At the end of last year, Bicycling asked me to write a little something about the Star Track Youth Cycling Program in New York City, which I gladly did:
My elder son participated in Star Track for two or three years, and while he’s no longer involved, I was consistently amazed by what a great program it is. It’s completely free (they even provide bikes), it’s phenomenally well-organized, and it will take a nascent bike racer as far into the sport as they want to go. Even the kids who don’t evolve into bike racers benefit tremendously; not only is the program fun, but think of all the adults you’ve come across who have decided to take up cycling either for pleasure or for transportation or both and have absolutely no foundation because like many Americans they had little exposure to bikes as a kid. Meanwhile, a Start Track kid who learned how to ride in a paceline on a fixed-gear at 9 years old is way, way ahead of the game when they grow up and decide they want to start commuting to work by Citi Bike or whatever. As far as basic life skills, being able to ride a bike competently is right up there with being able to swim, and if New York City had a Star Track in every borough we’d be a real bike city within a generation.
All of this is to say I see Star Track is looking to raise money to send riders to Nationals this year:
This immediately got me thinking, “How can I help Star Track and help myself at the same time, at no cost to me?” Then it hit me: I’ll sell a bike and give Star Track the proceeds!
This helps Star Track because money, and it helps me because I have too many road bikes. In fact, I even briefly listed the ‘Noner for sale online recently, but I took the ad down as there was too much “Can you bring the bike over so I can try it?” and not enough “I’ll come get bike and bring money.” So I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and that I might as well keep it because I really do like it–though if I can sell it and make a few bucks for Star Track then that changes the calculus considerably.
So how is this going to work? Well, at first I thought about trying to do an online raffle or something, but the last thing I need is some payment processor deciding I’m running a gambling ring and terminating my account. So I think the easiest way to do it is with a simple best bids auction. First, take a close look at the bike:
As far as size, top tube is about 56cm and head tube is 14cm. Obviously you’re not getting a show bike here; it’s scratched and dented, and the drivetrain in particular has seen lots of use. But it’s a steel frame from an esteemed builder that will probably outlive us all, and thanks to a lot of elbow grease (and Dumonde grease) on my part it’s running nicely considering the age of the components and the condition in which I received it. It’s also got a new chain, new cassette, new lever hoods, new cables, and new bar tape. Yes, those old 8-speed Ergos are going to wear out sooner or later, and when that happens you’re probably not going to want to rebuild them unless you’re a Campy-phile and already have the parts. Same goes for the rear hub–it rolls just fine, but it’s still a little rough even after I overhauled it, and if you demand perfection when you pick up your rear wheel and give it a spin you’re not going to get it. But as I say it’s working pretty good right now, so either ride and enjoy as is or just think of it as a project and get to work right away, whatever works for you. You could even give it a new paint job:
I know absolutely nothing about that stuff, but had I known about it before overhauling the ‘Noner I might have given it a try just for the hell of it.
As for how much to bid, obviously I’ll take the best one, but you’re welcome to offer anything from $1 to a gazillion dollars. It’s an old bike, so don’t be shy, no offer too low, really. If you’re in or around New York City that’s best, though I am certainly willing to box it up and send it to you. However, keep in mind that if I have to ship it I will take the cost of that into account when considering your bid. (I think the last time I shipped a road bike via Bikeflights it was around $100, and I do reserve the right to recoup my shipping costs.) As for shipping internationally, I don’t know how much of a hassle that is, so while I won’t rule it out, but I will say that if you’re here in Canada’s skid plate that will certainly work in your favor.
Okay, so with that in mind, if you’re interested in bidding on the bike send me an email with the following subject line:
‘NONER IS FOR THE CHILDREN [amount of your bid]
Please note that you should PUT THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF YOUR BID in the brackets, and if you simply put “[amount of your bid]” in the subject I will have you killed. Then in the body of the email put in any pertinent information, like whether you’re able to pick up the bike here in New York, or whether you’d need it shipped, and if so where you’re located. As of now I’m going to leave the bidding open until tomorrow, Thursday, July 11th, 10am EST, though if there’s a need to extend that I’ll let you know. Once I accept your bid I’d expect prompt payment via one of the usual payment services*, since we want to get Star Track their money while they’re still matching bids. If you need the bike shipped, it shouldn’t take me more than a few days to get that together, though again, if you’re here in New York that’s obviously best.
*[Please note if you win the auction you’re paying me, not Star Track. Star Track is not involved in this auction in any way, and for all I know they wouldn’t want to be exposed to whatever liability is involved in auctioning off a used bike. Strictly speaking, I am selling you a bike in a personal transaction between two consenting adults, and then I’m making a donation in that same amount to Star Track. And of course if you have no interest in this auction but you do want to donate directly to Star Track you should absolutely do that.]
I think that covers it! Let me know if you have any questions. Happy bidding, and may your dreams of owning a rusty vintage Canadian road bike recently overhauled by a terrible mechanic finally come true.
Love,
–Tan Tenovo
