What would you do? wheeling and dealing for an Alpine
 

I was just offered a Fred Kelly built Alpine, 1981 build, Columbus SL tubing, 58cm, full Campy NR. The guy is asking $700 for it.

He's also interested in a straight trade for a '88 Haro Sport freestyler bmx that I came across, that I'd listed first at $800 on local CL, then $700, then was entertaining his offer of $550.

Mitigating factors: I would need to clear out both the '81 Soma Competition (a bit small at 57 cm, Champion Tange 2 tubing, full Shimano 600 Arabesque, a bit on the small side), and the '85 Peugeot PGN-10 (right sized at 60cm, Reynolds 501 tubing, Sachs Huret Rival derailleurs, just refreshed with new bar tape, brake hoods, cables, tubes and tires). The Peugeot is a nice bike and I'll be sad not to be able to ride it. The Soma is already on the block, waiting for the right buyer.

On the other hand, the Fred Kelly / Alpine will also be a nice bike, I can work with the stem length if I need to.
On the other other hand, I told my wife about the $550 offer, but haven't brought up the possibility of a trade. One will make her happy, the other will not. As she says, "that's two weeks of daycare".

So, what would you do?
1) Straight trade for the Alpine, sell the Peugeot for not as much? On Mother's Day?
2) Sell the BMX, keep the Peugeot, make wife happy, pretend this opportunity will come along some other time.

Alpine:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...da6cd2d48a.jpg
Haro Sport:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b17d1c5a9c.jpg

Soma:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ca751cfc9a.jpg

Puegeot, before restoration.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9a17c02c93.jpg

Does the Alpine fit well? If yes, trade the BMX bike and sell the other two. You get a very nice bike, your wife is happy and you can look for another bike in the future having banked some goodwill with your wife.

What is the top tube length on the Peugeot vs. the Alpine? and are you in need of high bars? To me, the swap is a no-brainer even if you have to turn around and part out the Alpine to get your money back.

The Soma is already for sale, so that doesn't really figure into it. Basically it boils down to how much less than $550 the Peugeot would go for.

I am all for conservation of marital bliss, but I would still be inclined to make the trade and come up with something else to sell; ideally, something she knows you would not be inclined to divest but for this deal. Or maybe you could part out one or both of the sale bikes and do better than selling them whole.

I think I'll have to take the Alpine on a test ride. If it's comfortable I'll do the trade, if it's not, I'll keep the Peugeot.

There is another 58cm Alpine for sale for $500 locally on CL, but no Campy NR, so it looks like maybe the red bike would be a good even trade. The alternate frame I'm assuming is SL, but I've never seen a sticker like that before... Tubi Speciali ******n Accacio, Made In Italy.
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...583860065.html
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...db28fc6f97.jpg

I'm confused.

You're proposing to eliminate 2 bikes from your herd in exchange for 1?

Keep them all. If your wife doesn't like the fact that you're accumulating bikes, consider the zero bike concept.

I went back and reread that thread, and realized that I made a mathematical error after reading replies from both @Drillium Dude and @RiddleOfSteel. Both of these BFer's are single, to my knowledge, as of the date I posted this.

I therefore submit a new theorem.

As n+1 approaches s-1, the only way to increase n is n+0 without breaking the s-1 boundary condition.
This is true only if s>0.
If not, the zero bike theorem does not apply, and n+1 can approach infinity, bounded only by time and money.

i am glad my bike habit is my own business only.

Gugie, I think there may be a factor in there you're missing - storage space.
I have lots of crawlspace that has been filling up with surreptitious parts. My wife would be very surprised by how many incomplete bikes our property will hold. Also, I keep grabbing "future use" bikes for when my son learns how to ride - the trail-a-bike, a vintage 16" Diamondback, plus the trailer, plus the S's bike etc.

Oh man, that just reminds me how many projects I have most of the parts for. I'll just build one up for N+1 to get back to even. Plus, it'll take a while to get the others sold. At least it's spring, and a good time to sell bikes.
Let's see, which one to build - the lightweight aluminum fixie? The Gitane into a gravel grinder? Find / build a rear wheel for the chrome Ross mtb I was supposed to send to TiredHands, but kept instead? The limiting factor in the N of my bikes is obviously time.

I've made arrangements for the meet and swap this weekend. Maybe I'll have new pictures to post next week.

Get rid of the Peugot and pickup the Alpine. It looks better to begin with and looks to be in really nice condition.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4cb0c9b51a.jpg

The Haro has been traded for the Alpine. I'll probably start a new thread with photos and Alpine / Fred Kelly history, what I could find so far.

Right now I have a little problem that prevents me from taking pictures - too much clutter! I wish the garage was a real work space instead of a catch all place to throw project supplies. Also, there are too many bikes and about 10 wheel sets in there right now.
The Peugeot is actually in better condition overall than the Alpine, but the Alpine is still a higher quality bike, with higher quality components. I'll be looking for a set of NR pedals, clips, and straps to put on it, but in the meantime I've got some knockoff $20 SPD mountain pedals that I can ride it with (sacrilege!)

I have learned two important things, when acquiring vintage bicycles.

First, you get THEM when THEY are available (waiting can be a bad choice) and purge what you must, afterwards, as was my most recent case of having to let my lovely Motobecane Grand Jubilee go after I got my Peugeot PX10...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b7e00180c6.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4c062527a9.jpg

Second but really first, be honest and give some of the purge money to your partner. Been doing this for years. Mrs. Me still expresses displeasure when I buy, but never an unkind word when I sell.

Some of the proceeds from the sale of the Soma and Peugeot will go to cover shiny bits (pedals, frame pump, and bottle cage, for starters) for the Alpine, some will buy something nice for my wife, and the rest will get turned over to general funds. There was a Specialized hybrid I picked up from the curb same time as the Haro that brought in a little money, that we split. It's nice having a little cash in your wallet for a change. Her main issue is not being able to walk in the garage, or get to the rakes and yard tools because of the bikes.

Actually, all three of the bikes discussed here came from dumpsters or the curb. I spent a few hundred dollars getting the Soma done at a shop, including having a set of wheels built, which I will be keeping. The Peugeot was last year's curbside bulk pickup, and I never got around to fixing it, even though I bought all the required new parts... just life in the way, I guess. I have one section of cable housing to cut in order to install the shift cables, then attach the chain before the PGN-10 is road ready.

This.

Not at all. All my vintage bikes have spds. :)