Gumtree listing * BEWARE *

[Mfezela]

This listing is presently on Gumtree.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/...ampaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android

I've seen the bike, it's a **** deathtrap. Rusted drivetrain, rusted frame, incompatible brake set up. Imagine all this for only £125!
Can't find any way (so that I know it's reached a person not a bot) to report this to Gumtree. Local Police aren't interested.
Seller brushed off my concerns.

What else can I do to prevent some fool buying it?

 

[Blue Hills]

Must say I'm not surprised that the Sweeney won't swoop on someone selling a rusty bike.

 

[rogerzilla]

Caveat emptor. Anyone willing to drop £125 on an old Marin (personally I prefer the 1992 ones with Zolatone paint and fluo highlights) is probably a Retrobike type and will rebuild it.

Alarmingly, the real enthusiasts want contemporary tyres for their builds. Would you chuck yourself down a mountain on a pair of 30-year old Panaracer Smokes that are more dried-up than Rupert Murdoch's face?

 

[Gunk]

If it’s a private sale, he can basically sell what he wants, the chances of any comeback or consequences are pretty slim. As @rogerzilla says “caveat emptor”

I’ve seen some proper shite on Gumtree and walked away from some absolute horrors. On Gumtree and eBay you have to buy with your eyes wide open, but there some good honest sellers out there, we’ve bought some lovely bikes for not much money over the years and met some really decent people.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

If it's an issue for anybody, it's Trading Standards not the coppers- and they are not going to proactively intervene in a private bike sale.
Like most things in life it's a case of caveat emptor, go into any purchase with your eyes open and don't overpay - so if you find unexpected issues you can either put it down to experience or use your leftover budget to sort it out. My bottom-dredging approach to secondhand purchases has served me very well so far. I never take a second look at anything priced north of £50 as it cuts out all the chancers selling junkers at inflated prices.

 

[DSK]

I just don't get why people can't keep a damn bike clean

 

[vickster]

I just don't get why people can't keep a damn bike clean

Because they have other things to do which are more important to them?
Aka they don’t care about a bike.
It looks a bit ratty but not especially dirty

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I just don't get why people can't keep a damn bike clean

Not all of us are OCD about cleaning things. A clean bike doesn't go any better than a dirty one and I can think of plenty of more enjoyable activities to do instead of bike cleaning.

 

[jay clock]

Tired, but not an old Bill issue

 

[Gunk]

Not all of us are OCD about cleaning things. A clean bike doesn't go any better than a dirty one and I can think of plenty of more enjoyable activities to do instead of bike cleaning.

I do like a clean bike, I can’t help it, it has to be spotless.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I do like a clean bike, I can’t help it, it has to be spotless.

I like clean bikes too - but I just can't be bothered to clean them myself, until they get really bad. Then it's just a quick once-over to get the worst off, and a squirt of oil on the chain. You won't ever catch me cleaning bike mechanicals with a toothbrush, put it that way!

 

[avecReynolds531]

Yes, the Marin retro fans will like this, and want to keep it original.
Also, if that Bear Valley frame is Tange db, and it's a good chance it will be, then there will be people who will want a quality frame such as this. After looking after the rust, or shot blasting & powder coating, there's an excellent and versatile starting point to build up with parts of your choice.

I definitely miss having a good cro-mo mountain bike frame for a touring/ commuting bike!

Commuting & shopping by bike in London taught me the value of having a bike that looks a state (drive chain and brakes get attention, but that's about it). It helps that my everyday bike is hellish ugly too.
It is a good feeling being able to leave a bicycle somewhere without worrying about it. It's a gutting feeling returning to a bike rack and not being able to find your bicycle.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I definitely miss having a good cro-mo mountain bike frame for a touring/ commuting bike!

Raleigh produced a few decent Reynolds 501 framed MTB's in the early 90's. The seatstays are the giveway that they are Reynolds. I picked up a 1991 example in a goodly 23" size a while back, which was otherwise destined for the scrap.

I'm seriously considering having a go at wheel building and converting it from 7-speed to a SA hub gear. The top tube is 23 1/4" long, so the reach is a bit much, but North Road roadster bars sort out that problem.

 

[Guzzi]

Yes, the Marin retro fans will like this, and want to keep it original.
Also, if that Bear Valley frame is Tange db, and it's a good chance it will be, then there will be people who will want a quality frame such as this. After looking after the rust, or shot blasting & powder coating, there's an excellent and versatile starting point to build up with parts of your choice.

I definitely miss having a good cro-mo mountain bike frame for a touring/ commuting bike!

Commuting & shopping by bike in London taught me the value of having a bike that looks a state (drive chain and brakes get attention, but that's about it). It helps that my everyday bike is hellish ugly too.
It is a good feeling being able to leave a bicycle somewhere without worrying about it. It's a gutting feeling returning to a bike rack and not being able to find your bicycle.

I have a 531 Dawes mountain bike as my shopping bike, It's looks horrific eg. it has mismatched grips, I found one of the matching grips in a pile of stuff in the garage but decided not to change it over because it's meant to look a state.

Just before lockdown I won an Ebay auction for a Peugeot 531 framed MTB which I can't pick up yet I think this one is going to be built up as a fast town bike.

we forget the main reason manufacturers went over to Aluminium frames is there cheaper to make

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I have a 531 Dawes mountain bike as my shopping bike

Would that be a Ranger by any chance? They always struck me as good potential tourers/potholed tarmac urban commuters - with the slack geometry and long chainstays. They look just like a vintage roadster frame on steroids.
What's the 531 tubeset on your Dawes? Is it a 531ST frame or some oversized ATB tubing?