gna

I sometimes looks at Craigslist and Facebook marketplace for deals on bikes. I've been seeing all of these Dunelts that everyone seems to think are collector's items, and are convinced are worth big money. Here's an example:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...7077654899059/


This vintage Dunelt bicycle was made in England, probably in the early1950s. All of its parts are original and include a Brooks leather seat (barely worn); front basket (hard to find); reflector; pedals; brake and gear cable; badges; paint; handlebar grips. Everything. There is some rust on the front and rear splash guards. The frame is "20 and the 26" tires are in good condition,. The ride is as smooth as it was when it came off the assembly line. Dunelt, which later became known as Raleigh, is a scarce and collectible brand. With a little restoration, it would be possible to sell it online for as much as $1,000 or more. Local pickup and cash only, please.

This looks like a standard late 60s Raleigh-made Dunelt. Early 50s? Leather seat? Hard to find front basket? Dunelt later became Raleigh? Scarce and collectible? Where do they get this from?
I look at eBay, I see an post for a truly insane dollar amount ($2,680!) with some of the same description: VINTAGE DUNELT BICYCLE MADE IN ENGLAND
All original. EXCELLENT CONDITION. Kept in Nevada in a dry basement covered with a blanket thus avoiding salt air and moisture. Original Brooks seat, reflector, pedals, basket, brake and gear cables, badges, paint, handlebar grips, everything. Very minor blemishes and scratches. Tires hold air, bike rides smooth.
1960s Dunelt bicycle in beautiful unrestored condition. Made in England. The company later became known as Raleigh. The Dunelt brand is scarce and collectible.

I ran into a local seller with a beat up old Dunelt, and she wanted $1,000. She seemed offended when I told her it wasn't worth that, because "they sell for thousands on eBay." Anyone else seeing this? I'm not seeing other Raleigh marques (Triumph, Phillips, Hercules) getting pumped up like this.

brian3069

It's old, it must be valuable.

79pmooney

I had a circa 1965 Dunelt from the local Raleigh dealer (The Bicycle Exchange of Cambridge, MA). The cheaper, Raleigh made 3-speed. My buddies (twins) had the Raleighs. Better bikes, better parts and noticeably heavier. Maybe Dunelt was a company Raleigh swallowed up, but I never heard Raleigh owed anything to Dunelt beyond perhaps an acquired trade name.

My Dunelt wasn't very different from this one. I don't remember fenders but I probably had them. No front rack or basket. I probably just had Pletscher rack. 6th grade, I souped it up with a Huret 2 speed RD, center pull brakes and drop bars.

Edit: I paid roughly $40 for mine.

Wildwood 

Some sellers are looking only for 'that 1 special buyer'.

curbtender

My sister has an old Bianchi folding bike. This was a contracted frame and it shows up under different marquees. I gave her the details but she is stuck on a $500 price tag. Been up for a couple of years. I'm sure she'll give me the I told you so someday, lol.

repechage

Looking for a goldmine in the garage.

like the observation of the asking prices of Idealé saddles. The asking $ jumped from $150 to $350-500 for a steel framed saddle.

jump on the bandwagon.

later it did not hurt that the reissued idealé 90 was in that top tier price.

”there was one room in her House that was always kept locked, it was the garage”

clubman 

Aren't we humans idiots? I'm being optimistic here.

USAZorro

About 10 years back I was looking to scavenge parts to re-make my uncle's old Superbe and I came across a ladies Dunelt for (if I remember correctly - $40.00). Aside from the basket being a bit crusty and the consumables needing replacement, it was in great shape. So great that I couldn't in good conscience part it out. I still have it for when my wife's friends come to visit and want to go riding with us.

$1,000.

gna

I know, right? Even a pre-Raleigh Dunelt isn't worth that. Here's one that is Birmingham-made, Dunelt chainring and all:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...7418680618399/

nlerner

I really don’t understand how seeing someone’s crazy asking price on eBay would convince someone else that that’s “what they’re going for.” There’s a PT Barnum quote that explains it, I reckon.

