Friday, June 27, 2008

Worst of NYC Craigslist SPECIAL EDITION: Pista Price Is Right!




The PistaDex in New York City is currently at 650. I don't know if the market's going to crash tomorrow or sometime during the next decade, but for the moment there's no doubt we're living in the "go-go aughts" when it comes to fixed-gears. So with the weekend upon us, I figured I'd put together a little game show. Below are the four Pistas on the New York City Craigslist which yield the 650 PistaDex. I've blocked out the prices on each. Simply study the ad, try to guess what the seller is asking, and then choose a price. If you're right, you'll see the ad. If you're wrong, you'll see a roller catastrophe. As far as a prize, you'll have to contact the respective sellers--I'm sure they'd be willing to give you their bikes if they knew you guessed correctly.

(By the way, if you have some Rain Man-like ability to scan all four sets of choices, average them all in your head, and ace the game that way, my hat is off to you. I lack the basic math skills to come up with choices that will prevent you from doing that.)

Thanks, have fun, and have a good weekend.

--RTMS



2008 Bianchi Pista (Fixed Gear) with Major Upgrades 57 - $?
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-06-20, 2:03PM EDT

2008 Bianchi Pista with low miles and new Nitto chrome handlebars, Fi'zi:k tape, better chain, and new wheel set. The costume wheel set cost 500 and consists of: Mavic Open Sport rims with Grar Campe hubs. The bike is blue and in good condition.

Frame Size: 57



Yep, you read right: a costume wheelset with Grar Campe hubs. (That's an upgrade from the Gwar hubs.) That should help jack the price up. But by how much?



Black Bianchi Pista - Fixed Gear Track Bike - $? (Inwood / Wash Hts)
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-06-23, 6:09PM EDT

Sick Bike. 57 cm. Pink Velocity Deep V Rim. Vittoria Pro Blue Rubino tires. Velo Plush Seat. Specialized toe clips.

Is available for pickup in NYC, Fairfield County, and New Haven.



This one's pretty funky. But is it funky enough to warrant an asking price below full MSRP?




Stripped chrome Bianchi Pista w/ Brooks saddle, nitto bars + more - $? (Wburg)
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-06-26, 5:16PM EDT

2004 Chrome Bianchi Pista (first year Bianchi issued the chrome pista)

Gearing - 48/16 Fixed

Size - 51cm (small guys and girls)

This bike is in great condition, and hasn't been ridden in the last 2 years. The frame was stripped of all decals except for the Bianchi crest on the head tube. There are almost no logos on the bike, and even the brake cable was done in silver. Included are Specialized Silver wall all condition pro tires (brand new), so even the tires will match.

Upgrades include:
- Butchered Brooks B17 narrow leather saddle, cut down to look like a swallow saddle.
- MKS track peddles with cage and white leather straps
- Paul Components love lever (brake, can be removed)
- Nitto 36cm ridding bars chopped and flipped. The most narrow nitto bullhorns I could make (great for squeezing between cars)
- Specialized all condition pro tires in Grey to match bike. New, never installed.

All other items are stock

I'll be showing the bike this weekend in Williamsburg. $?


Some major work has gone into this baby, and the Brooks saddle has even been shaved down by hand! Plus, chrome Pistas with no decals are so hot right now. But how hot are they?




bianchi fixed/ track bike - $?
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-06-27, 1:13AM EDT

this is a bianchi pista track bike that i stripped of all the logos. personally, i dont like riding around looking like an advertisement and the all chrome and black looks cooler anyway. because it was a d.i.y. striping job though, the decals kind of smudged up the frame giving it a bit of a scuffy look in some places. (shown in picture.) it has a rpm crankset-jalco deep v wheels. it has a small front brake, easily removable if youre a bit more macho than me. the back wheel has a flip-flop hub,so you can turn it around and ride single speed on those days when you just gotta coast down the willy b bridge. the bars are covered with neoprene on the drops and cloth on the top. i have an extra pair of NJS stamped nitto track drop bars ill throw in. theyre about 80 bucks new alone. ? obo. unfortunately i have to let it go. times are hard! p.s. this was my everyday commuter, so there is small scratches from locking up and stuff, but it was well taken care of, lways inside, and will last you a long ass time if you take care of it too. i live in brooklyn but will meet in manhattan if you like.


