Commenting on bikes for sale

[Maria Parker]

We are delighted to offer this as a place for people to list and sell their used Cruzbikes. Please only post on the ads below if you have questions about the bike for sale because of an interest in purchasing it. Thank you!

 

[Art G]

Thanks so much for providing this service!

 

[bugspit]

Would be nice to see the State where the bike is being sold in the title.

Just my two cents from someone looking for a bike in the south.

 

[Ramnob42]

I've heard it's best not to put personal addresses, phone numbers and such in post when buying in the market place. The entire internet will have access to that information, It's better to send the information in a conversation( envelope beside your name, on task bar ). That way only you and the other people in the conversation should have access to that information.

 

[LarryOz]

be suspicious of "new members" selling stuff too. ask for their person email and then via a reply to that -ask for a GPS encoded picture of the bike they are selling so you can confirm they actually have the bike in the location they are claiming. This is about the only way I know to confirm it and not get scammed.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I often use Google Images to do a reverse image search when I see a new ad appear here. Just drop the pic into the search bar on Google Images (desktop computer) and I can usually see where else that picture has been uploaded. Scammers often say the bike is in a location other than where the original uploader took the pic, and sometimes the background doesn't match the scammer's location claim. In private chat posing as a potential buyer I'll claim I'm in the same city and ask to see the bike in person. Any excuse rings alarm bells and leads to more questions that I'll be able to corner them into being unable to produce proof.
One of them is asking them if they are near the bike right now, and once they say they are I'll ask them to take a pic measuring something such as the chainstay or boom length because I want to make sure the bike fits. That usually catches them.

 

[roons]

be suspicious of "new members" selling stuff too. ask for their person email and then via a reply to that -ask for a GPS encoded picture of the bike they are selling so you can confirm they actually have the bike in the location they are claiming. This is about the only way I know to confirm it and not get scammed.

How long are you a "new member"? The reason i ask is that i joined in July 2024 and am still listed as such.
Also because i will be selling my S40 soon.

 

[LarryOz]

How long are you a "new member"? The reason i ask is that i joined in July 2024 and am still listed as such.

I think you need to have at least 6 posts to fall off the new member list. Just bring up 6 different things and reply a few words in each.

 

[Frito Bandito]

How long are you a "new member"? The reason i ask is that i joined in July 2024 and am still listed as such.
Also because i will be selling my S40 soon

I am not sure if you have been watching the last couple of scammers who have posted here, but they are getting quite good at coming off as a legit seller. If I were a new member and selling a bike here I would be prepared to provide a pic of the bike customized for a potential buyer (for example sending a pic in PM of a piece of paper with the buyers name on it) but also to do a video call on Skype, LINE, Whatsapp or other similar apps so that the buyer can see I have the bike in my possession, and can likely see the condition of the bike in real time. As a matter of fact I wouldn't buy a used bike or even frame set unless the new member was willing to do a video call. Call me picky, but I would never send $2K-$5K to a seller if he got huffy providing the pics I ask for to show proof the bike is real, and to confirm that I am not getting a cracked frame or something else he failed to disclose.

Finally, I would only use a form of payment that protects both the seller and buyer. Non-native English speakers make common grammatical mistakes, but online translators and AI sometimes leave clues that the poster is using them. Those clues are hard to differentiate between scammers and people who just use sloppy English. A sketchy sign is an ad that sounds like it was written by an Ivy League professor.

 

[roons]

Really appreciate your perspective. I wouldn't be willing to pay good money without some assurances either.
And no, I am not aware of scammers - will look more carefully.
Thanks

 

[Ken C]

I often use Google Images to do a reverse image search when I see a new ad appear here. Just drop the pic into the search bar on Google Images (desktop computer) and I can usually see where else that picture has been uploaded. Scammers often say the bike is in a location other than where the original uploader took the pic, and sometimes the background doesn't match the scammer's location claim. In private chat posing as a potential buyer I'll claim I'm in the same city and ask to see the bike in person. Any excuse rings alarm bells and leads to more questions that I'll be able to corner them into being unable to produce proof.
One of them is asking them if they are near the bike right now, and once they say they are I'll ask them to take a pic measuring something such as the chainstay or boom length because I want to make sure the bike fits. That usually catches them.

