Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Bill Davidson Impulse

Hey guys my name is Bjorn. I am from Southern California and I own a beautiful Bill Davidson Impuse. It is red in color and is composed of shimano 600 components with cinelli drop bars and stem. It also has a campagnolo head set, along with Look pedals. I am quite unsure of the exact year it was made but they should be around 87-early 90's according to some website i`ve gone through. Anyways, I am currently debating if i should go on ahead and let the bike go to a proper collector that will appreciate its value a lot deeper. I currently ride the bike around as my only bike and have put only about 150 miles since i got her.

The condition is not Mint per say but its still pretty good.
The only defects i`ve seen were a couple of paint chips about 4, all less than a dime sized. one in the top bar, bottom bar and a couple of tiny ones towards the rear. there is no cracks or dents as far as i can see and tell. The biggest flaw this bike has was that the original owner tried to patch up the chip spots and as failed miserably to make it look flawless. :mad2:

Everything else about the bike is great. The brakes work great, the shifters work fine and the bike feels smooth when riding. :)

I am trying to gauge the value of a bike like this.



Here are some pictures that i have from my last adventure through downtown long beach.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i320/Abstrakt12/IMG_3114.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i320/Abstrakt12/IMG_3128.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i320/Abstrakt12/IMG_3131.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i320/Abstrakt12/IMG_3106.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i320/Abstrakt12/IMG_3130.jpg

What is the market value for a Bill Davidson nowadays?

Jjungco@gmail.com

Its hard for me to say becasue I have no idea how collectible Davidsons are. Are they collectible?

I paid $125 and $240 for my last 2 600 equipted bikes, a Raleigh competition with full reynolds 531 tubing and a Colnago with Columbus. I bought both of these bikes for resale and I'm expecting $325 for the Raleigh.

Your Davidson appears to be in very good condition, I'll throw out $400 to get this thread rolling.

There is a bill davidson stileto on ebay right now with a BIN price of $800..
How does the Impulse compare to a Stileto?

I don't know that Davidsons are necessarily collectible either, but they're really really good. If I had to pare down the herd to just one, it would be my Davidson without question. It's a Signature (custom-built) and not an Impulse, but I can't imagine the quality of an Impulse (or Stilleto) would be significantly less. Asking prices have been all over the board, but most Impulses sell in the $450-$550 range, depending on kit. The 600 group is nice enough and the overall condition is very good, so I would put this at the higher end. The person to ask is Bob Freeman at Elliot Bay Cycles in Seattle.

There is a bill davidson stileto on ebay right now with a BIN price of $800..
How does the Impulse compare to a Stileto?

The bike on ebay has a considerably newer Shimano 600 group with STI levers which has an impact on price.

There was a recent completed listing for a Davidson touring bike with Shimano 600 similar to the OP's for $480. The OP's bike appears to be nicer so i'd think dudona3v's assessement is very accurate.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Davidson-Discovery-Touring-Bike-21-spd-52cm_W0QQitemZ180345404634QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item180345404634&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

There is a bill davidson stileto on ebay right now with a BIN price of $800..
How does the Impulse compare to a Stileto?

The Stiletto uses OS Tange tubing of Bill Davidson's design whereas the Impulse uses factory Tange Prestige. That will be reflected in asking/selling prices hence the $800 BIN (not unreasonable IMO). The Stiletto was designed for better, quicker power transfer where the Impulse would be a little silkier. There's not a significant difference in ride quality in my experience, though I haven't taken either over any considerable distance. I'll just say they're both damn nice.

Hello. What's the frame size (center to center or center to top) and the top tube length? I might be interested. Thanks.
--Drew

hey guys thanks for the replies! i am learning more about the history of this bike now.

as far as the frame size. i believe it is a 57cm frame but i will make sure when i get back home from my trip. i am 5`9 - 5`10 and i fit pretty well.

Your chain is too long.