Originally Posted by
PeteHski
Some good points. But when I see a bike that has obviously been neglected and maintained on a shoestring I presume the worst. But yeah, the frame could easily be worth the asking price if you don't mind re-building the rest of the bike. But probably not a great choice if you want something that you can just ride straight out of the box with minimal work.
I agree with both this and with [MENTION=34301]cyclezen[/MENTION]. The frame alone could be worth the price of entry .... but if the whole bike has been beat don and used up ..... However, I'd imagine the paint would show any crash damage, scrapes, etc. The missing brifter is a little worrisome because it is the right (rear) brifter which usually dies first .... crash damage? But I figure I'd notice any signs of the frame or fork hitting hard.
The drivetrain didn't look bad to me from the photo but I really can't tell from a photo.
For me, this might be a great deal (if it were my size) because I have some spare parts and know how to do the work. Also, I know (well, I believe) that if the bike was really hurt, I would be able to tell with a personal inspection.
The feeling I get is that the owner/seller know s that in order to make the bike really valuable, s/he would have to make serious investment---a new brifter and bar tape at the very least--and the seller simply doesn't want to.
For someone who didn't have parts, tools, a little spare cash, and time to spend, this might be a reasonable investment. For someone who wants a headache-free, ready-to-ride bicycle, this obviously isn't it.