Great advice, I would also request a video chat filming every detail on the bike zoomed in really close.

 

[St Pretz]

How long are you a "new member"? The reason i ask is that i joined in July 2024 and am still listed as such.
Also because i will be selling my S40 soon.

may be related to your number of posts....just thinking...

 

[St Pretz]

may be related to your number of posts....just thinking...

I have been ghosting Cruz for a couple of years....continuing to ride my Nazca Gaucho and thinking - Cruzbike....

 

[Frito Bandito]

I have been ghosting Cruz for a couple of years....continuing to ride my Nazca Gaucho and thinking - Cruzbike....

What model of Cruzbike are you thinking of?

 

[St Pretz]

Not b

What model of Cruzbike are you thinking of?

Not being a tourer, am thinking S40… but I do some gravel so, scratch my head and lean toward a Q45-4x….thinking S40 and. Wondering if I would benefit from a bike that is 8 lbs lighter or so. I am 6’ and 235… so a bit of a lump.so the more substantial bike is likely a more appropriate choice.

maybe this winter…

cheers

Sven

 

[Frito Bandito]

Not b

Not being a tourer, am thinking S40… but I do some gravel so, scratch my head and lean toward a Q45-4x….thinking S40 and. Wondering if I would benefit from a bike that is 8 lbs lighter or so. I am 6’ and 235… so a bit of a lump.so the more substantial bike is likely a more appropriate choice.

maybe this winter…

cheers

Sven

I don't do gravel, just flat roads where bike weight isn't really an issue for me. So I am not sure which of those would be better for you, but I am not put off by the ideas of a "beefy" bike especially for big guys. I am sure a few guys who do gravel on their CBs will chime in.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Not b

Not being a tourer, am thinking S40… but I do some gravel so, scratch my head and lean toward a Q45-4x….thinking S40 and. Wondering if I would benefit from a bike that is 8 lbs lighter or so. I am 6’ and 235… so a bit of a lump.so the more substantial bike is likely a more appropriate choice.

maybe this winter…

cheers

Sven

I have both the S40 and Q45. I rode the S40 around the whole perimeter of the US a few years ago (https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3d2&doc_id=23455&v=2YR). The only issue I had was bad recumbutt. I have a Thor Carrier seat and on the S40, it sits up too high, putting a lot of weight on my butt. Every day I had to deal with it by stopping every 20 miles or so and walking around for 5 minutes. But even then, I had pain most of the time. I weighted about 220 lbs. When I got home I bought a Q45 and modified it to have a very low back, maybe 30 degrees. That got rid of the recumbutt, but the bike was a lot heavier, especially since I added a Rohloff Speedhub to it. After a lot of farting around, I went back to my S40, but I jury-rigged the seat to lay back to about 30 degrees. It works perfectly. No recumbutt. In this configuration, I plan to do the Southern Tier bike route and then go down Florida to the Keys and back up again on the other side. That ride starts Sept 25 from San Diego. BTW, I'm not using panniers this time. I'm using a light weight trailer with a 100 liter dry bag on it. I have lost weight (185 lbs) but headed to 165 if possible (Thank you GPL-1). The hills going around the US were murder at my weight. After the first 7500 miles around the US, I converted my S40 to an e-bike and finished the last 2500 with that. I only used the electricity when I could not get up a hill in first gear. That made the tour fun. But now I'm back to the S40 without a motor.

My opinion is at your weight, you will likely have recumbutt issues with either the unmodified S40 or Q45 if you ride more than 30 miles at a time. The Q45 is a lot easier to modify, but, like I said, it feels a lot heavier than the S40 going up hills.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[Black Hawk Down]

How long are you a "new member"? The reason i ask is that i joined in July 2024 and am still listed as such.
Also because i will be selling my S40 soon.

I don't know how long but, at some point I was able to go into my profile and change my text under my picture to whatever I chose. Try that first.