The One(s) That Got Away
 

Post bikes here that you just barely missed out on or passed on that still hurt:

#1 - Bridgestone RB-T, nearly NOS condition, $150, 2nd person to email and the first person bought it
#2 - Look 753r Hinault bike, full C-Record w/ Cobalto brakes for $700, walked away at the swap meet and it was gone when I got back 10 minutes later to buy it
#3 - Jack Taylor road bike, mix of Campy and Superbe, sold at the swap meet for $100 to another vendor before the doors opened
#4 - 3Rensho TT bike, full DA AX pantographed group, beautiful condition, sold to $300 to someone else because I walked to get a hot dog instead of look at the bike area again
#5 - Early 80s Cinelli Super Corsa, full Super Record, sold for $700 for the same reason as #4

Oh how it hurts...

German roadbike with NR drivetrain (Weinmann 999 brakeset) and high flange hubs - $15 at a yard sale.

-Kurt

Ok I'll play. I rarely miss bikes because I'm pretty quick on the trigger and always have money put aside to invest on bikes but here is one I regret missing.

This Cinelli was for sale with the classical make me an offer instead of a price. I inquired about the price but the ad was removed before I got an answer. Here is the pic from the ad ;

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/...a5033785_o.jpg

Masi Gran Criterium for $700. Seller said I could come see it, then told me he would not be there only after I called the day before to verify. Offered to ship it to me and backed out. Offered to deliver it to a bike shop for me to inspect and backed out. I had that all in writing, BTW. I finally told him I did not trust him and to forget it. Can't say I regret not getting it.

When I first started cruising yard sales I was looking for mountain bikes and passed on a Raleigh (Olympic model I think) with some high end Reynolds tubing, not 531, but I remember looking it up and realizing I passed on a really good Raleigh. They were asking $25. I never passed on a brand name bike for $25 or less after that.
I just missed a Ross Signature 292 that was my size. I didn't see it cause I was looking at the Signature 290 with a frame that was too small for me. By the time I saw the 292, someone else was walking away with it.

If I really want it, I buy it. These are, for instance, the bikes you wanted when you were younger, but could not afford. This has caused me to probably overpay in some instances, which is for sure the case for my 93 RB1-7, and 82 Team Miyata. But they are in my garage, I'll never sell them, and I'll ride them when I want... . For me, that's priceless.

Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.

Raleigh international for $95 on craigslist. Was the first to call, but waited before driving out to pick it up - someone was already on his way less than an hour later.

Ross professional for free - picked it up from a shop for the local co-op and I figured the co-op needed it more than I did. It was gone 2 minutes after it left the bed of my truck.

litespeed with centaur. Guy wanted $400, it was his son's. He sold it as I was driving over

There was a Schwinn Super Sport at the local scrap yard. My size. I was getting ready getting ready to move and I didn't think it was anything more than a tricked out Varsity. I grabbed the Brooks off of it and left the rest.

I did Google it when I got home and that was the night I discovered BIKE FORUMS.

I realized then what I had done but it was gone by the time I got back.

Then there was a fellow in Manchester GIVING AWAY A RALEIGH COMPTITION. There was a High end Mercier to go with it.
I emailed him to try to get the thing. He said it was just an old bike and not worth the drive (1 1/2 hours). Didn't give me a phone number.
I emailed him again and he insisted that it wasn't worth my time and figured he'd give it to some neighborhood kid.
Lucky neighborhood kid.

How much you want to bet you'll see it again in an ad that some kid posts on CL "Selling my Raleigh Competition Fixie. I stripped all the paint and threw away the derailers and junk, asking $450."

A mint 80-something Eddy Merckx with full Campy that was on the Boulder CL a couple of months ago for $200; I was on the phone with the guy when the first dude with $200 showed up and took it away. We had a nice chat and his last understatement of the year was 'I guess I may have underpriced it a little...'

I was #2 in line for a Derosa with Super Record that went for $125 on the local CL. Missed it by about 15 minutes.

Specialized Epic Carbon for $300, full Shimano 600 tricolor
NIB Cervelo P2 for $1150, Ultegra 10-sp group, incl wheels and tires.
Panasonic DX-3000 for $305.00 (maybe, winning bid was 302.50, so you never know)
Landfill Cannondale R800 missing post and saddle only, FREE.

