Ebay Rip-Off Of The Day
 

Seller claims this bike has Nervex Lugs and Campy dropouts. He even applied a new Reynold's decal. I have that same bike and none of that info is correct. It has stamped steel dropouts, plain gauge frame with hi-ten fork and stays and the lugs are nothing special.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Falcon-Cycl...MAAOSwn35as-V2

I dont think that there are that many suckers out there that would actually purchase this for anything close to that price.

Well, it does have blue bar tape!:lol:

You forgot to mention the "Moxy" crankset.

But they are out there, believe me. That is one of the reasons for building and publishing MY "TEN SPEEDS" - to help others avoid making costly (time, effort and cash) purchase mistakes. I used to be one of those suckers, for what ever that is worth. And, they (not the suckers) are making new uninformed people every day.

My memory is not what it used to be, as I recall, but I do remember the absurd price the bare frame and fork from this Raleigh (truly a poorly built bicycle) went for. Over $300.00 US and that was about five or six years ago. I listed the bike frame on Ebay for $20.00 (I can't be bothered selling stuff for less as it is not at all cost effective, for me) and it went out the door for far more than it should have...
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...628afe5f5e.jpg

And, just last summer, my Motobe went to the US, once again for far more than I would have thought it would ever sell for...
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...98f7cde27e.jpg

And this sort of thing happens to me quite often, two or three times a summer. I don't see people as being suckers. I see them as being uninformed and, as often as not, without a clue as to how to find a vintage bicycle...
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c5774427a5.jpg

Doesn't seem like the kind of bike you would want to spend a lot of money "refurbishing" whatever that means. Doing a bit of customization in a build up of an old steel frame is great, but in the seller's case it was not very well done. I'd say $100-150, and only because of the saddle.

Is that a real 531 sticker ? Is the green print mottled like that ?

Considering the sellers obviously false claims, I doubt the Reynolds decal is authentic.

Seller told me it has Campy dropouts on the front only. The listing does not specify that.
I would offer $125

What if someone buys it, gets it shipped, then files a "Not as described" claim for a full refund. Seller would have to eat shipping both ways.

It's an odd mix of components. Looks like he used whatever was lying in his heap. Safety levers?, Raleigh fenders? The "Moxy" crank, as he calls it and the Weinmann calipers are the only original components for that model.

Looks like local pick-up only. There should be a way of reporting it as fraud, because that's what it is.

Ebay allows reporting problem listings, but it's only pull-down choices, so I didn't see a way to clearly explain how it's fraud.

Feel free to click the "Report Item" Button. Maybe if Ebay gets multiple reports, they will get curious.

I just did a quick image search of Reynolds 531 decals, and none have mottled green. They are all very solid green.
Looks fake to me.

I hope anyone with $1,000 to spend has enough knowledge to steer clear of this.

He's also selling on craigslist. Looks like he's been dealing in bikes for a while so he should know better.

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/...673174358.html

UPDATE... Click "Report Item" --> Select "Copyright & Trademark" --> "Counterfeit item or authenticity disclaimer" --> "Counterfeit, fake, or replica items"

Then you get a text box that you add a small amount of addition info, about the fake Reynolds sticker, and Campy dropout claim.

:thumb:

Caveat Emptor
 

In all fairness to the seller, Falcon churned out many a bike in the boom with rather idiosyncratic characteristics. I recently acquired a 1972 Falcon much like the one depicted. It has poor, perhaps forged, no name dropouts, I'm not certain. It has a remnant of the authentic 531 butted transfer, and ones on the forks as well. The fluted Zeus criterium seatpost is 26.4, leading me to believe the seatpost is plain gauge, or that it was brazed in upside down. I suspect the former. The San Remo decals on the stays are still evident. It came with Campagnolo NR R and FD, seatpost binder and Tipo hubs laced to tubby rims with DT spokes. It has Suntour barends. on Cinelli bars attached to a Cinelli stem. Zeus BB and crank. Weinmann sidepulls. Fully chromed forks. Date codes confirm that almost everything on it likely came with it.

The seller's Falcon lacks the distinctive wraparound seatstays of the upper tier Falcons of 1972.

The Reynolds decal appears fake. (No 's around the Reynolds, among other details.)

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk...-history-4.jpg
from

It is a Falcon. It's probably a 1972 Falcon. It may even be a plain gauge Reynolds' 1972 Falcon, so I'm not certain it is a "fraud".

It most certainly is "optimistically" priced.

The "531" looks like it was filled in with a cheap dried out green magic marker.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c4d56afbf4.jpg

It's definitely a Falcon of the early 1970's. What's fraudulent, in my opinion are the sellers claims, "Nervex Lugs", Campagnolo Drop-outs" "Reynolds 531 Butted Frame, Forks and Stays". None of this is correct. Frame is 531 Plain Gauge (at best), forks and stays are Hi-Ten steel. Drop-outs are stamped steel and lugs are of no significance. I have the exact same bike that I got from a thrift store for $25.00. The original low-end Sugino crank is a clue to the quality of the bike.

"Fraud" Is A Serious Allegation
 

Fair enough.
"Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war".

It may be a 1972 version of this model?
http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...0Page%2013.jpg

Somebody should definitely report this. and yeah, that 531 sticker looks uber-fake, imo.

Is it a "rip-off" if nobody buys it?

The only difference is the frame in the catalog has braze-ons for a pump on the down-tube.

Good point, and I'm guessing no one will.