Re: [CR]Craig's list---(NOW Hot bikes)

(Example: Racing:Beryl Burton)

Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 10:58:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Craig's list---(NOW Hot bikes)
To: gpvb1@comcast.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <121320041832.23340.41BDE0220009A34D00005B2C2200748184CE0D909F09@comcast.net>


That probably helped recover a lot of stolen bikes "in the day", but I think people may be less diligent about registering bike serial #'s today, plus some police departments may have bigger problems, like drugs, and no longer put priority on bike registration. And with On Topic bikes now at least 22 (soon 23) years old, it's highly unlikely the current rightful owner is the same one who may have originally registered it, he may not even reside in the same nation.

Regards,

Jerry Moos Houston, TX

gpvb1@comcast.net wrote: I agree to some extent, but I think that the general rule "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" applies here. Things have to pass the "reasonableness" test too..... Everything is a judgement call, to some extent, and everyone has their own individual "filters" that they use to try and sort out the truth from the BS.

If someone rolls a bike up to you while you're standing in a public place, and trys to sell that "nice" bike to you (for cash) for 5-10% of it's market value, would you perhaps want to measure it's temperature? Of course, that's an extreme, but real, example, and there are many shades of grey in between that situation and buying a bike from the proven, documented, original owner, whom you know and trust.

I would contend that there are times when you can be virtually certain that a bike is stolen property. Many times, you can't, to be sure, (which is why trust is so critical in any financial dealings like this), but to ignore the obvious ones is not cool IMO. That could be your bike the next time....

When I was working at a popular used bike shop while in College, we always called in the serial number of any bike that rolled in and was offered to us. We would stall the potential seller/sellers out front, take the bike back to a repair stand that was not visible from the showroom to "look it over," call the local Police from the back of the store, and the cops would come and bust him/them when the S/N came up hot. Fortunately, no one ever got shot, in retrospect. We had multiple plaques on the walls commending us for assisting the local police in this manner (and we *still* had stolen bikes offered to us by "interesting" characters).

Greg Parker
Dexter, Michigan


-------------- Original message --------------


I have to agree with this. Since most classic bikes have been through several owners, it is all but impossible to know if a bike was once stolen. I don't think anyone here would knowingly buy a stolen bike, but there is in most cases no way for us to know. I do remember there being ads in Bicycle Trader asking readers to be alert for a stolen Confente, and if a bike is as rare as that and one has the description of the stolen bike, one can alert the rightful owner if the bike is offered for sale. But with models of which thousands were made each year, it is very difficult to identify one which has been reported stolen.

Regards,

Jerry Moos Houston, TX

rocketman531 wrote: Dale Phelps writes "...one can get great deals from dopeheads and thieves..." and that of "pawn shops, flea markets and 'garage sales', only the latter is close enough to be legit....". Being the opportunist that I am, I have purchased bikes from just about any and all places possible--including flea markets, sanctioned bike swap meets, garage sales, friends, friends of friends, neighbors, strangers, several Local Bike Shops, and once, in San Diego, I was wasting a day at Pacific Beach, and bought a Viscount from a guy who was just pushing it along the beach in the sand. Gave him a fair price, took it home to Phx. I bought a Paramount (my first) from a guy I met while rafting the Colorado River. Helped rescue him and his wife and a couple of other passengers stuck on a rock garden just below Crystal Rapids after their commercial boat flipped. I traded a Schwinn paperboy bike to a guy from Tucson for my Dick Power track bike. He said he bought it in a thrift store. I bought my candy apple red P-13 and my (same color) P-15 by answering "Bikes for Sale" in the Arizona Republic Classifieds. While on a trip to Missoula, Mont., I bought my '60's Botecchia for $20 in a LBS. Cost me 3 times that to get it shipped home. Bought a Scapin from a guy at a local flea market. Bought my '79 Raleigh Pro from the owner of a LBS who had made a trip to Nottingham to personally order it. Bought one of my PX-10's from a gut at the flea market, and the other from a LBS. Bought my '71 Masi from a LBS for $250. Drove 400 miles to Torrance, CA for my chrome P-13. The guy said he was a dentist. Made several trades with a local List Member. Found more than a couple of good bikes in the alley. Bought a Paramount tandem for $120 from a guy I met at a party. I traded for my Pog with a list member.... I wanted the bike, he wanted the stuff I traded for it...but he has no idea where the parts came from, and I have no idea where he got the Pog.... So....what exactly is legit? If you saw that '71 Masi at a garage sale or a flea market, wo! uld you pass on it just because the seller was a bit scruffy? This is an important issue for collectors of expensive bikes....