Insidious C. 

I own a lightweight Dunelt "Fleur de Lys" with Reynolds 531 frame. Despite it's being in poor condition and a couple parts bein non-original, I paid $50. I think that was just a fair price.

Although Raleigh did manufacture some Dunelt models beginning in the very early 60s, Raleigh did not acquire Dunelt. Dunelt was part of TI prior to TI's acquisition of Raleigh in 1960.

randyjawa 

Why so over priced?

Some sellers, who really don't understand the real value of a bike, want way to much, based on hope and lack of understanding.

Some buyers, who really don't understand the value of a bike, will pay way too much based on hope, and lack of understanding.

It happens all the time and actually happened to me with my first road bike, a Norco something or other, that I paid way to much for because I was not well informed on what I wanted to buy, hence my lack of understanding as a buyer (sorry, no pictures of that bike, my first roadie) but I was filled with hope that I had found something special (turned out the special Norco was too small, but what did I know then?).

But, as a seller, I listed this entry level Raleigh Record for $1 (one dollar) on Ebay, back in the days when I did that sort of auction thing. The bike sold for over $1000 (that's one thousand dollare plus). Why? Because two buyers who really did not understand the real value of the bike and spent way too much on hope and lack of understanding...

Chuck M 

Some times all these things line up. Today I bought a Takara 960 Deluxe Touring exactly like the one I rode when I was in high school. In recent years, I've bought a 950 Deluxe 12 and a 970 Grand Touring. But the Deluxe Touring was what I was looking for. While I didn't pay an obscene price for it, it was more than it was worth to almost anybody but me.

The seller bought the bike new in '80 and so had a bit of nostalgia attached to it. However he did not know what to ask so he consulted eBay. Fortunately he didn't see some of the Takaras I've seen on eBay. I was that one special buyer he needed to come along. I knew it was a heavy middle of the road, bike boom bike, but I wanted to replace the bike I tossed on the trash heap and regretted throwing away 30 years ago. As long as everyone is happy at the end of the day it's all good.

rustystrings61 

Related - I'm a guitar guy. From the '60s into the very early '80s, there was a sprawling dump of a music store in Greenville, SC called Dixieland Music. They had been there for a while, and all sorts of cool old guitars had accumulated in varying stages of originality and condition. The story goes that one day someone who had spent some time in uber-collector/pre-internet-influencer/early creator of the vintage guitarverse George Gruhn's shop in Nashville. He allegedly waltzed through the place, pronouncing how much the various old guitars would be worth - PROVIDED that they were in all original, excellent condition. The owner promptly jacked up all the prices, regardly of condition or originality or playability. It was kinda sad to walk through there in the mid-80s and see battered old husks coated in dust that would never be restored to playability so long as a guitar realistically worth $300 was priced at $3,000. The place is long gone now, the buildings bulldozed and probably replaced with condos.

base2 

I sold a Dunelt for $100 once. It sat around the shop for about 6 months looking for the right buyer. I had spent a man-day or 2 completely overhauling it with all new pads, cables, bearings and grease in all the places except the 3-speed hub. That got a healthy dose of Phil's. $50 of new EA3's. The lady that bought it used it everyday & would bring it by the shop every once in a while for new tires. Either the Kendas sucked or she never got off the bike, even to sleep.

"Ride a wheel on Sheffield steel"

A Raleigh Sprite came in the shop not long after. I gave it the same treatment a boatload of 0000 steel-wool, and a man-day spent with Meguires cutting wax to recover the enamel paint. Man did it polish up nice. @$100 I lost money on that one too. Never did see that one again, though objectively the emerald green and gold made it a much prettier bike.

Retail value, sometimes has no rhyme or reason

curbtender

I see it is down to a more reasonable $200. Guess they just needed to go through the process.

repechage

those TEAM colors