Khocquard

Hello,
I am hoping someone can help me with some information in regards to a Bicycle my Aunt and Uncle have recently gave me. They had it custom made by Keith Lippy and used it to ride around Europe. I know little to nothing about bicycles and was wondering if someone could help me with the details and value of something like this. Most of the parts on the bike are Specialzed or Shimano. It has Avocet touring seats and a blackbrun rack. I see here people are talking about certain frame numbers and etc. Any idea where I could find that information? I can not post a picture until I have 10 posts or I would have shared a pic.

bargainguy

Welcome to the forums!

If you go to the Intro section and say hello to nine of your new friends in their posts, you'll hit that 10 post minimum. Once there, click on the Post Reply button at left (not the Quick Reply box at the bottom), then Manage Attachments, and upload from there.

wrk101

Also be sure to list your location. Tandems are hard to ship due to their size. In my area, there is essentially NO market for tandems. One on the local C/L has been for sale for over one year.

Oneder

Probably better off stripping it for parts.

obrentharris 

Keith Lippy builds some really great bikes! If the bike is in excellent shape and you can find the right buyer it might be worth as much as $2,000. But finding the right buyer is a needle-in-a-haystack proposition. Given the Avocet saddles, which were at their peak of popularity in the seventies and eighties, I would guess that the bike is more than 20 years old: That cuts out the great majority of potential buyers since most folks want the modern amenities like disc brakes, clipless pedals, and integrated shifter/brake levers. Then there is the problem of finding a couple who are the same sizes as your aunt and uncle since a bike that doesn't fit is useless. For these reasons, and because the tandem market is very small to start with, my best guess at value would be around $800 to $1,000. Pictures would be a great in helping us assess the value of the components, but I can assure you that any frame made by Mr. Lippy is exceptionally well made.

I would guess that the serial number will be on the bottom of the front bottom bracket. I have heard rumors that Keith Lippy is building bikes again, so an email or phone call to him might be worth pursuing.

If your aunt is under 5'6" and your uncle is over 6' 1" I might be your buyer: I'm not holding my breath.
Brent

Vonruden

repechage

Lippy built well, got out of the biz, but I read one reference he has taken up the torch again.
Sizing and location means so much unfortunately on value, as much as condition.

simpson_homer

Interesting answers, thanks!