thesprite27

For the past five years, I've owned this bicycle which has done me well, but want to sell it. All I knew at the time is that it had Sprite 27 painted on the frame and the Ralegh emblem on the front and the back. Never really thought much of it, other than that it was a good bike that lasted me well. A couple of days ago, I contacted someone who knows a bit about bikes to see how much I could sell it for, and he pointed out that it was a vintage bicycle. Knowing that, I thought that maybe instead of selling it to a random person out there, maybe it has some value to it and someone who knows better about bicycles and would like to refurbish this would want it better.
Most of the bike doesn't seem to be original other than the frame. The rear wheel had to be replaced after a previous accident and at that time I had the bike switched from a 10-speed to a single speed. The seat and seat post also dont seem original. The handlebars are Champion Drop Bars, Randonneur-style if it helps. Front wheel may be the original one. Tires and inner tubes have been replaced. Other than that, the bike frame, fork, crankset, and handlebar post are original.
I'll post up some pictures of the bike later, when I figure out how to do so. But I wanted to share this bike and get some more information regarding it's value and if it's worth preserving and refurbishing.

RubberLegs

It is a cool old vintage bike, and there are Raleigh collectors out there, but it may be too common to be worth a lot. A worthy bike of rebuilding and riding...Old School. Welcome to the Forum lots of knowledge and wisdom around here on all things OLD BICYCLE! Here is a link to more info on the Sprite.
https://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/sprite.html

thesprite27

https://imgur.com/a/ZC5e5
https://imgur.com/a/EZdGB

thesprite27

Thanks for answering. I was curious as to whether or not this bike would end up falling into bad hands when it could actually be given to someone who loves and knows vintage bikes. But I'm guessing it isn't all too rare to find. I've attached some photos to this thread, not the clearest pictures but it's something. One thing that stood out to me was the fork design, where it has two indents around the top. I have never seen any bike like that and was wondering what was the design thought behind that. If you could help answer that question, is appreciate it.

sailorbenjamin

What part of the country are you in? That makes a difference. Is that chain gouging the paint on the top tube? That makes a difference, too. Is the rear wheel threaded for a fixed gear cog (it'll have two threads, one a little smaller and opposite for the lock ring)(or threading on both sides of the hub).
Round here I'd ask $150 and maybe I'd get $100 for it. They're great bikes but not rare.

no1mad 

Moved to C & V Appraisals from Classic & Vintage.

oddjob2

There is no shortage of these 1970's icons. That bike is so highly modified, IMHO, it is worth $50-$75 tops. May be better as a tax donation.

FastJake

+1

Old does not necessarily mean valuable. There is a lot of old crap out there. Your bike is nice but not worth a lot. I would agree with about $75 at the most. Sell in in your local craigslist if you want it gone.

browngw 

If the existing decal did not say "Sprite", I would not have recognized as such and I have four of them! I recently sold a sprite frame and fork 23" for $15.
The Sprite was a "townie" for recreational riders and used the same HiTen frame as the popular "Record" of the ten speed era. Some pics of my 1975 10 speed are below. We also have a matching step through for my wife.

vanvanj

The Raleigh sprites that I have sold in the NYC market were all 5 speed cruisers and I fetched anywhere from $150-$250 depending on size and condition. That is a pretty cool road bike with funky color tires, suprisingly , you could get anywhere from $200-$275 here in NYC for that bike....shoot I just sold a Schwinn Le Tour 14 speed last night for $320