Weaver_

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the brand Libertas and what the general value of their bikes are in OK condition. I'm more focused on mountain biking, and recently my town bike was stollen so I've been trying to find something to build up and found a Libertas Competition frame in decent condition but I have no idea what it's worth and I haven't heard of the brand before. Any information would be helpful. Thanks.

wrk101

Libertas made some fine bikes and the Competition was a nice one. Of course, with a bike that is over 40 years old, thats plenty of time for wear and tear, and also for original parts to be replaced with something better, or WORSE. Condition is everything. And on any older bike, you have to assume there will be significant maintenance needed. If you do your own work, that will not be a big problem. If you have a shop do the work, it can get very expensive I am not talking a simple tune up. Every place there are bearings: wheels, bottom bracket, headset, and more, the grease will need service/replacement, which means disassembly. And you can find damage, most often to the bottom bracket and wheel hub cones.

Also, depending on storage condition, you can find stuck parts. Never buy a vintage bike until the seller shows you the seat post and handlebar stem can be easily removed. These parts tend to corrode into the steel, sometimes bonding permanently. Getting them out can be anything from relatively easy to very hard. Best to know this in advance before spending money.

As far as brands you haven't heard of, back in the day, there were hundreds if not thousands of brands. No one is going to know all of them. The easiest way to differentiate bikes from that era are the quality of the components and the weight of the bike. A heavy bike with low end parts is something to avoid. A light weight bike with top of the line parts is going to be a nice find, regardless of brand or model. While there were hundreds of brands, there were just a handful of parts suppliers. Learning the good parts is much easier than learning the good brands (and its really more about the model than the brand).

Even though I have owned about 1,000 bikes, I still find surprise brands and models I have never heard of, bought two such bikes in the last month. But the quality of the parts was easy to spot, so I bought and then did research. I like to say "grab now, study later". People that do a ton of research first often get scooped by people like me.... Don't lose out to these people!!

bikemig 

There is remarkably little info on Libertas bikes available but the company made a range of bikes. If the competition is a full Reynolds 531 bike, that's a good bike.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-libertas.html

branko_76 

When my first Miyata 912 was stolen, I found an old Raleigh Grand Prix frame and built it up for use as a town bike. It served me well for many years riding year round through urban streets and I wasn't too concerned of it getting stolen.

If the frame fits you and it's in your price range, go for it. You don't need a fancy frame for a town bike.