donnasimek

Hello, I have a vintage Trek 970 and trying to figure out what it is worth. I bought it in 1983 and used it for racing and triathlons. It is in good shape and rode it recently as last year. It has a full set of Campagnolo gear with Cinelli handlebars. It was made with the Columbus tubing and is red with yellow highlights. Any help would be appreciated.

cb400bill

Pic Assist - Picture by donnasimek | 33759298 | (bikeforums.net)

cb400bill

donnasimek

Thank you for posting the pictures.

cb400bill

Brochure pic

AdventureManCO 

Beautiful bike and my size. Love it. Had an '81 that was too small for me. Really enjoyed the feel of that frame.

FWIW, I paid about $400 for mine a few years back, had all the Campy Super Record bits and is good condition.

donnasimek

Thank you

nesteel 

$400 would be an incredible deal in a 970 in the condition of the bike in the photos. Double that.

wrk101

I agree. Now I would not pay double, someone who wants this bike would. Top of the line Trek racing bike from back in the day.

It is very location specific. In my area, nothing at that price sells. Hopefully Boston market is a lot better.

donnasimek

We will.see. Thanks for the input.
Where is the best place to sell it? eBay?

wrk101

Best as in highest proceeds? Or best in terms of easiest/convenient? Prices go up with lower convenience. Many markets are dead in regards to most vintage bikes. In my market, I may be the ONLY buyer. So if I pick something up, I have to either sell it to myself or sell it on ebay.

SurferRosa

If you fully refurbish it with a full overhaul, new consumables and new decals (an investment of many, many hours and $140-$240 in materials), in a big market, you might be able to yield about the same price locally as what you'll likely get on eBay for the as-is condition you have now. Still, I know what I'd do for a bike like this.

donnasimek

what would you do? 😀

Kabuki12

Lately eBay has worked for me . Just brace yourself and price the bike knowing that the bay takes 13.5 % ! I usually let the buyer pick it up or handle the shipping. I offer to box it up with a fee for materials like pipe insulation and zip ties . The market , even for really nice bikes , is pretty slow and prices are down. You may do better parting it out, unfortunately.

wrk101

Sell enough on ebay and you will get that pesky 1099. Still worth it IMO particularly if you live in a so so market.

Sadly, 90% of my sales are part outs. First, part outs tend to yield 2X or even 3X what I can get for the bike complete. I have one right now, parts should yield about $1200. Complete, at best I would get $400, even on eBay. And parts are MUCH easier to ship than complete bikes. Even wheels and frames are easier to ship, and many so so frames don't bring enough to bother with. And some wheels, the hubs may have 90% of the value.

One thing to remember about evil parter outers, is when you are looking for that one part to complete your rebuild, often it came from a part out.

I sold a 9XX Trek frame (Columbus tubing) once to a guy in Philly via eBay. He was happy, then asked if I could sell him some parts for the rebuild. So I sold him a build kit, which was the collection of parts I took off to sell the frame. He was happy, I was happy.

Kabuki12

Yes , this is unfortunately where we are with vintage road bikes. I am downsizing right now and have already sold two for cheaper than I wanted but I am fine with it. The next one is up for sale on the bay and if it doesn't sell , I will strip it down and part it out. It is mostly Campagnolo and all original . I only paid a little for the bike but spent an entire weekend cleaning it and getting it on the road .I have enjoyed the heck out of it so I feel no loss. Pedal on , Joe

Chombi1 

If there-s no rust, dents and the paint has very minimal chips ajd scratches, cleaned, polished up and re-decaled, the bike could bring very good money. Maybe $850ish+/-. A Trek uber fan/collector might pay up to $1K for it, but those guys will most likely expect almint condition bike with perfecr original paint and graphics.
the full Campy Super Record drivetrain ajd Columbus (SL?) tubing really helps boost up the value. You might actually make more if you part the bike out, but thst would be a shame, as the bike is complete with all its original equipment.