Fork replacement price?

Tina wrote:
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List. I don't know much about bikes but I soon found out after buying
it that the fork was bent and needed to be replaced. I tried to bring
the bike back and get a refund be he refuses.

I hope you didn't pay much for this, because:

1) It is a tank, anyway, and not worth investing money in except to an
oddball Schwinn collector.

2) It will cost more to repair than it is worth, and even more if you
repair it to the standards of that oddball Schwinn collector, who is the
only one who will pay good money for this bike.

If you didn't pay much for it, then just walk away and put it in the
dumpster. If you did, do that anyway and rail against the ******* on
Craig's list. Make sure he doesn't screw anyone else like he screwed you.

--

David L. Johnson

You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but what
canst thou say?
-- George Fox.

In article ,
says...
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List. I don't know much about bikes (snip)

Hmm, maybe Craiglist is not the ideal place to purchase something you
don't
know much about?

It's better than Ebay, for sure. There are always people that want to
exploit trust for profit, though. I've never given in to that
temptation, as my wrenching pride is too strong. I always sell
mechanically perfect bikes for pretty cheap about a half dozen times a
year. It's nice to get the email that says, "I'm so happy with my
bike!" as opposed to "go **** yourself"--but people's needs may
differ.

Does Craigslist have a feedback mechanism (such as eBay's) which, to some
extent, keeps sellers honest? I'm just asking; I'm familiar with eBay but
don't know much about Craigslist.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA



Craigslist is close to 100% local pickup, so unlike Ebay, it's see before
you buy.

On Sep 21, 8:13 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List. I don't know much about bikes (snip)

Hmm, maybe Craiglist is not the ideal place to purchase something you
don't
know much about?

It's better than Ebay, for sure. There are always people that want to
exploit trust for profit, though. I've never given in to that
temptation, as my wrenching pride is too strong. I always sell
mechanically perfect bikes for pretty cheap about a half dozen times a
year. It's nice to get the email that says, "I'm so happy with my
bike!" as opposed to "go **** yourself"--but people's needs may
differ.

Does Craigslist have a feedback mechanism (such as eBay's) which, to some
extent, keeps sellers honest? I'm just asking; I'm familiar with eBay but
don't know much about Craigslist.

Feedback? Nope, but as it's strictly local, the person has the ability
to check the item out. I always offer a multiple mile test ride to
folks, and the last gal wanted the bike shop to make sure it wasn't a
ripoff. We rode over, they gave it a quick onceover, asked about the
price, and said, "ma'am--you'd better buy this, stop by later for
accessories". :-P

If somebody really screws you, it's easy enough to post a listing with
their name, number, etc--it's the wild west like that, so that's what
keeps folks honest.

On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:29:02 -0000 in rec.bicycles.misc, Tina
wrote:

I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List. I don't know much about bikes but I soon found out after buying
it that the fork was bent and needed to be replaced. I tried to bring
the bike back and get a refund be he refuses.

if it were me, i'd write him a letter, send it by certified mail,
demanding that he take it back and refund my money because it's
defective. i would tell him that he needs to do this in order
to avoid having a small claims action filed against him, but not
tell him that i will do so, and give him a deadline of say, 2
weeks hence.

then if he didn't refund the money, i'd file a small claims
action, and take the bike to court, along with a bike repair guy
from the LBS as a witness. if the kid loses, he has to take the
bike back and give you your money, and pay your attorney fees if
you have one.

i am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice, just a
description of what i would do. if the amount was under $200 or
so, i would instead badmouth him on craig's list every time he
tries to sell something.

"Tina" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List.

How much did you spend?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire.. of Peter Sky,,

In Boston there are thousands of bicycles just like the one described here.
The poster, Tina, should be able to get this Schwinn up and running for a
couple of bucks.

I took a look on Craigslist for Boston area. There are many good old
bicycles for cheap.

In fact, a few are real collector bicycles. The old three speed, Raleighs.
One has the leather bag, and leather seat.

The asking price was $100 dollars. If the seat is a Brookes? Heck, the
seat is worth more than a hundred.

