Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Should I sell/convert/junk this? Somec/Campy

Hey guys. Long time no post.

My neighbor asked me the other day if his old bike is worth anything or if he should junk it. I want to be honest, but I really don't know what to tell him it's worth. If you guys have any suggestions on if this is worth cleaning up, converting to SS/fixed and giving back to him (he was curious about my bikes), or if it's worthless. If I buy it from him, I have no idea what to offer.

Best I can tell it's an 80's era top of the line Somec road bike. Lugged frame, Campy all around.

Gratuitous pics!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_huGrFZE7QvE/SbakCT4IoWI/AAAAAAAAFBc/AsjUtvBFHIQ/s800/IMG_4475.JPG
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http://lh3.ggpht.com/_huGrFZE7QvE/SbakNd3PICI/AAAAAAAAFCk/wXxrysx3g6M/s800/IMG_4484.JPG


Thanks!
-J!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_huGrFZE7QvE/SbakOkRlwPI/AAAAAAAAFCs/hP6qfDe3BSg/s800/IMG_4485.JPG
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You're considering junking this? Is this some kind of joke?

With a lot of Simple Green and grease, you should be able to get a bit of $$$ out of it. It isn't top of the line and it isn't all original, but there's a lot of nice stuff there.

Is there any structural rust on the frame, or is it all on the surface?

You're considering junking this? Is this some kind of joke?

The junking part was a joke. I honestly have 0 idea what it's worth though. The real options are:

1) Tell him to put it on CL (for how much?)
2) Clean it up and give it back (road bike)
3) Clean it up, convert to fixed, give it back
4) Clean it up and buy it from him (for how much?)

I'm leaning towards #4...

-J!

I wouldn't try and sell it in the current condition. You'll get a lot more if you clean it up, and it isn't like it costs much money to do so.

My favorite part of that whole bike is the super worn out Concor. You can tell that this bike was ridden hard by someone at some point.

Alas, no pedals.

I wouldn't try and sell it in the current condition. You'll get a lot more if you clean it up, and it isn't like it costs much money to do so.

My favorite part of that whole bike is the super worn out Concor. You can tell that this bike was ridden hard by someone at some point.

Yeah I'm definitely going to clean it up. So here's the question. If I want to offer to buy it, what's a fair price? What would you pay for it as is on CL?

And yeah, the saddle rocks. He said it belonged to his brother who raced pretty seriously for a while but doesn't have any interest in getting back...

Thanks for the help guys. I think if I keep it I'm going to keep it as a road bike! It's sweet as is! Clean it up, get some pedals and maybe new tires and it'll be good to go.

-J

I think it'll look really nice even if you just clean it up and keep it as a spare road bike. You probably won't get much if you put it on CL just after cleaning it. Maybe $60 or something - there are a lot of people who just pick similar bikes out of the garbage and fix them up with spare parts and sell them on the cheap (since usually the peolpe selling them don't know the worth of the bike themselves). But hey...maybe if you convert it to FG with some spare parts, you instantly go from "Old Road Bike - $60" to "RARE Vintage Somec Fixed Gear (Super vintage Campy'd out , VINTAGE and RARE san Marco Concor Saddle) VINTAGE!!! - $400"

This is a really nice and quite near to be worn-out bike. My offer would be in the 100- 150 $ range. Probably you will need a new headset and possibly BB. If the frame is OK you could get yourself a really nice ride ! (fixed or not)

why is this in the ss/fg forum? if you convert that bike, you are absolutely insane. its a great find. dont talk it up too much, and give the guy 50-100 dollars for it, enjoy.

This is a really nice and quite near to be worn-out bike. My offer would be in the 100- 150 $ range. Probably you will need a new headset and possibly BB. If the frame is OK you could get yourself a really nice ride ! (fixed or not)

did you miss the big C words? I'd bet dollars to donuts those just need a repack. no replacement HS or BB neccessary. the whole bike is there. overhaul it, ride it.

i would buy it from him and restore it, i would not convert it.

other than cleaning/de-rusting/repackingbearings/clipless pedals... all i would do is get a silver campy quill stem.

literally. i wouldn't even replace the saddle or anything.

why is this in the ss/fg forum? if you convert that bike, you are absolutely insane. its a great find. dont talk it up too much, and give the guy 50-100 dollars for it, enjoy.

This is the only section I ever really posted in, sorry if it's not the right spot. He's a friend so I'm not looking to rip him off. I suppose I'll say it has some value, but also needs quite a bit of work to get to a good place. He'll probably offer it to me cheap without me saying a price.

Thanks for all the info guys.

-J!

if it's a friend i might not flip it, i'd ride it for at least a season or so before selling it. and take him out to dinner if you do flip it and make a lot of money.

if it's a friend i might not flip it, i'd ride it for at least a season or so before selling it. and take him out to dinner if you do flip it and make a lot of money.

I have no desire to sell it. The options would be either I clean it up for him and he sells it, or (my choice) I buy it cheap, clean it up and ride it as is! It's really growing on me as I look at these pics over and over.

-J!

