Lost Sailor17

My same friend just handed me this bike and asked me to get it priced. It is ready to ride, though I will probably (should) clean it. I don't intend to tear it down and grease anything. Just planning to sell as is. So what would this be worth. S/N is H1I9H38 which equates to (I believe) 710, 19.75" (50cm), brazed Sep 1979. Run H s/n 38. I haven't looked up the specifics on the original parts that may have been included though I do have a price sheet from Trek Bicycle and Frame Price List - November 24, 1980 from Open Air Bicycles, Isla Vista and Goleta , CA, that should put me pretty close. Any questions I can go back to man shed and look for information.

cb400bill

Pic Assist. https://www.bikeforums.net/g/picture/20564066

Lost Sailor17

Ok thanks for input. I will consider tearing it down maybe or just tell him to let it go for low $$. More to follow later.

bikemig 

The bike is not ready to ride but it is worth I think considerably more than a $100 even as it sits. It has a campy rally rear derailleur. That is worth some coin. The other parts are good quality and in good looking shape but I can't make them out (other than the headset which is a shimano 600 and the crank which is a sugino). Those look like high end brakes but I can't make them out (first gen dura ace maybe?). The bike has a cinelli bar and stem. I can't make out the shifters and front derailleur but they're nice quality and clean. Plus this is a high end frame.

Even as it sits, I'd value it around $300. If the OP wants to maximize value, sell the rear derailleur separately from the bike and price the bike at $250 or so. That's not a screaming deal but it is a deal on a high end vintage bike and it should move at that price.

OP: better pics especially of the parts would help in providing a valuation.

francophile 

I think $200-$250 is spot-on, even in this shape to avoid a "harvester" from coming along and picking it apart to sell the good bits and chucking the rest.

Tiny size is a hit, but that looks like a Campy Rally rear mech, there's $60-80. That drilled Sugino crankset will net you another $60-80. That's well over $100 for just two parts. But who knows. Fulll-531 frameset should surely pull at least $100 with headset and BB intact.

Asheville NC and Athens GA are both similarly interesting markets. Seems like things like this won't sell as high there, I agree. No clue where the OP lives.

Lost Sailor17

OK well I am either on something good or not. Not really sure. (My ignorance or lack of expertise. I am a newbie, Trust me please). I can add additional close up pictures of what might help determine price as a whole bike or broken down to part out. Let me know what I should take a picture of. ..francophile and now others are a great help, but I am not truly sure of what to take pictures of. Will take closer and better pictures of what you need to see (learning for me). Thanks all. As for location I am in southern Louisiana. Just 30 minutes from New Orleans. N'Awleans.

francophile 

I was born in Jefferson Parish while dad was at Belle Chasse. Still generally familiar with the area, though I haven't been back much since Katrina hit. I suspected you may've been close when I saw your Viner. Gut feeling.

Note: You hit 11 photos, so now you can upload pics directly into your posts.

As for how to photograph a bike ... there are two reasons to photograph a bike: For artistic purposes [or] to evaluate details for showing off, appraisal, or identification/dating.

For artistic photo purposes, this is a good thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...raph-bike.html

For the every other purpose, other than getting a GOOD full picture of the drive (crank) side of the bike and a good one of the non-drive (opposite) side of the bike, here's the things I normally want a clear picture of:

• The crankset and front derailleur, hopefully with a clear shot of the pedals (or shoot pedals separate)
• The rear derailleur
• Any decals on the bike, including the one on the front/head tube
• Any stampings, serial numbers, or etchings on the frame or parts - especially under the bike, where the serial# and sizing info often is
• The hubs and any labels on the rims
• Front and rear brake calipers and their levers
• The "seat cluster", which is the area the seat post goes into the bike, this is a "signature" area, the way it's finished and kept up says a lot
• The ends of the forks and the dropout - i.e. the two spots the wheel axles sit into the frame

Even if you only did the following spots I've circle, it would be good - but beyond that I'm also including the stuff I typically shoot for bikes when I list them on eBay.




