This is Irony

Two years ago I tried selling one of my Gary Fisher Rig frames (I had two). I couldn’t pay someone to take it. Nobody wanted a used Rig frame. They were notorious for breaking and considering the whole bike cost $1000 what’s the frame worth anyway?

Finally I sold one for $150 to my desperate friend whose frame just cracked.

A little while later (a few months I suppose), he cracked the Rig frame I sold him. Feeling bad and in the midst of a trade for baby stuff from him, I gave him my other Rig frame I had built up as my fixie/commuter. I figured my fixie/commuter days were done and I had a baby on the way.

Now that I am commuting again, I really want an SS/fixie commuter, but have a kid so things have to be cheap.

I still have everything for the old fixie/commuter, but no frame. The obvious and cheapest solution would be to find another Rig frame.

Easier said than done. I’ve always periodically looked, but rarely saw anything until this week. Finally somebody in Maine put one up on ebay for a “Make the best offer” deal. Basically he set a “Buy It Now” price of $225 (ridiculous!), then hoped people would battle it out with offers greater than that (absolutely insane. it’s actually one of the original purple 2006’s – mostly likely to break upon use). I guess it’s like an auction but weirder.

I offered $150 right off the bat. There was no way I was paying more than what I couldn’t give mine away for. He immediately refused.

Two days later he dropped his “buy it now” price to $200 and I had been the only one to make an offer.

Hmmmm. Maybe he’s coming around?

In the meantime, I made my case with the accountant (i.e. Jen). Basically I wanted a fixie/SS/commuter and this was the cheapest way to go about it. She agreed and said I should pursue it.

The auction still had a couple of days, so I figured I’d wait and let him squirm. Then I see someone else made an offer, which he hadn’t outright refused, but ebay won’t let me see how much.

Hmmmm. Damn it!

I offered $176. I figured the other buyer probably went for $175, so I’d hit ’em at a dollar more (this make best offer stuff sucks. It’s like poker, and I hate poker). It took about twelve hours, but the seller finally accepted my offer.

Great. Now I own a purple 2006 Gary Fisher Rig frame – again.

With shipping it comes to $206. Way more than anyone should pay for a purple frame that’s going to break within days of putting it together, but I got plans for that.

First I’m going to strip the paint. It’s aluminum. It can go paint-less.

Second, if it breaks, I’ll get it welded back together. It’s a fixie/SS/commuter, not a beauty contestant. All it needs to do is track straight and keep me off my ass.

If my requirements are so basic, then why so specific for this frame? All the parts I have fit this frame exactly. I have a rear wheel/hub with 135mm spacing, seat post, cranks, fork, stem, etc. for a first generation Rig frame. It’s just easier.

So there you have it. I now own (again) and paid too much for a frame I couldn’t give way just a few months ago.

That’s ok. This winter when the cold and ice hit, I’ll be more than glad to have a bike with a built in heater (i.e. fixie) to keep me warm on my rides to/from work.

– b