Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on January 17, 2011 at 6:28pm

I'm no expert, but if you check the stolenbikereg and it doesn't come up then you did what you could.

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Permalink Reply by jlj on January 17, 2011 at 6:51pm

Thank you "ethical yardsticks".

I guess it's just me and my morals now.

 

damn.

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Permalink Reply by Natalie on January 18, 2011 at 2:04am

Is it a Jamis Aurora Elite? Someone saw it at the Swap-O-Rama but I haven't been able to find it myself.

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Permalink Reply by Natalie on January 18, 2011 at 2:53am

No, no, I wasn't implying that the original poster was going there to buy stolen bikes. But I did get a tip a few weeks ago that someone had seen my bike. I, however, have not.

H3N3 said:

Ok, I didn't realize that's what he was referring to.

Anyone who goes there to buy bicycles is scum, period.

 

 

Natalie said:

Is it a Jamis Aurora Elite? Someone saw it at the Swap-O-Rama but I haven't been able to find it myself.

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Permalink Reply by Laura on January 18, 2011 at 3:32am

The way you wrote your question makes it obvious that you know the answer. "Suspiciously under priced" and "swap-meet" (assuming to be swap-o-rama or anyother place where most items are stolen.) Both key phrases. Your just giving them more reason to steal more bikes. I know its tempting, but don't do it!

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Permalink Reply by jlj on January 18, 2011 at 5:35am

Yeah.  That's what my moral compass was saying as well.

I guess I was seeing if anyone had bought a bike there and how they had convinced themselves it was a decent thing to do.

I had been reading the posts about the swap-meet and had never seen it implicitly stated, that yes: if you go to the swap-meet knowing that (let's say it) pretty much all the bikes there are stolen and you buy one, you are not being a good member of the bicycling community.

ugh.

Laura said:

The way you wrote your question makes it obvious that you know the answer. "Suspiciously under priced" and "swap-meet" (assuming to be swap-o-rama or anyother place where most items are stolen.) Both key phrases. Your just giving them more reason to steal more bikes. I know its tempting, but don't do it!

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on January 18, 2011 at 6:07am

John,

 

I seriously doubt you'll find a regular forum poster here who would even think about buying a bike at a place like Swap-O-Rama.  It's been well publicized around here that it and other flea markets are a unloading ground for stolen bikes as you've read.

 

Many regular posters are also regular bike commuters and wouldn't want someone to get a "good deal" on their stolen bike.

John L. Jensen said:

Yeah.  That's what my moral compass was saying as well.

I guess I was seeing if anyone had bought a bike there and how they had convinced themselves it was a decent thing to do.

I had been reading the posts about the swap-meet and had never seen it implicitly stated, that yes: if you go to the swap-meet knowing that (let's say it) pretty much all the bikes there are stolen and you buy one, you are not being a good member of the bicycling community.

ugh.

Laura said:

The way you wrote your question makes it obvious that you know the answer. "Suspiciously under priced" and "swap-meet" (assuming to be swap-o-rama or anyother place where most items are stolen.) Both key phrases. Your just giving them more reason to steal more bikes. I know its tempting, but don't do it!

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Permalink Reply by Laura on January 18, 2011 at 6:16am

There are however swap meets that are run by bicyclists and organizations.... those bikes are mostlikely not stolen. But still use good judgement

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Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on January 18, 2011 at 6:17am

The only reason to go to a swap is to buy a stolen bike! Good bikes are NEVER cheap . You might find a random deal on Craigslist on occasion but rarely and most of those are shady. If you are lucky someone from here is giving a good deal to the biking community. Always remember to go with your gut, if it does not real right it most likely is not!

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Permalink Reply by jlj on January 18, 2011 at 6:24am

A month ago If I would've went to the swap-o-rama and seen the (insert expensive bike name here) for $200, I would've bought it, no questions asked.  It would've been nothing less than a great victory for me.  I would have a set of awesome wheels at a price my unemployed ass could somehow recoup.  I didn't know about the reclamation efforts, I never put the face of a fellow bicyclist into the equation of how that bike got to be so cheap.  Now I couldn't buy a bike there because I know with certainty that I would be supporting individuals that hurt my community.  I didn't have that clarity before I read the posts on the chainlink.

  I think that is awesome.  I thank you Chainlinkers.  You have better aligned my actions with my thoughts and goals.  Total win.

  This experience makes me think more about the other communities I belong to: explicit and implicit, macro and micro.  This experience makes me think of the REAL cost of goods and services.  This experience makes me think of the interconnectedness of our world, where all our waste goes, etc...

  I am once again reminded that by allowing myself to be blinded by possessions, convenience and comfort I am ultimately harming the person that I most care about preserving: myself.

  We all gotta be better monkeys.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 18, 2011 at 11:26am

This is catagorically false.

 

There are MANY MANY MANY good used bikes out there that aren't "trendy" these days. It's only recently that people have become aware of the vintage 3-speed gold-mine.  These old bikes used to get thrown away because so few people wanted to spend the $25 they would sometimes go for if someone was looking for a bike and wasn't as concerned about trendiness as they were about old-school build quality. Now in areas like this they are running north of $150 for on C-list in the bigger cities, and that is before they need to be cleaned up and rebuilt.  But they ARE good bikes...

 

Given a choice between riding a 60's era Raleigh and a modern $650 comfort bike I'd choose the Raleigh any day as it'll outlast the newer bike if ridden regularly.

Trendy & good = NEVER cheap.  But there are plenty of good bikes out there that are gold-plated under the patina.

 

Joe Willis said:

 Good bikes are NEVER cheap . You might find a random deal on Craigslist on occasion but rarely and most of those are shady.

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