It's still worth something, definitely. The parts look like they could all be wet sanded and polished, or just cleaned off. As they are, they're pretty gritty and wouldn't get nearly as much as if the entire bike were cleaned. Then again, cleaning each and every centimeter is what vintage restorers enjoy doing; if your friend doesn't want to sit there for a few days, he'll have to make that monetary sacrifice.

EDIT: In that case, definitely buy it for cheap and restore it. Don't convert it.

buy it. and do whatever you'd like to it.

Try posting this on the C&V section for a decent idea of what the value is.

as long as the brakes/derailleurs still work i would clean it up and keep it as a road bike...

Ok, so here's a question. WTF is with those handlebars?

-J!

you've never seen those handlebars before? they're a popular trekking/touring style of drop bar.

Clean it up and ride the hell out of it. I wouldn't even think of converting it.

NimsJams! Keep/buy the ride!

It isn't top of the line and it isn't all original, but there's a lot of nice stuff there.
Super Record and Dura Ace? Looks like a decent frame, albeit rusty in places. What's not top of the line about it?

The junking part was a joke. I honestly have 0 idea what it's worth though. The real options are:

1) Tell him to put it on CL (for how much?)
2) Clean it up and give it back (road bike)
3) Clean it up, convert to fixed, give it back
4) Clean it up and buy it from him (for how much?)

I'm leaning towards #4...

-J!
If you want to make the most $$$ out of it, part it out and sell components and frame individually. It's already a bit of a frankenbike (Campy and Dura Ace together) so it's not like you're parting out a René Herse (http://www.reneherse.com/) or something that really deserves to be kept together as a package.

Clean them up first, though -- it always astonishes me how people put their sludge-encrusted stuff up for sale and then act surprised when it doesn't pull in top dollar.

did you miss the big C words? I'd bet dollars to donuts those just need a repack. no replacement HS or BB neccessary. the whole bike is there. overhaul it, ride it.

Those 25 year old Super Record headsets have a nasty habit of indexing. I hate riding with a less than perfect headset. The BB might be OK though.

Help him restore it.

Help him get back on the road.

Now you have another riding buddy which is more valuable than another bike.

if you do attempt to sand any of the rusted spots, make sure to wipe down the area with some wd-40 afterwards. wd-40 is actually a rust preventative. when you sand it you heat the metal through friction. heat will speed up the oxidation process, but by rubbing some wd-40 on, it will keep it from re-rusting.

that bike is beautiful

why is this in the ss/fg forum? if you convert that bike, you are absolutely insane. its a great find. dont talk it up too much, and give the guy 50-100 dollars for it, enjoy.

Nice road bikes make nice conversions. What's the problem?

Buy it, clean it, fix it, enjoy it. Its a sweet ride that deserves all of the mentioned love and attention. :thumb:

Someone gave me a Faggin (little know Italian brand) in similar condition, also Campy-equipped. Many people here said "don't convert," but I did, and a year later I still don't regret it. I've got lots of bikes, but my Faggin single-speed still feels great. In fact, I had it out today.

Btw, Brasso and 0000 steel-wool did wonders on the Faggin's chrome forks and stays. It couldn't undo the really deep pits, but it make a hellauva improvement.

Yeah I agree with Carleton.

Riding buddy > another bike.

That's a sweet bike! Clean it and before anything else Ride It. You may fall in love. The guys in C&V will be drooling. Parted I'll bet it's worth several hundred $$. And don't forget friendship > $.

Ok, so here's a question. WTF is with those handlebars?

-J!

I think Lemond rode with them, and they were popularized after his TdF wins.

I recently purchased a similarly well-used bike at an estate sale for $100 (it was listed at $200). The frame on mine is in worse shape than the Somec, but the Super Record bits were in better condition - at least upon a quick visual inspection.

However, after I got it home, I found a few surprises: cracked cage plate on the RD, mismatched dates on the crank arms, indexed headset, corrosion on the seatpost where it had been mingling with a rusty seat tube, missing bolt on a brake caliper (well, should have noticed that one), rust on the quick release levers and pad holders, and road rash on a brake lever.

So, if your friend simply wants to get rid of the thing, I wouldn't pay top dollar, unless you want to spend time inspecting and cleaning it up before making an offer. While Super Record is top-o-the-line, the potential for the kind of wear I pointed out, and the visual wear apparent in the photos you posted, detract from the monetary value.

I'll admit I saw $$$ at that estate sale, because the ebay auctions on Super Record I remembered were apparently of excellent or NOS examples. Depreciation based on condition is pretty steep, however.

Worth.... In the 'real world', probably $50. On eBay, probably close to $500.

I'd say it's worth $175-250 in it's current state. Probably $100 on ebay. Nobody will pay more including the ship charge than that on Ebay.

It looks like a fun project to me, some of us like the fixin' up part almost as much as the ridin' part :)

And, if it doesn't work out for either of you, PM me ;)

I think Lemond rode with them, and they were popularized after his TdF wins.

Scott "Drop-Ins" - UCI mass-start legal "aero" bars.

like most of Scott's products of the period, odd but functional (sort of).