RB1-luvr

Howdy folks,
This is for sale locally for $200 obo. it's described as having been in a barn since 1983. Approx. what year is this bike? I am guessing circa 1980? I'm thinking of offering $75. Too much?

Thanks in advance.

Prowler 

Cottered cranks? Delrin plastic derailleurs and shifters? Steel pedals? 5 speed FW? Then probably 8 to 10 years before 1980.

Likely none of the bearings have ever been serviced. Necessary work. Stem looks to be above minimum insertion line. “Danger Will Robinson.” Is seat pin loose, not seized?

Is this anything other than their entry level model. I would not pay $75 for that but, I’m getting hard to please.

Mr. 66

I would pass at any price

rustystrings61 

Your bike is likely a c.1972-73 Liberia Grand Luxe or variant, built in Grenoble, France and imported during the peak of the Great Bike Boom of the early 70s. It's similar to the Gitane Grand Sport, the Peugeot U-08 and the Mercier 100 of the same era - the classic $100 French 10-speed. 1973 was the peak of the boom, when the whole bike industry was struggling to meet the demand for 10-speeds. With all the normal sources back-ordered, some distributors scoured the world and found smaller builders and sourced bikes from there. Liberia was a regional builder that apparently was fine selling bikes in their part of France, but there were some of these models and a few somewhat nicer, mid-range spec bikes that came in in the early to mid-70s. When demand began to slacken, bike brands like Liberia, A. Camera, Ghisallo, etc. were no longer imported.

I spent a lot of time trawling the net, including the French bike forums, trying to track down information on the one I had for a while, and this thread includes lots of links on history, etc., as well as the details of mine, which appears to be the same variant as yours. It's a little different from the generic French 10-speed of the era, as they appear to have used R.F.G. (Roulement Francaise Guaranti) hubs instead of the usual Normandy/Atom/Maillard products, as well as R.F.G. headsets and bottom brackets. The tubing is a bit lighter than the usual French gaspipe - mine took a 25.8 mm seatpost, a little larger than the usual 25.4 or similar on budget Gallic bikes.

Apart from being filthy from barn storage, this one has a replacement saddle - the stock unit was a leather Henri Gauthier. It still has its Simplex Prestige derailleur set, and odds are the front mechanism is broken. Those usually got replaced in a hurry, so it's probably a low-mileage bike.

$200 is WAAAY too much for this model. While there aren't many of them, they're not particularly rare or desireable - UNLESS you have a fondness for old French bikes that ride pretty well despite nondescript tubing and indifferent craftsmanship. The French built bikes to ride, not to look at, and the ones built for this price point show it. That said, there is a saying around here, "The French have a way with gaspipe." Mine certainly rode well enough for what it was, but it's a very niche-y kinda bike, and the seller is asking a very optimistic price. I paid $70 for mine in 2018, got it roadworthy and restored it for a Clunker Challenge in this forum, and eventually sold it to a friend locally for $50 because I figured he would preserve it rather than part it out.

Here's my old one cleaned up as it was at the time I sold it -

juvela

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in this image appears blades may have "relaxed" a bit from a juvenile running it off curbs or down steps

since fork is turned slightly to the left this appearance may be due simply to perspective

in complete agreement with all earlier messages


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AdventureManCO 

I'm never one to turn an unfriendly glance toward gaspipe! Agree with others that the price is very optimistic, especially given the state of the market and the time of year. Might be a good idea to shoot an offer, and leave it as a 'think of me' if it doesn't sell, which it probably won't.