Saturn
I just bought a bike off of a fellow student for $60. I was informed that he had only gotten it ten months ago, and that it was in good condition. He said he just needed to get rid of it because he was graduating and going home this summer.
So we met up, I gave the bike a quick once over (but didn't ride it, because the front tire was flat, only in need of pumping, I was informed) and gave him the money. It looked kind of rusted, but I must have been biased by his earlier statement that it was new and in good condition.
After he went home, I took the bike into the bike shop to get help pumping the tire and get the seat raised, and god the following comments: it is definitely not 10 months old...it's at least 10 years old, and I would need to replace the cracked tires, rusted chain, back cable, and brake system, and realign the tires. which would cost over $100...
I messaged the seller right after this, apologizing and asking if I could possibly sell it back. I couldn't believe I had been fooled and hadn't checked more carefully the status of the bike. I'm too trusting I guess. He sent me the following reply: "I understand. But im sorry to say this tooâ¦
As a Pre-law student, and as stated by the buyer protection act, under commercial law in the US, an agreement is accepted upon when a legal binding contract, written or verbal is complete, when the goods or service has exchanged hands by the transfer of money or other means. The ownership of the agreement is then transferred to the new owner. The buyer is solely responsible thereafter, for their decision before making the purchase(s) once exchange is complete." and he said he did not lie about the age: he "bought it secondhand and used it for 10 months"
He doesn't even respond to my messages anymore. What should I do?
Answer
Hello Saturn, seeing that I have no picture in front of me, I can tell you very little about your bike. But in any case, let me just say one thing, the bike store may not necessarily be correct. Rust doesn't determine the age of a bicycle either. Some people will often let their bikes sit out in the sun and let them get wet and in a few days the rust will build up. Just remember that bike shops aren't there to help the cyclist, they are there for a profit so it's in their best interest to sell you something you might not even need. Cracked tires, most overcautious mechanics might tell you that you need knew tires simply because tires have cracks. I had a mountain bike once which I bought with cracked tires, though the tread was great(the tread are the little shapes and designs on a tire, and after many years of usage, the tread begins to fade away due to the rubber being wasted). Those wheels lasted me 7 years, with about 15 miles on them each week(not much but still significant). Cracks on the tires simply means the rubber has begun to go bad, and it means that your tires will waste faster. It has nothing to do with safety, more along the lines of durability. Depending on how bad the cracking is, the tire lifetime is reduced. As for a rusty chain, you need to determine whether the chain only has surface rust or interior rust as well. Grab something sharp, and scratch the chain. If you can quickly see shiny metal, or just grayish, then the chain is still good, just add a bit of lubricant to it. The tire alignment, you can do an easy test. Flip the bike over, and spin the wheels. Determine weather they spin crooked. THey can have a wobble, one which requires an attentive eye but other than that, no need to worry. Just make sure the wheel spins seemingly straight. For the brake cables, your first test it to get the bike going and pull the brakes. If the bike doesn't stop then you surely need new cables and such. You should also check the cables itself to see if they are ripping, Gently tug on the cable. You should definitely be able to pull on it but not buy much. Now if it does stop, then ride it nearby at a safe speed and stop. Keep redoing the tests to see if does or does not stop. if it manages to come to a stop in a short time, say 3 seconds, then you have good breaks. The reason I am telling you this is because they are clearly ripping you off. 100 dollars to fix these issues? I think not! Tires each should cost at most 20 bucks, anything over that they are either selling you some fancy tires or ripping you off. A chain costs no more than 15s bucks, and cables, altogether cost no more than 10. That leaves you off 65 bucks. I bike mechanic would charge about 20 bucks for labor, still 15 bucks shy of the 100 estimate. Also, I heavily overpriced this. 10-15 bucks is a more reasonable price for a tire, or30 for both. A chain should be at most 10 bucks, bringing the total to 40 and bike cables should cost no more than 10 bucks. We are now at 50. These prices surely are reasonable, but I just bought two new tires on amazon for 10 bucks. My bike shop sells chains for 7 bucks and the wires are a dollar each, doubt you need 2 breaks and 2 gear cables so for about 2 bucks you can have your breaks. This would cost me about 30 bucks, so as you can see this guy is clearly ripping you off. I searched amazon just right now for some 26X1.95 tires and I found some for 10 bucks on the front page. I'm sure you can fix it for 50 bucks at most. If not, attempt selling the bike, though be honest with people. There are plenty of people in desperate need of a new bike looking. If it's a cheap brand, like Huffy, Pacific, newer Schwinn bikes, or brands like those, expect 40-60. If the bike is a good brand like Trek or specialized you might even make money off of it.
Newbie cyclists?
Asfvfan
With skyrocketing gas prices, there are many new cyclists on the road. How can you distinguish a new cyclist from those who have been riding for a while? What are the obvious signs? Also, what can a new cyclists do to not look like a newbie and be accepted by more experienced cyclists?
How can one tell?
Type/brand of bike?
Box-mart vs. bike store bike?
Shifting, or lack of?
Traffic rules, or not obeying?
No clipless pedals?
Helmet, or not?
Anything else?
Answer
Most of what you mention are clues. type of bike not so much. Newbies with lots of $$$ sometimes buy very sweet bikes. Seasoned cyclists may ride well maintained beaters so you never know.
Stock reflectors, spoke guards, foam handlebar grips, Wal Mart bikes, bikes far too big etc are clues as well. Saddle too low is another dead give-away. A big fat padded saddle or gel saddle covers are a give-away too. Spinning at 90-100 rpm and going 10 mph is another as is a 40 rpm cadence.
Pedals and cycling gear like padded shorts are not always a way to tell. Commuters, may not wear cycling clothing at all. it depends on why they're riding. I have all the gear but don't go full kit to ride up to the store or tool around with my kids or a friend etc.
If I'm out at the park where there's a mix of hard core riders working out and the 3 time a year riders it's easier to tell. Speed can be a give-way but some cyclists ride a lot but simply aren't into speed. Oh and anyone riding with lots of gear noise - a bike that hasn't been tunes in years and proplr riding on obviously very under inflated tires.
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