Another de-decaled chrome Pista. He's including a bunch of extras, but he also seems to be under duress. How will that affect his asking price? He's already admitted he's not that macho.

117 comments:

Anonymous said...

My comment is first
My life is complete; now I
must read the entry

Anonymous said...

also complete-
podi, y'all...

LP said...

It appears brooks saddles have a multiplicative rather than additive effect on Pistaprice...interesting. top 5?

Anonymous said...

top 5?

Anonymous said...

where is kevin when you need him?

The Los said...

Ummm, yeah. Are there any non-tools left in Brooklyn?

Anonymous said...

4 out of 4. Send me my prize.

Anonymous said...

FGG 7.648
looks like
Joan Rivers

wrong place? GFY

Anonymous said...

3/4 - pat myself on the back.

Anonymous said...

pittsburgh represent!

Anonymous said...

I feel bad for the sick bike, maybe he should seek some treatment instead of selling the poor thing.

Anonymous said...

4 for 4! Woo!!! Also, $500 for an open sport wheelset WTF?

urchin said...

For the first time I feel truly and physically punished by the incorrect answer link. Barf.

0 for 4...

Anonymous said...

just missed the sprint....

Camp Cupboard said...

Why do people mention the cheap bar tape they added as if it's some sort of major upgrade? That's like selling a house and mentioning the bathroom is stocked with a package of toilet paper.

Anonymous said...

Roller Catastrophe? Wasn't that a movie in the late 70's starring Linda Blair?

...and if you're chopping your bars "as narrow as you can get them" for squeezing between cars, then you are riding too fucking close to the cars in my opinion and probably making a nuisance out of yourself. If ever get between two cars with only 42 cm of clearance, I'll probably shit myself.

Anonymous said...

camp cubbord- love it.

Missed the Cat4 sprint to the line, pack fodder as usual. Lost my sh(t reading the blog as usual.

erik k said...

this totally undoctored photo is dedicated to you snob, have a good weekend

Anonymous said...

Erik, that picture is amazing. It defies all laws of common sense yet it is completely relevant as bikes try to pass the sign.

Judi said...

So WTF is that guy doing on the rollers? Is he for real or what? Drunk? Do you guys really wear a helmet when you ride rollers?

Anonymous said...

75%, just like college.
Palpable irony Eric K.

Anonymous said...

It's "aughts," man. As in "we're living in the go-go aughts," or "we're living in aught eight," or my favorite "I'm gonna unload my thirty-aught-six on your ass."

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 12:42pm,

Oof--you're right, of course. That was a pedal/peddle-caliber mistake on my part.

--BSNYC

Emily said...

I would pay good money for Gwar hubs. I would build them up with Mastodon rims for the scariest wheels ever.

AnnaZed said...

Do you guys really wear a helmet when you ride rollers?

I would hope not, but in this guy's case it was maybe a good thing that he did.

Shiny Flu said...

Well I had a 25% chance for each Pista... obviously using my immensely intelligent multiple choice technique of deducting the two least likely answers I really had a 50% chance for each Pista. Unfortunately though was 75% wrong thrice, but 25% right overall.

Not too bad I think. Especially since the German PistaDex is based on whether there are more than 66.6% of old bearded men wearing socks and sandals on the third Thursday post full moon. 30.48% so yeah, the PistaDex is a solid Euro, give or take a few.

Anonymous said...

Mastodon!?! More like suck-a-saurus

Anonymous said...

I can now rest assured that I do in fact have a life: I didn't get a single Pista price right.

Erik K -

Great photo! You have got to send that to the Warrington Cycle Campaign folks in the UK who do the Cycling Facility of the Month.

Here's their latest:

http://tinyurl.com/57fyp7

Anonymous said...

First!

Anonymous said...

#4 could probably sell for more if the seller had included the size in the add.

Anonymous said...

pistadex dominated by pistadicks, this and more at 11. Suzanne?

ice cube said...

Number 4's decals must have been removed by a pro! looks great guy, good luck. derrrr

Anonymous said...

aced it!! got the first 2 right, then did some math to guess the last 2! also my pistadex skills are sharp.

