TugaDude

Coupla thoughts. First, many sellers couldn't tell what their bike is made of even if it says so on a decal, so the best bet is to have them try to see if a magnet is attracted to the frame. If not, aluminum is likely.

Second, that Volare is sweet, but agree that for most of the country is a little overpriced. However, if you really wanted one, that one is in really good shape. Personally, I've never seen one come up for sale, so it might be a waiting game if you want one in the future.

You've gotten a lot of great advice here. My $0.02 is simply whatever bike you purchase, make sure it fits. Yes, you can adjust seat posts, stems and whatnot, but in my opinion, better to dial in your frame size and then make micro-adjustments.

cb400bill

I have a mint condition 86 Voyageur that I really like. I would love to have that Volare.

wrk101

There are way too many brands to count. You distinguish the good ones with the parts and frame tubing.


For example, I picked up a Shogun Prairie Breaker recently. Not many have heard of a Shogun MTB, nor the Prairie Breaker. Tange Prestige frame (top of the line) plus full Shimano XT parts (top of the line). Super low price, but it sat on C/L for a long time. Just the XT pedals were worth the asking price....

To me, the BIGGEST mistake buyers make is fixating on a model. They then miss the very best deals on less common names and models. #1 example seems like everyone wants a Peugeot PX10, and to a novice it looks very similar to a U08. So it seems like every month or so we get a posting that is either: "Look at the PX10 I just got" or "This looks like a PX10 to me" or whatever.

The "problem" with Stumpjumpers is everyone knows about them and the early ones get a collectible bike premium. Meanwhile, no one is collecting Shogun MTBs.


I bought a Terra Tech MTB a couple of years ago. Has anyone heard of that brand? Not many for sure. Same thing, full XT bike. The Terra Tech was a bike brand created by Rodriguez Bicycles in Seattle (custom bike builder).

I picked up a Klein a couple of weeks ago. Thats a brand many people should know. But apparently NOT. Anyway, it sat at a thrift store for a month, with multiple markdowns. When I passed through that town, the Klein was down to $35. And you guessed it, full XT components. Turned out to be a 1990 Klein Pinnacle XT.


Novices/amateur pickers tend to look for specific brands or models. Those pickers are my competition. Its not a fair fight! They have no idea what they are looking for and they have no interest in learning. They see a Peugeot, Bianchi, or a Schwinn and get excited! I see Tange Champion #1, Tange Prestige, Reynolds 531, Columbus SL or SLX, along with Dura Ace, Deore XT or Campagnolo parts and I get excited. The really smart shoppers look at condition, component grade, frame tubing. Its all in the details. I bought a Quintana Roo once, full Dura Ace, and Merlin Titanium frame. Sweet! The bike could be an Uncle Doofus brand. I do not care. If it is well made with great parts and a silly low price, I am buying.

My last recent bike purchase was a Recherche brand (no model). It was in the oddball section, already stripped of parts, and headed to scrap next. So I bought it. It had a quality stem on it, and a Stronglight (high quality) headset. Did I know the brand? No. But I knew the few remaining parts, and it had a Columbus tubing frame, so it had to be something decent. Stem alone was worth more than the asking price. Ditto the headset. Turned out to be one of 200 ever made by Dave Moulton in California (custom builder). Score...

reluctantsuburb

I hear you on this, and it definitely is the approach I'd prefer to take, but I just don't know enough about frames, parts, groupsets, geometries, etc. to know good from bad. I actually stumbled across this Volare because I have an active search for Reynolds 531, as I know that's considered a top of the line frame material, but I tend to get lost on frame materials when brands begin to give their own marketing names to a particular alloy, and groupsets especially, as it seems they are so varied.

I've tried doing reading on Sheldon Brown but have never really felt like I walked away with any permanent knowledge, just one-off facts about a particular bike. Anything you would point me to so I can begin to educate myself?

A bike that popped up on my CL yesterday was a Bridgestone Kabuki; hoping to check it out soon. Perhaps it will align with some of the others you named (although Bridgestone is a more well-known brand, this was only listed for 50).

wrk101

Bridgestone Kabukis were typically super heavy, doggy bikes. Another example where the brand name is misleading. Its not that hard to learn. Check out Randy's mytenspeeds web site.

Another option is to seek out co ops in your area or in your travels. Co ops tend to get a lot of knowledgeable bike nerds. They can show you what they have that is special. Even then, there are limits. The younger volunteers tend to know the modern stuff and the older volunteers might not know the modern stuff but know the older good stuff. I stopped at one co op recently that was dismantling a nice vintage Fisher for parts. They were going to scrap the frame. I bought the entire bike from them. Nice Fisher HK-II, Deore II components.

76SLT 

That Volare is a nice one. The wheels would have been Araya with high flange Dura Ace hubs originally, so they're been replaced, but the Mavics with Maillard 700 hubs and those tires are an even better set of wheels imo.
I've got a 77 Volare, and I can tell you that they are worth seeking out, if you can find one.