Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Vintage Bottecchia - Gem or Ham? (Pics included)

Just chanced upon a vintage Bottecchia that my colleague at work had, so I asked if he was interested in selling it to me as I've always wondered how italian steel rides. So here are the pics.

I need opinions and info on the components as this is my first real foray into the world of vintage and classic bikes :)

Also, would appreciate much if you guys could roughly estimate how much this bike could fetch. Thanks for looking.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00838.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00843.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00846.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00849.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00851.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00854.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00856.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00857.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00858.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00859.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00860.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00878.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00885.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00886.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00887.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00888.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00889.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00890.jpg

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00892.jpg

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http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z222/free2move/DSC00896.jpg


The nearest comparison I could google up was this link

http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/04bicycles/bottecchiaRD.html

The Aelle tubing is not the highest end steel tube set. The bike is not top tier but not junk. I wouldn't offer top dollar. If it fits then it is worth considering. How low do you think he will go? I wouldn't pay much more than 200$ considering it needs a massive cleanup/overhaul of some of the parts.

Hrm, tough call, it is pretty obvious this has been a neglected bike; either that or he/she stored it outside. Some of the parts are really nice and the tubing isn't the worst, I have a Colnago Sport made of Aelle tubing and it rides well.

In that state, I would offer your co-worker $150 because I am guessing that you will need new rubber, new cables, new brake-pads and a heckuva lot of time polishing this bike up. Is it your size? Have you ridden it? Take it for a spin and see, maybe you won't even like it. If it were in prestine condition with those parts, it could go north of $400 but only because of the mystique of the Italian name.

If you were to put $300 worth of parts and labor into it you would have a $300 bike. I'm often wrong, though.

We know the frame is 1989, based on the Carniellli anniversary decal. Aelle is a decent tubeset even though it is plain gauge, but in this case it is only the 3 main tubes. Components are a real mix, both in year and level. It appears to have originally been Campagnolo Athena . A 1990 Bottecchia Aelle tretubi with Campagolo Athena cost $1300 US, so original price on this bicycle was probably in the $1100-$1200 US range.

However, it is very rough, cosmetically. Which makes me wonder about the mechanical condition, especialy the bearings, chain and cogs. Then too, the brake kevers, shift levers front derailleur and pedals have been replaced. Even though they are good parts, they don't match the originals, which erodes the price.

In general, I concur with Jet. You're probably going to sink a lot of time and money inti this project, If it was all original and in good cosmetic condition, $400 would be a fair price, in a good market. But given it's condition, it's worth far less and how much depends on how bad is is mechanically and how much of that cosmetic grunge is easily cleaned up. You're taking a real risk, depending on how mechically inclined you are, so if this were a colleague of mine, I'd offer him a case of beer in exchange for it.

One fun fact: The store that originally sold it (I. Martin) is still in business and still on Beverly Blvd. They are now owned by Helen's Cycles but operating under the original name.

Could you post some damn pictures??
: )

Could you post some damn pictures??
:)

You want MORE photos?

East Hill

Looks like it has spent a few years along the coast of SoCal. That salt air shows no mercy. I'd make sure the seatpost can be removed and you might want to see if there is any corrosion inside the seat tube.

If you were to put $300 worth of parts and labor into it you would have a $300 bike. I'm often wrong, though.

I wouldn't go THAT far, but basically I think OFG is pretty close - in its' present condition it is not worth too much. I think it would clean up and probably overhaul pretty well - but as it sits it is a "rustic country charmer", as they say in the real estate business. :D

Assuming you do all the labor yourself, your still gonna spend close to $300 worth of parts and your own labor getting it ship-shape - Hmmmm.... maybe OFG IS right, after all. :D

Seriously, though, I'd pony up $50-$100 easily enough - but more than that I'd think hard before reaching into my pocket. The stem, crank, RD/FD/shifter, and brakes oughta have some value on eBay (assuming that is only surface rust on the steel bits), and a cleaned up frame might do well with the fixie crowd on the local CL.

Unless you must have it, I'd step aside and invest in something less neglected. Got to see it for what it is, a dog, and a mutt at that!
The model is not a top line Bottecchia.
The components, what remnants of a Campy group, are middle of the road.
The 105 pedals are missing components.
Dura Ace aero levers?
The frame's all rusted, the decals and paint scratched, but isn't as bad as some samples.
The chrome is pitted, components corroded.
$100 max, if I was liquored up, hit on the head, and inspecting it in dim light.
Remember, you are interested in an Italian example as a keeper. This one at best is a lot of elbow grease and flipper.

$100 max, if I was liquored up, hit on the head, and inspecting it in dim light

Reminds me of a woman I once met in my younger days!

looks like mine -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/jvpro/bottecchia012.jpg

Oh come on, now.
I dunno what kind of bikes you guys run into daily in your respective places, but, for instance, the number of used bikes being sold privately with any Campagnolo parts on them at ALL around where I live is very close to 0.

