Keith - thanks for the translation...that many parts and wheels, if of the same quality as the bikes, could make this feasible. Still - you'd want to check it out beforehand, and if he's selling in bulk like this, I still think it should be pennies on the dollar.

In the last image (the one with the Van in the background), is the paint job of an old Team Zed Lemond Maillot Jaune I spot? One could imagine that it was maybe dripping with Mavic SSC even?

Wow, that is very cool. I love the workspace and the rolling bins!

the only difference between this guy and a plain old hoarder is money.

Your point being?

Wrong forum to make that point. Most in this forum have stables that are only limited by space/storage and income, not some philosophy of one person/one bike.

However, being jealous and covetous isn't going to get any of us anywhere. I'm happy that someone had all of those bikes. That must have been one happy dude.

You could dump it all on Ebay and crash the market for a few months like some sort of avant-garde Occupy Wall Street protest.

Bikes are too small for me, but I have always had a sick interest in 2CV's.

What's that yellow Varsity doing in there?

Every pitcher of blessing contains a shotglass of curse, and vice-versa.
And every Miss America has had a wart somewhere too, probably.

+1, I can't say it any better.

Well....maybe. Real happiness comes from a lot of places, material possessions are not at the top of everyone's list. Still....tt certainly doesn't hurt!!

The description definitely says "about 70 racing bikes, lots of wheels, rims, parts, etc."

At that price it is not a serious sale. Fritz would like to sell his collection but has not faced up to the logistics of how to do it. If any of you guys are serious, email Fritz and make him believe you somehow. If you want someone who speaks German to call him, I'll volunteer my services but be warned, you can probably do better.

Has anyone priced out what it would cost to ship a container of bikes over the pond? And wouldn't they be pretty rusty by the time they got here?

Wouldn't they also be banged up to heck and back if not individually packed?

Well, there is that.

Given that we (can I say we? I actually want no part of this deal, but for the sake of argument I'll pretend I do) don't know what we're getting, we can't really trust anyone (except Italuminum, of course) to pack the goods properly and not misappropriate a spare gruppo or two. Realistically the buyer would want to use up a few frequent flyer miles to go inspect, inventory, and supervise the packing of the bikes. I'm thinking each bike should be wrapped in bubble wrap and shrink wrap as is, and then loaded into a container. Shipping alone is going to cost thousands. As an investment, it's doubtful at best.

Frankly, though, my problem with this deal is that it's like buying the effects of a vice without bothering with the vice itself. It's like Fritz is trying to sell his hangover for $50 because that's what he spent on the scotch.

I would agree that the logistics of this make it diffcult to see for a us buyer.

Shipping and duty would kill the profit in the deal.

Not to say I wouldn't want it, if I had the cash!

LOL. but seriously, 40000 / 70 = 571.4

572euros per bike plus shipping is not good enough for me to get involved, (also mostly 56cm bike)

It would cost me around 980 euros for 23m cubed hire truck for me to pick that all up, its too much money to invest. 10,000 and then I would think about it (150 per bike)

Don't forget - storage costs, unless you have room for 70 new bikes with assorted parts, wheels...etc.

I think this only makes sense (and for less money) for a shop (or big time flipper) local to this guy who can pick them up in a van and has the storage space and time to sell them slowly.

How would you like to be the guy responsible for shipping and organizing these on a group buy? With 70 bikes you're bound to have a problem with a couple - resulting in fighting and hard feelings. It'll be a TON of work and you'd have to deal with grief and distrust.

He's writing that he is advertising this elsewhere as well. I don't think he hopes to sell it throught eBay. The 40K is just a indication but not too far of. I'm sure it's negotiable. I agree that €570 per bike is too much but in order too make a good extimation, one would need to know what exactly is included.
I'm tempted to pay him a visit, would make a fun daytrip from where I live.

I have the answer to this "problem":

Instead of the bikes coming to you, you go to the bikes. That is, move to Aachen. Sell everything here. Buy the bikes AND the building they occupy. Get a new job there. Enjoy your new bikes. Make new friends. Drink German beer.

I should make a seperate thread one day to see if anyone wants to bulk buy from me.

few frames on ebay, wheels and my storage unit.

No, this guy was neat, had a parts set up, wheel rack, displays. I would not want to bet against a Campagnolo tool kit.

You can get a 20 foot container door to door from Europe for between $1000 to $2000. .

A minister I once knew frequently stated: "Happiness is an inside job." (Seems there's a book by that name too, BTW.) I couldn't agree more, as externalities do not, in themselves, make us happy because happiness comes from within. I live by that philosophy and when I spent most of the month of January this year in and out of hospitals, I still maintained my sense of humour and generally positive outlook on life. Family and friends who came to visit frequently commented on my joviality despite an illness that nearly killed me. The collection of bicycles sitting in my basement (and living room and dining room) and other things I possess, while I enjoy some of them immensely, ultimately are not my source of happiness, nor should they be for anyone else.

I'm thinking of printing off all his photo's at life size. Then wallpapering my house with them and pretending I live there!

If my lottery numbers come up, I'm going for it!

I will buy a powerball ticket this afternoon!

Its a 493.14 mile drives for me taking 8 hours, 12 minutes, 46 seconds!

Almost worth it just to see them......and touch them