OpenYourEyes said...

bear with the commercial in the beginning and then imagine what you pretty hipster sissies in NYC would do with this.

I think the animal involved might have been after the pie plates on these two rider's rigs. Goose be damned!

Anonymous said...

Erik K, great photo.

As a Caltrans engineer, it's damn encouraging to know that my colleagues are looking out for us cyclists. I feel a wave of pride spreading over me. That or I just wet myself.

Chris said...

why would someone ride rollers with a messenger bag, while talking on a cell phone. "practice"?

i still dont get the "butchered" brooks thing. just buy a f-in swallow if you want a swallow, otherwise you're ruining a perfectly decent B-17.

kids these day are so vain.

wear helmet and ride with gears.

Anonymous said...

All podium finishers should post in haikus. Thank you, anon 11:55am

Anonymous said...

Nostradamus predicted the Fiximania crash long ago:

"At the end of the day, the Black Label tall bike shall overcome the crowned eagle fixie, bearing the color of a Milan sky. This epic Bike Kill duel shall take place on a wet and smelly mattress-lined battlefield. Two armies joined, the decal-stripped eagle dying a cruel death. Panic stricken knicker wearers shall fall from the skies as Craig fails to calm the madness of crowds.

Anonymous said...

open, that news report was unbearable.

Anonymous said...

Aww crap...did I make the time cut?

Chris Mayhew said...

Am I the only who is going to make fun of the oh so rare ALL SILVER brake cable mentioned in one of the ads?

You kids and your fixed gears are like monkeys with a bone in 2001

Anonymous said...

worse than nyc bike lane salmon
coloradan bike lane bears

Anonymous said...

Riding a fixie should be like owning a handgun. You should have to wait 3 days for a background check and be required to take a class in how to safely operate it.

tuppercole said...

I just feel bad for the guy in the news report that had shown up to the ride, then realized he had his wife's ride bag. Rather than go home, he went ahead and put on her tiny shorts and too short sleeveless jersey. "What, is some news crew going to film me today?"

Anonymous said...

Well, I finally have an identity. No longer will I comment as "A. Nonymous." It feels great!

Of course, I have nothing useful to say today. Damn.

Anonymous said...

the night time is the right time...

Anonymous said...

go cmu track standers! woo hoo!

Calvin said...

SHIT! I got them all right but the last one. I've yet to have a perfect score on any of your quizzes :(

ice cube said...

I was not aware that bears could give, "looks of panic"?

ice cube said...

I'm selling my Pista for 630.

Unknown said...

anon 12:16pm,

PGH represent indeed! I thoroughly enjoy the rear brake lever, without a rear brake. Maybe it's an anomalous local feature like the Pittsburgh toilet (http://tiny.cc/dzS2F)?

Anonymous said...

Wow...Brooklyn must be a tough place. The last listing says that it was "always inside" yet scratched up from locking it up?...

You can break into my home or office but i'll be damned if you're going to get my pista.

Anonymous said...

Wow...Brooklyn must be a tough place. The last listing says that it was "always inside" yet scratched up from locking it up?...

He probably keeps it in at night/in from the rain, but like most people, locks it to parking meters/chain fences/bike racks/etc...

Anonymous said...

you guys are worse than the faggots that I have to deal with on the GWB bridge.

AnnaZed said...

BSNYC/RTMS

you might want to delete Anonymous 3:28 PM

It's just a porn link.

Anonymous said...

did porn scare you....faggot suck my dick

Chris said...

hey "annazed is gay". way to go and call a woman "gay" and a "faggot". you should watch your tongue young man, instant karma's gonna get you.

Anonymous said...

i love boys!!!!

Anonymous said...

apologies "annazed" Chris you are a "faggot" and "gay"

AnnaZed said...

I have nothing against porn but it has to be smoothly integrated into the conversation and vertically stiff and horizontally …. oh, nevermind.

Anonymous said...

"your name here" is gay - can I be gay too?

Anonymous said...

ant1 -- great idea!

************

Dear Mr. "Your name here is gay" -- why not put everybody's name in your posts?

And don't forget to take your schtick to the Pride Parade in New York this Sunday.

