surreal

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...parms=1876%3A1

ok, so i'm looking at old bridgestones online, and this one really tickles my fancy. Where do ya think it'll be, in 7 days?

-rob

surreal

i think i'll probably bid on it, and i'm probably willing to bid too much, but i'm wondering what "too much" would be? As i see it, it's way cheaper than buying something new and appealing, regardless. And, RB-1s are too collectible for me to feel ok about tinkering with....

-rob

Iowegian

ebay is a crapshoot and this bike could go from no bids to 2x the opening or more. Or both. I've seen some bikes not sell for $xxx with a buy it now and sell for 2x that price when they are re-listed. You just never know. That said, I don't think it will go sky high since it is low season for bikes and it's not a RB-1. Patience is a virtue when shopping on ebay so figure out what it is worth to you and stick to your price. You can also check the completed listings to get an idea of what the market has been doing lately but keep in mind that the bike selling season is ending and prices will probably be dropping on non-collectible bikes in the coming months.

surreal

thanks for the info. to my mind, this thing is my size, if accurately listed, and it looks at least half-cherry. I have a pile of decent road components waiting to hang on a frame, but not enough money to buy something truly hott. I'm all about the color scheme, and i rather like the BS300 i grabbed recently, which i am merrily turning into something truly bizarre. My plan is the ebay standard; wait until the auction is about to close, then enter my max bid. I live fairly close to where it's at, but the $60 flat-rate shipping may be worth the convenience.

So, let me rephrase my question, or at least, let me ask a related one...

Regardless of what this auction'll go up to (none of us is truly clairvoyant), what does this bike appear to be worth?

-rob

surreal

no one else have any guesses/opinions/feedback?

-rob

juls

There is one in Fort Meyers cl for $250-and one in Salt Lake City cl for $300. I don't think this one will meet reserve/when bidding starts that high, I think the seller is optomistic in his price. Or it very wll may be the least he'll take for it. I don't think they're worth more than $250-14 speed/excage/not a collectible. Just my 2 cents.

surreal

i basically agree with all of that, and really, they're not worth even that much. But, ppl seem to be asking outrageously high price$ for vintage bikes these days, and i'm thinking that some folks are getting these prices (or close) because there are lots of ppl who are getting into bikes, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, so they pay top dollar for anything that's japanese and lugged.

For me, i'm looking at the rb-2 in question, thinking that i can get a triple-butted steel frameset in my size, hang these parts on it, and save piles compared to buying a comparable new frameset, as if there ever were such a thing. So, even if i "overpay", i'm still "saving", which is screwy logic, but it's working for me. I just fear that a bunch of weridos are going to top it out waaaaaaaaay high, which'd suck, and i'd probably end up overspending on something much nicer.

Thanks for the input. Makes sense to me, and it's an oddly encouraging viewpoint, given my foolish outlook on bikes. But, i gotta say, i think it's weird that this subforum stays alive, with so few posts. The auction will be over before 5 ppl respond.

-rob

miamijim

Its only an RB2. The pics suck, the ad sucks, the bike needs work, the seller know nothing about bikes.

$300 shipped in my opinion is too much.

gomango

I sold a nice one in April.

$275 is about right.

Mine lasted an afternoon on CL.

surreal

i agree with much of this, and i rather enjoy working on bikes, but what makes you think the bike needs work?

As i mentioned earlier, i hope this prediction is right. If it's overpriced, i'll get it at $330, which'd probably make me happy.

-rob

edit: and, yes, the pics suck. You can't see enough detail. The seller, who apparently *sells things on ebay for a living!!!*, knows less than nothing about bikes. That doesn't concern me much, but s/he also doesn't know about selling things on ebay, and the replies to the 2 emails i sent were super-brief. The first asked what year the bike was, and how original it was. The only response was---seriously-- "no idea, sorry". So, the second was "can you at least confirm that the seatpost and stem are not frozen/rusted in the frame" to which s/he replied "no, the seatpost and stem are not rusted in the frame". Terrible seller, this. I reckon whatever old guy hired this person to move his stuff has been ripped off.

surreal

This is what worries me. If it only lasted an afternoon at $275, i think folks might bid a l'il high at the very end of the auction

juls

Still no bids/with shipping its 320 something. I also don't think $60 will buy very good shipping. That may be only the packing fee. If they don't know anythin about bicycles/they won't know how to pack them.