Female friend of mine was looking at a mountainbike, and had around 400 quid to spend. She was looking at some kind of halfords special but I persuaded her to go with a 2nd hand bike which would be far better for the cash. She agreed to this and I agreed to build her a full susser for 400 quid by searching the classifieds and raiding my parts box.

Anyhows, full spec she came away with was…

Canyon xc 8 2012 frame
Fox rl fit fork (2012)
DT Swiss 1700 wheels ( forks frame and wheels all came from same bike.. in good but obviously used nick from a chap on the here – no dings etc)
XT/SLX drivetrain
Brand new Deore brakes
Ritchie wrs Stem
Brand new saddle and bar
Spesh control and maxis crossmark tyres…

So basically she has a fully functioning full bouncer for 400 quid…turns up to pick it up and first thing she says is ‘it looks second hand ‘. Next she starts complaining that the wheels are different sizes…when I point out its the tyres that are different sizes she tells me that shes never seen a bike with a fatter tyre on the front than the back and it doesn’t look right…

So she then asks if she can take the bike away and ask for a second opinion from a bike shop on its value.

At this point I was tempted to just say I’ll keep the bike and use it myself and for her to buy a spangly looking brand new carerra vengance from halfords.

Other than feeling like ranting…am I being unreasonalble with the price of the bike? For context I bought the forks, frame and wheels off a chap on here for £300, had to buy the brakes, saddle, BB and bars new, and supplied everything else for free…

rant over…

Needs pics, and not of the bike before we can advise you of the correct course of action 😉

A convoluted and expensive fail to get a donald duck ?

I’d say both parties are being reasonable.

You’ve built her a very nice bike that is astonishing value and will be much better than what she had in mind.

But she wanted a new MTB and you’ve not got her one, you’ve got her a parts bin special, albeit a very nice on.

Both of you are correct, but neither will be happy.

steel4real hits nail on head

ha ha….typical useful STW response!..nah shes not too shabby but not for me, had the opportunity a few times :-)..cracking rack however.

I think lunge has it – the bike she had in her head isn’t what you’ve delivered albeit that you’ve done a good job.

People think £400 is top of the range so any imperfection is going to cause raised eye brows.

point of note note…she knew it was going to be second hand…she just didn’t expect it to have any marks on it for some reason…????

her comments about the tyre sizes left me shaking my head in disbelief..

Wow that’s super shity of her. Sounds like a fantastic build. The tyre thing is nuts….

pics?

Different brand tyres front and back? I wouldn’t have it either.

Just keep it. She’s under the impression that you’ve done it to make a few bob in the deal, whilst you were under the impression that you were doing her a massive favour. (Whatever your motives 😉 ) obviously you haven’t made clear just how much personal effort you’ve gone to, or she’s one of those pretty girls that are used to getting men to do everything for them all the time for the price of a smile and fluttered eyelashes. Either way, keep it or sell it to someone who’ll appreciate it…

I’m with her on the tyres thing though, lol

Sounds like her expectations weren’t managed – not that that’s your fault – but it pays to be clear with these things with friends/family when doing “favours”.

pics of rack please – Blackburn of Tubus?

Itemise the cost of parts and how many hours labour etc and total it all up with labour charged at £40ph and see how she likes it.
Just paint the f’ing thing pink and she’ll love it. 🙄

is she fit?

2/10 for the rant. Failure to overuse punctuation, no random capitalisation, coherent argument and perfect spelling. It’s a generous 2.

Al 😀

She doesnt understand bikes.
She understands colours, shapes and shinyness.

The colours and symmetry dont compute in her head with her vision of what a bike should look like.

Return her money and flog the bike – presumably you’ll get at least that much back. Then go on and on about how much profit you made

Course, the bike shop may well tell her that she’s got a bargin, in which case you might get yer oats after all 😀

You (and a lot of us I expect) fail to understand she probably doesn’t much give a shit about how it performs. Hence the problem with its image.

she hasn’t even paid for the bike yet! She gets paid at the end of the month..

I am a mug…i don’t even want to nail her so a good deed for nothing….

lesson learned…

Given I won’t really miss the money I’m almost hoping the bike shop tell her shed be better with something new…just to see what piece of shit she walks way with..

I’d happily keep it for myself as I’m looking for a nice 120mm trail bike…but its a bit on the small side for me.

I’ll give you £500.
You can spend the other £100 on Moonpig “a massive rack does not excuse douchebaggery” cards to her.

Definitely need pics (of the bike that is).

You’ve built her a mountain bike when all she wanted was a nice bike.

Will she be flinging it down rocky descents, or trundling canal towpaths? If the latter then I’m afraid you’ve read her wrong and wasted your time when a shiny new bike from Decathlon would have been better.

…and as for odd tyres – you need your head looking at!!! 😉

I’ll give you £401? I dont have a nice rack though.

Edit, beaten to it…

she wants it for glentress and the pentlands, both of which shes been to before.

As for the tyres, I said if shes that bothered about them I have 2 highrollers in my cupboard she can have, Horrible heavy draggy things which I deliberately didn’t give her as shes slow enough as it is…but at least they look the same!

From experience women dont compute second hand or logic, let her toddle down to halfords and be spoken to by a man who persuades her to buy a cheap bike that will put her off cycling for good.

she wants it for glentress and the pentlands, both of which shes been to before.

That’s runied a few of the theories by the “experts on women and what they want” 😆

I don’t want it but I have several racks, some nice. I have a BNIB Tubus thingumybob that needs a boik to complete the ensemble and a 30 year old Blackburn from when they were good and made in the USofA oh and some other ones that have boiks attached.

Is confused. What is a douche bag? Is it a bit like a rack bag?

From experience women dont compute second hand or logic

🙄

Could get more interesting if she trades it in or sells it to the bike shop.

OP – Tell her she’s welcome to get it valued, no problem at all – and she’s also welcome to pay you the price the bike shop suggests it’s worth.

😉

Is confused. What is a douche bag?

Google it…

Given I won’t really miss the money I’m almost hoping the bike shop tell her shed be better with something new…just to see what piece of shit she walks way with..

You’re really not getting this are you? If the bike shop gives her a bike which is a) new and b) pretty then it’s better than the heap you’re offering*

*in her eyes – woman logic

Don’t sell it to her, it will be no end of trouble – it will always have something wrong with it that will be your fault.

Let her spend her 400 on something new and smash it up at glentress. Lend her this one whilst she gets the other one fixed, but don’t sell it to her unless she begs you to.

tomhoward – Member
Is confused. What is a douche bag?
Google it…

Nah I suspect it’s some silly Yankee affectation spouted by faux ‘Mericans who’ve been brainwashed…

Don’t sell it to her, it will be no end of trouble – it will always have something wrong with it that will be your fault.

Sage-like advice.

I’d let her take it to the shop, allow them to tell her she’s got a bargain and then tell her to piss off down to Halfords.

Nah I suspect it’s some silly Yankee affectation spouted by faux ‘Mericans who’ve been brainwashed…

😆

It’s the new “asshat”.

.

Not saying that’s necessarily the case but the more the OP writes (though others are pushing him), the less sympathetic he becomes.

eh? What you on about? Did you read the context at all before coming to that assumption? I suggested she buy second, she agreed, then I offered to source and build the bike, donating lots of spare kit for free. I should also say I showed her a link to the frame and forks she was getting…

Where have I suggested ‘god like effort’? All I’ve stated was that I think its fair to say I’ve done her a favour, for which I’ll likely be £400 quid out of pocket (in the short term at least).