Dear Matthew, Paul, and all,
My problem has been that I just plain cannot afford "market" prices for bike parts, no matter what.
Not being obsessed with "concours" and collector standards, I do not need NOS or rare parts very often, but being a fan of French and Swiss bikes makes life complicated sometimes, just as if I were looking for Campi Con Denti pedals.
Watching an auction for Stronglight 93 cranks pass $50 (a very reasonable price for said cranks) makes them just as unreachable for my budget as if they were a $500-$49,000 pair of pedals.
My own "white whale" was a Simplex steel seat post in 26.6 MM. They often sell for $60-$100 and I despaired of ever finding one until someone posted one FS on ebay but no one bid on it. Having paid $39.00 plus shipping of $10.00 still hurt my budget, but felt really good relative to spending twice that. And finding a 53T Stronglight ring shortly thereafter for $9.99 plus shipping ($3.00) shortly thereafter was like manna from heaven.
Keep soliciting this list--there are bargains to be had from those who have that oddball part that you need kicking around in a box somewhere. And they might not even recall they had it until you post your WTB plea.
Keep the faith--and seek professional help if you need to. :-)
Jon Spangler Con Denti-free in Alameda, CA USA (so far)
Jon Spangler
Writer/editor
Linda Hudson Writing
TEL 510-864-2144
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JonSwriter@att.net
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