Regarding the MAvic stuff, I just paid more than you mention for bars and stems a few days ago. Not NOS either. Paid a buttload from Hilary Stone , that awesome GBP conversion tricks me every time. USed stuff for my own projects too.

Theres so many stocks still sitting around, Spain is flooding the market with stuff, I suspect the Mavic has always been coveted by some, me! But maybe as a general rule , it was overlooked . Look at track bikes, Some of the craziest prices years ago, the whole market shift toward fixiedom , You cant give that stuff away now. Guess what , perfect time for me to collect it. Not for the re-re-birth but because its rad and the demand is down, Die hard track racers and collectors probably felt shafted during that period. Track Bikes are awesome whether cool or not, and you can actually buy the stuff now. again. All the new production stuff is keeping people new to the bike world something top get into versus competing with you. Not to mention, the stuffs better for riding on the road, unlike some agressive track bike.

Im an end user as well. You wont ever convince me , and thats fine, I dont need convincing or you to love me. Just every once in a while its nice to pop and say "hey guys , theres more than meets the eye" I not dr. evil trying to keep parts out of the hands of anyone. Not judging what you collect, how much you pay, whatever. there was a time when I was squeezing for craiglist scores. love swap meets , still love swaps. You want to continue to post sweet stuff about my prices , more power to you. I already agreed , theyre high, sometimes Im not my own customer. My store is aboutique and theres no doubt, if i would have never gone this direction, someone one else would have the gear. Or perhaps it would still be hidden.

It doesnt seem really fair (which who really cares) That i will spend my day from 6am today until 12:30 doing something with bikes, almost nonstop everyday. I stop for food and coffee occasionally, work deals all day long, constantly trip over my own stuff. The other day my chiropractor asked what i did for fun , I said I mess with bikes, she laughed because thats my job. So if Im spending upwards of 12 hrs a day 7 days a week, and your browsing ebay (i dont know what you do) Why would you have any say in market price. even at my prices , my hourly wage probably sucks, my lack of healthcare does. I love what i do but sometimes, i wish i could come home from work at 4 and stop working, i cant .

When I was younger and loved to indulge my beer tooth, my own mom, used to raz me about my champaign taste and pbr budget (actually it was Genesee) i grew up pretty poor in central PA . Still to this day , noones kicked any loot my way. I wanted a MAsi, found away to get it. Dont think I complained that much. probably some.

I have few customers who have been buying from me for a good while. I have a beat up website that i never finished and the prices are mostly out of date. The guys who can ask for a better price nicely (what i consider reasonable) or are buying many items from me get a better price. I talk with a couple guys on the phone for an hour or more in a pop, guys ive never met in person, they give me project lists and I try and find parts either in my own stash or when Im searching abroad . Sometimes all it takes is to ask nicely. I should compile a list of all the rude words i get about my prices while being asked to sell it cheaper. A bunch of matter of fact stuff. Its akin to spitting at me and shaking my hand.

im young, 37 years old in this bares all - tellall. The knowledge these guys have and the stories are killer. These guys dont go to ebay , some of them call or email and say I need this or that, i do my best to be fair .

Probably some of you guys have met me here or there or will in future, Youll see that im not too much of a D@@@ maybe thats self delusion.

Allright now im tired and need an IV of coffee , so this last one may have turned into a rant. Sorry for the lack of clarity, spelling, punctuation. Gotta go move some bike parts, literally out of my way.

ciao