gideo8

Hi folks! Hoping for a little insight from the experts here. Is this a good deal? I can't post the link but if you type "Vintage Austro Daimler Puch Olympian Road Bike 58cm 23" Reynolds 531" into ebay you will see the listing in Chelmsford MA.

Thanks!

zukahn1 

Are looking at the 58cm or the 64cm I get two hit's based on your info both are way overpriced and are $200 at best.

bikemig 

That's a fair price for that bike particularly given that it is on eBay. That is a quality frame with decent parts and it looks clean.

WGB 

Sometimes if you check the sellers location on FB Marketplace and CL, you find the bike listed locally as well and sometimes it's cheaper....

WGB 

Update to my last.
@gideo8
If you go and visit the seller, with nice crisp folding money in your pocket, I bet you will pay less than asking. The bike is listed for same money on CL. If were hungry for this bike, I'd reply on CL and not eBay. Seller listed it on eBay under "Vintage Cycling". If you deal through eBay you are agreeing it's "Vintage" and it's special. Of course it's special to the seller, it's full of his memories.

Seller says "Bike was tuned up about 3 years ago, and unriden since". Because it has sat, it will, almost certainly need to have the hubs opened and new grease added, same for headset and bottom bracket. If I was paying $350 USD, no way I'd ride a bike I knew had sat without checking the grease and the condition of the bearings. This is simple common practice to prevent something being destroyed that could easily have been saved with a little work. Can you do that yourself? If not the price just rose drastically. Those tires? Were they installed three years ago at tune up time or are they older? Tires that have sat in garages can deteriorate. Is the seat post loose? and the stem? Why not just go look?

I'm not sure you experience so if you feel comfortable with inspecting a bike, ignore my suggestions. If you have a friend who knows bikes, bring him or her. Two sets of eyes are better than one and your friend has no stake in the sale. Bring a set of Allen keys and check the seat bolt and the stem. If seller won't allow you to loosen those bolts, red flag. Bolts can be retightened, even if you don't buy. If he won't loosen them himself after not letting you loosen them, walk away fast.

We don't know where you are located but if you are in the Boston, MA area there are 304 road bikes under $400 currently on FB. There are custom frames, there are a bunch with 531 tubing. Most for less than $350. A seller of a bike which has sat will usually entertain offers.

Almost every day @Rocketsauce posts bike in the Boston area and they are usually stellar bikes. If you check FB Marketplace and are willing to drive an hour into the country, prices drop.

It's September. Once the college students get there school bikes, who is buying bikes? In a few weeks, maybe a month you will find deals. If you have to buy now, ok. If you can wait, you might do better.

wrk101

The first bike is the better of the two.

I sell locally and on ebay. I will sell locally for HALF of my ebay price for several reasons.

1. No fees.
2. Don't have to pack the bike.
3. No buyer wins any dispute,

A logical seller should discount locally, 50% is kind of strong, but 1/3 would be realistic.

On stuff where shipping is expensive (like bikes), ebay's fees really add up (they charge on the shipping too). I use 20% as my estimate on fees. Sellers need to understand this if they haven't figured it out yet.

gideo8

Hi WGB and others, thank you! This is all incredibly helpful!

I am in the Boston area, I need to get a bike this week to restart my regular commute, and I don't know bikes very well so I can't do the work you recommend myself. I'm 6'1" so I'm looking for a large bike (58 cms/23" is what i was shooting for) that is reasonably light because I like to ride fast. I am 100% a dropbar guy and I really like riding old bikes, but I'd rather not spend more than $400.

All your feedback makes this sale (it is the 58CM bike btw) much less interesting, and clarifies that I should really find a bike that has been recently tuned up. (However, is a tuneup really enough to ensure a vintage bike is well taken care of?).

I've looked through FB and Craigslist for a local sale for a few weeks and have really struggled to find suitable options. FB is infuriating because people often don't list the size of their bikes or any other details. On craigslist I have found a few other bikes besides this Austro-Daimler, but I'm not sure they are better choices. I am wondering if you all could give me some additional advice on these other options:

1. A 1990 repainted Cannondale that was recently tuned up for $250. This is the post title on Boston Craigslist: Vintage 1990 Cannondale R500 - Shimano 600 - 58CM Large - $250 (Beverly).
2. A 1980's shogun Katana (I have ridden a Shogun Tangaloy previously and I liked it) for $125, but it doesn't seem to have been recently tuned up. This is the post title on Boston Craigslist: Shogun Katana road bike - $125 (Amesbury)

If neither of these are great choices, WGB could you direct me to how I could find listings from Rocketsauce, or do you know an easy way to filter the FB marketplace items down to large bikes?

