Edge_Design

Then why did you say it doesn't have a tracking number? It's right there in black and white?

What did the guy at the PO look at then? He gets nothing out of screwing with you... Either it has the details or you are lying about the whole situation and you never went to the PO.

If that's the case, then post a pic of the entire slip on here and we can do it for you... Very straightforward, as someone else has mentioned, it is the item identifier at the bottom of the slip. Then there is no issue, you can prove what you say and everyone can forgive you and get on with their merry lives?

Any postage that costs R25 would come with a tracking number. Normal mail in an envelope is approx R5. Sending a 1kg parcel with tracking approx R25 (incl cost of envelope) I have sent enough bike parts around SA to know that by now. The tracking number should also be printed at the bottom of the slip. Manchillz - could you possibly respond to the queries re how the post office tracked the parcel to his post office and confirmed it had gotten there safely? This whole saga seems to hinge on that question which would explain a lot about where it might be... Also be careful about posting nonsense about your parents taking your cellphone and computer etc, always safer to stick to the truth, no matter how embarrassing it might be to admit that you were wrong and were intentionally avoiding someone as you may have messed up (you're not the first person to do it!).

I think you'll find the comments are based on facts in the vast majority of cases... If those facts harm his business then so be it. He has not been found guilty by a court as he has not been taken there (yet), but yes he has been found in possession of numerous stolen bikes (including my own within 2 hours of it being stolen) which is a criminal offense and the basis for this thread.

And if we don't believe you, can we come to your house and will we find any bikes? Or is there a little extra stock stored there? Maybe a quick pic of your garage will help - preferably one within the next 10 minutes before it could be emptied...

Oh well, good for you I was wrong! Sorry about that... When I said any headset from your LBS will work, I meant go and ask them for one and I'm sure they can sort you out, i.e. don't stress about what brand it is.

Not as far as I know as the axle (forgive me if this is incorrect termonology ) would be a different length if there is an internal/pressfit BB versus an external BB as there is a different space between the crank arms. I am not a bicycle technogeek so hopefully someone else will confirm this for you though! If they are the same then I've just wasted a whole lot of money buying a new crank!

Get an Ultegra 6700 pressfit crank then? I would love it if you bought my brand new 105 5700 pressfit crank, but won't match your groupset... Any headset bearings from your LBS should do the trick, don't think there's really that much in a headset to worry about. I'm not sure about costs, but retail probably around R2,5k for Ultegra and R2k for 105 with the BB I'd guess (just an estimate).

That would be this bike which was recovered from there by the police recently ---> https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/105087-stolen-gt-marathon-silverblack/ I think the R7k price tag would be yet another indication that this isn't being done innocently... Any self-respecting bicycle salesperson would be fully aware that there is no way a bike like that could be sold for R7k legitimately (and lets keep in mind this is a shop so Neal is still making enough profit to be worth his while stocking that bike so prob cost him <R5k!). If you had bought the bike as a bargain (as many many people would do), the bike would never have been recovered and it would never be known it had passed through there (as I'm sure has happened on more than one occasion).

They should cover it without too much of a problem... Insurance is more for it to reach you in 1 piece, you have paid them for the service of it actually reaching you so that is their responsibility to supply that service. If it arrives and is destroyed from transport, that would be your problem and insurance is then a factor.

Don't buy the stuff? That's the only reason there is money for marketing/sponsorships! It's just plain marketing, not specific to bikes. What car do you drive? Unless you drive a Tata/Mahindra/Geely, I can guarantee your car's brand is developed with a massive sponsorship in some or other form of motor racing... How much do Cell C/Vodacom/Mtn spend on sponsoring sports? Your beer sponsors most Springbok teams, breakfast sponsors most of the random athletics, biscuits sponsor junior cricket, shampoo sponsors Jacques Kallis etc... How else would you ever have heard of Trek if Lance didn't ride them to many victories, Specialized if they hadn't had some incredible results in the past few years?! If it wasn't for those sponsorships, we'd all realise the unbranded raw carbon frame is exactly the same and spend R5k instead of R50k on a frame with the same end result. Is that integrated stem and crankset going to make you any faster? No... but damn it LOOKs cool and makes you feel good! You can be happy with your Tata and unbranded frame... I'm going to work my ass off to get a Ferrari and Pinarello one day! Not because they're gonna make me any faster or better, just coz their marketing is awesome and thus I think they're cool!

Didn't even bother to pretend to post the bikes on here... Too busy stripping them down to take pics I guess Not terribly surprising, seems to be yet another mark against good ol' Neil... Would love to see what is still sitting in his garage these days, at least with having the shop he can now hide the really interesting ones elsewhere!

I've lost so many sales from ppl calling "dibs" and then disappearing that I really battle to have too much sympathy... I do understand your view though and your being upset, but think that starting this thread is a little bit hectic for the situation.