Oh come on, now.
I dunno what kind of bikes you guys run into daily in your respective places, but the number of used bikes being sold privately with any Campagnolo parts on them at ALL around where I live is very close to 0.I would tell you, but then...

The last bike I found with Campy was a pristine garage queen that hadn't been ridden in such a long time that any offer was a good one;)

Oh come on, now.
I dunno what kind of bikes you guys run into daily in your respective places, but the number of used bikes being sold privately with any Campagnolo parts on them at ALL around where I live is very close to 0.

Agreed - if the bike showed decently. The one pictured might well clean up nicely, but in its' present condition? Like I said earlier, I'd drop $100 on it if I had to, but I'd pull the parts, clean them up, and sell them off to make my money back. As others pointed out, the tubing is not too special, and any more than $100 would be better spent on a quality frameset that I could build up into someting nice.

In clean, ridable condition, I could probably sell that bike for $300. So the question is - how much would I have to spend to make it so, and how much labor would be involved? I do my own wrenching, so it's "free", but my free time is fairly precious to me and I have other fish to fry.

Oh, and it didn't need an acid bath and days of detailing with a dremel and brass brush.

Case of beer, couple bottles of wine, tops, and then only if you got to drink most of it!

There's a lot of hand numbing work to be done on that bike before it's worth anything.

I think you should play it dumb and offer no more than $100 bucks for it. Just tell him you want the bike to fiddle around with and maybe fix up a little. Do not lead on that the bike is anything special, because its obvious its not anything special to the owner, because of the condition its in.

Personally, I see a great restoration project here. The Columbus 'Aelle' tubing may not be SL or SLX, but its certainly still pretty good stuff (Columbus chro-moly steel), and Columbus dont make junk. Most of the parts on that bike look original too, except for the Dura-Ace levers. The brakes are mono-planers, and just them by theirselves fetch high prices on ebay, eventho the ones in the pics are rough looking. Still, thay can be restored and look great again. The campy aero brakes are probably the best looking brakes campy ever made IMO, and even work good. As for the rest of the bike its got pretty good components all around. (that campy headset really caught my eye).

All of it can be refurbished, thats why I think it would be a great restore project.

I think you should try to get it. :)

Ham sandwich and a 6 pack is my final offer.

The labor required is as great as the pieces restored.

Ham sandwich and a 6 pack is my final offer.

The labor required is as great as the pieces restored.

I'd throw in a bottle or two of maple syrup as well :p .

Let us know what you do--this is a great thread :) .

East Hill

I'd throw in a bottle or two of maple syrup as well :p .

Let us know what you do--this is a great thread :) .

East HillI loves me the pancakes. Vermont Pure AA, one bottle.

I built mine up over a period of about 2 yrs. I had other bikes to ride, so no hurry. Even though the $ I spent exceded the value of the finished build, it was a fun and interesting project. I would say go for it @ $100, clean it up, take your time, and before you know it, you'll have a ~$500 pride and joy that you put way too much time, $, and effort into, like mine!

I loves me the pancakes. Vermont Pure AA, one bottle.

Oh, no, can't use furrin stuff from Vermont :eek: .

Homegrown only in this case ;) .

East Hill

I don't think that bike with those components even in good condition would garner $400. In the condition of this bike I would not even go $100. You'd basically need to replace most of the major parts. I'd pass - you'd be into $600 or more in parts. You can buy a much nice near-mint vintage bike on eBay for $600-$800. recently some nice Merckx with SL or SLX tubing have gone for less than $700.

Big Boss Man is right - in clean, ridable condition, I could probably sell that bike for around $300 shipped. But not this bike in this poor condition.

I'd pass on this bike.

The real question is whether you are willing to put in the time into fixing and cleaning up this bike. Do you have the tools to do it?
If this was my bike, I would start by totally disassembling it and cleaning everything. I don't necessarily mean that I would take it all apart at once, but everything needs to come off at some point. You are probably looking at 40 hours of labor, including the time spent reading the Park Tools website.
You will also need to grease the hubs, bottom bracket and headset. That is probably 10 hours. The main costs will be buying the tools to do this.
You will need to replace the cables and housing. This is probably about $30 and 1 hour. The tires and tubes will need to be replaced. $60 and up. The chain will surely need to be replaced. $20
Then there are a bunch of small things like bar tape, brake pads etc. $50
If you don't have any of the specialized tools to work on the hubs, bottom bracket and headset, you will probably need to budget another $100 or find a bike co-op, that will let you use theirs. This will add to the time it will take to get the project done however.
I am fairly confident the wheels will need to be trued. The freewheel and chainrings may need to be replaced.
Don't forget, there is always something unexpected that needs to be fixed.
I like doing this kind of work after the kids go to bed, when it is quiet and there are no distractions.
Are you willing to put in that kind of time and money for this project? I am sure you will be rewarded with a good unique bike.
If it was the right size, I think $100 would be the most I would pay. That is taking into account that I already have all the tools and a lot of the parts.

Big Boss Man is right.....

