He was active on here 1hr 35mins ago…

Hora, you’re right of course – it was my mistake to trust him. However, I believe in the benevolence of STW Forumers.. and my trust in people on this Forum has over the past many years only once been proven to be wrong – with freeform5spot. Maybe I’m naive, but STW is a Community.

This morning Peter Gratwick asked for my details to pay back what he owes. Let’s see if he does. If he pays up, then so far as I’m concerned this particular matter will be closed.

If he doesn’t, well, watch this space!

Regardless: STW desperately needs some kind of Seller/Buyer Feedback rating and this would help us all as this episode has proven.

Drac – thanks, that’s good to know.

I did email the STW Mods twice about freeform5spot, but received no reply.

I think this post says it all really – there’s surely more than enough meat in here for you to look into.

If you’d like more specifics I’d be happy to help – just send me a PM or email.

An update:

I found all the recent for sale ads that ireallylovebikes (freeform5spot / Peter Gratwick / bustafajones etc) has made on Bike Radar and made a few replies..

Within less than 12hrs Bike Radar’s Moderators removed all his posts.

Plus it looks like they’ve restricted his account – see below.

I then received a PM from Peter Gratwick via Bike Radar asking for my details so that he can pay the money he owes… Let’s see if he does, and I will keep this post updated with progress.

Chipps & STW Moderators – if Bike Radar’s Mods can act so swiftly/decisively to restrict a professional trader’s abuse of their Forum why didn’t/don’t you?

.

Sounds like Marzocchi is back then!

I may pull the trigger on a pair of 44 RC3 Ti’s for my 5 Spot then…

IIRC, he forwarded me his solicitor’s response to him, which pretty much said he should pay up the 50% I’d suggested, put it down to experience and move on.

He’s obviously too stupid to even take his own lawyers advice!

What a nob.

Yes,

freeform5spot = Peter Gratwick = bustafjones

He’s a trader – and not a good one at that, see above.

He scammed me out of £300 over the Turner, Lyriks and seatpost I bought off him, as he has done to others on here.

I am sure, of course, that is a fine upstanding citizen and has reported his trading revenues to the relevant tax authority…. hmmm, who’s betting on that then? :evil:

Welcome back Freeform5spot / bustafjones / Peter Gratwick…

To clarify the errors in your reply:

You demanded the ‘quick transaction’ (not me) as you were ‘off to the Alps with your Cotic BFe and had to do it now’… hence your pressure to close the sale.

When it arrived, I raised with you my concern that the frame was a 2009 not a 2010. At no time did I accept that the frame was OK, or that paying for a 2009 frame which you sold as a “new 2010 warranty replacement” was OK.

You promised to send money for the brake caliper mounting bolt but you didn’t, did you?

You promised to send a replacement bolt, but you also didn’t do that, did you?

You did not state prior or during the sale that you had bought the forks off here and/or had never ridden them – if you recall, you sent me photos of the bike fully built up as you had been riding it, with those Lyriks on it…. so were you lying then, or are you lying now?

In any case – who and where you bought the forks from is irrelevant – you sold them via STW as being in perfect working order – then refused to take them back or pay for the repairs when TF Tuned diagnosed that they were in fact, utterly trashed.

As for the family solicitor – after your persistent refusal to even respond to my emails, calls and texts, what choice do I have? It afforded you the opportunity to put right your wrongs – which, par for the course, you ignored.

So, in summary:

– You lied about the age of the frame

– You lied about sending money to pay for the missing part, then lied again about obtaining a spare from your LBS

– You lied about the forks (TF Tuned, the experts, say they were obviously fecked – but maybe you know better?)

– You lied about the broken seatpost (Specialized UK, the experts, said they were obviously fecked – but maybe you know better?)

Still awaiting your recompense Peter… I guess the best test of whether you are genuine or not is to refund in full the £300 repair bill that I have had to foot.

Not doing so only compounds the situation.

I look forward to hearing from you.. and we’ll post the outcome on here to expose whether you can be trusted or not for everyone on this Forum to see.

How about it?

