It's quite common for someone to come in to this forum or directly to the appraisals forum asking about the value of a bike. Sometimes it's a bike many of us would be delighted to add to our stables. How many of us have gone on to make an arrangement with the OP to purchase said bike? Anyone troll the appraisals forum for bikes? And because every thread is better with pictures, post up any bikes you've purchased stemming from an appraisals inquiry on this forum.

(Keep in mind, any such transactions were consensual. I don't mean "vultures" in any negative way. So, hopefully, this won't devolve into hand-ringing about taking advantage of newbies or judgements about purchase prices.)

I bought a 73? Paramount with Campy 9s chorus triple group. It was way too big for me and had been repainted... I think I ended up trading the frame for a Tommasini Super Prestige frameset in my size. I'll dig some pictures up later.

I once made a stew from roadkill.................but it was fresh roadkill.

Why yes, I have circled like a vulture around the still-breathing soul of a bike-shaped object that dared poke it's head out into our inquiry thread.

While the vulture is more interested in carrion, I considered myself more a bird of prey. I need to retain some dignity, after all. I didn't exactly pounce, but I stood around waiting for a chance, definitely.

A nice fellow sent a photo of a bike in Montana, I believe, with an inquiry as to it's value. He joined BF for this very purpose. I don't remember his user name, but I think his name was Doug. This was before we had the separate thread up. I actually think he posted it on the Centurion Serial # database. Having already purchased and resold a smaller, slightly upgraded one for $481 delivered, I advised that the price of a 1985 Cinelli Equipe Centurion would be between $300 and $700, depending upon condition, and expressed interest (right out there in front of everyone).



After receiving such sage advice, he promptly offered it for sale at the upper end of my range. I could not agree, but two wise Bike Forum members, A. Winthrop and JunkYardBike both narrowed the range for him due to their expertise and experience as owners of the same bike. At that time, I made an offer, privately, for a price plus shipping. When the seller came back with the standard CL line "there's another buyer interested," I decided not to pursue it, but left my offer open, hoping that I was the only one, and if not, the only one at that price point. Two weeks later, the seller advised the other buyer had declined, and we were on. The bike was OEM except for skewers and wrap, and had already had the DT and headbadge decals (lavender and black) removed. I sent shipping instructions, and he shipped it exactly that way.

I then heard, via BF, from the "other buyer." He existed, and offered $25 less than I did. He'd seen it on CL in the Montana area. Super guy here known as valentinodel, if I recall. He owns one of the prototypes.

The OEM Miche/Fiamme wheelset, with tires, went to a BF member, and I added Campy skewers. The stem was traded here for one that fit me better. The NR FD/RD/shifters went to Germany to a BF member. The crankset/BB went to a BF member in Chicago. The saddle went on eBay, and the seatpost was given to a relative because he said I lost his Campy one. I've since seen the Campy one on his bike, so now I suppose he's lost the Gipiemme. The brakeset went to a BF member here in NC.

I was left with the frame/fork/headset and Cinelli bars. I sort of took it from there.


So that's that.

I think it is just terrible... oh wait, there goes a Badger!

Vultures also like carrion.

But back to the thread... I'm working on one right now. Don't have it yet, but hope to shortly.

I see nothing wrong with an appraisal discussion rolling directly into an offer to buy the bike, without going through the C&V sales forum, as long as the offer is agreeable to both parties and the offer is fair. Now what a "fair offer" is can be very subjective, but it both parties are happy with it, then it's a fair offer as long as there is no misrepresentation from both sides....

Chombi

I've been known to make a private offer or two.

I've never done it, but I did have a deal go south a few years back when the seller posted a "hey, what is my bike worth?" query......

When you consider the number of serious collectors on this forum, its not surprising that some deals get worked out.

The appraisal thread is totally worthless to us vultures, because the real appraised value is always far more than we're willing to pay.

I ended up with the Armstrong Tourmalet (not physically just yet) that we saw a few weeks ago. The guy that discovered it didn't see it fitting in to his flipping operation so I was able to make a trade with him for something more "user friendly". I tried for the CZ pedals but they ended going to ebay I guess.

Is an Auchencrow like a vulture? Only cheaper? Or ...em...more thrifty?


"I don't mean "vultures" in any negative way." I love that, Gaucho.
Vultures get a bad rap. They're off-putting, homely creatures. They feed on the dead.
I wrote to an old friend in Nebraska a while ago after he sent me a picture of some "buzzards" waiting in a tree, their usual M.O.
When I informed him they were actually Turkey vultures, he said "yeah , I know. But they're still buzzards to me."

You don't hear about buzzards lurking in the appraisals forum, however.

I imagine it happens with almost any unusually nice bike that gets put up in the appraisals. Not speaking from experience, but I could definitely see how some people on here wouldn't be willing to let a potential deal go by if it were convenient for them.

Speaking from the other side - I'm amazed how many offers are sent. I posted a bike on another forum and was still getting offers months after it was originally posted. It's surprising someone would accept an offer considering they are usually new - what a huge leap of faith on their part to not believe it might be a scam.

- And maybe even cheaper -er- thriftier than those buzzards from Nebraska!

I thought I did pretty well with the stew, but it sounds like you even ate the bones. Very impressive.

I've never done it, despite making numerous appraisals on the forum. I've only been tempted once, on an Eisentraut. I gave them my assesment of what I thought it was worth, which was considerably more than I would have paid. Shot that one right in my foot.

The great majority of what shows up on appraisals is not at all tempting. Like 99.99% of it.

I've had a couple of offers on my individual bikes, and fifteen and counting on my Serotta track bike in the couple of years I have had it. That's right, about two for the rest of my collection and fifteen for one bike alone. Including one offer from Italy. Track bikes are crazy.

I've done it.

Some really nice examples, you vultures! I've seen some of these bikes before, but it's great to have the backstory of some of them, especially Robbie's Cinelli Centurion. I dug up the thread re the soon-to-be-Frank's Armstrong Tourmalet; what a cool bike. Maybe I should spend more time loitering in (or, shall I say, hovering above) the appraisals thread.

Here's one I got that way......

But I don't think I was a dirty Buzzard when I bought the bike as I did not really have a clue on what it was all about. Just bought it on a hunch that it could be special in some way and I just had to have an older CF bike in my collection, plus the seller was quite happy with the offer I gave him which I think was quite generous (after he was mostly ignored in the appraisal forum when he was asking about his bike), even after I found out later how rare the bike turned out to be after I got it, as it only really attracts "daredevil" old CF bike collectors/riders like me who will be willing to take a risk on these very old carbon bikes, who I guess, are few and far between...........

Chombi

+1 to both. Nothing worng with making a direct offer, I've done it myself. If my horrible memory serves me correct thats how I acquired my Team Miyata.

^+1. I agree. As I said from the start, I don't mean "vultures" in a negative way. Buzzards gotta eat, too!

I sense an addition to the C&V vernacular emerging, much like "drew."
Perhaps dirty bird?