RaleighSport

I have no interest in the bike myself.. but this place seems to do this a lot and I really find myself shuddering when I see them, despite the fact it's painfully obvious a lot of skilled work went into rehabbing these bikes.. well here's the link https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/2756419157.html

now tell me what you think?

Re-Cycle

Not my cup of tea

rootboy 

"re-created"? Does that mean some outfit cleaned up a bike by some other maker, put their goofy stickers on it and are selling it for an ungodly amount just because? Surely not.

ericbaker

I think its sweet, Id rather have a Bicycle Czar than a Univega to be perfectly honest. Not that id buy either in reality but for someone looking to buy a solid commuter/rider... a funky nicely refinished bike with an interesting story would be more appealing than some bike boom dime-a-dozener.

Of course theres a blurry line as to which bikes should be put under the knife.

The price reflects the labor not the parts, plus they are in San Fran where these bikes command a premium.

fender1

No. This is for someone who has little interest in bikes but wants an older style bike.

due ruote 

The silly branding is the only real difference I see between that bike and what a lot of BF members (and others) do. The premium charged therefor can only be attributed to the brand itself, and since, at least to me, it has no value, I'm going with a rather long-winded but resounding 'no'.

Maddox

Well said.

RaleighSport

Bicycle Czar used to be a shop around here that was for this crowd basically, used old parts etc.. good prices yada.. Lately all I see from them is bikes like this. As for SF, they're quite a bit north of SF.. if you go any further north bicycle culture basically dies and you're in the redwoods.

LesterOfPuppets

How do you know that's not a Univega?

RaleighSport

It likely is... that's the majority of bikes they redo.

LesterOfPuppets

I'd be sad if they repainted a nice Univega - Super Special, Specialissima, Ultra Leggera, etc.

Gotta love the Rainbow U. Way better than commie propaganda poster font.

Kanegon

You could end up spending as much, restoring a bargain classic, so it's not the price. Also, for me the chase is half the fun. Lastly, if you're going to update/reinterpret, at least consider index shifting and a 130mm rear hub, it's not like I'm totally in love with 1985.

SteveSGP

I fail to see how a repainted bike with home brewed decals is worth $550.00.

That's just nuts.

LesterOfPuppets

That's probably what it costs to even approach making a decent living doing it, the trick is making customers see the value. If they're really nicely rehabbed and tuned that might be possible.

It costs a LOT more to live in Sonoma than most parts of Minnesota, just for a frame of reference.

RaleighSport

The only areas I know of with a higher cost of living are basically, SF NYC LA and a few of the major southern cities... it's pretty much worth it though for the weather, the beauty, and if your a wine-o you'll be in heaven.

And to give an indicator (my favored shop doesn't have anything high end in the online store right this sec, but this is a more realistic shop I go to.)
150 for this

kroozer 

I don't have any problem with what they're doing, sort of a deluxe flipper.
However, if you just want a solid, decent old bike for basic transport duties, $150-200 ought to do the trick.
I imagine that for the extra $400 the Czar customer gets some sort of guarantee plus extra service, and for someone who knows nothing about bikes that makes it worthwhile.

Alan Edwards

Like buying a brand new old bike you get service and free tune-ups. For me I would have liked to have seen it done in the original name. BD would sell you a lot of bike for that price but you don't get service. If your looking for a new bike buy one and if your looking to buy an old bike buy one, this seems to be stuck in the middle without a discount.

wrk101

Not around here, not even close. $550 to restore a generic, middle of the road, Univega? Way off the scale. $550 buys just about anything top of the line vintage around here.

But if he can get that price, more power to them.

Algthough San Fran prices are much higher than around here, a quick spin through their C/L found half a dozen nicer vintage bikes for a lot less $$.

Giacomo 1 

It's not for me, and probably not for many purists here at the forum, but IMHO, it's going to look pretty good to a casual rider who walks into a LBS and gets sticker shock at the price of any new road bike that is half-decent.

For an LBS to buy the bike, put an employee on it, strip it down, sandblast it, powdercoat it, decal it, put it back together with many new pieces and still turn a profit - then I think $550 is about right, and he probably isn't making much. And we are talking California here....

Really, is it that far off?

mtnbke

A lot of forum members do nothing but throw some grease in a BB that should be thrown away, put cheapie tires and crap housing/cables on a bike and then charge $100-300 more than they paid for it. I love that this guy actually is breaking the frames down, having them powdercoated and selling a decent bike. Hopefully this will put the low end flipper/predators to bed in that market.

Standalone 

HA HA HA. I just did the same thing with the same frame. Mine came from a dumpster. That's a Maxima Sport I'm pretty sure. The way the stays meet the rear dropouts is pretty abrupt and cheaply done.

Some of you saw the thread, but I'll repost the pics.











Dumpster dive bike. Parts bin junk parts only-- except for the campy DT (from my mother's Atala) and a seatpost clamp stolen temporarily from my wife's Giant. Stripped, painted, and built up all on black Friday.

Investment = zero. Worth= 150, tops. It's a magnalloy frame. I don't think that univega frame in the bay area CL ad is any step up from what I had here.

Excellent marketing, nice build, and good clean vintagey parts, but kind of gets a WTF from me.

rootboy 

It's the putting your decals on a frame that some other concern built that rankles my arse. I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but it's a stenchy approach.

auchencrow

I would buy a Univega, rehab it completely, and sell it (still with the original paint) for a third of what the seller is asking.

toytech

for that price they are more than half way to owning my Somec. They are regularly flagged for spamming up craigslist. Not as bad as ReMatch though... at least Bike Czars bikes actually exist.

Standalone 

ok, it is a better frame than the Magnalloy tank I built up for free. I compared the dropouts more closely.


But hey, I'm reconsidering. Giving some local guy a hundred bucks "too much" for a unique bike really does fit the "shop local" ethos. And I've overspent on things here and there. There's some good salesmanship going on in the ad, but nothing dishonest. It still makes me laugh that I kind of did a cut rate version of the same thing for free, but there's nothing wrong with it.