ifgd

Hello, all. I'd like to get a ball park value for this bike. (the photo uploader refuses to work for me and I can't post urls yet, so in order to actually see the bike I guess I'll have to email you the photo)

It was my mothers. She bought it new in 91 in Chapel Hill, NC. She used it in a few triathlons before switching over to marathons. After that, the bike sat unused until we cycled the length of France together. Since our "tour la bouffe" it's sat in a climate controlled environment for ~20 years.

Suntour components, everything on the bike is original--except the seat which is close to 20 years old.
50cm
Paint is good, some small scuffs.

I'm really at a loss. If someone said it was worth $25 I'd believe them, if another said $500 I might believe that too.

Any opinions on this one?

ifgd

It looks a lot like this one. **just take out the space in the link.

https ://goo.gl/images/UsLxK1

bargainguy

Welcome to the forum!

You need a minimum of 10 posts to be able to upload pix. If you go to the Intro section and say hello to nine of your new friends by posting in their posts, you'll be at that 10 post minimum. You can then post pix and we can see the condition and components of your Sirrus.

wrk101

Forget the $500 mark, not going to happen. $25 is unrealistically low as well. Suntour made some great stuff, by 1991, not so much. Basically the index shifting world past them by and they ended up bankrupt a few years later. The pre-index era, say 1986 or older, they were at their peak.

Sold one pristine, ready to ride condition, fully refurbished, new consumables, bearings and grease all replaced (not just a tune up) for $225. I've seen ones that have been stored well but ignored for a decade or more, with a value around $100.

And location matters A LOT. In some markets, a 27 year old bike is close to impossible to sell. In other markets, it would do well. With no idea of your location, I can't really guess.

50cm is small to extra small, in some locations that is a plus, in other locations, its a minus. We debate that routinely, here where I live, the smaller the adult bike, the higher the value. Not true everywhere. Basically, the XS market is limited, its all about supply and demand.S\

So a swag guess with no pictures, no location, and old consumables without recent service.replacement, anywhere from $50 to $150.

About half the value is going to come from your ability to market: write a good ad, with great pictures, spotless bike, and the flexibility and ability to meet potential buyers. Getting anything even close to fair market value out of an older bike can be a lot of work. In the end, at least in my market, most bikes sell for LESS than fair market value, some sell for a lot less. Some sellers are really lazy, lousy pictures, flat tires, dirty bike. Huge discount.

Ridden or not, 20 years and grease gets old and dry, tires rot out, cables rust.

ifgd

Ah, that explains it. Hopefully I'll be able to show y'all the bike soon!

ifgd

Thanks. I'm in Raleigh, NC. Any idea on how the market is here?

thinktubes 

Pic asst.

ifgd

Thanks!

wrk101

Based on good looking picture, I would attempt to get $275 for it in Raleigh. Raleigh market is decent, its not Portland, OR or San Fran for sure, but its not BFE either. Triple crankset and long cage Deore RD are nice and could help selling. Typical racing gearing is less attractive to new riders.

Raise the stem an inch or more, lower the seat an inch or more. Basically, have the seat maybe an inch higher than the bars. People see tall seat and low bars and think the bike is for someone really tall and flexible to lean over a lot. You want the bike to appeal to the average new rider. The super serious riders out there already have fancier, newer bikes. These are generalities, you could still sell to a serious rider, perhaps wanting a bike with climbing gears. I sold a similar bike to a guy with a $10,000 bike already. He wanted my bike (steel Trek) for bad weather riding. He ended up liking it so much he bought a second one. Older steel can grow on you!

Bike looks clean (good!), tires aren't flat (good!) neutral background (good picture). I'd do a little adjusting of the saddle and bars, retake the pictures, and you are ready to go.


The thing capping value on older bikes are down tube shifters. A lot of people don't like them, are scared to take a hand off the handlebars and reach down to shift, or whatever. Be prepared for buyers to quote bicycle blue book value to you ($80). Ignore them, Bicycle Blue Book is a joke, but it is really messing up the used bike market!!


The market will tell you whether the price is unreasonable or not. If you haven't dealt with C/L before, lots and lots of scammers. They still are pretty easy to beat. Just ask a simple question in your ad. The scammers will NEVER answer a question. I ask for name and zip code. Scammers use automated systems to answer C/L ads, so they don't read your ad and won't answer a simple question.

Its amazing people still get scammed.

+10 No way that bike is a 50cm. Use a tape measure and you will know the size. Its closer to a 58/60.

DMC707

If this is the bike, its not a 50 - more like a 56 or 57

Bike looks good- at least $250 i'd think, its predominately Shimano equipped though - what parts on it are Suntour?

ifgd

Thanks for the reply. This isn't the bike. I'll post pictures once I get enough posts.

ifgd

AT LONG LAST!! This is the bike.

GrainBrain

Nice looking bike, I'm digging the Suntour edge, never seen that. I'd wager you could get $300 out of it from someone that wants a decent steel machine. A lot nicer then the stuff I saw at the bike co-op going for $250.

I'd put it out there for $300, make sure it's ready to go and clean, then just wait. I'd nab it for $300 ready to ride but it's slim pickings here. It'd fit my wife perfectly

TugaDude

I'd say around $250.00 in ready-to-ride condition. I agree with WRK101 on BBB, it is great for the buyer.

StarBiker

Photobucket. This site never ceases to amaze me with this.

Anyway yeah if the paint is really super nice $275 to start, but probably $250. Depends on how patient you are.

wrk101

Not a fan of Suntour Blaze or Edge. I love Suntour stuff, but once you get to the indexed era, not so much. The index Superbe Pro and Sprint are both quite nice, but as you went down their product line, I don't care for it. Personal opinion on my part, others may like it.

The earlier picture that I used to base my estimate on was Deore XT/LX or DX. All three groups from that era were very nice, attractive, long lasting, and function well. I'd put a premium on that bike with the Deore and the triple crankset. With Edge and just a double, I'd be more like $200.

ifgd

Well, it's been up for almost a week with no response.

Perhaps I should lower the price?

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/d...495632354.html

StarBiker

A week isn't enough. Could take a couple months. And do you have it listed on a few local CL's. And are you top posting every 48 hours? Do you have two listings for each CL Location listing? You have to be aggressive!