Motobecane Mirage and Triumph ladies bike values?
06-10-23, 10:39 AM
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Motobecane Mirage and Triumph ladies bike values?
I have both from my parent's garage. Both have the original tires and both are in overall good condition. I took pictures but unfortunately I can not post yet. Any other way to post pictures? Thanks in advance to the replies
Last edited by 73john; 06-10-23 at 11:27 AM.
06-10-23, 01:04 PM
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Motobecane made in France or made in Taiwan? Look for a label on the bike frame for country of origin. The French company went bankrupt in 1981. Like a lot of the older well known companies, the brand name was purchased and the source moved to Taiwan and China. The bad news is that even if the Mirage was made in France, it was at the absolute bottom of the lineup. I owned a circa 1973 Motobecane Le Champion, their top of the line production bike. The following year the Mirage came out with the same frame paint design, black. Pissed me off a bit.
About two decades ago I needed a beater bike to leave at my workplace. I came across a French made Mirage for $20 in decent shape so bought it and used it to get from one location to another. I didn't worry about it being stolen because it wasn't much to lose. Sure enough, one of the maintenance staff saw it locked in our bike compound and cut the lock saying it was abandoned. I did get it back though because I had the front wheel in my office. When you set the price, remember than any bike left for years is still going to need some TLC. Anything made of rubber ages even if not ridden on. That means new tires, new grips, and brake pads. In my area, anything more than two decades old needs to have all of the greased parts like the hubs cleaned and relubricated as the grease gets hard with age and heat. It's easy if you do your own work but prohibitively expensive to have a bike shop do it.
About two decades ago I needed a beater bike to leave at my workplace. I came across a French made Mirage for $20 in decent shape so bought it and used it to get from one location to another. I didn't worry about it being stolen because it wasn't much to lose. Sure enough, one of the maintenance staff saw it locked in our bike compound and cut the lock saying it was abandoned. I did get it back though because I had the front wheel in my office. When you set the price, remember than any bike left for years is still going to need some TLC. Anything made of rubber ages even if not ridden on. That means new tires, new grips, and brake pads. In my area, anything more than two decades old needs to have all of the greased parts like the hubs cleaned and relubricated as the grease gets hard with age and heat. It's easy if you do your own work but prohibitively expensive to have a bike shop do it.
06-10-23, 04:51 PM
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If it is a vintage bike their is a subforum dedicated to appraisals of vintage bikes. If you actually want help get involved with the forums and get 10 posts in the various active topics all over the forums. Once you have gotten involved as described you will be able to post pictures.
Original tires are generally not a good thing in this case as they can easily get dry rotted after a long period but new tires are easy to get and the bikes are easy to get serviced at your local shop.
Original tires are generally not a good thing in this case as they can easily get dry rotted after a long period but new tires are easy to get and the bikes are easy to get serviced at your local shop.
06-10-23, 05:42 PM
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@73john
Posts 2 and 3 answer all your questions. We can see your pics and in my neck of the woods those are parts bikes at best and I would donate to a bike charity. Any talk of money would need this thread moved to the appropriate forum.
Posts 2 and 3 answer all your questions. We can see your pics and in my neck of the woods those are parts bikes at best and I would donate to a bike charity. Any talk of money would need this thread moved to the appropriate forum.
06-10-23, 05:51 PM
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Oh @73john , welcome.
If you would like to join the discussions here start with a thread in the introduction forum and tell us a little about your cycling interests.
Say hi to some other new members.
If you would like to join the discussions here start with a thread in the introduction forum and tell us a little about your cycling interests.
Say hi to some other new members.
06-11-23, 07:36 AM
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