Don't be shy! I just know you'll be a hit.

I mean honestly, who doesn't appreciate the effort and wit behind a gratuitous "you're gay" jape?

Anonymous said...

All the cool kids are gay!

Anonymous said...

THIS JUST IN: Penis reported to have penetrated Uranus.

Anonymous said...

I heard this place just jumped the shark, may I?

Anonymous said...

and.....cue the Revolting Cocks "Beers, Steers and Queers"

Judi said...

Anna, these guys are freaks. WTF is BSNY letting them comment that crap here?

We don't want to see that shit RTMS!

Anonymous said...

i like the show "press your luck."

Anonymous said...

We dont want to see that shit, rtms, either.

Anonymous said...

Like Sands Through the Hourglass... So Are the Days of Our Lives!

Anonymous said...

Like Saddles Through my Hot ass... So Are the Days of Our Lives!

AnnaZed said...

Judi, all of these comments are obviously KevinWhatsHisMyers (note his witty retort where he called someone "gay" - me maybe - a few days ago).

He'll get tired of it eventually.

Anonymous said...

RTMS rides in Critical Mass
It's true, it's true

veloben said...

Did I miss it? The Pistadex hit 650 and no 'Don't spike my Pistadex, bro.' etc. comment?

Geez

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:04,Coloradon Bike Lane Bears. I just saw that story too. I guy hit a bear going 45mph, and the Bear was scared too. Then he rode to the hospital. That takes Matze (sp?)!

Anonymous said...

the bear gets ass-fucked and you laugh.

LK said...

Are they buying handguns instead?

Anonymous said...

Leroy, around these parts it's the unintentionally ironic and accidentally ambiguous "your gay...," not "you're gay..." You've been around long enough to know that. Now go stand by the fents.

Anonymous said...

These NYC folks are missing out, methinks this SF fellow is willing to shell out a lot more $$$$

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/733789775.html

Anonymous said...

wishiwasmerkx-

D'oh! (Accompanied by Homer Simpson self-administered head slap.)

Your rite of course!

What was I thinking?

Anonymous said...

83 bitches....

Anonymous said...

Can we all agree that the name "Fi'zi:k" is stupidn and taking the time to write out "Fi'zi:k" with all of the extraneous punctuation marks in an ad is even stupider?

KevinFtMyers said...

Seriously,

Its NOT me

That guy lacks both the balls god gives most men and the ability to use words in excess of 4 letters in a sentance.

Anna, your profile says you are a woman, I knew that on day one.

Now back into exile....

Anonymous said...

4/4!

Anonymous said...

Fi'zi:k saddles are for douchey gay fags

Anonymous said...

I have a gut feeling that it is kevinfortmeyers posting all the immature crap. After all, he did say it got him hot and bothered when mountain bikers wore roadie shorts

Anonymous said...

yes those fizik saddles are shit...why hasn't a company bought the rights to produce a clone of the Avocet O2??? quite possibly the finest saddle ever manufactured

AnnaZed said...

No cloning necessary to my knowledge:

http://xoomgear.com/manufacturer/Avocet

Am I missing something?

Anonymous said...

kfm,

"Anna, your profile says you are a woman, I knew that on day one."

...because the profile is the ONE thing you can count as the truth.

AH said...

kmfkfm--
Brilliant user name!

Katie said...

I took that last picture...wonder how it ended up here.

Not just PGH, CMU represent.

Anonymous said...

I thought being gay meant the sexual desire of one's own gender.

If wearing lycra shorts, while mountain biking, makes me gay, then I have been out of the closet for 15 years.

My apologies that my taut buttocks ignites your latent homoerotic fantasies. I'll do my best to better holster my junk in the future.

AnnaZed said...

Anna, your profile says you are a woman, I knew that on day one.

And that would preclude my being gay, or being called gay how exactly?

Everyone knows that if a woman rides a bike long enough ... oh nevermind.

ice cube said...

All that wonderful road buzz!

KevinFtMyers said...

Anna,

Mr potty mouth called you a faggot, which is as you know a derrogatory term for a gay MALE.

I knew you were a woman, even calling you Anna in several posts.

So if it was me, knowing you are female, I would have used the term: dyke.