Today, craigslist ad (gone now), "Fuji, good condition $80". Very grainy photo, but looked liked a Newest. Talked to owner, who was original owner, elderly guy, said he bought it, only rode it a couple of times, obviously not a cyclist, and was selling it first come, first serve.While I was driving to his place (in Alexandria, Va.) he called me back, said he sold it.

Rats!! But at least he called back.

A little over 2 years ago I came across an orange Jan De Reus at the Goodwill - $30, ; went home to research, went back to get it, only to find it gone.

About 8-10 months ago an orange Orbea lugged steel frame turned up on Ebay; rather than placing my highest bid then, I decided to wait and place a late bid. Famous last words--I forgot to place a bid; and it went relatively cheap.

Lesson learned: strike while the iron is hot!

stan

Here is one that almost got away...

I was out riding my 1978 Raleigh Superbe and stopped by the coffee shop and saw a fellow with a very early Fisher mountain bike and we got to talking about old bikes.

Looking at my bike he said I must like old Raleigh's and said he was helping his friend's widow sell a 1955 Raleigh Lenton fixed gear that her husband had bought new and asked if I knew about fixed gears and if I was interested... :eek:

I punched his name and number in my cel phone and told him I'd call to arrange a viewing and that very night my cel phone was struck with amnesia and lost it's entire directory.

:twitchy:

This was in the fall and try as I might, I never saw the fellow or that yellow mountain bike and finally resigned myself to the fact this bike... and my holy grail... had escaped.

Fast forward to the next spring and I am rolling up to the bike co-op and I see the yellow Fisher and when I come through the door there is the fellow who sees me and says, are you still interested in that Lenton ?

:thumb:

It had been consigned at the local LBS which was only a few blocks away and I must have left skid marks racing over there and they had put it in the basement behind a bunch of bike boxes as no-one had shown any interest in it and they were going to return it.

It was :love: at first sight... and the bike was my size.

The fellow and I settled on a price and I rode the bike home that day as after checking it out found it to be 100% road worthy and even better is that I also found a very decent friend in that fellow.

The day I brought "Reg" home...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/lenton1.JPG

Now...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/regnew1.jpg

Litespeed built ti merckx with campy chorus 9s. guy wanted $800, I offered $700 and waited for the next guy "who didn't sound serious" to pass... he didn't.. he bought it and sold it on ebay for about $1400 within a week.

1972 Raeligh 3 Speed (not sure which model) from the original owner, brooks seat intact and only $20. It was a good hour+ drive so I could not just drop things and go out. Was the first caller to the CL ad, made an appointment for later that week. One of the low life (they are not all low life, but this one is) bike flippers sent an email to them, they had said if I didn't want it it was his, pretending to be me and saying that I could not make it. The older couple selling the bike didn't look at the sender info, since I was the only appointment and they sold it to the flipper.

I found this out 45 minutes into my drive as I called them to see if it was okay if I showed up early.

I ended up buying a World Sport from the scum bucket guy about a month later (the Raleigh sellers forwarded me the email he had sent and I recognized the name) and in talking to him got to hear a story of how when someone offered him $5 for an old Schwinn he was selling he said sure come out. This was someone who was about a 40 minute drive away. He stripped the bike apart and put the raw frame out on the lawn. When the guy arrived he said -- there, that is $5 of the bike.

So other than wasting some time in this instance I have no regrets. I always remind myself they are just bikes, and when I miss something I just think about how jazzed the other guy/gal is that snagged it. :thumb:

+1 They are only bikes, so no regrets. I figure the couple of lucky snags I have gotten make up for the few misses.

yeah, just so long as someone gets it and uses it. I got plenty of bikes.

On the whole, I've been quite fortunate. No regrets that I can think of with regard to acquisitions. Some regrets about a couple that got stolen - way back in the day.

Last year I missed on a FREE Centurion (In my size, with bar-end shifters) at the LFBC. I was going to tag it, and forgot. By my next visit it was gone. Oh well.

This thread was a bad idea. Now I'm sad. Though the bright side is this innocent seller didn't pull his ad and relist at $500. Kind of honorable I suppose.