Nick

This is fun. Lance never stood a chance against the universe correcting for Zipf's law.

There have been suggestions that we add watermarks to stop this 😆

Dibs!

It's easier to steal photos from the internet than it is to steal a bike. It's very unlikely that they have this bike in their possession. They ask for a deposit or the payment upfront and then disappear. It's the most common scam nowadays.

We do offer Bike Hub Pay where you can simply return the item and get refunded if it's not as described. That said, would adjudication of reviews be feature you'd be willing to pay for? Because its horribly time consuming to gather all the communications from both parties. Then you have to hope you can actually make enough sense of it to come to a reliable finding. In the end, it'd likely be far more expensive than just using Bike Hub Pay from the start.

I did some spring cleaning this weekend and put a box of unwanted parts and kit together to take through in a week or two. If anyone else wants to add to the collection, give me a shout. I'm based in Muizenberg - so Southern Suburbs and Deep South, I suppose.

We made some changes to the homepage over the weekend. It's likely there was some old code cached in your browser that was causing it to display strangely. It has now been refreshed for the newer files.

Well, it depends which ends first. In their global warranty T&Cs, lifetime is defined as "as long as the original retail purchaser owns the product" but only if you register the bike within 90 days of purchasing it. Otherwise it's 2 years. And while I'm researching, here's the exact Scott wording if it hasn't been dug up already: "The manufacturer's guarantee is granted from the date of purchase for a period of five years on bicycle frames and rear ends. The guarantee period is reduced to three years, if the SCOTT bicycle is not serviced at least once a year by an authorized SCOTT dealer. Maintenance services must be carried out in accordance with the maintenance instructions in the SCOTT manual and must be confirmed there by the stamp and signature of the authorized SCOTT dealer."

To further add to the complexity of these issues: 1. This patent has expired 2. It is for a multitool 3. I can't understand any of it

Is there a likelihood that a reasonable person buying this will think it's a genuine Park Tool product? I'm very doubtful. This would take a lot of litigation to settle. Bike Hub isn't a court. We act where it is obvious. Where it's less clear cut, we'll leave it to the brands to figure it out and happy to follow the judgement that follows.

Selling counterfeit goods (even when explicitly described as such) is against the Bike Hub rules. We act seriously against anything carrying a brand name that is applied to goods not manufactured by that brand (printed on the item or in the advert description). Basically when a trade mark is infringed. Where an item attempts to imitate another without using brand names, that is a slippery slope, and we're less inclined to get involved in these cases. Bike Hub does not assess each individual advert and relies heavily on the community to spot any counterfeit goods, so please hit the report button if you spot anything suspicious. Reselling is acceptable. We aren't going to try moderate capitalism. Just bear in mind that not everything that goes up for sale is bought and when it does, the buyer is happy to do the deal for what reasons motivate them.

Looks very similar to: https://bikehub.co.za/stolen-bikes

Hi IceCreamMan, Your ongoing debate is tedious. It is detracting from the serious nature of the issue at hand. We urge that you contribute constructively to the discussion. If this continues, we will have no choice but to issue a temporary "cooling off" suspension to ensure the conversation remains productive and focused. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Specialized SA run a tight ship. If it's not their own site or an authorized dealer shop, then it's a scam.

Hi Jill Thank you for reporting this. I tried to find this account but I don't see any suspicious interactions with your cycling shoe adverts on Bike Hub. Also Bike Hub does not reveal your email address to buyers. How'd they come by your email address?

Hi @Bev Baker I see that you reported the same issue 2 years ago 🫣 The first thing I usually suggest is that you clear your browser cache. This might get rid of any broken code that is stored. But I fear that it might be another setting or extension that is clashing with our uploader. You can also email the images to me at nick@bikehub.co.za. I'll update your advert.

Mod note: Please keep this discussion strictly related to cycling. Broader gun debate, off bike scenarios, and politics will be removed. P.S. For a topic of this nature, it's been going well. Just catching it early before it spills over beyond repair.

Morning Ispeed_V We'll take a deeper look into these accounts but a quick check didn't reveal any obvious scam behaviour, other than the close timing. Please also hit the report button in the chat when you are suspicious about an account. This notifies the moderation team immediately. Removing the accounts from Bike Hub quickly is by far the best solution to prevent further scams. The images used on the chat selection panel are not the user's profile picture. These images are the featured image from the advert being discussed. It helps busy sellers and buyers keep track of which item the chat is about. Also, the majority of Classified users never upload profile pictures.

Thanks for the heads up, @Barry. I'll check it out in the morning.

Glad you like it! It's not a native app that you'd find in the app stores. It is a Progressive Web App (PWA) which still runs in your browser although it looks and acts more like an app than a webpage. Things you should notice with the PWA: 1) An icon on your phone "desktop" 2) Full screen mode (like an app) 3) Notifications on your phone like an app (which might require a few more permission to be enabled. We have a guide on doing that here.) As always, if you experience any issues using it, please let me know.

The pricing alone screams a scam. The domain owner is hidden when you do a look up. It was only registered last month while the about us says: "We’ve been serving customers some of the best deals and discounted fashion online since 2012." There's no contact information. Social media links go nowhere.

Thanks for letting me know. All the best with the sale.

Hi Corlia Welcome to Bike Hub! Did this fraudster contact you before or after you placed your advert on Bike Hub? I'm trying hard to see where this guy is getting everyone's contact details but I can't find anything on the Bike Hub logs.

I'm glad you've dodged this. While an honest, eager buyer may also contact you directly, it's one more signal to look out for if you are feeling uneasy about the transaction. Scammers like to do their "business" away from the Classifieds platforms where possible. There is less chance of getting caught and interrupted.

@splat & @Lexi Daoussis Were these approaches made through Bike Hub? I've checked your accounts and do not see any obviously suspicious accounts interacting with your adverts. Yes, PayPal is often mentioned in scams. One trick is to lead you into believing it is PayPal when it's actually a fraudulent service. Here's our guide to safe trading online: https://help.bikehub.co.za/en/articles/3538876-safe-trading-tips-bike-hub-classifieds