The whole thing is stupid anyway, as someones sexual orientation has no bearing on whether or not they are into porn, because there is porn for all.


POINT IS: Im NOT Mr potty mouth.

Anonymous said...

Kevin, Kevin, Kevin...

Nobody really thought that was you. That crap is from a 13 year old, and you are at least 16. It was another joke you did not get. Now if you insist on lurking here, stay out of sight and stop disrupting our fun. And do try to find a clue.

AnnaZed said...

It is this exchange of erudite locution to which I refer.

KevinFtMyers said... maybe one of those gay reality shows where you text in the the people you want to stay on the show? [sic]

AnnaZed said... Are there actually adults that use "gay" as a pejorative? I did not know that. Sad though it is.

Anonymous said...

I sat there camouflaged by the bush as the two seven year olds explored each other's penis and anus before being called back in from recess.

Anonymous said...

oh yes, 100th! by the way.

Anonymous said...

Quick, timmy, put your thingy in my ass so this guy won't watch us anymore.

Anonymous said...

Oh for crying out loud. Enough of this mishegos.

The etymologically minded among us all know that on a bicycling blog "gay" is just a Flintstones reference describing a Fred's enthusiastic braking and pedalling style on a recumbent pedicab.

http://tiny.cc/FDoet

That's obvious from the theme song:

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones,
They're the modern stone-age family.

From the town of Bedrock,
They're a page right out of history.

Let's ride with the family down the street,
Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet.

When you're with the Flintstones,
Have a yabba-dabba-doo time,
A dabba-doo time.
You'll have a gay old time.


And that settles this matter once and for all.

Anonymous said...

Leroy, you are gay.

yabba, dabba do me.

Anonymous said...

Barker...smells like cabbage.

Anonymous said...

MOTHERFUCKING BIANCHI HIPSTA

pantaloonfan said...

I saw someone posting a bikesdirect fixie, with ragged and gleefully chipped paint, stupidly narrow bars and a mismatched pair of wheels (with a Deep V up front!) where the dude was asking a mere $700.

All this... for a bike that's $299 new.

The Pistadex starts to seem less like an exercise in the economics of dadaism when you look at the rest of the marketplace.

Anonymous said...

Just blow his head off, cut the rest of his body up and throw the bag in the river.

Anonymous said...

Snob, I just, you know, read the link info in the status bar at the bottom of the page. No math necessary.

@Chris Mayhew - I think the pistas are more like the obelisk. The bone was useful.

Anonymous said...

Newly-arrived Eugene resident checking in.

I've been riding for 36 years, having in that time been involved with BMX racing, then road racing, BMX freestyle, then downhill MTB racing, and have wanted a fixed-gear for years.

I began building one, ordering parts online, and have slowly discovered web-based evidence that there is a "fixie scene." Sadly, it seems largely populated by dumbfucks who need to be brutally beaten, endlessly.

There is serious hippie-level bullshit rampant among these retards. I understand wanting to do tricks--I used to do rock walks on my Voyageur 11.8--but for fuck's sake these 'tards need to get some fucking skills before making "epic films" and posting shitty YouTube videos of their "crews."

Willfully hideous color combos, those hats, those stupid fucking pants, the endless mimicry...

I may just ride my DH rig for daily transport. No one would steal it since it's a "poseur bike," and I'd be insta-judged with nothing but contemptuous eyerolls, thus sparing me from having to interact with these morons.

Thanks, Bike Snob, for your level-headed take on this horseshit; let's hope it burns out quick.

Anonymous said...

As for doing the math thing to figure out the correct answers, you have ten combinations that give the correct average. Not too bad.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I take that back. There are 22 combinations that work.

Anonymous said...

Checed in on Prolly's blog today and ran across this:
Bike Crushes???

I think he's been honing his Penthouse Forums writing style as a ghost writer for Bust magazine as he prepares his Bike Crush how-to guide?

Anonymous said...

"...and i know how to install pedals."

Anonymous said...

Why so anti-Pista? Were you sexually abused by a Pista as a child?

Anonymous said...

Good Job! :)

Ferdinand said...

Last photo make me laugh, great blog.
Sent from my Playbook

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