Marcus Helman wrote:
>
> It is not uncommon to see an ebay listing that includes somthing like:
> "frame is perfect except for a small ding on the top [or down or seat]
> tube, that does not affect the ride."
>
> Are these dings really just cosmetic? I can anticipate the answer that
> there are dings and there are dings, and that some are bigger than others.
> Do these small dings affect ride, or strength, or expected longevity of a
> frame? How big does a ding/depression/valley/crater need to be in order to
> be considered significant from a performance standpoint?
>
> It seems clear that from a sales standpoint an undinged frame should bring
> a higher price than an otherwise identical dinged frame. Or, that a dinged
> frame should sell at some discount. How much? I know, it depends on the
> ding, and the desireability and/or rareness of the bike. But really, how
> much?
I think its not possible to assign an exact amount as to what each ding on a frame costs, but in a free market environment like eBay, the bids reflect the bidder's value placed on a dinged frame to a fairly accurate degree.
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California http://www.velo-retro.com (Timelines, Reprints and T-shirts)
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