carbon29er

1987. I reckon half the entrants did not turn up on the day. 4,761 finished. It was very very miserable.

What is it that old dopers just won't go away?

Learnt a new word that you want to get out at every opportunity but don't really know how to use it or what it means? I have very little time for intellectually challenged individuals who project their lack of understanding as the failure of others. What don't you understand about my 2 posts on this matter? Calling me obtuse when I have clearly set out why I think buyers are losing out on a purchase because another buyer was more aggressive reflects far more on your state of mind than mine.

You miss the point. If the buyer farts around with having to look at the stuff being sold, wants to see it etc before paying and someone else offers an EFT without the hassle of viewing? It's got little to do with ethics. A sure sale without having to show or a maybe sale in 3 or 4 days? That's why I said buyers need to be more aggressive. Get in your car and go buy the stuff. Don't try see it in a few days time. Disclaimer: I don't operate like this. But having taught sales people to sell for decades I can understand how this bike trader guy gets so many deals before others.

Clearly the moral of the story is be more aggressive as a buyer, get in you car and go see the bike rather than make an appointment "at the sellers convenience". Believe me there is NEVER a convenient time to have guys come to your home to look at a bike. Where the buyers are winning the deal is they don't waste time driving around. They get a description of condition and EFT the cash. Their driver then goes to fetch the bike. And if it's not the correct model with the correct parts as described, they don't come on here and ask if they should name and shame the seller. Few sellers can resist same day EFT in their account over maybe seeing someone on Wednesday. Wake up if you want to buy bargains. Common sense.

You'll be amazed at how many hubbers there are who joined 5 or more years ago and have zero posts who respond to well priced items for sale. So yes, there is.

And then show him the video of that bike shop break and enter and pilfer while you are about it. Then the whole family can ride new bikes!

Now, do I do it on a single bike second time round, the tandem again or just go to corporate hospitality?

Rank amateur. Take some Kenacort like the pros do.

I'll give you some feedback from a seller's point of view on what buyers do that is not helpful to an efficient market. In my opinion as someone who often offers great bargains, always realistically priced. And as I'm classed as a business, I pay for every advert I list. So I'm a serious seller. But, hopefully, I'm not a fool in my pricing. I have never bought an item and on-sold it on the hub without adding value. My advice does not constitute adding value. Or washing an item does not constitute adding value. Comment on the advert "Is item still available?" Then disappear. If you are interested, do it via PM, Phone, Email, WhatsApp, SMS but not on the advert. Only time wasters do that. Of course it's available, that is why the advert is open. Negotiate on the advert in the comments section, Buyer asks for R1,200. Comment comes in "I'll offer R600". PM commenter, no reply received. Seller may as well delete the advert as the sale at R1,200 is dead. The phantom buyer has set the price but is not serious. If you are going to offer a price way below the asking price, do it via PM, Phone, Email, WhatsApp, SMS but not on the advert. Only time wasters do that. Post a comment "I can buy it at the oom or somewhere else for R####". Seller may as well delete the advert as the sale at his price is dead. Why be spiteful? If you want the item see 2 above. If you don't then leave the advert alone. Often the oom has no stock of the item or the oom's stock is last year's model and should be even cheaper compared to what is being advertised. Communicate that you'll take the item. Then disappear. Ethics works both ways. Agree a price then turn up with less cash than you agreed. Seller would be a real a/hole if he did that to you.... Expect delivery before payment has cleared. Rate the seller. It helps other hubbers. I've sold to about 400 separate hubbers over 5 years. I've been rated 7 times. Some guys have bought from me more than I've been rated in total.It's generally a market that works. Sometimes someone misses out on buying something. More often a seller misses out on selling something because of the things I've listed.

The prototype is scheduled by the end of this month. Now just to convince my pilot it's ok to ride the Argus on prototype stuff. I think it has potential to work really well if the downshift doesn't just rely on the spring. From what I'm told by Paul, the servo actually pulls the dérailleur back down the cluster and blades. And the software allows for syncro shifting.

That's the Cape Times for you. I don't think there is one brain cell left in the sub-editing department. And the editor is too busy worrying someone is going to punch his boss in the stomach as he doesn't want to get a black eye.

You better start adding as many angry faces as you can. A sub 3 from 1J is about as likely as you shagging Charlize Theron. Possible, But not probable. I can't recall a sub 3 ever being done from the 10th seeded group. Excluding elites and vets and tandems as start groups.

Spoil a good story with the facts.

Slower so you can't hear the moaning?

Barcode is generic to an item range, not specific item. There is no way SWH and Discovery will know an item bought on the shoe booster has been returned without the receipt being processed or the card being presented for the credit. They control stock by scanning, not customers.

Except of course if we ride helmetless. Then the jury is out on who can and who can't comment.

I agree 100% that how we turn up to ride and what we want to ride has got nothing to do with any one else. If only there were not threads where a guy's socks justifies the criticism of his personality.....

Cippo can do, and did, what he wants.

I think we differ on silly socks. Those are clearly part of a kit being same as the bib and the shirt. But yes, Oleg is not the benchmark of the height of fashion. His La Datcha kit, however, was very cool. As was their lumo yellow kit.

You honestly think a sponsor would dare tell Eddy Merckx what to wear if he wasn't cool with it? I think the point is, sponsors then didn't ask riders to wear stuff that is so against any common sense. Even today where the teams are far more likely to take cash to promote bad taste we don't see silly socks in pro racing. We just see them on the poseurs chasing Strava segments.

Ullrich, Hinault, Coppi and Anquetil? BTW it's LeMond and Merckx. But then again, this is SA and Specialized has a huge market share. Proves common sense and cycling are mutually exclusive for large chunks of bike riders. Edit: added correct spelling of the GOAT, as the septics would call Eddy.

Ah, the old days when cyclists had style. And fashion sense. Imagine these guys wearing half watermelons or star wars patterns on their socks.

They are doing something right, for sure. But there is no way I would be seen wearing any one of their premium race range. The white comes close but the tennis type stripe at the top kills that one. How about some plain fluro colours with no "I actually an introvert trying my best to hide the fact" patterns on a pastel background?

I must admit if someone had a nice lumo pink or lumo yellow sock in their range I would buy, even if 5" long. But not pastels or pictures for me.