Catering to the cycling community's curious obsession with the world's biggest online auction site, we’ve put together this new feature highlighting some of the very best bargains and oddities we’ve spotted on eBay this week.
The most seasoned of cyclists will flaunt eBay feedback numbers that seem as high as their yearly Strava mileages, and will inevitably ride a bike that seems improbably nice or, on the other hand, it’ll be a hodge-podge of bizarre nicheness.
Here are five weird and wonderful picks from eBay that you can potentially add to your collection of cycling crap.
- Six tips to guarantee your bike gets the best price on eBay
- How to buy a used or second-hand bike online
"Unique 24k gold & diamonds encrusted customised road bike"
Sorting items by the highest priced first is bound to be amusing in pretty much any category on eBay, but cycling seems to throw up a whole different level of nonsense.
Case in point is this hideous gold plated bike, priced at a princely £60k.
You'd expect a gold plated bike to be a Colnago, Pinarello, DeRosa or some other practically unobtainable lusty Italian steed, but close inspection reveals that it's a mere entry-level alloy Giant road bike.
Literally every metal part has been plated, right down to the crank bolts and the results are unsurprisingly hideous.
At least this is a good excuse to embed this song
Shimano Dura-Ace 10 pitch track groupset
Shimano Dura-Ace 10 pitch was a curious and short lived track groupset that used a chain with a 10mm pitch as opposed to the otherwise universal 12.5mm pitch.
The smaller chain allowed Shimano to achieve the same gear ratio as a normal drivetrain with smaller cogs and chainrings, dropping the overall weight of the groupset by roughly 10 percent.
Clean examples of parts from this groupset command an insane price on eBay, a good example being this set of 10-pitch specific dropouts. $150 for some stamped steel? Madness.
While I would definitely class myself as a bit of a fetishist for vintage Shimano oddities, even I draw the line at paying £500 for a pair of cranks, two chainrings and a few cogs, especially given that buying a chain to complete the groupset will cost you something in the region of £300.
Oh, and don’t forget that you’ll need a 10 pitch chain whip if you want to change cogs — good thing this one is only £55.
If you’ve come this far and still fancy a full 10-Pitch groupset, you could always hold out for a deal similar to this one, when an entire groupset including hubs, bottom bracket and chains went for a staggering £1,800.
2016 Santa Cruz Hightower
It always amazes me — and perhaps in equal measure makes me despair — when I see listings for insanely lush bikes that look like they’ve only been ridden for mere hours.
This rather lovely 2016 Santa Cruz Hightower is a prime example. Dressed to the nines in XO this and Pike RC that, the bike is pretty much dream spec for a lot of folks and a halfway decent bargain — if you can ever describe a £3k bike as a bargain — to boot.
Renegade custom eCruiser
I don’t even know where to start here.
Here at BikeRadar we’re rather fond of e-bikes — yes, even e-bikes that look a little like motorbikes — but this one just looks… wrong.
It also looks as though it might ride rather wrong, not least because it uses a coaster brake — a bloody coaster brake — on the rear.
While it’s hard to tell from the photos, I’m also fairly sure that brake lever isn’t attached to a brake and is likely acting as a throttle, making the bike doubly illegal on UK roads as e-bikes must be pedal assist and have at least two brakes. One best avoided I suspect.
2004 Fiat Multipla
Quite possibly the ugliest car of all time, the Fiat Multipla has had a place in my heart for years for its utilitarian yet naff looks.
This 2004 model has a mere 63k miles on the clock and an MOT right through 'til August next year. Take out the rear seats and I reckon you’ll have the ultimate — albeit nasty lookin’ — bike transporting #adventurewagon.
With three seats up front, you can also get cosy with your riding buddies and you won’t have to go nuts at them for mucking up the upholstery or the dash as it’s hideous and knackered already.