Just to clarify, are you or are you not Neil or someone closely involved with him? Neil was warned to look out for that stolen green Raleigh a while back (RC9000 I think), he still bought it and tried to pawn it off on Gumtree (he even advertised it with an incorrect size which almost threw the guy off from going to check it out!). Please explain that in terms of your post? The 2 bikes found in the alley behind his shop. It is my understanding that he was asked about those and denied having them before they were noticed there when the guy went to Cash Converters and they let him into the alley behind the shops. Please explain that in terms of your post? The bikes he is advertising now are not those he had in stock when he promised to post them on here, those are new stock he has. Please can you post on here what the entries in the 2nd hand goods register say for every stolen bike that has been in question? I am guessing here, but I have a feeling you will find those never reached the register. Regarding swapping of parts. Lets deal with the Zaskar mentioned so many times... Who can afford a carbon Zaskar and then replaces the worn out fork (assumption based on your post) for an even older, much cheaper fork? And then wears out every single other component and continually downgrades the parts? Does this really make sense to you and, if so, why do you think there is not a single hubber who can see this logic? Did the person who stole the bike recently (I think it was a GT marathon) really decide to remove the XTR wheels before selling it to Neil? Maybe he wanted them for his Dunlop steel commuter bike? Did the guy that stole my bike (and rode away from my house on it!) really remove the pedals, loosen the bolts on the brakes and ADD more cable ties to the hoses before dropping it off with Neil an hour later? With regards to my bike, it is more like someone hurriedly rebuilt it before I arrived with the police to collect it unless I am horribly underestimating the sneakiness of criminals in Cape Town. Try address specific facts in your next defense and don't try to make general statements to avoid the facts so obvious from these posts.

The frame is worth something, the rest is worthless... The issue isn't the value, it's why is that frame built with those parts? You maximise value by having parts which match. You put some decent parts on the frame and it's worth R15k+ (and you can get those parts for less than R6k so there is no value to putting cheap stuff on it). The only reason to do it is to disguise the bike IMO...

Have you PM'ed the 2 guys that gave feedback on his profile? Both look like legit members with histories on the hub so maybe they could help you? Other than that, maybe the FP route? Next step I guess is a case of fraud (especially if you have a full name from bank details?)

Have you tried calling him? Much easier than an SMS...

I can't guarantee I can fix it for you, but I'm happy to try if it is something as simple as a loose wire... Send me a mail on magicshine@telkomsa.net

It's not necessarily something you get to choose, it depends on your frames headtube design to accomodate the wider bottom end.

So, in 8 days you've received 2 bikes worth a grand total of maybe R1k? How do you survive?

Oh, and I have a brand new SRAM Red 175mm BB30 crankset with BB bearings and all (never been on a bike) and a set of new Red shifters (one has a scuff mark on the side - came off a new bike which fell over)... All reasonable offers will be considered!

Let's step this up a notch... - I'll swap a large XC dual suspension/good road bike/250+cc dirt bike for my Spesh Enduro Pro SL - Any interesting offers for a 130mm Deda Newton stem/Campy Record hubs/Campy Record pedals + new cleats/brand new v-brakes? Maybe for a good crankset (XT or better), dual suspension frame or high-end alu flat bar? For more info ---> https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/6514-clearout/ I also have XT pedals, Look Quartz pedals, Ryder pedals & Crank Bro's Acid pedals lying around and in need of a new home, but would need something interesting for these as I haven't thought of getting rid of them yet...

What documents/details are you required (by law) to obtain from every person you buy a used bike from? Once you've clarified that... Please provide proof that you got these documents for the GT that started this thread (the one you've avoided mentioning to date). If you didn't, that is a criminal offence in itself I would think? Congratulations, that Trek is the first bike I've seen you put on internet (gumtree/thehub) with a spec that looks consistent throughout! Makes it look much more legit...

Neil: What components were on that Zaskar you're pawning off when you received it? I have seen a report of a stolen Zaskar and would like to see if that is it, but you've put too much cheap stuff on it to tell any more... Here's your chance to show that you're not just trying to shut everyone up with your posts and mean what you say. And... How about the XTR wheels that were on the GT found with you recently? What about the computers and other accessories off the other bikes found in the alley behind your shop after you (allegedly) denied knowing anything about the bikes? What about the 2 road bikes you claimed were only frames when you received them although the whole bikes were stolen (before my bike was found with you - these were ones the police asked you about) What about my pedals that disappeared? Why had you unscrewed my brakes and managed to remove all the cable ties within 2 hours of it being stolen from my house on a saturday morning if you weren't busy stripping it already? Why did you advertise that green Raleigh (RC9000 I think) as a large when it was actually a medium (or the other way around, I can't remember - but this bike you were specifically asked to look out for and you still bought it and then tried to sell it on and used inaccurate details in the advert so it couldn't be identified!) These are the sort of questions you're choosing to ignore while responding to the easy ones...