Freeform5spot,

You continue to trade on STW but you have still not settled:

– the Turner frame you sold me that was missing crucial parts to make it work

– the damaged Lyriks forks you sold me that required £230+ of repair work

– the broken dropper seatpost you sold me that required £60+ repairs

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-ideare-classified-scammers

Passing broken stuff off and getting people to pay good money for it is tantamount to stealing.

I have started to do something like that – a much smaller, edited version.

Am expecting a letter from his Solicitors imminently as a result of these posts…. :D which I look forward to ignoring as he has done me! :twisted:

Those that have bought stuff from freeform5spot and not had issues are lucky – there are several horror stories such as mine.

Chipps- we’re not talking about someone who’s just tardy getting to the Post Office. Looking at the sheer quantity of stuff freeform5spot sells on this Forum he is clearly a ‘Trader’ operating a business on STW. Furthemore, he’s doing it fraudulently – selling broken, damaged and not as described goods in my case (and others it appears!)

He sold me a Turner 5 Spot frame which he advertised as a 2010 frame (a new warranty replacement). It was in fact a 2009 frame, easily identifiable from the serial number and earlier frame features. So at a minimum he overstated/misrepresented the truth.

The Lyrik forks that came with it did not work properly and when sent to TF Tuned for inspection turned out to be completely fecked, requiring £225+ of repair work. The Mission Control cartridge is completely knackered and would require a further £120 replacement, which I did not bother with.

Furthermore, the Specialized Command Post, also included in the stuff I bought from him, was quite clearly broken and wouldn’t go up and down at all. When I sent it to Specialized they said it had suffered a major impact while in the low position and required £65 worth or repairs, new head etc, which I paid for.

All this was in May this year.

Over the course of the past 7 months I have called, emailed, texted and pleaded with Peter Gratwick/freeform5spot to try to settle the matter. I offered to split the repair costs 50/50 wit him, which he initially refused, then agreed, the refused, etc.. I also emailed the STW Mods twice about this, as I think it is simply unacceptable behaviour for the STW forum to be abused in this way.

After 5 months freeform5spot agreed to a partial refund of £60, promising a further £60 which I agreed to in full and final settlement of the matter. Of course, I’m still waiting for that (no surprise) – with no hope whatsoever of getting it.

I paid £1,500 to freeform5spot for a frame that was not as advertised, was missing a crucial part needed to even make it work, with forks that were broken, a seatpost that was broken – I’ve spent over £1,800 so far and yet he continues to trade on this forum.

Peter Gratwick/freeform5spot has given me the run around for 7 months and even threatened to set his “Family Solicitor” upon me!

People like him let STW down.

Some kind of Feedback system is a very good idea.

I’ve bought and sold stuff for years in the Classifieds- and only lately had a VERY bad experience with a regular seller that ‘trades’ on STW.

I sent several emails to the STW Moderators about the fact that this seller was selling broken, damaged and defective goods on STW plus stuff that was older than claimed in his ads – yet passing it all off as in perfect working order. Effectively, he’s abusing STW with fraudulent goods/selling practices.

I got NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER from the STW Mods – the impression I am left with is that they just don’t give a toss.

By the way, the seller was Freeform5Spot and after investigation, it transpires he has previous negative history selling on this Forum.

If you’re reading this Peter – you are welcome to contact me to finally settle the matter.

Surely that makes it Chinese? :D

I bought a used frame from Canada.

Make sure you instruct whoever you buy your stuff from to clearly write “bike parts”, not “bike” on the decsription of the contents in the applicable section of the Customs documents. The rate of Import Duty is approx 4% for parts, but it’s closer to 15% for a bike.

I eventually got a refund, but it was hassle.

Really, there’s no way of avoiding the duties.. there’s Import Duty and VAT to pay.

And the B’stards will calculate the above on TOP of the shipping charges you’ll pay.. ridiculous.

>> Dell are a step up in terms of quality

Really?

Of the 4 Dell laptops I have had, 3 have gone back to the manufacturer after repeated failures (one of which had 4 new Motherboards within 18 months) and the current one randomly suffers hardware failures.

