Originally Posted by wrk101

Everyone defines tier two differently. In my experience, in the tier 2 group I have gotten everything from a nice Eddy Merckx, a Colnago, a Batavus Pro, a Tomassini, to a Waterford Paramount. All at prices above the entry road bike level, but all for about half of what they sell for on the various on line sources. Buyers have no imagination, and are on the lazy side as far as driving further out, less convenient, and so on. Meanwhile, brands that are immediately recognized (around here that is something like Cannondale or Trek) go fast.

Now if you are ready to pounce, available any time of day, and can continually scourer C/L, you might find a low cost deal. Realize you have competition and they are doing the same thing. And many of them know bikes, so the time you spend asking questions (hey is this a good one?) they are already in their car driving.

Two groups of people buy bikes at the lower price points: people that just want anything cheap, and people that know bikes and plan to flip it for 2X or more. As you move up the price level, both of those groups drop off, leaving just enthusiasts. When I bought my Colnago locally, I was the only response in TWO WEEKS to the guy's ad. I had minimal interest, but he started making me offers that got my interest going.