Replacement Groupset

[Rooster1]

I was lucky enough to pass by a car boot sale last year (Berkshire, UK) and spotted a box of goodness for sale.
The owner wanted to get rid of a load of ULTEGRA 6600 components. I could not believe my luck. For each thing I picked up, he wanted £2.

Its not the latest groupset, but for my 2012 Giant Defy, its pretty much a perfect match.

Pair of Ultegra Shifters, like new, £2
Ultegra rear mech (still got stickers on, no use) £2
Triple front mech derailuer (stickers still on, slight signs of use) £2
Triple Crankset with Bottom Bracket £2
Ultegra Pedals - didn't want them but took them anyway (£0
Carbon Seatpost and Saddle £2
+ Pump, chain, cassette etc etc.

Total price = £15. He was happy, I was crying with joy.

My estimates are that the whole lot would have fetched £150-£200, maybe more.

See a photo of my car boot goodness below (apples not included)

I managed to remove the existing Sora Triple Chainset, still running nice but very scratched and rust on inside, replaced with the 6600 Ultegra chainset. Kept the existing Bottom bracket as was serviced recently.
Also removed the Tiagra front and rear mech - rear very scratched and a lot of lateral play which meant the gears jumped occasionally. Swapped out the Tiagra brakes (still in good condition) with the Ultegra brakes (bike actually came with cheap Tektro brakes which ceased up after 2 years). Replaced a couple of cables. Kept the Tiagra shifters as I am not confident to change them yet, and they work fine.

Did the whole thing in 3 hours on Sat PM.

Main problem encountered was I could not get the Ultegra pedals off for love nor money. I prefer to use Look Keo's so I was a bit stuck. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but if for any reason my bike is not 100% useable, I get in a complete sulkathon. I can't bear to think I can't go out because of a mechanical issue. It has to be fixed and ready!

My pedal fix was to go and get some Shimano Cleats. They feel a bit different to the Look Keos, and the cleats have a rather large wing footing which is odd. I guess I will have to get used to them. They seem alot harder to kick out of even than new Keo cleats - I will have to be careful!

Have done a short test drive but hope to do an hour tomorrow.

So, it may not be a carbon beauty, but with a small family and lots of bills, this will have to last me another year.

 

[KneesUp]

And that is why I go to car boot sales! An excellent result - it must be my turn to get a bargain eventually

 

[Stu Plows]

Result!

 

[I like Skol]

More stolen than a very stolen thing? Just sayin... !

 

[cyberknight]

More stolen than a very stolen thing? Just sayin... !

What i thought as well, no one who knows what it is really worth would have sold them for £2 each .Sounds like they were stripped from a stolen bike or the contents of someones parts for a build /spares from a garage ?

 

[Pottsy]

Same thought here. Just the shifters new would be £200 - sold for £2.

Someone may have got a 'result' but it seems someone before them probably had the opposite

 

[I like Skol]

The old saying applies.... 'If it seems too good to be true then it probably is' and I for one would not want to be responsible for lining the pockets of a bike thief.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Have to agree I'm afraid. I don't want to pi$$ on your chips RL but IME when something seems too good to be true, (and this more than qualifies IMO), then most of the time it always is

[EDIT] x posted with Skol.

 

[400bhp]

Two of the lads I cycle with have had their bikes stolen in the last fortnight.

Pretty sure one of them had Ultegra too.

Sorry, but this thread farkin stinks.

 

[jarlrmai]

Someone's parted out stolen bike

 

[bricksmasher]

I hope the person that stole my entire Ultegra groupset off my bike only got 15 for it too

 

[Stu Plows]

Agree with above... If my stuff was stolen, I'd prefer someone makes £15 from a groupset than £150... It may just be a lucky buy.

 

[Rooster1]

I was chatting to the guy for a long while and he had sold a lot of his bike stuff as he had had a nasty crash a year before. He got hit by a car and was in hospital for ages, he was pretty sad about the whole cycling thing. You could tell he was pretty dispondent about the kit, and just wanted to be shot of it. You could also see he was not stood right from some injury. He was a genuine cyclist as he knew what parts would be compatible with what - like a chain that was 8 speed off another bike he woened, and a rear cassette that was for an MTB. The bike it came off was a 2008 or 2009 Trek Madone and that the frame was written off. He also said he had some wheels and gave me his home (Landline) number - I never called in case he wanted his stuff back. His wife and kids were with him selling odds and ends, dresses, toys, useless crap. He was not a dodgy trader or a thief, no way. he was not even a professional seller. He was just a dad, clearing out his garage, and trying to make some small change. I don't think they needed the money anyway, there car was rather nice. The box was actually obscured under the table, I only just saw it. His car and number plate were in full view, he was just a local, normal chap. I actually (rather stupidly) tried to offer him more money - my wife kicked me and told me to shut up! If he was interested in cashing in he could have taken more. I actually said to him "Have you tried ebay?" - he said "I don't do ebay". I told him that the parts were worth a lot more money than I was paying, he was really not bothered. To him, it was just a box of useless stuff he did not want or need anymore. Nothing tells me that this stuff was stolen, no way. A thief would have passed it on via ebay, no human contact required.

Anyway, after my initial joy of getting this stuff setup, the rear derailleur is not working properly and I can't get down to the smaller cogs! GRRRRRR!!

And Finally - I've come on this forum to share my cycling enjoyment and I don't need people telling me i've bought stolen stuff and that my thread stinks. I am a decent honest person and I don't deal with criminals. To anyone who has bought bike parts of ebay - it could all be stolen. I actually met the owner of this stuff - did you? If you like, I will call the guy up, get the receipt for the original bike from the shop he bought it from and post a picture. Thing is, I don't need to do this as I know he was a decent honest person.

 

[solidthegreat]

100% Agree RL. Although the origins of your find can be questioned by some, if you had not bought them I'm certain someone else would have. I think everyone on here would do the same regardless, especially me. Isn't that why we look for bargains at car boots. Just to throw it out there for the doubters, What if the bloke was 100% genuine and the parts were genuine and he had cleared a shed out at home and just wanted shut of them, or pass on a good deal to a fellow cyclist. Isn't that a strange thing to believe these days. Or maybe post them on here as a cheap group set, I bet someone here would rip his hands off for them. Sometimes bargains do crop up and snap them up I say.
Yes it's sad that thefts happen, but how does anyone know what they are buying if it is second hand. He could have charged £50 for the shifter and you would have still bought them, would the integrity of the origin still be questioned then. Doubtful.
I say don't worry about it, it is what it is.
Good find my friend and well done.
Oh and If you do find any more bargains or decide to get rid of any triple shifters can I have first dibs please.

Enjoy.

 

[I like Skol]

........And Finally - I've come on this forum to share my cycling enjoyment and I don't need people telling me i've bought stolen stuff and that my thread stinks. .......

Just a minute RL. Don't come on here knocking the forum. Your original story is vastly different to your second story so you can hardly blame people from being suspicious. It sounds as though you did indeed get a genuine bargain but it doesn't happen often and we all have to be vigilant to try and avoid supporting the criminal world who take far too many bikes knowing there is always someone that will buy 'the goods' and willingly overlook any doubtful provenance.