Dell are the lowest common denominator – utter cr@p.

Cheap rubbish = false economy IME.

Pook, your Newsagent’s not the sharpest tool in the shed is he?

He should order a few more copies… duh.

Whatever used fork I buy I always figure I will have to spend another £120-ish servicing them and putting right the things are are wrong with them.

Did that with my current U Turn Lyriks (sent them to TF Tuned) and the difference was night and day.

If our budget is so severely restricted that you can’t splash out £300-£500 you really should stick with the Pike. There’s nothing wrong with the way those work, and the difference between a Pike and a Lyrik really isn’t going to massively increase your riding ability somehow.

King bearings are supposed to be regreased once per year, per the instruction leaflet that comes with the headset.

Many people don’t bother though, or don’t read the leaflet and are unaware that they should be greased annually.

Easy job.

If you’ve been greasing yours and they are knackered, time for some new ones.

Looks like Undercoat… needs colour.

I had a Roberts DOGS BOLX, a Steelman Stage Race and two Paul Sadoff-built Rock Lobster Cyclorcross frames (was on a team sponsored by hi mwhen I lived in California)..

All beautifully crafted bikes. If you want something special then custom certainly is nice… and there is a delicious pleasure in pondering what to get, what tubing, what braze-ons, what colour, what bibs n’ bobs etc.. it’s almost like foreplay!

Be careful with the geometry though and don’t let your imagination run wild. Also, be sure to go to a builder who specialises in the type of bike you want… MTB, CX, Road etc. Some builders have strange ideas if they are crossing into territory they’re not experts in.. the geometry on the Roberts DOGS BOLX I had made in 1991 was for example, just plain weird.. and I went 100% with Chas Roberts’ recommendations. It just didn’t ride as well as some of my mates off-the-peg bikes.

For something that not many will have in the UK you certainly cannot go wrong with Steelman – pure exotica. http://www.steelmancycles.com/

That’s the point….!?

If GJ Engineering can make something similar to the Park PRS3 at a lower cost they’re onto a winner.

And the Foes stand you’ve linked to is the same price…??

Namastebuzz speaks the truth.. here’s my ideal (and I’d be happy to be a test pilot for you if you wish!) :D

My criteria:
1. Clamp mechanism (not screw type), and adjustable to fit various sized seatposts

2. Heavy and flat base – not bolted down

3. Ideally adjustable for height also, but this is not a dealbreaker

The Park Tools PRS3 OS-1 is pretty much it…

http://www.parktool.com/product/deluxe-single-arm-repair-stand-less-base

Not too far from Kent is Pedal & Spoke in Peaslake, Surry.

They have multiple Santa Cruz bikes available for demo – including Blurs. Call Howard at P&S.

New York is vibrant – you won’t have a shortage of things to do as there’s just SO MUCH there.

In terms of Tourist attractions, Drofluf’s shortlist is a good starter.

I often spend hours just walking around – as did my wife and kids this summer when they were with me.

Seeing Central Park, the Staten Island Ferry, Greenwich Village, drinking Cappucino’s in wonderful little coffee houses, eating pancakes for breakfast, Seafood or Mexican for dinner, etc..

I love walking/jogging up the shorefront of the Hudson River very early morning – great time to be there as the City wakes up. Great views and some unexpectedly lovely shorefront parks. I often run sections from anywhere between 22nd Street to 108th Street.

Of passing interest to me, was that the last time I ran up there they had the Blackbird airplane (remember that?) perched up on deck of the USS Intrepid that’d docked at Hudson River Greenway & W 46th. I haven’t visited it (it wasn’t open at 6am!) but colleagues have and said the USS Intrepid Museum was worthwhile.

NYC Velo is worth a visit and buying a T Shirt, socks or baseball cap – they are an NYC institution and have many retro display bikes of interest from Bontrager, Fat Chance etc. They are big into Cyclocross too, which adds to the mix. They’re at 64 2nd Ave, cross-stree of E 4th & 2nd.

