Bike for Catie/Clem substitute: Bridgestone CB3

[Patrick Moore]

Again, thanks for all the suggestions and offers. This morning, a bit of serendipity: someone was selling a CB3 at Stevie's, obviously upgraded with old DX drivetrain and Sun Mistral/Mavic 7 sp freewheel wheelset. complete with full fenders and Blackburn rear rack: $220. 

I think -- subject to change -- I'll transfer over the wheelset and brake/shift levers from the Race Lite and sell the remainders from both bikes.

Anyway, pretty good deal.

The other bit of serendipity was finding a lightly used lower end but still made in USA Martin, with very good case, for Catie at $429.

Build report and photos forthcoming. Catie, needless to say, is much more interested in the guitar than in the bike, but I think she'll like the tubeless Maxxis Ikons.

--

Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews.

By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching.

Other professional writing services.

http://www.resumespecialties.com/

www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique,  Vereinigte Staaten

****************************************************************************************

The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. Chuang Tzu

Stat crux dum volvitur orbis. (The cross stands motionless while the world revolves.) Carthusian motto

It is we who change; He remains the same. Eckhart

Kinei hos eromenon. (It moves [all things] as the beloved.) Aristotle

[Ron Mc]

good find, and good job, dad

[Deacon Patrick]

Well done!

With abandon,

Patrick

[islaysteve]

Lucky girl, good Dad!

[WETH]

Serendipity rules.
Well done!
"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

[Patrick Moore]

Well, prudent analysis finally caught up with impulsive spending, and I arranged to return the 20.5 inch c-c MB3 for a 17" Diamond Back somethingortheother with, oddly, almost identical Deore/Deore DX 7 speed componentry -- and the 17" has 170 mm cranks instead of the MB3's 175s.

I am debating whether to install the 9 speed drivetrain, brakes, and the very nice Maxxis Ikon tubeless wheels on the DB, and sell the frameset + crankset, or whether I'd be better off selling the Race Lite whole and getting better tires and a higher stem with angle-back bar for the DB.

This Diamond Back is much nicer than the other, aluminum frame DB which is being replaced -- heck, in fact, that thing sold for $165 at Stevie's last Saturday, the same day I listed it. I clear $124 after Steve takes his cut, but I think I paid only $100 for it.

This "new" DB has a chromo frame and fork, and not the POS and useless "suspension" fork that the other DB had.

[masmojo]

Bikes are getting expensive! Seems like the more the industry pushes carbon fiber bikes, the more steel & even aluminum bikes sell for! I am constantly amazed at what mediocre vintage bikes sell for on ebay! You can still get good deals on Craigslist it seems.

[Patrick Moore]

Not if you get a custom from Chauncey Matthews! With all sorts of custom features -- internal housing and rear light wire routing, for example -- OX Platinum something heat treated tubing, combination of fillet brazing and ornate lugs, very nice powdercoat, fr and r custom racks -- he was 6 months or more in producing it, and said I should pay him $1,000.00. Damn! I paid him $1,200 and it would be cheap at twice that.

As for Catie's bikes: I bought the old DB Overland/Outlook/Outpost/Offroad for $110 or so, and sold it with no upgrades (and fewer than 50 miles) for $165. I cleared $123.75 after Stevie took his 25%, and parlayed that into a much better, if older, Diamond Back Apex, toute Deore/Deore DX 7 speed, chromo, for $125.

And, Stevie has lines of China-made bikes, city/commuter, mtb, 29er, fatbikes, for incredibly low prices: a Omafiets clone, aluminum, 1X7 drivetrain, fenders, rear rack, chain guard, battery lights -- $379!* Aluminum is the best thing that ever happened to inexpensive bicycles, IMO.

*While cheap labor and cheap shipping lasts; don't wait!

On Sun, May 8, 2016 at 1:07 PM, Lungimsam <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:

Everything about bikes is getting expensive, except maybe cables and tail lights.

Sometimes I feel like we are being taken for a ride. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[masmojo]

Well, true! I guess bike prices are a bit reflective of the personal incomes of the population at large. Expensive bike just seem to get more expensive, while cheap bikes stay cheap, but have to work harder.
Occasionally, I stop to check out the bike for display at the dept. Store & I am always amazed at what $150. Can get these days. 30 years ago I bought a $150 Murray cruiser & it was crap! That same 150 bucks now gets better almost everything! Aluminum frame, rims, 3piece cranks, etc.
Additionally, back when I bought that bike it was not really good for anything except maybe riding around the block, the spokes breaking started almost the minute I started riding it until i rebuilt the wheels entirely, these new bikes have wheels that actually seem functional!