Due to there not really being any solid way of making payment, and being protected, it looks like I will be going on a 350mile 320mile round trip this weekend to collect a bike.

Am I being an idiot, or does everyone, at some point, make a pack lunch and accept sometimes you got to travel to get the bike you want?

p.s If anyone knows of a safe way to send £700 then I am all ears. Paypal, outside of eBay, doesn’t fill one with confidence.

Unless it’s a very special £700 bike, I wouldn’t bother. Something else will come up nearer. On the other hand, if you’re in a rush and you don’t mind spending on a tank of fuel, why not? Combine it with a ride in another part of the country?

Where is the bike? In the past there have been a few volunteers on here to go and check stuff out for members / buyers.

A kind member on here who I trusted went into Halfords in Edinburgh (I’m in Brighton) and paid for a bike for me after I sent them funds.

Maybe there’s someone on here who could help you?

Where is the bike?

Worthing.

On the other hand, if you’re in a rush and you don’t mind spending on a tank of fuel, why not?

To soften the blow, I have negotiated to have that subtracted from the sale. So it’s costing me the time mostly.

Thank heavens you were not negotiating with a tradesman

about 100 miles each way for kids bikes but i went to whinlatter afterwards so not the worst day trip.

There’s some nice riding on the Downs around Worthing 🙂

(I would offer to help but this weekend is not good for me)

I asked the Q due to this:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/edinburgh-currie

I’m sure if you posted “Anyone in Worthing could do us a favour for a Beer/….” then you’d be quids in.

(I would offer to help but this weekend is not good for me)

Thanks for nothing, Luke 😡

😀

I had someone drive up here (Glasgow) last week to collect a velomobile, from Norfolk. The last velomobile went to someone who drove up from Brighton.

320 is not that bad, but try going by train it would probably be a lot easier.

If they’re going to the Big Dog the following weekend and you can wait then I could be your man 🙂

I drove from Rye ,East Sussex to York for this

I should add I do have previous, as I rode my motorbike up to Preston to test ride a Rock Lobster from Merlin Cycles, then rode home and ordered it 8)

320 is not that bad, but try going by train it would probably be a lot easier.

After the last time I tried to take a bike on a train, I would rather ride it home.

Plus, it’s 2 changes and more than petrol cost…£67 return.

Do you think the seller could be dodgy or you just want to see the bike first? I’ve bought and sold stuff for more than £700, from/to random strangers…all using Paypal. Why are you averse to using them? Doing it that way, as well as using a tracked courier, is there really that much that can go wrong?

I’m always more bothered about buyers, rather than sellers (unless a deal seems too good to be true).

I love it ? Worth the time and the petrol.Had a shocking toad in the hole at a little chef near Notts?

Do you think the seller could be dodgy or you just want to see the bike first? I’ve bought and sold stuff for more than £700, from/to random strangers…all using Paypal. Why are you averse to using them? Doing it that way, as well as using a tracked courier, is there really that much that can go wrong?

Don’t think they are dodgy, but as many cases on STW have shown, you cannot always tell. I would just like to have recourse in case something did go wrong such as bike not as described/doesn’t turn up.

I suppose there are worse places to go than Brighton. Unless the sun comes out again, then it will be stacked.

I went down to the outskirts of London to pick up my Turner. Google tells me it was 155 miles each way. I went on the train, caught up with some reading, played some angry birds, it was nice. Had to change at Stevenage though……might miss that bit out next time 😯

12 miles, and then a ride on the trails in the hills from the shop, and the shop is in the hills so not far (made a great demo ride too before purchasing) 😀

Other bikes have been shops in town wherever I’ve been and a frame delivered to me at home.

Someone I knew I think bought on ebay or something and then arranged to meet the guy to collect using cash from a motorway service station. Very dodgy. Have heard of people getting mugged doing that and end up with nothing or even a kick in the head.

Personally I wouldn’t buy from ebay/gumtree and possible not pinkbike. ebay/gumtree especially as the odds on it being nicked, damaged, dodgy or just plain problems with the deal are very high.

Baghdad, Iraq (from the US). The army sent me there. I bought a BSO-kinda bike at the PX.

North Leicestershire to Southampton for an XL Dr Jekyll, took hours and he didn’t even offer me a drink. Ended up driving up a footpath as well. It was a fun adventure.
I wouldn’t think twice about travelling miles for a decent bike.

Sheffield. From Huddersfield.

Hth

Drove to Wales to a Halfords that had the last one of two white furys and they wouldn’t transfer it, bought my Blur LT2 from a Guy in the North East and funnily enough a Cube XMS from a guy in …worthing Sussex
All these from Notts( in a company car using their fuel, company no longer trading and was already going tits up so I thought make the most of it)
Wouldn’t hesitate for the right bike

I think the serious question here is why you would want to return to P’boro 😆
HTH

What you getting?

160m round trip (and an unplanned jaunt over Gatescarth and Harter Fell) for a Specialized Enduro

We had no intention of riding that far…just took a wrong turn at Longsleddale really!

Just do it if it ticks the boxes

Birmingham to That dirty London for a Cotic X, but i was going to a gig at the RAH so two birds one stone

It’s a day at the seaside innit?
Go to Brighton for the day then pick the bike up in the evening.
I can think of far worse places to go.

I had a four and a half hour round trip (Stafford – Bristol) to sell a bike. We met half way from where he lived, so we both had about a 4-5 hour drive. Can’t you get the seller to do the same ie meet half way?

It will be this Saturday. TDF route from Leeds to Harrogate, 130 miles 😕

What you getting?

Abuse 🙁

I think the serious question here is why you would want to return to P’boro

Paypal goods is a pretty safe way to pay for stuff IMO, you have general recourse for making a claim if it goes wrong.

My questions would be:

Where did you see the bike?
Have you spoken to the seller?
Do they know everything about the bike?
Do they appear to know about bikes, and ride?

Posting by CityLink is about £40 fully insured, or you can pay about £15 to send it via a Local Bike Shop.

I wouldn’t waste my time for a 600 mile round trip for a £700 bike, I’d get it couriered and pay by PP Goods. Done this *loads*, and never had a issue with goods. (Gift is a different story, unless you’re confident I’d stick with Goods).

i went from Helsinki all the way to Stockport for a bike, a few weeks ago now. Tbh, it was quite a faff

There’s a guy I follow on Twitter who flew from London to Sydney just to be measured for a bike.

It was a Baum but it still counts?

On the reverse side of things – someone drove over 150 miles to pick up a bike from me and wanted to pay by cheque!

He completely failed to grasp why I said “err… no thanks – cash please!” – and I sent him on his way without the bike.

I drove 200 miles from Manchester to Innerleithen to pick a bike up from Alpine Bikes there. But can you think of a better place to be when you’ve just taken possession of a new bike? We made a weekend of it 😀

I’ve done a 400 mile round trip to get a bike. Friends went from Brighton to Inverness to pick up a car.

I went from Exeter to N. Wales to collect a bike.

Honestly, if it’s the bike you want, just ask yourself ‘would I pay x for the bike + fuel?’ If the answer’s ‘yes’ then do it!

yep drove to Carlise from Bristol and back (via a trail visit at Kielder) to buy my bike – 600 mile round trip

but my folks live in Hexham so i suppose its cheating as i stayed the night with them