Notices
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals. Use this subforum for all requests as to "How much is this vintage bike worth?"Do NOT try to sell it in here, use the Marketplaces.

1970s Motobecane Le Champion?

Old 03-18-23, 06:47 PM
  #1  
fredbrussells
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 14
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
1970s Motobecane Le Champion?

Can you please tell me what you think the value of this bike is?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/151903...57680196059426

and the best place/site to sell it?

I bought the frame as new old stock from a bike shop around 1998. So, supposedly it had not been ridden before i bought it.

it has a lot of used parts on it, but supposedly the frame was new at the time i bought it.

I don't know much about road bikes. (been mountain biking for 30+ years)

thanks for your help.
fredbrussells is offline  
Old 03-18-23, 08:59 PM
  #2  
Drillium Dude 
Banned.
 
Drillium Dude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: PAZ
Posts: 12,394
Mentioned: 255 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2588 Post(s)
Liked 4,823 Times in 1,709 Posts
Can't give a specific value (I'm not too familiar with pricing for French bikes, frames, and bits) - but do understand that you'll take a final value reduction right off the bat as it lacks the original fork.

Perhaps it was wrecked once, and the original fork suffered fatal damage.

DD
Drillium Dude is offline  
Old 03-19-23, 06:03 AM
  #3  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
+1. The replacement fork really hurts the value. Plus the parts mix is a bit of a mess. The bike will have more value as a part out as some of the parts have a value and you can sell them on eBay or here on this site if you are willing to become a member (the cost is low and you don't deal with eBay fees).
bikemig is offline  
Old 03-19-23, 09:02 AM
  #4  
wrk101
Thrifty Bill
 
wrk101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
Posts: 23,572

Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more

Mentioned: 96 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 958 Times in 625 Posts
Define "best site" for sale. Is best the highest $$, or is best easiest to sell, no fees, no packing.

The easier the sale, the lower the price. There is no free lunch. Replacement fork = lack of interest by many.

Selling here very likely still means packing and shipping. So I would not put it in the "easy" class.

Very odd mix of parts, screams part out to me. Someone paying up for a Le Champion would not want those parts. The more jumbled the parts, the more a part out WILL yield more $$.

Last edited by wrk101; 03-19-23 at 09:08 AM.
wrk101 is offline  
Old 03-19-23, 10:01 AM
  #5  
Bianchigirll 
Bianchi Goddess
 
Bianchigirll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 29,725

Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.

Mentioned: 191 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2912 Post(s)
Liked 2,836 Times in 1,460 Posts
I don't think I've ever seen a tubing decal placed above the shifters so torn up.

With the replacement fork and the parts collection this is a rider and not a collector, but I'm not sure I'd buy it.
__________________
One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
Bianchigirll is offline  
Old 03-19-23, 10:27 PM
  #6  
SurferRosa
señor miembro
 
SurferRosa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 8,237

Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3846 Post(s)
Liked 6,437 Times in 3,183 Posts



That bike is a real pile. But with a bit if work, you could make it much more presentable. The clown saddle has to go. Pull the stem out of the frame and move the rear brake cable over to the left side of the head tube. Remove the duct tape from the chainstay. Add some $20, period-correct pedals. Lower the stem. Familiarize yourself with how to photograph a bicycle to sell. And take it to a beautiful place outside for pics. Price it locally to sell fast ($200 obo!). And Fuhgeddaboudit!
SurferRosa is offline  
Likes For SurferRosa:
Old 03-20-23, 06:50 AM
  #7  
Sedgemop 
Senior Member
 
Sedgemop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,667

Bikes: '72 Peugeot PX-10 '78 Motobecane Le Champion '83 Motobecane Grand Jubile '85 Trek 830 '88 Merckx Team ADR Corsa Extra

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 471 Post(s)
Liked 1,213 Times in 651 Posts
Thanks for the question. If you're looking to maximize what you have here, sales-wise, you'll probably want to part this one out. It's a mixture of parts that collectively don't add to the value of the bike, but have some value individually. The sales forum here is a good spot to sell parts. I'd sell the frame and fork separately on the bigger sale sites. As mentioned by several others, a replacement fork significantly brings down value. Get everything as clean as possible and take some really good, detailed photos. If you're looking to sell quickly, I'd follow SurferRosa's advice above.
Sedgemop is offline  
Old 03-20-23, 06:15 PM
  #8  
Drillium Dude 
Banned.
 
Drillium Dude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: PAZ
Posts: 12,394
Mentioned: 255 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2588 Post(s)
Liked 4,823 Times in 1,709 Posts
Originally Posted by SurferRosa



That bike is a real pile. But with a bit if work, you could make it much more presentable. The clown saddle has to go. Pull the stem out of the frame and move the rear brake cable over to the left side of the head tube. Remove the duct tape from the chainstay. Add some $20, period-correct pedals. Lower the stem. Familiarize yourself with how to photograph a bicycle to sell. And take it to a beautiful place outside for pics. Price it locally to sell fast ($200 obo!). And Fuhgeddaboudit!
Dayum!

Tell us how you really feel

DD
Drillium Dude is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.