All of this rambling on about my collection brings me to two comments. The first is that I buy bicycles when they present themselves to me. I have no idea if the bikes in my collection are 'righteous', or if they are 'hot'. But I suspect that most list members are in the same boat I'm in. In most cases, there is just no way to know. A 40 year old bike may have been purchased from the most reputable source imaginable, but few of us know the complete history of the bikes we purchase. So we continue to make purchases and hope that we are not contributing to the problem of stolen bikes. In this regard, I am not without a scar. My very first 'good' bike was stolen in 1972 from my back yard. I think my neighbor snagged it, and I'm still angry about it.

My second comment speaks to a recent thread about what 'tier' I would place my bikes. Some collectors pretty obviously go after certain bikes. I don't do that. When I find a bike to my liking, I add it to my collection. I paint them when I have to. I clean them up and ride them when they aren't just trashed. It would be so difficult to stick my bikes in some category. Each has it's story, and each has a hook of equal inportance in the garage.

It's the same as some people who find stray dogs...they get nursed back to health, and if the owner is never found, the puppy gets a new home. If the owner is found, they are happily reunited.

I'm sorry Dale's bike got boosted from school... I suspect nearly everyone on this list has a story to tell....

Pat Moffat Tempe, AZ Where I once was a dopehead (especially the summer of '67, the summer of love), but I never snagged bikes to buy dope. Used part of my G.I. bill monthly check.....

-----Original Message----- From: "Dale B. Phelps" Sent: Dec 12, 2004 2:09 PM To: gpvb1@comcast.net, "Ted E. Baer" Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Craig's list

I'm with you Greg. One can get great deals from dopeheads and thieves too! People go to pawn shops, flea markets, and "garage sales" too, only the latter is close enough to "legit" in my book. Police auctions are only legitimized by the fact that the cops cannot locate "rightful" owners. I've never seen a discussion of "hot" merchandise here, I guess its only a taboo if someone talks about it or gets caught.

Dale "remembers the pain of getting my bike boosted from school" Phelps Longmont CO

gpvb1@comcast.net wrote: I think the fact that you can can go and see the item(s) in question prior to a potential purchase is clearly the key to your success there.....

Greg Parker
Ann Arbor, Michigan


-------------- Original message --------------


> Greg,
>
> You are missing out on a heck of a lot deals. In
> general, people are good. Sure there are a few scams,
> but we need to look beyond that. I have found a ton
> of stuff on CL for cheap!
>
> Ted Baer
> Palo Alto, CA
>
> --- gpvb1@comcast.net wrote:
>
> > Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 21:55:33 -0500
> > From:
> > To:
> > Subject: [CR]Craig's list
> >
> > I'm just curious, has anyone on the list ever
> > purchased a bike off of Craig's
> > list?
> > Fred Durrette
> > Summerville, SC
> >
> > Good question! All the bikes I've seen references to
> > on Craig's list have been either: A) highly likely a
> > scam, or B) priced at 2-3 times their market value
> > IMO. Not somewhere I'd generally go to look for a
> > "bargain," that's for sure....
> > YAMMV.
> > Greg "no such thing as a free lunch" Parker
> > Ann Arbor, Michigan
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Classicrendezvous mailing list
> > Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> >
> http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/classicrendezvous
> >
>

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