I drove half an hour to see a LeTour 12.2 - advertised "MINT" condition for $50 - blurred cell phone pic. - the best kind.
- Pretty good deal I thought.

The guys wife shows me the bike - it's totally rusted - like it came out of Davey Jones' locker. I think Davey was a triathlete too.

Must be the Ides of Tax Day! This ad popped up on CL this morning, and I couldn't help myself. It was like a giant sized Cracker Jack box!

Visions of a high-end Italian frame with Super Record danced in my head. I mean, who would bother to travel with or ship anything less in a case like that?

90 miles, a sore back from sitting in traffic, and 3 hours later I arrived home with the carrying case and...

...a poor man's fixed gear conversion on a Nishiki Olympic frame. Wobbly bottom bracket, no lockring on the rear hub, crappy wheels. Well, at least the shifting works!

I can probably get my money back, but I'd rather not pour hours of time, work, and gas money into breaking even!

I can't even take a seat post out, so any tear downs is over my head. However, you all have restored my faith in my taste. I knew I was on to something hot, it just turned out to be messed up. And I am not a fixer, not even in the littlest sense.

Sometimes rusty beaters aren't so bad. Picked up this Waterford built Schwinn Paramount recently for a good price. Unfortunately, lots of the chrome was rusted, but the Deltas looked good...until I found the crack in one of the arms after I got it home. Frame is rusted enough to need a repaint. Stem had to be sawed off. Headset and BB bearings were shot. Many of the other Record components are oxidized to the point of being nearly worthless. But somehow the RD was spared, with not even a hit of road rash and not a scratch. 1st generation 8 speed. Sold on ebay for $190...more than I paid for the whole mess! Now to get rid of the rest. Except the Deltas. They'll be my precious for a while longer.

That was the idea when I first saw the ad. Because my $50 Prelude is riding real sweet, and wants out of the beater role.

:d

You know, I was thinking the same thing. I needed a stem for a Centurion that is too small for me. But, the stem on this looks pited. Sure, I was even looking at the breaks and the pedals. But, with my non-ability in doing anykind of fixing, I am dead in the water as far as getting the parts off, and getting them using. My wife is still laughing at me too...

Look at the bright side - you're halfway to a really good crab-trap, and crab season is coming up.

I don't know nothing about cleaning, fixing, wrenching, so I am dead in the water on those.

I woudn't even bring the thing in the house...It is in the garage..

If bikenut (Andy)chimes in and not too far away, he got it!! He can do all that stuff..I can't. But, at least I wasn't a gofer..531, Shimano 105, 60cm...All the right stuff..., I can't win them all...

You're not in New Orleans, are you? Looks like a post-Katrina rescue job to me.

It'd make a good project bike. Lots of work but when you're done you have a bike worth the effort. The work is not a problem for a hobbyist.

Yup, that was a killer line, and I swallowed all of it too..

Well, this one is on it way. Can't have it messing up my garage for too long!!

Same here, I am finished with this too. I chalked this one up as a cheap learning experience...

That is the same way this ad was, a blurred cell phone pic. I went back to get the pic on the ad to post it, but the seller had already deleted it.
The line that the only rust on the bike was from him riding it, is classic!!

Ha, a good one. My wife hasn't stopped laughing yet..

Don't blame the seller because you are too nice to say, "No Deal"
I bought one ($120) I should have walked away from but it is a decent rain bike.

Pretty much everything on a bicycle comes off by unscrewing a mounting bolt. Assuming nothing is really stuck you should be able to strip down the majority of the bike in a few minutes.
This would be a great learning opportunity for you and it should be pretty easy. you can look up directions on the internet about using OA to deal with the rust, clean up the parts and build her back up. If you reinstall all of the parts and run the cabling (very simple obvious things) your local LBS will probably adjust your derailleurs for free if you don't feel like learning how to do it yourself.

Bicycles are very very very easy. Take a little time and i'm sure you will enjoy the process.

Ha! Looks like the seller caught that bicycle while trolling for carp in your local river.

Peel 'er down. If the bearing cups are rusted, toss 'er.

Don't let this happen again. If you know a deal sucks, then just walk. No shame in being smart.

I see this as a great opportunity for you to learn about bike mechanics! I mean, what can you mess up?
If you have a set of metric allen wrenches (4,5 and 6 mm should do it), #1 and #2 phillips screwdrivers, flat screwdriver, 8mm-15mm box end wrenches (or a medium crescent wrench), ratchet with 14 and/or 15mm sockets, wire snippers and needlenose pliers, and a cheapie chain tool from the local bike shop or wal-mart, you should be able to get the bike down to the frame, crankset, and fork/headset.

The cranks and BB require some tools that aren't very expensive at your LBS - crank puller and BB tools (cup and cone set).
The headset looks like a 32mm top nut and the knurled section can be removed with vice grips if it is too snagged to remove it by hand. The fork can be removed at that point - be sure to do all of this over a box lid or on a smooth surface so you can catch any errant bearings.

With that amount of oxidation, the seatpost is probably stuck. There are entire threads on the subject, including links to youtube vids.

There should be some youtube vids on how to disassemble a bicycle.

Ziplocs are really handy - as are old cups or bowls - for keeping related parts together as you disassemble the bike. Bikes are pretty simple mechanical devices, comprised of other pretty simple mechanical devices.

That's me, I wound up with a 2003 Haro Backtrail X1 bmx for free. Started off as I'll just ride it into the ground and leave it by the dumpster. Well, did some research, it's indicated as 100% chromoly. So now I have to make it pretty and protect it. Rattle can is all I could afford. So I'm in for a paint job at least. It was missing the rear brake from lever, gyro to u-brake. Good thing the 1 piece cranks, bb, headset were in perfect order, but the rims needed truing. Seat post was stuck and never came free. You can see where this is going. This baby is all mine and I'm still under what it cost brand new MSRP. But the free one always gets me, can't throw anything anyway that still has life in it. And I figure off CL I could wind up with a newer comparable bike but still have to throw in another $ 200 for chromoly. Looking at it now, it still needs tires. Ahhhhhh, let it go Fuji, you have it for as long as you want it.

Ouch that hurt my eyes!
Don't feel so bad, we've all done it. Reminds me of my 86 Schwinn Prelude.

Good advice to try tearing it apart. See what the condition of the components are like. If the bearings are shot (hubs, BB, headset) then don't bother further effort on it. Just part it out.

you are a man who has 7 C&V bikes in his stable - your time to learn wrenching is overdue - and this is the perfect opportunity

Stuck seat post......that's what I like.