How to determine fair value?
 

Hi all,

I am currently looking at purchasing a used frame/fork over the internet. My problem is determining what is a fair price to pay. Are there any guidelines or rules of thumb one can use? What percentage of the original price should I go by?

FYI, I am considering a 2002 Airborne Carpe Diem, CK headset, and Winwood carbon fork. AFAICT, all are in excellent condition.

Thanks,
Mike

Hi,
first, you really should use an escrow service. That way the funds are not released to the seller until you're satisfied. Now, I have a Carpe Diem, and
that year prob sold for $800 or $900 for the frame. Assuming very good condition, perhaps 70% +/- 10% of the original price. If this is a sale, and not an auction, ask to see a copy of the sales receipt. I don't have any experience with that fork, but it has 45mm of rake; the bike spec calls for 43mm of rake. A lot of Carpy owners use the $100 Surly fork, which has a 44mm rake; so that can be an alternative. What sort of bike are you looking for?

If you are dealing with a seller with a superb feedback profile, an escrow service is an unnecessary expense.

Thanks for the info so far.

Late,

I plan on using this bike as an all-rounder, i.e. for commuting (80km round trip), for recreational road rides of 2-3 hours, and hopefully for some off-road as well. I already have two sets of wheels, and most of the components I need. I've only been waiting on this frame to come along, and now, here it is!

I found this frame on the r.b.m newsgroup. I've seen numerous postings from this seller and nary a complaint about him, though your right, I should protect myself. Perhaps I should also ask him if he has an ebay presence.

Any further thoughts?

Not really,
it's a touring/cyclecross, which means the front end is a little twitchy for touring and I understand that the geometry is less than ideal for actuall cyclocross racing. But it is a nice frame, and seems pretty rugged so far.
As is the case with many modern frames, the rear stays are too short for large panniers unless you have small feet. But I commute with it, and do short weekend touring rides (up to about 40 miles so far). It's the first really nice road bike I have had; and you have to live with a bike for a while to get to really know it. I like it a lot, I wish the bottom bracket was lower, and the front end more stable; and the rear end a couple mm longer. But....it accelerates really nicely, better than a touring bike has any right too. It's a semi-compact frame (at least thats what Airborne tells me), I lke that because I have short legs to go with my big feet.