Worst of NYC Craigslist Bike Ads: Spikes and Troughs

First of all, those 3TTT Pista bars I mentioned yesterday are still available according to the latest ad. I know it's human nature to hesitate when something seems too good to be true, but as the seller points out these things are going to be collector's items. And, once again, they're aluminum. I can't stress that enough. Do you think Ronco founder and inventor of the Chop-O-Matic Ron Popeil got rich by being slack-jawed and immobile in the face of opportunity? No, he got rich by inventing wacky household appliances nobody needs. So what does this have to do with buying these handlebars? Very little, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

Moving on, there are some noteworthy things happening in the world of used fixed-gears in New York City right now. Much like the larger economy, there's currently disparity in the fixedconomy. On one hand, the PistaDex is at 575. So if we were to imagine it as a fruit, it would be a big, juicy, overripe melon that's almost too soft to be appetizing. On the other hand, the IRODex, which I just made up this morning, is at a mere 325. Sticking with the fruit metaphor, we're essentially looking at a dried date or something, which, while not quite as mouth-watering as fresh fruit, does stay edible longer and is a better choice for the long term in adverse conditions, which is why bedouins eat them. Let's see what's going on out there:

Bianchi Pista – Chrome [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/708257123.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-06-05, 2:20AM EDT

Perfectly NEW Bianchi Pista purchased two days ago for $759.45! NICE Front break and Freewheel rear hub added; Owners Manual included! Unfortunetly size doesn't match my height. Must sell!!

Specifications Style Track Bike

Sizes 53cm

Color Chrome Plated

Frame Bianchi DB CrMo, rear entry track dropouts

Fork CrMo

Components Headset VP AheadSet, 1" threadless

Handlebar Bianchi/Deda steel track, 26.0mm

Stem Bianchi alloy

Crankset Sugino RD, 48T

Bottom Bracket Cartridge

Chain KMC

Sprocket 16T fixed cog

Pedals VP clipless, 2-sided

Wheels Bianchi hi-flange track hubs, Alex AT400 32h rims

Tires WTB Camino Alto, 700x23C

Saddle WTB Rocket V Comp

Seatpost Alloy, 27.2mm

Asking for $650, prefer to be picked up! Please contact 917-[deleted] or [deleted]@gmail.com

So you bought a bicycle in the wrong size and realized it two days later? I've really got to wonder what the circumstances were here. Certainly I could understand someone spending a few months with a bicycle and then, with time and experience, learning that another size might work better for them. But if the poor fit is already apparent two days later the bicycle must be really ill-fitting and must have been purchased under duress. This person had to have a Pista and had to have it right then. Perhaps a "bike culture" party was taking place to which it would have been bad form not to arrive on a track bike. Or perhaps it was merely a prop used to interest a potential mate. Or perhaps some unscrupulous shop is doing its best to cram Pistas into crotches in which they don't fit in anticipation of the Apocalype. Whatever the reason, it's troubling.

Bianchi Pista Fixed-Gear Bike: Like New! - $575 (West Village) [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/700355327.html]
Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2008-05-29, 8:38PM EDT

61-centimeter, track bike for riders on a budget, juniors, or as a fixed gear training bike; the geometry is correct for banked tracks with the tight 28mm fork offset, higher bb and short wheelbase. The bike that started it all, from the company that started it all. Gang Green paint with classic white panel decals.

Ridden less than 60 miles (persistent knee injury prevented use).

Call Joel, 917-[deleted], cell; 212-[deleted], daytime work.

Speaking of ill-fitting, this thing looks like a Bike Friday. I'm sorry to hear about Joel's knee problems, but is it possible they were caused by riding the wrong sized bike? Doubtless Lennard Zinn would have an opinion, and I'm sure he would love to take a tape measure to this guy's femur and fabricate him something better-suited to his freakish biomechanics. I wonder if this guy's also walking around in tiny shoes with his toes sticking out of the front and a sport jacket with sleeves that barely go past his elbow.

Bianchi Pista for Sale - $500 (Park Slope) [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/699945922.html]
Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2008-05-29, 3:21PM EDT

I have a 2007 Bianchi Pista in cool Racing Green for sale. The bike is 55cm and would fit someone 5'9" - 6'0" probably. It's in perfect condition and super fast. I've also upgraded the tires to resist the glass-strewn brooklyn streets.

I've ridden it as a fixed gear with a 48/17 gear ratio, however it has a flip-flop hub so you can put a freewheel on the other side.

I also put a Cane Creek hand break on it for safety mostly.

The asking price is $500.

Please send an email if you're interested along with a telephone number.

Thanks.

I hate the term "old school," but I have to say that this is a classic, "old school" Pista ad. It's got everything. Most importanly, it's got the kitchen shot. (Bonus points for the fact that there are not only dishes in the dish rack, but one of them actually matches the bike's frame.) Secondly, "brake" is spelled "break" in accordance with the official Craigslist style manual. Not only that, but there's also the requisite dismissal of the brake: it's there for "safety mostly," the implication being that he doesn't really need it since he's such a crack fixie rider. Also, there's some evocative prose in the phrase "glass-strewn brooklyn streets," as well as the patented Craigslist Ignuramus Fit Chart, in which the seller lists the height range for the bicycle despite the fact that he really has no idea what he's talking about. Lastly, he says it's fast. Bikes aren't fast--people are fast. Bikes are overpriced. It's an important distinction.

Now on to the IROs:

Black IRO Fixed Gear Bike (59cm) - $300 (Midtown West) [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/708100520.html]
Reply to: [deleted]Date: 2008-06-04, 10:49PM EDT

I'm selling a black IRO fixed gear to anyone who's interested. The bike is 59cm from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube. Should be sufficient for anyone around 6ft (). I bought it here on Craigslist about a year ago for $400 and a bottle of whiskey and didn't end up riding very much (about 40 miles...maybe less). It's had a spot in the bike room in my building ever since, so it's still in great condition.

Unfortunately, I don't have any goodies to throw in, but I'd be happy to answer any questions. Also - in case it's not clear in the pictures - it has a speedometer (can be easily removed if necessary). I also installed new pedals about two weeks ago.

Drop me a line if you have any questions.

What?!? $300 for a complete fixed-gear? He's supposed to be asking twice that! I never thought I'd see the day. Not only that, but he's even apologizing for not throwing in any goodies. And he's only selling it to "anyone who's interested." Doesn't he know how Craigslist works? You're supposed to cajole and say things like, "This bike is a rocketship!" and "Beat the high gas prices!" I don't know who this guy is, but he must be from Nebraska or some place like that where people are neighborly instead of predatory and provide goods and services for what they're worth while dispensing practical bits of homespun wisdom for free. Or he's drinking too much whiskey. Or both.

59cm IRO TRACK BIKE (Mark V) - $350 (east village) [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/708110733.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-06-05, 12:07AM EDT

Moving to the Bay Area and need to sell soon. This is a beautiful IRO with a few scratches rides great.Its cheap and worth checking out. For questions refer to (shop.irocycle.com) click on build parts, and then MARK V it will answer all questions.

OK, what's with the non-stratospherically priced 59cm IROs? Something creepy's going on here. Have I woken up in 2002? (No, I just checked and fortunately I haven't. I don't think I could live through "Ally McBeal," Eminem and Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee all over again.) Or does this presage a wholesale exodus to the Bay Area? (All the more reason the world needs my "Take a Pista, Leave a Pista" bicycle lending library.) Whatever the reason, for the moment IROs appear to be the dried fruit of fixed-gear bicycles. Do with that what you will.