[CR]Bates Boot Bike, now "98.7 rating"

(Example: Framebuilders:Cecil Behringer)

Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2003 18:01:02 -0500 (EST)
From: <wheelman@nac.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Bates Boot Bike, now "98.7 rating"

Not sure I agree with a recent posting. Some have refrained from outing a bike on ebay and that is fine. I do not wish to impose my will on others and would expect the same in return. I think that a self imposed outing prohibition helps no one. When I joined this forum there was free, open sharing about bikes on ebay and I learned a lot from those discussions. I did not think that this gave anyone an unfair advantage. In fact I thought it was great to learn about a bike that I may have a shot at owning. Fair and open bidding and discussion, what could be more democratic. I cannot afford all the bikes I see on ebay. I am sure a lot of you fall into that category. To withold a discussion on a bike that is currently on auction does a dis service to the current owner. It does not allow the collectors market to fairly price the bike. The newbies are deprived of some good discussion on that bike. I sure wish I knew about this forum years ago when I was scouring some bike shops for old balloon stuff. I passed up a lot of road bikes and parts because I didn't know better. Now that there is a forum like this it is a shame for some to withold information with the purpose to stiffle bidding. If I have a bike for sale, I am not going to refrain from telling anyone on this forum, why would I. Somehow I do not see the logic in acting as if we were hiding trade secrets. Any good hobby welcomes newbies of today hoping they become customers of tomorrow and the torch bearers of the future.

Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