highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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Bang on the money.
Dealing with reluctant measurers..
- Thread starter highlandsflyer
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highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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Everything was so much simpler before compact geometry.
averagebiker
Retro Guru
What's my.prize lol
highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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Well, a jar of sweeties I guess!
kermisking
Old School Hero
For many years I have bought and sold mainly road bikes for my own use . It helps that I worked in Engineering so did a multitude of measuring and also scaling because the drawing office had left a dimension off . People sell bikes for friends /relatives often having zero bike knowledge but the skills to use a computer .
It helps I only buy level top tube. vintage road bikes and can roughly gauge a frame size by looking at the length of the head tube .
I always send a diagram to an inexperienced seller or ask to see the bike , if it is local . Help the seller don't berate them everyone is not a certified bike anorak . When the seller has the diagram tell them to accurately measure and double check . My experience is they will do this to help make the sale . Someone above mentioned geometry charts which are available for newer bikes and very helpful .
It helps I only buy level top tube. vintage road bikes and can roughly gauge a frame size by looking at the length of the head tube .
I always send a diagram to an inexperienced seller or ask to see the bike , if it is local . Help the seller don't berate them everyone is not a certified bike anorak . When the seller has the diagram tell them to accurately measure and double check . My experience is they will do this to help make the sale . Someone above mentioned geometry charts which are available for newer bikes and very helpful .
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highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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I'm as polite and helpful as it gets with sellers, and buyers. What happened here is just one of many occasions I've encountered over the years. Once I visited the seller it became clear it was a reluctant sale, and he had hesitated somewhat in cooperating for a number of good reasons. I reckon if I had pushed online it would have been withdrawn from sale. Once there, we had a great interaction, ending with us agreeing to do some further business. As it happens, I was able to visit another seller right next door whom I contacted near a year ago about a bike, who never provided me the measurements I requested either. I had my tape measure, my eyes and legs so a deal was struck there as well. In her case, the hesitation was due to an emotional bond.
I tend to focus on poorly described items, being sold with a story. Especially gear sold by sellers who see the minutiae as rather unnecessary, as they are handing over perfect goods at a fraction of their cost.
I tend to focus on poorly described items, being sold with a story. Especially gear sold by sellers who see the minutiae as rather unnecessary, as they are handing over perfect goods at a fraction of their cost.
