Dealing with reluctant measurers..

[highlandsflyer]

Its a medium lol
21.5inch seat tube?

Bang on the money.

 

[highlandsflyer]

The relative length of the head tube is usually a good rough guide too.

Everything was so much simpler before compact geometry.

 

[averagebiker]

Bang on the money.

What's my.prize lol

 

[highlandsflyer]

What's my.prize lol

Well, a jar of sweeties I guess!

 

[kermisking]

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 .

 

[highlandsflyer]

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 I reckon if I had pushed online it would have been withdrawn from sale.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.

 

[bagpuss]

Looking at e bay last evening. The large number of old bikes for sale without stating a frame size was interesting, other than it fits the seller? .The prices also reflect a long past market.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Vendors often take less care with lower percieved value goods - so as the market declines, the descriptions get weaker

 

[highlandsflyer]

Vendors often take less care with lower percieved value goods - so as the market declines, the descriptions get weaker

Indeed. This goes for motor vehicles too, which has gone in my favour over the years. I paid a third of what I would have been happy to pay, and that works for me. This bike was advertised as 4310, and the senior gentleman thought it was Alu.. On the other hand, it was serviced and fettled despite having no 'age'. Shame that didn't extend to whipping the pedals off and greasing the threads, but brand new Conti 4000s is sweet . Seatpost is stuck, but at my preferred position! As far as I know, it was ridden for the Loch Ness Etape, then put away in a heated garage. It was very obvious the lovely fella was not hurting for £150.
Why FELT don't have more accurate information out there on these is a puzzle. I guess they commissioned a run of these frames, and then found they didn't take off. So apart from the group, this is most likely identical to any other size 56 from the two or three years they were available. Fits my purposes well.

 

[grantoury]

I inquired with Marin about a 2008 model and was surprised when they told me they only had a sizing guide to offer. Weird to find manufacturers just discarding info on their past models.