A lovely exchange

I get a lot of requests when running auctions. This has to be one of the more amusing ones from a potential customer in the UK. 

Good day, 

Not being very familiar with your particular vernacular of the English language, would you please be so kind as to explain the meaning of the phrase "parted out". I have made an assumption based on my unfortunate subliminal ingestion of the copious amounts of "americanisms" that I've had to endure from several television programs favoured by my children,  however I feel it would perhaps be for the best if I could have a correct definition to consider before I contemplate entering into an international transaction. Thank you ever so much,  in anticipation. 

J.

p.s. Maths, and not math is surely the colloquial form of mathematics.   ;-)

Dear Sir,

I am in receipt of your electronic communication, and very pleased to have received it from a Man of Letters such as yourself. It is a highly relevant query. Please accept my sincerest apologies for diluting the English language in this manner. I suffer less from the influence of American television than I do from the dialect of the American road cyclist. "Parted out" refers to the practice of disassembling a bicycle completely, or removing one part and replacing it with another. For example, many road cyclists will remove an existing crank set and replace it with a power meter such as an SRM or Quarq. An American cyclist might say: "I parted out that Campy crank set for an SRM." I hope this explanation clarifies the meaning of the term for you and gives you the confidence to bid strongly for this crank set. If you win, and are still not satisfied you will be able to return the item under the Frame and Wheel Return policy. Thank you very much for your correspondence and good luck with the bidding.

Yours sincerely,

Fred Thomas

President

Frame and Wheel, Inc.

Sir,  

To "you"

Many, many thanks for your most considered reply.  There is absolutely no need to apologies for the propensity of your male bretheron to occasionally bastardise the mother tongue. You're most welcome to incorporate your favoured variations whenever you see fit as they serve to clearly distinguish between the "you" and the "us". Which helps 4 sure. 

Yours sincerely

US aka J