iamuuriwer1

I intend to sell my LeMond Buenos Aires and want to get a better sense of its value. I purchased the bike from a friend and made modifications to the seat and stem (I still have the original parts). The bike has been used very lightly and, apart from a few minor scuffs, is in excellent condition. I will be selling the bike in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please let me know if any further information is needed to make an appraisal. Thank you in advance.

xiaoman1 

It is very clean...I see them in L.A. asking more than they are selling for...a Zurich was on offerup for 250 and stayed there for 3 weeks another for 450, finally removed by the author.
250-350 would be my guess

iamuuriwer1

Thanks for the response. That is significantly lower than I was expecting.

Lemond1985

Price is dependent on your area and the demand. I can only speak for California. As the poster above mentioned, there are lots of Lemonds on CL advertised here at pretty high prices, I have seen some asking as much as $900-1000, but they simply don't sell.

I guess price also depends on how much patience you have. If you are willing to list it a few months, you might get a better price, but in California anything over $400 will be a tough sell. $350 might bring some offers. It's a tough time to sell old bikes. Ebay will give you the highest potential price, but shipping costs will eat into your profit. If you are determined to get maximum price, that's where you will need to list it.

I would note that the frame is Tru Temper and not Reynolds 853, which decreases value. The condition is excellent though. Good luck.

fishboat

This bike looks to be a 1999 model, 853 main triangle (sticker is seen in the pics) & 725 stays, carbon fork, 105 group (OEM at least).

A check of ebay completed listings has one like this selling for $614 plus $75 in shipping on Apr 7. Ebay has very high prices in general, other examples sold for less. The BA is a very nice model in the Lemond lineup. In the Milwaukee-Chicago area I'd expect to see it listed in the $400+ to $500(maybe) range. What it would actually sell for..no idea...depends on condition and how bad the buyer wants it. In San Francisco..again, no idea. There's so many nice used bikes in California, in terms of volume..a function of population and climate, that prices may be less.

(personally..I never cared for the red rim thing. It's a much nicer looking bike with black or silver rims..the whole red or blue rim thing just looks funky to me)

Lemond1985

Ooops. My bad, I can see the 853 sticker in this shot.



There's a great selection here, but prices are much higher too. You don't see anything even ride-able for under $100. Certainly, there are no $40 sweetheart deals like you very often see in the rural Midwest. Or if you do, they get snapped up and flipped almost immediately.

wrk101

Since you are in SF, I would expect a higher number than above. Just take a peak at what others are asking for similar bikes on C/L. Bikes depreciate FAST. Bike blue book will have a value number (low) that many of us will disagree with, but buyers look there first and will smack you with that number when you are selling. Bicycle blue book value is ~ $200. 20 year old bike (my guess).

As John noted, in our market, people sometimes ask strong prices but the bikes just do not sell. I've watched one tandem reappear on our local C/L for at least the last three years. Seller has yet to have adjusted his price......

Some people hold out for an unrealistic price, meanwhile, market value continues to go lower. So the value drops further, and they can no longer get the fair price they would have gotten initially if they had been realistic.


I'd pull the lock and pedals off, clean up the scrape/gouge on the rear rim, and re-shoot the pictures.

iamuuriwer1

Thanks for the tip! I will consider selling it on Ebay.

Riding_Lemond

You're going to have to consider if you sell it on ebay it’s going to cost you 10% eBay fees, 3% PayPal fees plus it can be expensive to ship. It once cost me $180 between having a bike shop pack it and FedEx to ship it with insurance for a heavy mountain bike. Definitely get a quote from BikeFlights or find a LBS that will pack and ship for you.
I would consider Craigslist or Letgo and some patience the better options.
I paid $400 for my 2001 Buenos Aries in what I would consider excellent condition to give you an idea of value but I am in Georgia and Lemonds aren’t that common.

Riding_Lemond

FYI....after looking at your bike closer yours is a 2001 as well.

fishboat

1999 was yellow with white/red decals

2001 was yellow with white/black decals

Just checked the catalogs to make sure my reference was correct..looks to be.

diphthong

had a 2002 buenos aires w/ultegra (till rocking some of those parts) that descended like no one's business.
never had speed wobbles on that rig and got it up to 55 mph a few times. wish i could say that about
the other road bikes i've owned/i own. only bike i ever felt comfortable riding no hands for significant stretches.
sold the frame around 2006 (maybe 15k miles on it) for $50. there have been a few times i wish i had that frame back.

Riding_Lemond

Yes you are absolutely right. I did not know the two were so similar. Kinda wish mine had the red labels now but it’s still badass either way.