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i'd skip this, when it fails, it won't look pretty.

do not buy that bike, it's been crashed and then neglected
Those rust spots are where the frame buckled in a head on collision, and then left outside or near some chlorine for a few years. The frame is toast.

Well, that is where a frame would bend if it was crashed head on. Looks sort of bent too but it's hard to tell. It appears to be some pretty bad rust too.
If it isn't too far out of your way I would just go and inspect it before I bought it, but it looks kinda bad.

edit: are those campy wheels? if you can convince the guy that the frame is a write off you might be able to score a good deal on the components.

I'd defiantly pass on that frame. Rust doesn't ever go away, it just gets worse. Not to mention that the frame looks like it ran into something.

Out of curiosity, what's he asking for the bike?

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It seems like a lot of money for an abused bike. Judging by the condition of the frame I wouldn't be surprised if the hubs were pitted. And who wants tubulars for the street anyway?

That frame looks fubar'd but the parts on it are nice... I would not ride it.

tell him to sell it down to about $200, and use the parts for your next build.

hopefully this guy won't know how good the parts he has on it are.

JUST DON'T RIDE IT!!!!

No one knows how good the parts are. Campy hubs have no seals, so moisture and water enter them very easily. Looking at the frame, it's seen a lot of water, and I highly doubt that the hubs were properly maintained.

But the rest of the components are great, those Suntour Superbe Pro cranks alone are worth, what, like at least 150USD? The Cinelli bars and the stem are also cool, the seat is probably nice, the pedals etc.

I have no idea what they are worth in the states, but old track parts are dirt cheap around here.

I do. Even more since riding 10 miles out of 40 mile ride with flat and still being able to rescue that tubular this last summer.

Yeah, I'd throw down $200, sell the wheels on ebay and use the frame as a wall ornament. Cranks and saddle would be awesome on another build.

frame no, parts yes

tell him "nice geometry modification!"

crashing a bike into a wall instantly grants the user tight geometry :)

have to agree. no on the frame, but the parts are nice.

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ha, ha. just wait till you post an opinion on...anything. then the claws will come out :)

Definitely not the case here.

you lucky

How do they do on cobblestones? A friend of mine was using them here in Riga and had nothing but problems. And I don't quite understand your comment about flats, sorry.

The tubular in question was a 32mm cross one, so cobblestones (plenty here) pose no threat, especially if you use low pressure (and you do not risk pinch flats as much as with tubes).

Oh, the statement about flat was meant to say that the ride on the tubular flat wasn't that bad, now I know for sure that you can ride a flat tubular in a pinch. I had two flats that ride so I used up my spare and was able to repair them both at home using Tufo sealant.

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I got a bike that looks like that. I hit a sidewalk transition that was more of a curb.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture215.jpg

I can almost (but not quite) believe the story about not seeing it when he bought it; when I first crashed my Nishiki in February, only the paint on the downtube was trashed; the top tube started flaking later.