Ebay Auction Question

[spiderlake]

There is a Rapid Tour frame on Ebay that would fit me and I'm in the market for building up a commuter bike since my office is moving about 15 miles further than its current location. Gas prices being what they are and the fact my Jeep gets a pathetic 11 MPG, I am joining some other guys at work and riding back and forth. I love my Fierte but I think I'd like to buy a used frame and build up a commuter. Okay, now you have the backstory and now I have a question that I hope the Serotta luminaries can assist with.....

Link to Ebay Auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/Serotta-Rapid-Tour-Frame-Set_W0QQitemZ7176364997QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

I've never purchased a frame from Ebay nor have I ever purchased a bike outside of my LBS. Would someone be willing to render their considered opinion on the shape of the bike, its potential life as a commuter and whether I am a fool or not for considering this auction? Yes, I realize it is nearly impossible to judge the shape of a bike from pictures. Yep, I realize I am probably going to get a range of opinions that won't really help in making my decision but I'm game for listening. Thanks!

[JasonF]

Hi Spiderlake,

That exact Rapid Tour was for sale a month or so ago...here is the link

http://tinyurl.com/96d6g

The only difference was that the bike was offered complete with Dura Ace back then. I did ask the seller to provide a little more detail about the "paint issues" but I did not get a satisfactory answer. Maybe the new owner will be more forthcoming. It looks like paint had rubbed off, and a rather lame attempt at touching it up was made.

Bottom line, the new seller bought it for $600, stripped off the Dura Ace parts (presumably in decent shape) and is now selling the frame.

Good luck, but I would personally look elsewhere.

[dbrk]

Okay, I've looked at the bike and the seller's reputation. First, the bike: there's no effort to conceal the scrapes and such so that is a good sign. None of what appears would have the slightest effect on the ride, of course, and nail polish would offer some rust protection if that is a concern (though I would not bother, just ride it!). It's obviously lugged and not all RTs were and never will be they again, though it's not more valuable imho than about $450 tops! Why? It's small, though if it fits you then it's a bike for you, but it won't attract much market or resale. The seller's reputation is good enough, so I'd look carefully (I didn't) at shipping costs and seller's terms and then I'd not be too wary. EBay has a few risks but generally people are much what they seem to be when there is enough reputation behind them.

I do a fair amount on eBay and I honestly resent some of the questions posed to me that are all about my integrity rather than the item. Why? I mean shouldn't people be wary? I suppose but really good reputations with high-priced items should provide ample proof of what is being transacted. I have, in the past, told bidders that I am not interested in selling to them because of the tone of their questions. In sum, while it's a world in which nearly everyone is suspicious and half of the rest are trying to rip you off (or worse), there's got to be a time when you let old-fashioned trust lead the way. This fellow has no history of being a bad guy. Sure, bikes are sometimes not what they are described to be but in this case the pictures make a point of showing off the flaws. That would be a good thing. LIke I said, don't get yourself in any frenzy, there are lots of good bikes out there for cheap.

dbrk

[Jeff N.]

It looks to be in pretty decent shape to me. I'd go for it, but watch it for a while, see where the bidding goes. Jeff N.

[eddief]

as you need to make a good decision. Email and ask questions, email and ask for phone and ask questions. Make sure your butt is covered so if it is damaged in shipping you are not liable.

Looks as if he has done quite a bit of ebay business with only a couple of negative feedbacks. I did not research to see what the negs were about. I bend over backwards to keep my feedback positive and tend to be a little leary of those who don't.

After all, if it is in decent condition with no probs other than cosmetic, you can have it repainted or powdered starting at about $125.

[Bruce Jacobs]

My only concern is the BB. The Dura Ace BB can be nasty to remove since Locktite is recommended. I have seen quite a few that were really frozen. I cannot given any advise about price because I am too new to Serotta to know history. But I have done a lot with ebay on bikes. Any time you buy used you take a risk regardless of the rep of the seller.

B

[flydhest]

Out of curiosity, why don't you want to commute on your Fierte?

[spiderlake]

Thanks for the input on the auction. It's interesting that the complete bike was up for auction a month ago and it appears the new owner is parting it out. There aren't too many frames that show up in my size (52cm) so I'm always excited when I see a Serotta that might fit me.

There are a couple of reasons I don't want to use my Fierte as a commuter but I'm not above changing my mind. I want to put fenders, lights and a rear rack on the commuter. The route I will have to take to the new office location consists of bike trails (to avoid major roads), some sidewalks and a mile stretch of gravel road. The Fierte doesn't seem ideally suited for this task.

Perhaps the Rapid Tour isn't the ideal frame for this task but if I recall correctly the RT would allow for fenders and a rear rack. Right?

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . some good points. But then, doesn't he always? ;)

The seller has a good rep--99.7% positive equates to ONE negative out of 325. Pretty darn good average. There's also plenty of photos an he makes no secret of the flaws. Most likely a good, reliable seller.

My only caveat would also echo dbrk--don't get too emotionally attached to anything you see on eBay. There are VERY few things that never show up again. Do a search for 53cm frames, watch it for a month, and you'll see what I mean. You will find a LOT of frames that would be suitable for your commuter project.

BBDave

[BumbleBeeDave]

ALWAYS snipe. Otherwise you just run up the price. I never buy anything on eBay unless I can be sitting at my computer when the auction ends.

BBD

[sl33pdirt]

For what it's worth I purchased a Colnago from Superthunderbird and he was completely straightforward and honest. You have to look out for yourself, of course but he was great about answering questions and such.

Again, for what it's worth.

[Keith A]

There has been plenty of good advise already give by others, but I'll add in a couple more.

If you have any questions about the bike, make sure you ask the seller. He obviously won't know much about the history since he just is trying to make a few bucks by selling the frameset and components he recently bought. But to me, the important thing is how the seller responds. If he/she is either very slow (with no stated reasons) or comes across with any attitude in their response, then I won't bother bidding on their items.

As BBDave stated, don't bid the price up early -- wait to the end of the auction and try and "snipe" it. I also echo his point about not getting emotionally attached to an item, if you do then you will most likely pay more than what you should. Make sure you set in your mind the maximum that you are willing to pay for the item, and then enter this as your bid. If someone has outbid you, don't get caught up in a bidding war and try to win the auction. Again, you'll end up paying more than what you wanted and will most likely have buyer's remorse later on.

Even though you are looking for bike size that isn't as common as others, there will be another one in the future. By being patient, you will find what you are looking for without paying too much.

Finally, check into his return policy. It may be stated on the auction itself, or just ask him directly. You want to make sure that you would be able to return the item if there was any gross misrepresentation of the condition frameset.

Good luck!

Edit: Too bad you didn't see this before as a complete bike. $600 for a complete Dura-Ace 9-speed bike was a steal!

[Ginger]

If you aren't sure, hold on until you find what you want.
There was a nice Atlanta in Plymouth MI on ebay that just ended the other day. I think it was actually even your size...
It went for $350.
Keep your eyes open, frames this size come up more often than you think!

(I'm keeping my eyes out for one to replace my Bridgestone as a commuter as well. We're looking for the same size, but I'm looking for a shorter TT.)

[Ken Robb]

I think we have to remember that this is to be a commuter and have clearance for fenders and un-skinny tires so the RT is better than some of the suggested alternatives.