The site of the Twin Towers.. 9/11 is worth a visit – make sure you see it from the windowed gallery in the World Financial Center building opposite (river side of the WTC complex). For a really moving experience, get the Water Taxi/Ferry to Jersey City, where just north of where it docks near Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital’s buildings, you will find a memorial to those lost, including twisted wreckage, Identity cards, wrist bands and mementoes of those who died. I found it very moving.

From the South Ferry Terminal (Staten Island ferry), walk up to Wall Street and take that all in.

Grand Central Station is worth a visit – and if you walk out up the street to E 46th & Park Ave you will get the exact view of it from the film “I Am Legend” where Will Smith dangled from the booby trap.

If anyone is looking for a new Dirtworker, I have a boxed, brand new & unused one in my shed for £70 posted.

My mate’s still rocking his 1997 Specialized FSR… here’s a photo of him at Whistler on it. We just did Moab this year too.

He describes it as his “4 inch travel antique”.

And indeed it is…

Why on Earth would anyone want one – unless your King top section is knackered?

Seems pointless…

I’ve used Shimano DX’s and loved them.

BUT – once the pins are mashed (and they get mashed very easily as they are simply tiny little things that don’t take any abuse), the pedals are trashed. This is a great shame as they are virtually impossible to remove once they’re mashed, ruining what os otherwise a fantastic pedal.

Does anyone have experience with the Wellgo V12 copies? CRC have them at approx £20 a pair, which, with sealed bearings, replaceable pins etc seems a bargain. But do they last and how grippy are they?

That last one is just Gash.

Where have you been reading about it?

Iff’n yer interested, I have a brand new, boxed DirtWorker spare for £65 posted.

email in profile.

So what Category should a 46 year old like me be entering?

Doubtful that can be repaired satisfactorily – as the crack that starts at the TT/ST junction weld extends vertically down the side of the TT away from the weld.

I’d be VERY wary of riding a frame like that after a repair – it looks like an accident waiting to happen.

Just to chip in again – a DW Spot, while definitely more capable than previous TNT & HL Spots, is NOT a gnarcore/AM type bike. It’s a singletrack freak that loves to blast fast, flowy singletrack with the ebst of them. But… it can also be built to take a beating. That’s the tremendous versatility of the 5 Spot, and has been true since at least 2006 when they revised the geo to take 140mm forks.

There are plenty of folks on the Turner forum on MTBR who have built their DW Spots to 26lbs and change… and others (like me) who have them at 29lbs with burlier kit on. It’s all down to personal preference. I tried mine with Fox 32s, light tyres, and bars etc but prefer it with bigger forks and heavier tyres. It’s hardly a heavy AM bike though.

Turner has already announced their 2011 lineup and the 2011 5 Spot has a shorter headtube (therefore lower front end), 1.5ins so you can run any fork you want including zero stack and/or angleset cups, and IIRC a lower BB.

These changes make an already great bike even more versatile… Pretty much ideal then. :D

Kovarik and Lehikoinen ride for Chain Reaction though, not Intense… if they were that good they’d ride for Santa Cruz, Commencal, Specialized or one of the bigger teams.

Chain Reaction is a mail order retailer – it’s like saying they ride for Tesco’s, not for Kellogs or Heinz (the manufacturers) if you get my drift….

Anyway, the team riding Nuke Proof bikes in 2011 has been expected for a looooong time. CRC owns Nuke Proof or the vast majority of it, so they’ll be promoting those frames on their Web site in pride of place. They should be pretty good frames too, from all the R&D and testing that’s gone into them… and sold at a pretty good price (hopefully).

Chilli’s right -> the ‘bonus points’ add up to a free 1 day’s lift pass in Ski season. I’ve skied Morzine the past 4yrs and managed to get 1 free day so far… must have spent over £1,000 in passes to do that(!)

Don’t bother with slicks – the Slickrock is super-grippy and you get grip with anything.

I slashed the sidewall of a brand new folding Maxxis on a sharp rock – which seems a regular occurrence.

Take anything that has a slightly thicker sidewall.