Ease Up There, Buck-O

I was scanning the “Bikes” section on the Charlotte Craig’s List site today, as I normaly do, when I ran across and interesting listing. Here is the content of that listing, word for word, exactly how it appears on Craig’s List:

“re: WTB TREK ad (China)
Reply to: see below Date: 2009-06-10, 7:32AM EDT

Hate to break the news to you. But...... All low end Treks (basically anything below $2K) are made in the same factory as Specialized & Giant in China or Taiwan.

Heck.... I wouldnt be surprized if you added Huffy, Schwinn and Murray and other Wallmart bikes to that list. It is obviious that you are attempting to be brand loyal (you should try being bike shop loyal instead). and I can respect that.

But ask yourself a few questions.....

Would you really care about Trek if it werent for Lance? Are you truly a serious enough cyclist to be consious of the subtle differences between these low end frames? Do you really need to pay a premium for the same old stuff?

(Example....my Wife goes to the Farmers Market in January for tomatoes. It is pretty obvious that none of the produce is grown locally , rather they come from the same fields in Mexico, Does she habitually go to the same stand each time and deal with the Venders in broken english even though their Mexican tomatoes are $1.29 /pound when she go five feet away and get them for .99cents? No.

My suggestion is to keep trolling Craigslist like we all do and keep your eye open for a well equipped used buke that fits you and forget this whole Trek thing.

Or..... you can go to Wallmart and pick up a Next Mtb for $69 load it in your car and go to Hobby Lobby. Aisle 12 is the decal aisle. Pick out a set of decal letters that closely match the Trek Logo (oh yeah...dont forget numbers...enough for 3700 or 4500) Go home put the decals on and ride.

VIOLA! A BRAND NEW TREK 4500! Just be sure to re-assemble the bike and make sure all the nuts and bolts are good and tight (Doubt the High school kid in Wallmarts backroom did a very good job)

Good luck on your Quest......Hey Quest?? Thats another one coming off the same assembly line as Trek!”

Whoa! If you’re like me, your first thought was something like, “Holy cow, what did the dude wanting to buy a Trek say to this dude to get him all riled up?” So, I went and looked at the original post. Here it is word for word:

“WTB Trek Mountain Bike - $1 (University)
Reply to: mailto:sale-wkgze-1214328929@craigslist.org?subject=WTB%20Trek%20Mountain%20Bike%20-%20%241%20(University) [Errors when replying to ads?]Date: 2009-06-10, 6:43AM EDT

I am looking for a TREk mountain bike that is in very good condition. I would like a mid-level bike (3700 or 4500) that has been taken care of. Please let me know what you have available and the asking price and also include picures if available. corey_mackinnon@yahoo.com Thanks"

The audacity of some people.