And here's an example of one of the albums from an eBay auction from a couple years ago, so you can see some samples of what *I* personally prefer to see when I'm assessing a bike. I mean, I'd like more than this, but eBay limits you to 20 pics so sometimes you gotta edit. (FYI: Forum only allows 1o pictures per reply).

EDIT: I think I screwed up and grabbed the wrong folder. There's maybe some duplicates here, and I have way too many pics of the head tube area.

bikemig 

Well I grew up in New Orleans and still visit regularly to see friends and family. The New Orleans market should be okay for selling a bike like this. I worked in a bike shop in NO. Given that you don't have a lot of expertise, you may just want to figure out a decent price where it will move. Maximizing your value will take time and expertise.

With pics of the derailleurs, hubs, and brakes, we can give you a better idea of value. Also just list the parts; they all have names on them. But I'm thinking this is around a $300 bike as it sits. That's a nice frame and there are people who really like the 70s Treks.

Some of the local bike shops might be willing to take the bikes off your hands. You won't get top dollar but that way you just move them on without having to put much work into selling them. I know that the owner of Bicycle World on Jefferson Hwy knows a lot about the bikes from this era.

francophile 

I guess we've got a bunch of NOLA up in here, who knew

I think it's pretty critical to re-iterate this point: Don't bother to restore something unless you plan to keep it. You'll almost always make more profit off a cleaned but untouched bike than you will off a restored one. A lot of us folks are upside-down in our bikes. It takes a long time to get good enough you can really make money and efficiently refurb or restore a bike.

You could make more money off it once restored, but once you factor in your time, you made less than minimum wage at Burger King. Not to mention $$ spent on proper tools and consumable parts - cables, rubber stuff, housings etc., it starts adding up quick. Some people have more time than money, so there's nothing to lose, or they enjoy turning wrenches and polishing, so the value of their time doesn't matter.

And don't start tearing things down unless you know 1,000% you're going to finish the job. A torn apart bike will fetch far less than a complete (unrestored) bike every day of the week, sometimes you'll lose half the value or more by taking things off it. Oh, and any missing little bits already gone, or that you lose during rebuild will will cost you out the nose, until you have a good parts stash to fill the blanks.

Camilo

Post the question on this forum:
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals. - Bike Forums

The dilemma is what could you possibly get for it best case, no thought for time and effort vs. what could you get for it by just unloading it with least amount of time and effort. The estimates of high and low given above are probably accurate for that range, so you have to decide based on that probably. If I had it and it was my size, I'd keep it and re-hab it. But I really doubt I could sell it locally for much at all because very few people around here do that sort of thing; unless they're a real enthusiast, people just want to buy a bike and ride it care-free. Add to that, it's on the pretty darn small side of the spectrum, not a "medium-large" size like, say 54 - 60 which is where the majority of vintage enthusiasts reside.

cb400bill

Um. It is.

Camilo

oops! I don't know why I didn't notice that! Hey I'm a senior citizen, give me a break!

kross57

Regardless of price, if you replaced the rusty chain and poor handlebar wraps, it will be much easier to sell.

francophile 

I'd say 54-57 is the average. As someone whose perfect road fit is usually 59, I can't tell you how damn hard it is to find bikes +/- a cm from that @ 58-60. I swear, 2/3 of the bikes I'm like "OOOoooh, Ooooooh!" about are either 54-56 or 61-64. Never in between. It's probably 50/50 whether I can squeeze into a 57 or not, depends on the geometry, seat, stem.

I think you'd get the most bang for buck with the bar tape and a cheap but clean seat. That Brooks Pro (I think) seat has the front half eaten off it. Even then you're in it for $25, and I doubt you'd milk more than 40-50 extra out of it.

kross57

Funny, because the best size for me is 54cm and the most common size bike I run into is either 57-58 cm or 49-50 cm. You always find what you don't need!

francophile 

Right? But that's actually probably a good thing. Like OP's bike, if it were my size, I'd probably hafta head back "home" to buy it