01-28-2007, 07:02 PM
|
#3 (permalink)
|
| | Re: Biria Bikes?
In article <45bd311c$0$28170$4c368faf@roadrunner.com>,
"Bill Sornson" <askme@ask.me> wrote:
> A dear friend of mine (older lady, sedentary but in good health and shape)
> just bought a Biria bike from an unknown-to-me shop in our beach area. A
> quick net search indicates she got an EZ Boarding Top 3 (Nexus 3-speed):
> http://www.biria.com:80/bicycles/ez/eb_top_3.jsp.
>
> I stopped by to see it and it's very cool, but the front fender (a bit
> off-center) has a small dent and the white paint has an unsightly blem on
> the down tube. (Looks like grease but doesn't come off.) Also, the springs
> on the front brake looked rusty to me -- not terribly so, but not brand new
> either. (The handlebar has a small scuff that looks like a bell or
> something was installed on it.) The bike was represented as new to her.
>
> She's having buyer's remorse somewhat, so I told her I'd research a little.
> She paid $270.00 out the door for it, but the guy didn't give her an owner's
> manual or paperwork until she went back and then it was just a tag and the
> Shimano Nexus Hub technical instructions. I doubt they were for that
> particular bike. No registration material, either.
The manual and paperwork are probably routinely witheld from the
customer, not out of malice, but because most don't even want to know
the gory details.
> Still, the bike seems solid and well made. The prices I "quick saw" on the
> net were a good deal higher ($350 +), so maybe she did OK?
Less than $300 for a bike with a Nexus-3 hub sounds quite reasonable.
It's a specialty bike, so there's not a lot to compare it to, but if the
aluminum frame is built well enough, that sounds pretty good.
> I seriously doubt she'll ride the bike much, but the design is ideal ("easy
> boarding" is quite apt) AND it fits in the back of her car without removing
> anything. Other than a folder, I can't imagine anything better suited to
> her needs.
The only thing I'd be worried about is whether someone who would want a
low-stepover bike would be strong enough to lift a 31-pound bicycle into
a car. For that matter, what does she drive, a PT Cruiser? I'm seriously
interested.
> What do you folks think? I wrote her a "preliminary" reassuring e-mail just
> now, but also said I'd ask around for more opinions.
Seems to be that if the blems were the reason for the low price, she has
no complaint. Otherwise, I might mention it to the shop.
--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos
|
|
|  |