As I mentioned a while back, I started bicycle riding on a daily basis, eventually getting to the point that I am now riding every morning and every evening that I am not out of town.
The bike I am riding is an old school strand cruiser that I bought from a neighbor about 20 years ago for $20. It is a cool bike and works perfect for what I am doing. I do a lot of off-road riding with it, and as a result I could hear that the wheel bearings could use some attention.
This morning we were on our morning ride/run and decided to stop at the bike repair shop down the street to see if he could do a tune-up on it. He said he could have it back to me today for $65 so I said go for it.
While he was writing up the paperwork I asked him how much he thought the bike would be worth. He said, "I don't know. I don't collect junk."
"Junk?"
"Yes, junk. With bicycles it is all about the name."
"Well, what brand is this?"
"It is Schwinn junk."
I thought it was incorrect, but he is the expert.
He asked if I wanted to replace the spokes at $50/wheel. I declined because, well, the bike was junk.
As I was walking back to the shop I was wondering what kind of shape the bike would be in. Would he clean it? I started thinking about his [lack] of marketing skills. I mean, tell someone his item is junk, but would you like to spend an extra $100? So to be honest, I was expecting the bare minimum when I got there.
Instead, I was greeted with, "I am sorry for calling it junk."
Apparently someone more in tune with bicycles stopped by and they discovered that the bike was a 1948 JC Higgins and that they run between $1,500 and $3,000.
I think I have a new project.
The bike I am riding is an old school strand cruiser that I bought from a neighbor about 20 years ago for $20. It is a cool bike and works perfect for what I am doing. I do a lot of off-road riding with it, and as a result I could hear that the wheel bearings could use some attention.
This morning we were on our morning ride/run and decided to stop at the bike repair shop down the street to see if he could do a tune-up on it. He said he could have it back to me today for $65 so I said go for it.
While he was writing up the paperwork I asked him how much he thought the bike would be worth. He said, "I don't know. I don't collect junk."
"Junk?"
"Yes, junk. With bicycles it is all about the name."
"Well, what brand is this?"
"It is Schwinn junk."
I thought it was incorrect, but he is the expert.
He asked if I wanted to replace the spokes at $50/wheel. I declined because, well, the bike was junk.
As I was walking back to the shop I was wondering what kind of shape the bike would be in. Would he clean it? I started thinking about his [lack] of marketing skills. I mean, tell someone his item is junk, but would you like to spend an extra $100? So to be honest, I was expecting the bare minimum when I got there.
Instead, I was greeted with, "I am sorry for calling it junk."
Apparently someone more in tune with bicycles stopped by and they discovered that the bike was a 1948 JC Higgins and that they run between $1,500 and $3,000.
I think I have a new project.
Comment