought a frame and sold (and given away) a few parts on it. It's true, the asking price for most stuff is too high. A lot of 80's department store hi-tensile steel bikes for 200 bucks. Most people just aren't into bikes as much as we are, and don't know what they are really worth.

The thing is, Craigslist isn't a store. It's like a big yard sale. People expect you to haggle, so they jack the asking price up. If you see something you want, offer what you think it's worth. Chances are the seller will bite, because they won't have any other offers.

A friend of mine also had good luck with a "want to buy" ad on Craigslist, he had people emailing him within an hour with exactly the bike he was looking for.

Incorrect.

So very incorrect...

my first sale on craigslist here in dc was a bianchi with campy components....it was 8 years old and I sold it for $75 and threw in the clipless pedals and shoes....I had moved it everytime I moved and thought since I hadn't used it let someone get some use.

dukes of hazzard is correct. Please people stop buying those old crap bikes. They are a danger to society. There should be laws prohibiting these bikes on the roads.

Hopefully this will drive the demand down and I can get a Miyata 1000 for $300 :p

But seriously, I am glad there are people like dukes, this leaves more vintage bikes for me.

My 1987 Schwinn 'vintage' crap...
http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/62586705.jpg
... but you won't find one in this condition for $200-300 and you can't buy a NEW entry level model from any manufacturer (other than a custom builder) at any price that is equal in quality or value.

"vintage" crap components. Found on eBay:
http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/62586696.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/62586695.jpg

I don't think the OP was necessarily saying that all vintage bikes are worthless, just that people tend to put the "vintage" label on all sorts of cheap, old garbage in an attempt to sell it for many times more than it's worth.

As someone who's also combing DC craigslist on a daily basis, I definitely agree with his general sentiment.

Hmmmm. Let's review...

Nope, I'm pretty sure he just thought old bikes were crap.

Let see... My Brazed in the heart of England at the Carlton Factory in Worksop, "Entry level" 531 framed Raleigh Super Course, equiped with smooth as silk vintage suntour gear and riding on Weinmann concave clinchers..

or,

Some generic $300 pile of bikes direct crap with fiddly plastic shimano gear.

Sure....hard choice. Old bikes forever...

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...0/DSCN1830.jpg