Originally Posted by
sykerocker
. . . . . . . you can hold out to find a $50.00 version like a few guys on this thread have been lucky enough to do, only you're not riding while you're holding out, AND you have no idea how long it's going to take to get that bit of luck rolling your way.
The lucky $50.00 deals NEVER happen when you're actively looking for something - they just pop up when you don't particularly need them. And you jump on them because they're such a good deal, even if you're figuring in the back of your head just where you're going to store another one.
+1 IMO, This subforum is not "can you top this deal?", but rather, is this bike a fair deal (market price). I could list all the deals I have gotten in the last year, but I don't think that matters. And to get such deals, I look every day, and I buy deals regardless of size. Most of my "deal" finds have not been my size. I ride a 22 inch frame. My last five road bike finds: two 18 inch frames, two 19 inch frames and one 25 inch frames. Its unusual to find so many small frames, I usually find 21 and 23 inch frame bikes. I hadn't found an 18 or 19 inch road bike prior to this time in several months.
+1 And I buy deals whether I have room or not. So last week, I picked up seven bikes. The deals tend to come in spurts. I filled up last fall and winter. Looks like it is happening again!
I have paid market pricing for a couple of bikes I regularly ride. They are my size, and what I wanted, so even a thrifty guy like me did not mind paying full market. I bought one from a flipper in Atlanta and another from a flipper in Charlotte, they made their money on the flips, and I got the bikes I wanted. Full market pricing on a vintage steel Trek is still a deal IMHO. You would be getting a great bike, that could easily last another 50 years