Today is yard sale day in my area. I bet I will find ten or fifteen old ten
speeds at $25 dollars that are for sale.

This poster is trying very hard, or she lives in a very rural area.


=====
"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
...
"Tina" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List.

How much did you spend?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Sir Thomas of Cannondale wrote:

Today is yard sale day in my area. I bet I will find ten or fifteen
old ten speeds at $25 dollars that are for sale.

This poster is trying very hard, or she lives in a very rural area.

I'm guessing the poster is just an ordinary person buying a used bike, and
hasn't accumulated much prior knowledge. There's a lot of good, cheap bikes
out there -- but also a lot of crap.

Our old TV just went out (multiple problems) and now I have to buy another
one. I'm in the same situation -- a need but little knowledge.

Just for fun... here are some Craigslist bicycles from my area:: Tina ??

================================================== ==============================

Schwinn Varsity - Needs tires - $35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to:
Date: 2007-09-19, 8:43PM EDT


Put a couple of tires on it and oil it up and you'll have a nice old bike .
Call 603-205-6744 .

================================================== =================================

schwinn s-30 full suspension mountain bike - $100

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to:
Date: 2007-09-17, 9:47AM EDT


bike is in great shape. needs front brake pads and a tune up. hate to see
this bike go but i no longer have time to ride it.
================================================== =====================================
Ladies Schwinn Le Tour Bicycle - $70
================================================== ===================================
Schwinn 10 speed men's 27 inch oldie but goodie - $40

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Reply to:
Date: 2007-08-13, 8:59PM EDT


Black frame must be tall to ride. New tires and tubes gears brakes work OK.
Curved down bars old style rider.Luggage rack and bottle holder great to
restore.
================================================== ===================================
Women's 10-speed Schwinn road bike - $70

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Women's 10-speed red Schwinn road bike. 27" wheels. Rides well.
================================================== ======================================
Schwinn 27" Wheel Sprint Ladies Bicycle - $30

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Reply to:
Date: 2007-09-15, 8:48AM EDT


Classic Schwinn 10 speed bicyle in red. Almost 20 years, but still in
condition. Needs a tune-up. The buyer must be able to pick it up. (please
see pictures).
================================================== ====================================
Raleigh Women's Bike - $45

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to:
Date: 2007-09-21, 11:27AM EDT


This is a vintage bike which I rarely used for one year. It looks great. The
paint is not chipped but it has some rust on the silver parts. The bike has
three speeds, which don't work too great. It is hard to switch from one to
another, but I imagine that can be fixed pretty easily.The tires are new.
I paid much more for it but need to get it out of my old garage.
It is good for someone around 5' 6".
================================================== ==================================

And if Tina is totally broke but absolutely must have a Schwinn Varsity ...
here it is.

Women's Schwinn Varsity Bike **FREE**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to:
Date: 2007-09-18, 11:01AM EDT


Bike bought for my daughter in the 70's. Needs new tires.




a.. Location: Concord Center, MA
b.. it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial
interests

PostingID: 425498242


================================================== ===================================

Like that guy says of tv... we got bikes!

===========================





"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
...
"Tina" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List.

How much did you spend?

Warm Regards,

On Sep 22, 5:49 am, (Dennis P. Harris)
wrote:
On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:29:02 -0000 in rec.bicycles.misc, Tina

wrote:
I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List. I don't know much about bikes but I soon found out after buying
it that the fork was bent and needed to be replaced. I tried to bring
the bike back and get a refund be he refuses.

if it were me, i'd write him a letter, send it by certified mail,
demanding that he take it back and refund my money because it's
defective.

Why? It's craigslist. There are no promises. What you see is what you
get. Your approach is about as effective as putting on a puffy
pomposity shirt, furrowing your brow, and waggling your finger wildly
at nothing in particular.

Or if bike doesnt look good in person-- Walk Away!

On Sep 21, 4:08 pm, "Paul Borg" wrote:
"Tina" wrote in message

ups.com...

I just bought a Schwinn Collegiate from a kid in town off of Craigs
List. I don't know much about bikes (snip)

Hmm, maybe Craiglist is not the ideal place to purchase something you don't
know much about?