[QUOTE=Ragekage;6888808]So mulleady helped me find this sweet deal on this 2005 Downtube VIII FS.
It's only 65$ and the guy wasn't orignally willing to ship. I pm'd him and he said shipping is fine with him, and it'd probably cost 35-40$. So that'd be 100-105$ total for a used 2005 Downtube VIII FS.
Here's some info on stuff that needs fixing.
" Up for auction is my Downtube folding bike. It folds quickly, it's about 25 pounds and I have used it a lot during my last three years in philly. There's a couple things you need to know before bidding: 1) It has scratches associated with three years of use. 2) One of the links in the chain is missing a rivet (see picture 3) and makes the chain fall from time to time. 3) The chain is also missing the cover/protector, not sure what's it called (look for a new downtube image and you'll see what I mean. I still use the bike daily, but I would strongly recommend taking it to a bike shop for a tune-up and to fix what I mentioned above. I'm moving overseas and I'm not going to need it. "
Seems like everything mentioned is minor, and wouldn't cost but a few bucks. Should I finalize this deal? It seems like it'd ride alot better than a Boardwalk S1 and fit me alot better than a Kent (not to mention its cheaper than either), anyone have experience with this bike? Any recommended modifcations or anything of that sort?
I'm pretty excited.
[QUOTE]
Originally Posted by
Ragekage
Damn... So that bike didn't happen. I bought it for the 65, and like I said he was only interested in selling locally. He decided to sell it to me though, so he went out of his way to check for shipping costs. The UPS near his house told him it'd be 55$ 35$ for shipping and 20$ for the box. I thought that was pretty insane, so we both tried to find cheaper service. After all that, we settled last Saturday on the 55$ shipping cost. Well, he went to go ship it and they told him it'd be 125$ total for shipping. The 55$ was just for the packing service + box, and it'd be an additional 70$ for shipping. So he refunded me and sold the bike locally. I'm really bummed. I was looking forward to commuting and riding/folding my bike. I think he was just jerking me around, probably found a buyer near by and sold it to him and changed his mind about me. I dunno what to do now, I guess I'm back to the Boardwalk S1 route... Would love to get my hands on another sweet deal though.
When I was in college struggling to get my degree, I went to the thrift stores or yard sales for a bike. This was way back before the internet and all that fancy tacking on shipping costs (you can't beam a bike through the World Wide Web yet). I bought a bike 25 dollars or less and that was that. Everybody I knew did this whether it was a car purchase or a bike purchase. Perhaps simple does not cut it anymore I don't know. It does not matter. I now no longer buy used bikes, cars-anything. When I buy I purchase only new intended for at least several years use. I don't dump a folder that I don't like on someone else-especially in rather poor condition like that bike seems to be. The costs of a tune up, replacing a chain, perhaps tires and possible corrosion on the frame is too steep even at that supposed bargain. Plus you have no warranty garantee on that bike (you are not the orignial owner). And I don't deal with unknown private party characters on the internet-way out of my comfort zone. I do order from established small & large business-someone(s) who has a PayPal or like account and is customer service orientated (or at least tracable history)-alike over the 'Web, but not hazy E-Bay or the like-too much time wasted and too risky for me. Simpliiciity is the best way even today. If you are not happy about purchasing a Boardwalk S1 (a better bike compared to those aluminium framed Downtubes IMO) don't do it. Make peace with yourself and get more comfortable about bikes before you buy
any bike. That way you will be happy with the money you will have to fork over.