Man, I NEVER get tired of hearing that. :D


The real question is whether you are willing to put in the time into fixing and cleaning up this bike. Do you have the tools to do it?......If it was the right size, I think $100 would be the most I would pay. That is taking into account that I already have all the tools and a lot of the parts.

That's my perspective, as well. I know I could clean it up and make it shine, but having done one or two restorations/builds in my time I know full well what OFG so succinctly points out:

"There's a lot of hand numbing work to be done on that bike before it's worth anything".

Translation - every single piece of this bike needs considerable attention or replacement. Every single piece. Inside and out. And, you'd be very wise to make sure you can move the seatpost and stem before you talk seriously about any amount of money. Just sayin'.

That is a great project bike, assuming you have the tools, time, and knowledge. But as it sits, it is a clunker and has little value. You WILL need to strip this one down to the bare frame and clean/build it back up piece by piece. Wiping up around the edges ain't gonna do it.

Thanks for all who've posted here and shared their knowledge and experiences. I live in Singapore, not USA, and vintage Italian frames are quite rare here, so I am really excited at the prospect of owning such a bike.

First of all the bike is in a very bad condition, although cosmetically unappealing, but I took it for a quick spin and I loved the ride feel of it.

I certainly am not going to be paying much for this bike, probably I'll offer around SGD$200 for it, turn it into my commuter bike. That will have to depend on whether my colleague is actually going to sell the bike in the first place.

Personally, I like the process of cleaning and restoring from top to bottom, but even this one looks like a major job. $150 tops is where I'd say, start with a bid of $100 and wheel and deal from there. If you spend a lot of cold winter hours cleaning it up and end up with a bike less than what you're really looking for you should be able to sell it off for at the very least more than you put down at the beginning and have the experience of doing the work to help the next time around.

QUOTE: "Also, would appreciate much if you guys could roughly estimate how much this bike could fetch. Thanks for looking."

Currently, I'd say it will easily fetch one water bottle. Add a second cage, and you can fetch two bottles. Beyond that, you'll need to spring for some racks and bags.

I have a Bottecchia similar to this one that I am trying to restore, does anyone know off hand what the name of the wheel set is? all I could find was Campagnolo Record on the hub and an HR 22 on the rim (black). anything helps, thanks.

^
A Record hub with a HR-22 rim. I've seen HR-22 marked on a Benotto badged rim before, don't know who made it for Benotto.

-Kurt

Look at all the rust on the bolts and chrome. $100 max. The amount of time and money to sink into this bike, you might as well wait for good one on ebay or CL.

QUOTE: "Also, would appreciate much if you guys could roughly estimate how much this bike could fetch. Thanks for looking."

Currently, I'd say it will easily fetch one water bottle. Add a second cage, and you can fetch two bottles. Beyond that, you'll need to spring for some racks and bags.
Picchio, this has got to be one of my favorite postings in a LONG time. Well played, my dear... :roflmao2:


$150 as it sits. Beyond all the grime and rust, the condition of the frame & fork is unknown. Might need a bit of tweaking....

Wow - another old thread rises zombie-like from the grave.

I wonder if the OP ever bought the bike, and if so - what kind of grief it gave him when he overhauled it?

Gracious! I never look at dates...

Ha! saw your post in "Miche Touring Hubs" on the HR22. I have a back wheel.

If you were to put $300 worth of parts and labor into it you would have a $300 bike. I'm often wrong, though.

Agreed, I haven't got past this post.

Yeah it has some nice parts, well had, the hardware is ALL rusted, not a single component with steel hardware that is important to it is not destroyed. the calipers, the FD, the stem.... you might consider a brush plating kit for this one but I don't know if it is worth the effort.:(

Wow didn't even look at the date. May be the Bottecchia became a fixie.:p

Wet dishrag mode [on]:
Why wasn't this thread redirected into "vintage value inquiries"?

Wet dishrag mode [on]:
Why wasn't this thread redirected into "vintage value inquiries"?

Because VVI didn't exist when the original post was made.

Because VVI didn't exist when the original post was made.

Which means there is a convenient double-standard for old posts bumped up by new noobs.

-Kurt

Which means there is a convenient double-standard for old posts bumped up by new noobs.

-Kurt

Well, I did learn that I was a lot funnier in '07 than I am now. Maybe the economy ...

Wet dishrag mode [on]:
Why wasn't this thread redirected into "vintage value inquiries"?

Here's the reasoning.

The other sub-forum didn't exist previously. The thread was resurrected, but the new conversations seemed to not be headed towards, "how much is this worth?" or "how much would you pay?". If it did, it would have been moved already. If it does, it will get moved. :)

I wonder how much it's worth?

I'll give $3.50 for it. :D

Here's the reasoning.

The other sub-forum didn't exist previously. The thread was resurrected, but the new conversations seemed to not be headed towards, "how much is this worth?" or "how much would you pay?". If it did, it would have been moved already. If it does, it will get moved. :)

So let me change direction. How much do the components worth on ebay? :P

Touche

I take it back: I'm just as funny now as I was in '07.