Ok, way back when i was a teenager (2005) I spent some time putting in optimistic bids on cheep ebay road bikes (Trek 1000/1200 c, cannondale R500 etc) and eventualy ended up with a cannondale R500 after e-mailing the seller with a cheeky offer once the auction had ended on the off chance the buyer would pull out.

3 hours and 300quid later he delivered it (must have been desperate to get rid!)

several thousand miles, a new chain/cassette/BB/HS bearings, cables etc and its still going strong.

Just chekcing on ebay out of curiosity. And if i return it back to the same parts I bought it with its worth 350-390!

Is the credit crunch bolstering the mid/bottom end of the 2nd hand road bike market as people ditch cars?