rothenfield1

I've seen a Trek for sale, color teal blue, steel frame asking $300. That's the only nfo the seller gives other than a pic of the black Modolo brakes. I've used the vintage Trek brochure site to identify the 85 670 as coming in teal and having Modolo brakes. The curious thing is that the 670 came with Campy drivetrain components. This bike, according to the seller, has Suntour Superbe Pro. Was there another Trek from the mid-80's that combined Modolo and Suntour? And, is 300 a fair price?

thenomad

I know what one you are talking about. The seller upgraded brakes I believe (may have been stripped of nicer parts, dunno). Standover is 32.5"

I think it is a 760 '85 like my '86. It really might be an '86 like mine, combination of nice suntour superbepro and specialized bearings. Should be Reynolds 531, good frame IMO. Rides great.

$300 is super high for the condition. Looks like it has been rotting away and will need a full on breakdown and rebuild to get it back in shape.
I got mine for $50 but I know that's a steal. But damn, $300 and its got rust and crud all over it?

See how low you can get it. If you can get the price in half it's probably a good buy if you plan on washing/greasing and riding. Watch for frame damage and bent forks.

wrk101

$300 is high. But Superbe Pro components are nice. Really clean, ready to ride, perhaps $300 is possible. Deduct for any needed service, check for rust carefully (pull the seat post, look down inside the seat tube, use a flashlight). This checks two key things: that the seat post is not stuck (a relatively common and serious problem) and that there is not serious internal rust.

Needs a lot of work can be anything from $100 to zero (walk away). The worse the condition, the less competition you will have as far as other buyers. I like to value a bike that needs a lot of work at the wholesale value of the components (the ones that are in decent shape). Then if the frame is toast, I am still OK parting it out. This also rewards you for all the extra work it can take to rehab a bike in rough shape. And if you are not able to do all the work yourself, walk away. Bike shop rehabs of rough bikes can be very costly.

If you get the serial number, just look it up on the vintage trek site. They have an incredible database on all serial numbers, and it will tell you exactly what model and year the bike is.

thenomad

I wonder if that seller is actually a reasonable person though.

rothenfield1

Thanks Nomad and Thrifty Bill for the excellent advice. I won't get to see this bike until later this week if it's still there. Don't know if the seller is a real human being or a professional flipper. I'm just the average middle age guy who likes to ride bikes and recently has gone gaga for 80's Japanese steel. Particularly, mid to upper end Miyata, Fuji, & Nishiki. (Am I leaving out any?) Come to think of it, what's so darn great about Ishiwata 022 anyway? Trek is a sentimental favorite, though not Japanese. I'll be in the area for a month or so and will probably be spending the evenings looking for a good deal on a bike designed for road racing.

Besides inspecting the seat tube for rust and overall frame condition, are there any other major no-gos that I should be looking for?

thenomad

Overalll wear and tear, bent forks.
It all just adds up to nitpicky stuff that annoys the heck out of you and slowly drains the wallet if you care about a budget.
My Trek has a slightly bent fork (has no effect but mental)
The rear derailleur was scuffed up so it makes it hard to sell and make money back. Other little thinks here and there that i had to do too. I was looking to build it up though so I'm fine with replacement. It would be nice to have perfect parts on it that you can keep or sell whichever way you go. Wheels are also important as they are bigger $

wrk101

A good flipper would have the bike all cleaned up, do all needed repairs, and have it in ready to ride condition. Partly because a good bike in that condition will get top dollar and be easy to sell. And a good flipper is going to look to maintain a good reputation, and get some repeat business. So it doesn't sound like a flipper to me.

I focus on 1980s Japanese bikes myself. Some good brands you didn't mention: Univega, Bridgestone, Panasonic, some Schwinn, Lotus, Centurion. Look for a clean one, with nice paint, no dents, no rust, and then everything else depends on whether you are willing to do some work or not.

Major no-nos besides rust: bent fork, which can mean frame damage besides the fork. Downtube and top tube will tend to buckle a bit or a lot depending on the extent of the damage. Also any dents or dings on frame. Scratches and chips are normal.

rothenfield1

Thank's again Thrifty, didn't mean to put down reputable bike aficionados. As a matter of fact, I admire them. I like tinkering around with bikes, after all, how hard can t be right, there just bikes; or so I thought once. One look at Sheldon Brown's(God rest his soul) web site and one begins to understand breadth of history and knowledge wrapped up in these metal contraptions. No, I mean no disrespect to the honest bike mechanic.

On the other hand, there are those who master the art of deception. Caveat emptor. Or something like that.

By the way, what do think the going price for one of these would be?

www.photobucket.com/rothenfield

rothenfield1

Nomad, you said you've actually ridden the bike? Do you know the seller? I don't mind a project bike if the frame is sound. I'm not looking for a bike that I could fix and sell for max profit. I'm looking for a fast road racer to become my primary ride. But I'm a working guy that doesn't have a fat wallet. Does the seller seem like someone who would be reasonable and want to see the bike go to a good home or someone who is out for top dollar? I don't want to waste my time.

thenomad

No, but I have a bike just like it. the '86 in my signature.
The seller doesn't seem too reasonable to me. I asked him a question about it ad he replied:
"Its perfect come get it had a lot of calls if you want it call me no more email"

Sort of a jerk move on his part. It doesn't look "perfect" and if he refuses to answer the actual questions I figure he's out to flip something for max profit.

rothenfield1

I think your right. I had the same response to my questions. Acted like he had something to hide instead of really wanting to sell. Might be time to move on to something else. Do you know anything about 80's Cannondale's?

MarylandDeRosa

I've come across 5 '85 Trek 660's that are teal with white decals and all came with Suntour Superbe. I documented 3 of them by serial number and they seem to be built several months after the Trek 670's. I believe they were offered by Trek late in the model year. I've passed the info onto Skip over at Vintage-Trek and he has included it on his site. A guy on this forum emailed me 6 times in one day offering a green '85 with white decals that was given to him and after we agreed on a price (he wanted $300 and it needed tires and tubes and had been hanging in a garage for years...I offered $250 and he accepted) and time to meet he never responded. No hard feelings...he feels it's super rare and I guess he felt he could command a premium. Would have been nice to have some common courtesy and let me know he changed his mind! I just bought a cherry '85 660 (looks like new) for half of what he originally offered me his for. The '85 I bought is the red with yellow graphics which I wanted in the first place.

rothenfield1

I've seen the brochure pics of that red Trek and I more then loved it, I LOOVED it.

thenomad

BTW, the seller is still trying to peddle off that bike. Now he's calling it an aluminum frame!

aprieto28