Thanks again! This is such a useful forum for an amateur like me.

bikemig 

Easiest thing is to start a new thread stating what you are looking for, the size you need, the city where you live (Boston is a fair sized city so you might want to give some idea where you live) and the price you are willing to pay. The posters will find you bikes and you can whittle it down from there. One thing about a commuter is that ideally you'd like a bike that can take a bit fatter tire (say a 32c) and maybe even fenders.

zukahn1 

I would pass on the repaint bikes. The R500 is a nice bike at a good price but the stiff frame and fairly tight race geometry would not be good for commuting . I would suggest taking a good look at the Shogun in person to see if iit's in good shape. This Schwinn also looks to be a good option if your looking for something less expensive .
https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/bi...526939964.html
If your looking for something a bit more this Fuji is a pretty nice bike at a ok price.
https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/bi...528002600.html

wrk101

Given you don't want to do any work on the bike, you either need to find a high quality rebuilder in your area, or buy NEW. Most "flippers" do not do high quality work, instead they do the bare minimum. Got to avoid those sellers. One reason for the lower quality work is skill, another reason is that is all the market will pay for. I was putting 6 hours into every rebuild, plus $100 in fresh consumables. I would ask $300 for a nicer bike with desirable components and frame materials. But I had competitors who did CRAP work, and would sell a bike for $200. Guess who got the sale?


Saddest rebuilder situation I ever experienced was a guy in Orlando, who claimed to have over 30 years experience as a bike mechanic. Rather than change out rusty cables (~ $3 cost for stainless if you buy in bulk), the guy used silver model paint and PAINTED over the cables. Probably took him a half hour or more. And the painted cables would hang up in the cable housings, so shifting or braking was poor at best. Guy gave a 1 year guarantee.... Worthless!

In many markets, the "best deals" are on FB marketplace. The bikes do tend to need some maintenance. Not everything on FB marketplace is a good deal! But I pretty much find two or three great deals every time I look (medium sized market). Just looked right now, found two great deals, picking one up later today.

As far as size in ads, most sellers are clueless on sizing, you as the buyer must get used to estimating size via a picture. It is a skill that can be learned.

A seller who can't even get size right? That's a clue as to the mechanical condition. If you are a capable bicycle mechanic, surely you can work a tape measure and get the size right (10 second job).

The easiest way to filter bikes on Craigslist is to do it by price first. In your case, I would filter $250 to $400 price range. Then get used to estimating frame size from a picture. Sadly if you just search for "large" for example, you will eliminate a lot of worthy choices.

Frenzen

It is so much simpler and cheaper to replace cables and housing. What a waste of a time

WGB 

@gideo8 - check this:

​​​​​​https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...t-ii-2842.html

Go on the above thread and go up about 10 pages. Check each page, Rocketsauce posts all the time. He posts some really really nice stuff that costs more but is well worth looking at. . If you do buy a bike for riding in Boston, buy a lock. I just sold a bike to a german student who will live in Toronto. He showed up to test ride with a lock of his own and told me he needed a second. Smart man.

PS. If you are 6'1 - you might consider 24/25 inch frames 61-63cm. If your legs and arms are shorter, disregard.

Mr. 66

For that bike, those were under built. The frame is great but the parts are price point for the time. Weinman brakes ok, but flexing. the nervar cranks, great looking cranks but soft and has an odd ring size. Nervar bb again just not that great, probably has red label Normandy hubs.

I have that bike as a $350 sell in great shape, as a buy, I would pass.

I have the Inter 10 that's similar in all except color.

juvela

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forum regulars Wildwood , r0ckh0und , ollo_ollo all own or have owned this model

IIRC Wildwood has writ often that he really enjoys his example and has retained it while other steeds in the stable have come and gone

they may wish to make comment...

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recall seeing it in person at launch during 1978 in the showroom o' me LBS and thought it well done and kitted

this was the launch time for the A-D marque IIRC


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daverup 

When you find a bike that was "tuned up", you need to find out what was done. That doesn't mean much with flippers.