Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - 1985 Miele Mountain bike

It's in pretty good shape but the frame's paint possibly paint touch ups, I really wanna keep this bike but the frame is to small, so i'm gonna sell and get one with bigger frame, I belive it is 1985.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/demonic_inu/100_0328.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/demonic_inu/100_0327.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/demonic_inu/100_0325.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/demonic_inu/100_0322.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/demonic_inu/100_0355.jpg

Not much, the rust would concern me. You might be better off keeping it, than giving it away ($50 to $75). What is the frame made out of?

The good news is you should not have any problems finding a larger frame MTB at a reasonable cost. Rigid frame mountain bikes hold little value.

The rust isn't what youd think it is, it's nothing bad, it's more like worn paint and rust because bare metal is showing, I belive it's cromo, it was the highest end Miele sold at the time I belive, i'd get another frame but it wouldn't be the same, Alast we can't have things our way all the time, i'm sure someone out there would love it for 50$

That's the exact same fork that is on my '82-83 mystery Schwinn mountain bike. Do you know who made the tubing? Is it a normal 22.2" quill stem or the smaller 22.1"?

I'm not sure, I can check tomorow sometime for you.

I am not familiar with the Miele brand. The nutted rear axle is usually a sign of a lower end model. Mid grade or better usually have quick release front and rear (I can't tell what the front axle has from the pic). Separate RD hanger is a positive sign as is the quality crank.

On the bare areas starting to rust, I highly recommend you treat them with the rust converter paint sold at Walmart. It will cost you about $6, it does turn black where the rust was, but better than rust. And you can always follow it up with a little touch up paint.

$50 max. Old mtn bikes are a dime a dozen and they are no where near what a newer one is in regards to frame geometry.

'Miele' doesnt add a dime to the price.

$50 max. Old mtn bikes are a dime a dozen and they are no where near what a newer one is in regards to frame geometry.

'Miele' doesnt add a dime to the price.

I bet you could get at least $50 just for the old XT brakes, brake levers and friction thumb shifters. And the biplane fork on that thing is cool.

If you want to do some competitive off road riding, you're better off with NORBA geometry, but those old MTBs make real nice 26" tourers. If that were my size I'd pay $75-$85 for it, or possibly more if I had been looking for a while.

Although the market does not reflect it right now, old lugged mountain bikes are
not a dime a dozen.

I agree with the not a dime a dozen thing, where I am there are rarely found, this one has most the parts from when it was sold still, like I said though I really love this bike because how it rides and i'm sad to part with it, but it dosn't fit me right

They are a dime a dozen around here. I do like them, and for the money, they make a great value (if you are a buyer). As a seller, they are not so sweet.

Note, when I say they are a dime a dozen, this is based on looking for bikes just about every day. I see them a lot, for pretty low prices.

I think the lugged rigid mountain bikes are very versatile. Here's my lugged MTB, cost me $75, and it has indexed shifters. This bike was on C/L for several days, so its not like I got some miracle deal.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2858219480_27b8ff947a.jpg

That be a fine Trek, I used to have one kinda like that but it mysteriusly dissapeared from my yard one night.

...I used to have one kinda like that but it mysteriusly dissapeared from my yard one night.

Mystery solved!! ;)

Although the market does not reflect it right now, old lugged mountain bikes are
not a dime a dozen.

Ummm, yes they are. I bought 2 for a grand total of $65 mid-fall. Both had Deore component groups etc. I parted one out and tossed the frame and fork. The other, a Rocky Mountain, I sold to BF member for a song and a dance.

I can buy them all day long for $50 around here.

The frame on the Miele is of interest because it is lugged and probably has horizontal dropouts. I'm told the brakes are of value, (hmmmm, maybe I'll sell the set I've got). Other than that, as has been said rigid fork mountain bikes, in fact, ALL old mountain bikes are easy to find. Yours has friction shifters. Unless there's something different about the buyers in your area, almost no one, except C&V types, want friction shifters. Sometimes a road bike will sell with them, but the only folks who will buy a friction MTB are looking for something dirt cheap, under $50. Try for $100, but don't be surprised if it's difficult to sell.
IMHO, the best buy out there in used bikes are the used MTBs. Low priced, sturdy, well made, low maintainance, easy to ride and will go almost anywhere. But not sexy or popular.