CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.

Next PY - Tandemistas? (Date TBA) - Now THIS Friday - Now OVER!

(85 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by crowriver
  • Latest reply from Wilmington's Cow

123

  1. Arellcat
    Moderator

    @fimm, the longwheelbase design of the Tour Easy places the pedals low down, while the RANS is higher up to enable a smaller frontal area (supposedly) with or without a fairing. The more reclined riding position and headtube in front of the cranks means that the handlebars are necessarily that much longer so you can still reach them, and so the head angle of the frame is slacker to help reduce the tiller effect that would otherwise be too large to control at low speed. The frame was originally designed for a 20" front wheel, but the factory produced some that were converted to 26" for reduced rolling resistance. It's also XL because I don't fit on the standard size.

    LWB bikes do tend to ride more smoothly, except when they're built like the Forth Bridge... :)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Uberuce
    Member

    Anth: I think we should do trailers, that way I might get round to building mine.

    I'll see that, and raise you 'vintage'.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Which reminds me, got my eye on an eBay Sunbeam which may have a bottom bracket I can remove and use!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. steveo
    Member

    Tell us which one it is, some one might actually remember and buy it for you.. Just don't every one try at once... :D

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    I'm the current high bidder with 4 hours to go, and a little bit of contingency available. Nobody. Touch. Anything.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. steveo
    Member

    If its the ladies one, that poor girl is in desperate need of a good home... or a scrappies...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    That's the one (the only one listed which will deliver at the mo) - from the pics the BB looks saveable, the frame less so, but have ideas/plans (and having removed the BB I'll at least then know the size etc for sourcing a replacement).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. steveo
    Member

    Very true. Although at the rate you're going you'll be able to have it 3d printed...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. steveo
    Member

    And bringing us right back on topic!
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-SUN-OR-SUNBEAM-TANDEM-CLASSIC-BIKE-CYCLE-HIS-AND-HERS-/261107428750?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3ccb372d8e

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. crowriver
    Member

    Trailers I could do, a choice of three available. MTBs, nope. Mrs crowriver has one but it's been 'hybridised' (slicks, guards and north road bars); I have an old Saracen Tange MTB frame which will (eventually) turn into an 'expedition tourer' sometime, maybe even before WC's Sunbeam is ready?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm the current high bidder with 4 hours to go

    Unless it's a non-standard auction type, all bidding on an item with less than (say) a minute to go does is drive up the price and reveal your intentions to other lurking bidders.

    The only way I've ever found to make ebay "work" in your favour is to pick an absolute maximum price you're prepared to pay, add on a random amount to it (so if you think £150, pick £157.26p) and then bid with the absolute minimum amount of time left to go (making sure you're logged in and have a good internet connection). This gives your competition no (or minimal) time to respond with a counter-bid and If someone else has put in a higher maximum, they, ultimately will win, but as you've already put in your maximum, you won't go over it (you don't have time) trying to futily match them. The random amount factor gives you the slight edge over someone else who has a same maximum bidding price as you, working on the principle that most people will bid to round numbers in multiples of 5s or 10s once you get beyond (say) £60ish level.

    The fewer bids that happen on an item and the closer they are to finish time, the better it is for you. Anythign else works only in the seller's favour.

    Here endeth the lesson.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Hence having my contingency - I've not put my max in yet. The bid was essentially to remind myself that it's there! But also means I've at least got a bid in as I'll be in the pub at 6.45 when it finishes, and may forget.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. crowriver
    Member

    I can recommend using a bid sniping service. I use Gixen - http://www.gixen.com

    Then you don't push up the price, start 'bid fever' or anything silly like that. Doesn't stop others from starting bidding wars, nor you getting outsniped, but you can set a maximum and go off and do something else, knowing your bid is in. Come back the next day to see what happened...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. SRD
    Moderator

    but that takes all the fun out of it!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    I'll be honest I got sniped on a few things, and my moral outrage was such I'd feel a hypocrite for using such a service. Tempting though it is a lot of the time.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. SRD
    Moderator

    i only bid in last 30 seconds. is that sniping?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    No, you're at least doing it yourself, and I will, generally, bid in that way if I can. 'Sniping' is more an automated thing. So as crowriver says you register your top bid with the sniper, so it's not sent to eBay, and then the sniper watches the item, and launches your bid with a few seconds to go. Of course there may be multiple snipers all queuing up - probably comes down to a software battle at that point!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. crowriver
    Member

    i only bid in last 30 seconds. is that sniping?

    Yes. The sniping service merely automates this process. It might bid with 10 seconds or less to go...

    my moral outrage was such I'd feel a hypocrite for using such a service.

    Depends how badly you want the item. Also how much time you want to spend on bidding on multiple items, then being outbid.

    Sniping works for me. I can reserve my moral outrage for more worthy opponents, like Keith Brown...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Sunbeams go for odd amounts. A few days ago one was fifty quid. This one? £244.99. Waaaaaay too rich for me.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. steveo
    Member

    Maybe its all in the bottom bracket?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    P'raps... Or delivery. Must have been a few snipers all at once. 3 seconds to go it was £82; then huge leap to £244.99! Two days ago a better looking frame went for £51.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. crowriver
    Member

    Or delivery.

    This is what priced me out of buying a second hand Thorn childback tandem. Any that were had delivery as an option went for crazy prices (in my book anyway). those not offering delivery were inevitably in the south of England somewhere...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    I'm pondering a Twitter call to ask for people in the area of non-delivery ones if they could take it in for me and I'll sort out how to collect/get sent...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  24. SRD
    Moderator

    WC - quite often if you message someone and ask if you can arrange a courier collection they're have that done or even to organise it themselves.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  25. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    I've done that with smaller things - problem with bikes is the size, and the need to find a big enough box to courier it. That said, if you don't ask...

    Though personally I've listed things as collection only, and it's generally because it's something that would be so awkward to post that I simply can't be bothered*.

    *not everyone is as lazy as me.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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