SeaOtter

My father (an avid road bike collector/rider) passed some time ago, leaving me a fair number of road bikes to manage/dispose of. I've only recently come to terms with the need to sell them but, honestly, don't know what I have in many cases. Nor do I have much idea of how best to go about selling them (ebay, craigslist, etc).

I thought I'd begin by asking you fine folks to help me get an idea of how valuable the bikes are and how best to go about selling them. Most bikes/frames are on the larger side (my father was approximately 6'3"), they typically are 80's and 90's model frames with period correct, if not original, groupos, wheels, etc.

I grabbed the first frame I came to to begin this process with you. I've taken several photographs of this first bike, a Klein. I've no idea of the year built and am having trouble reading the serial number on the bottom bracket. It has a Shimano Santi groupo (front and rear breaks, derailleurs). I haven't been able to figure out the mfg of the seat post or the headset. All decals appear to be in great shape.

I'm hopeful to get your help, not only with valuation but also tips for successful selling.

I've attached some of the photos I've taken of the bike that I think are a fair representation. This being a 'ridden' bike, there are blemishes (nicks and scuffs to the paint) which I have photographed but not included here. Please feel free to ask questions as if you're the prospective purchaser as I need to learn what to expect. Just understand that these are my father's bikes. So there are questions that I likely am incapable of answering.

I'm not a 'bike guy' by the way. I did ride some with my father but, I never got much beyond that.

Thanks in advance.

KonAaron Snake 

Most Klein’s aren’t going to be hugely valuable; the market for vintage aluminum isn’t typically robust...but Klein does have its fans.

Just to simplify this - what I’m about to say will apply to almost every sale:

First - value depends on how you sell it, where you sell it, and your effort selling it. You need to decide how much time you want to spend on this vs. how much you need to make.

Keep in mind that to maximize value, most higher end bikes have to be sold on eBay...that means shipping them, which is not easy to do right. It’s time intensive. Prepping them for a max value sale is time intensive and means learning to repair stuff and buying materials. Usually the best way to max value is to part everything out - very time intense.

Depending on your market, and the bikes, you’re probably best off selling on CL and not expecting max value.

curbtender

Sea Otter? You in Monterey?

merziac

Welcome aboard, glad you found us, we are glad to help.

I would encourage you to go around, say "Hi" and or comment on other threads, get a feeling for what you have and post lots of pics, we need em to help you much better and it will generate it here as well.

I would also encourage you to consider keeping one or two at least. I would be so happy to have Dads bikes, alas he did not ride. This could be your ticket to the show, working on them can be very satisfying and either build or take advantage of your mechanical skill as they can be challenging but not necessarily overwhelming.

ramzilla

Craigslist
ebay
garage sale
antique market
Consignment shop. "Play it again Sports"
Local bike shop
Donate to Goodwill
Donate to local bicycle co-op

Dirt Farmer

I'd pay a pretty penny for a vintage Klein, but, alas, that bike is too large for me.

SeaOtter

Georgia boy

SeaOtter

Thank you. And I'm trying to post around. Unfortunately, my "newness" comes with restrictions. Apparently, I've posted too much for my first day and I haven't posted enough to load photos of the bikes that I have. Workin' on it.

I do have bikes that my father bought for me. I have an Ideor Asso frame and a wonderful old Campy grupo to go with it that I'll never sell. As well, there's a Palo Alto frame in among the others that I haven't measured yet, that I suspect is my size.

SeaOtter

Thank you for the advice. It all makes sense. I figured with most frames being my dad's size (61cm), I've already got a pretty limited market. He had some really cool stuff. I plan on selling them as is. I'm no mechanic and lack the desire to find one I trust to do the work or to pay for it. Maybe as I get this thread going (meeting my minimum posting to allow photo uploading, etc), I can get advice as to which route to go (CL, ebay, etc) as well as a rough estimate.

Anyway, I'm mostly interested in sharing what he had and learning a bit about his collection from you folks. I know a bit from conversations with him but, just enough to scratch the surface. Looking forward to getting the thread going.

SeaOtter

With regard to shipping (ebay), do you typically pass the shipping costs on to the buyer? Split costs? On you?

Reading your post, it seems as if you pass the costs on but, other conversations I've had led me to believe that that was typically (traditionally) on me. I know it's all negotiable but, would like to be clear about the "norms" of ebay prior to starting out there.

And thanks for the info you already shared.

