Hi all- I know the early ending of the auction caused a stir with some potential buyers and possibly even some board members here. It happened like this- During the first auction, I was in contact with the seller but made no offer as I wanted to get more details and see more pics before I was even going to bid or make any offer- he never gave me more pics and then the listing ended with the reserve not met. I wrote to him with a offer slightly above the auction
price and he declined and told me his target price- we negotiated a price and I let him know within a few days if I could swing it, then he listed the auction again with new pics. I decided that I could meet him at his new price and gave him a deposit via Paypal so he then took down the auction. I came up, looked over the bike and took it home. I warned him that if he were to list the auction again while negotiating a deal that there might be some angry bidders, but he felt like he wanted to see where it was going- so to his frustration at how much the bidding was going the second time around he just took me up on our previously negotiated number.
When I picked it up, he did tell me that someone had offered him almost
two times more than we had settled on, but felt ok about it since our deal was already in motion- to whoever that was, you are glad you did not spend that money on this- it's a project bike at best. Almost 1/2 of the components were either cracked or so neglected that they were practically throw away parts. Ringle collar- cracked, both Cooks arms-cracked, Ringle seat post- stripped (that's why the seat was in that upward position), but worst of all was that the frame had the typical seat tube problem, the post jammed against the inside for so long in the same position that it busted out of the tube and created a small hole and some disfigurement. No original stickers as the bike was stolen from the seller and returned a few years later with a new paint job! On the bright side, the rest of the frame is just fine- no real rust issues at all, just some light surface rust where paint was chipped. The Fork, stem, bars, shifters, XT derailleurs, wheels with that Bullseye hub, seat and brakes are all in great shape but he did drill holes in the SS-7 levers.....ouch! Anyway, I feel good about the frame and the prospect of restoring it.
To all the potential last minute bidders who may have won if the auction were to finish- I am sorry it went down like that.
Eric
price and he declined and told me his target price- we negotiated a price and I let him know within a few days if I could swing it, then he listed the auction again with new pics. I decided that I could meet him at his new price and gave him a deposit via Paypal so he then took down the auction. I came up, looked over the bike and took it home. I warned him that if he were to list the auction again while negotiating a deal that there might be some angry bidders, but he felt like he wanted to see where it was going- so to his frustration at how much the bidding was going the second time around he just took me up on our previously negotiated number.
When I picked it up, he did tell me that someone had offered him almost
two times more than we had settled on, but felt ok about it since our deal was already in motion- to whoever that was, you are glad you did not spend that money on this- it's a project bike at best. Almost 1/2 of the components were either cracked or so neglected that they were practically throw away parts. Ringle collar- cracked, both Cooks arms-cracked, Ringle seat post- stripped (that's why the seat was in that upward position), but worst of all was that the frame had the typical seat tube problem, the post jammed against the inside for so long in the same position that it busted out of the tube and created a small hole and some disfigurement. No original stickers as the bike was stolen from the seller and returned a few years later with a new paint job! On the bright side, the rest of the frame is just fine- no real rust issues at all, just some light surface rust where paint was chipped. The Fork, stem, bars, shifters, XT derailleurs, wheels with that Bullseye hub, seat and brakes are all in great shape but he did drill holes in the SS-7 levers.....ouch! Anyway, I feel good about the frame and the prospect of restoring it.
To all the potential last minute bidders who may have won if the auction were to finish- I am sorry it went down like that.
Eric
