Not too much project progress to report, but I have been continuing my "bike brokering", this time for my brother-in-law's sister-in-law. Yep, the word of my cycle searching magic is spreading to the far reaches of family and friends. This would the sixth bike-find I've done for someone during the calendar year!
At one of our recent holiday get-togethers, I overheard some talk of wanting to start regular cycling workouts, with the key words being, "But I need to find a quality, affordable bike." Turns out the person was talking to my wife, and it was someone I knew pretty well. I (politely) asked for a couple general measurements and if she had any preferences in color or style.
Brianna was shocked that less than a week later I had already come up with a promising bike - an older Cannondale hybrid for sale on craigslist. The bike was described as very lightly used and had just been sitting in storage. I'm not sure how long the owner had been trying to unload it, but the bike retailed originally for over $1200 and she was looking to dump it for only $250.
The whole process of trying to contact the owner and set up a meet became rather amusing. I had explained that my homeschooling situation made for a flexible schedule, but she preferred the weekend. Despite my initial request for a phone number, the seller kept sending back emails, perhaps just gauging my interest at first.
She eventually told me that she was going to be away for a couple of days, and that she'd let me know when they were back home. Although I sent my phone number with my last note, she sent a message upon her return via email, but this time she included a phone number. Unfortunately, as we later found out, she had a couple digits transposed, and I kept getting an "out of service" message.
I kept wondering why we couldn't just get a meeting time and an address from her. After another email exchange and a phone call to the correct number, the seller explained that she didn't just send an address because her house doesn't come up on Google or GPS very accurately. I sensed an adventure!
Sue and I took a nice drive out through the snow-covered suburbs just outside of Reading, knowing this wouldn't be a wasted trip in any case. Based on the information provided and the pictures I had seen, I really had every intention of buying the bike, whether Bre wanted it or not, since I knew I could tune it up and sell it rather easily.
As we pulled down an unpaved and VERY pitted drive weaving through some sketchy looking shacks, Sue and I couldn't help humming the theme to Deliverance. We came to a T in the road, and things improved a bit with some homes that were more like boathouses, lining a wide creek that looked navigable for small craft.
The directions were good, but the bike sitting out front made the house easy to find. The only thing I was really concerned about were the wheels possibly being of low quality, but they turned out to be built from nice Ritchey rims and Shimano Deore hubs. The bike had some light oxidation on chrome areas from being stored in such a damp environment, but nothing that couldn't be polished out with some steel wool and light oil.
I was pleased to find the frame was pristine, but the cables would need to be replaced and the the tires were starting to rot. I wondered if, by pointing those items out, she might lower the price another $25, and was happy to come up with the right result!
I am going to replace the foam hand grips with some modern anatomical rubber grips, and replace the knobby 38 mm tires with some Continental 28 mm versions with less rolling resistance. I think after I put all the parts and work into this machine, I could get $400+, but I'm going to offer it to Bre for $300.
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