KonAaron Snake 

Unless you are prepared to do work shipping, you don't want to sell on ebay. It's not as simple as putting it in a big box, and requires some mechanical work.

SeaOtter

I was thinking it wouldn't take more than removing the handle bars/stem, seat post, front wheel, and pedals? Work that I wouldn't is any more involved that what I'd put into wrapping/protecting the frame and fork. Would you suggest more?

xiaoman1 

There are some great videos on the net that will show you what is involved in packing and shipping a bike...a little more involved and time consuming than you might think.
Ben

2old

And if you haven't sold anything on ebay, the transactions have their own learning curve that IMO, isn't worth it unless you plan on lots of transactions.

himespau 

I think you might have good interest with a Klein. You're at 10 posts now, so you should be able to start posting pictures.

bikemig 

You can also sell on the C&V for sale forum. You'll need to join bike forums (it's not much to join, $10 a year I think). You won't get as much money here as on eBay but there are no fees and the prices you get should be higher than CL (unless perhaps if you live in a very large city) and much, much higher than a garage sale.

CliffordK

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merziac

Excellent! Keep in mind that while not ideal, a bike that is a little to big or small can be modified to fit better, it all depends on your tolerance which for me would be high on Dad's bikes.

The restrictions should be done, like I said we need more pics, the more the better, drive side, level straight on, components, lugs, decals, headbadges, dings, rust, good, bad and ugly.

ramzilla

Ask a local bike shop if they're interested. Show them the bikes. Make a deal. Put a fixed price tag on each bike. Give the bike shop 35% of sale price every time they sell one. If they've got the floor space they might go for it.

KonAaron Snake 

The Raleigh (and likely the Klein) are tough - they're in that spot where you won't get enough on CL, but they aren't valuable enough where you'll do that well with eBay once the shipping gets factored in. The 500ish spot is a tough one to be in. Size isn't helping either.

I don't know what your time/storage constraints are, or the CL market you're in (and it's not the best selling season), but I'd go patient sale on CL.

himespau 

^^^and/or listing here with a premium membership and maybe finding a larger group sale if they have any in your area and trying it out there.

SeaOtter

Thank you CliffordK for posting the photos. Obviously that isn't a Klein. It is a Raleigh that I have not been able to nail down the model of. The stamp at the bottom bracket appears to indicate that it's an '86. The decal on the down tube also refers to some dates which I think are strictly related to Team Raleigh victories ('80 TdF and '78/'79 World Champs). Regardless, I've searched thru the Raleigh catalogs around all those dates and haven't yet seen this paint scheme on a bike. This makes me wonder if the frame was custom painted as a team bike or for an individual. I'm also wondering if this isn't a European bike based on what appears to be a dealer decal underneath the Reynolds decal on the seat tube.

Any help identifying the bike model and, certainly any valuation advice would be greatly appreciated.

As an aside, can anyone tell me how long I'll be in this "you can only post 5 times within a 24 hour period" purgatory?

KonAaron Snake 

It's an Ikelston bike - meaning it's from the special projects unit of Raleigh in England. Decal says 531, and it looks like a later model, so not top of the SBDU foodchain, but still sbdu. It's clean.

There will always be a market for an SBDU Raleigh, but the size is working against you. It's also in that date range where there's less interest; it's not as functional as the steel stuff got in the 90s (especially larger frame), with the OS tubing and such, but it's not in that sweet spot of nostalgia. Basically bikes like this are usually great deals for buyers, less so for sellers.

This is the sort of bike I target as getting a lot of bang for the buck.

3alarmer 

...there's an online yahoo group devoted to SBDU Raleigh bikes where you can advertise it for sale for free to an audience that is interested in those bikes specifically. You'd need to join the group to post there, but it's not difficult to join. I would disagree that a bike from Ilkeston built with a Raleigh "professional 531" frame set is lower on the food chain. There are people who just don't especially like the ride feel of some of the newer frame tubing offerings from TI Raleigh. Some relatively knowledgeable people there ought to also be able to offer opinions on current value. Some one there might even want to buy it.

Anyway, look here for that SBDU group:

Group Description

KonAaron Snake 

Some people might prefer 531, but the most value is 753, and those were the top of the lines. 531 vs. 753 is lower in the food chain when it comes to SBDU value. The SBDU crowd are good folks - I haven't paid any attention to sales/buys there...likely a strong resource though. Might get stuck shipping again.