ctak

Asking for a friend: Is this 1985 ST-400 touring bike actually worth $1700? Seems a little optimistic but what do I know?

eBay link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Cannon...4AAOSwfKhgFhtT

The seller, Freewheel_bikes_madison, seems to have quite the inventory

bargainguy

Not a realistic value, especially with the beat up paint.

This outfit operates as a charitable organization. But like their BBC competitor across town, they ask eye-watering prices.

bikemig 

That price is way off. That co-op posts a lot of bikes on eBay and their prices are very, very high. Plus a lot of the inventory they put up is remarkably beat up. I paid $200 for a 1985 Cannondale ST 400 that was pretty much all original and it was in fine shape. I rebuilt it with a triple and shimano 7 speed indexing. It is a terrific bike.

ARider2

Seems way overpriced not only considering the many defects in the paint but apparently it is in need of mechanical work. For that price it would have to have excellent paint and be completely overhauled but even then it would be too high.

shelbyfv

I had a perfect red one I upgraded to 700c wheels and Ultegra 9 speed triple, sold for under $500 pre-covid.

rccardr 

Oof. That’s a $100 bike, tops. Mixed components, awdul condition, teeny size.
Even if it does have a BCC sticker on it.

bark_eater 

I've bought Panaracer tires ftom them before. They raise and lower prices all the time. I'm going to guess that this bike isn't really for sale right now, like the rest of the cool bikes they have up right now. You might get it much cheaper for cash right now at their store, or wait a couple of months till it's on sale for 60% off and only 4 times what it's worth.

Celeste Mike

The good news is these older ST's seem to pop up on Craigslist or FB Marketplace with some regularity, although the extra small size seems to be rare.

mstateglfr 

Madison freewheel just sucks.
I bought a mid90s trek 930 from them in the late summer, it was half broken(not described at all) and packaged horribly with damage from that too.

Their current trend of slapping random mismatched parts on a bike and calling it a gravel or touring, and then asking crazy $ is eyerolling.

fishboat

+2

I see their ads all the time..insane. I saw a Trek 790 Multitrack (hybrid) recently..may still be around.. where they wanted $1700. On a good day, if in very good condition, it may be worth $200. I've looked at a number of their bikes and they're often in ratty condition with absurd pricing. I don't even look at their offerings anymore..not worth the time.

Junk...run away.

Kobe 

With this seller, if you put one of their bikes on your watch list, they will send you an offer to buy it at half their asking price. Half is still 3 or 4 times what it is usually worth.

Celeste Mike

Here's another one I just came across for sale as a good example. '89 maybe. (I paid less than half this for mine and it was practically NOS.)

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...8312064824059/

bbader

good luck with that.

Senrab62 

Madison freewheel you can sometimes get parts cheap, and they do ship quickly, bit their pricing model and propensity to overinflate prices on everything all the time is awful. They used to price stuff fairly, and claim to be a charity, but recently I question the validity of that.

I purchased two sets of panaracer folding tires for 85 shipped during last summer. They increased some Soma's I was watching from 26 per to 74 per and cited demand and lack of inventory. Change of management perhaps?

guy1138

Here's a similar vintage Cannondale ST-600 (actually a touring bike with mounts and cantis) That I sold for $365 last spring before the bike crunch really hit. I would expect to get closer to ~$450 now.

Mine was pretty mint except the gel in the saddle was worn out and the tires needed replacing (held air but were dried out.) I often don't change out tires or saddle on the nicer bikes and let the new owner get what they want since it's such a personal choice.

mosinglespeeder

they are good solid bikes but buddy just scored near new one, 1 ben franklin, so i'd say your good for 2-300 all day long

OutnBack

Here is an 86 ST400 I picked up yesterday for $60. It came with a biopace triple crank, Shimano 600 Calipers, Levers, Headset, & F & R Derailleurs, a pair of Jandd Racks (Front rack mounted incorrectly by the seller), & Dura-Ace Bar-end shifters. (The shifters don't play well w/ the 6 speed freewheel, so it will be replaced w/ the Sumtour Barcons in the parts bin. Bosses for 3 Water Bottles & mid-fork rack mounts, It needs all new consumables. None of the components match the 86 catalogue, so I'm assuming it was originally sold as a frameset. The paint & decals are in fantastic shape. The photos were taken before I even had a chance to wipe the bike down.