Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - centurion master ironman

Trying to snag this bike from craigslist. what should i expect to pay if its in decent condition? this would be an upgrade from my current bike, no? (current bike is also too small for me)

eta: i read that sheldon brown article on centurions, and it is definitely an 89 from the craigslist photos, it has that smoky purple paint.

bump?

It would be nice if you posted a link to the ad.
Ironman bikes are very desirable. You might say there is almost a cult following type desirability. I'm assuming it's a Tange 105 frame. From there it depends on condition, price, fit and so on. To give you an idea, as a bike flipper I rarely pay more than $50 for a bike. I gladly paid $125 and $180 for the two complete Ironman bikes that I have, knowing I can easily flip them as is for more. If it's a nice bike I'd say $200 to $250. For a complete creampuff, $300. Yeah, IMHO they are that desirable. BF member Robbie Tunes is a top notch expert on Centurions, especially Ironman bikes. See if you can get him to post.

+1 Its all about condition. Decent is a broad term.

IMHO, the critical piece on condition is frame: dents, dings, rust, and paint. If the frame is really clean, rust free and the paint is bright and shiny, then other defects can be dealt with. I can replace tires and cables easily. If the frame is banged up, it remains banged up.

Just wanted to update: bought the bike for $165. Really nice condition. Both tubes have slow leaks (and the rear turned into a fast leak), so I'm fixing that tomorrow. Frame is great, very few dings in the paint... a tiny bit of rusty discoloration in a few tiny spots where one might expect, but overall, way nice. apparently only has around 1000 miles on it, i'd believe it.

can't believe how nice this rides. i'll post a real thing about it tomorrow with some pictures.

Sorry I didn't catch the post earlier. roccobike was right on. I've paid from $100 to $300 for Ironman bikes, and of 120 sold on eBay in the last couple of years, avg price is about $265 shipped, which includes one for about $480 shipped down to some real junk for $90 shipped.

You have a color scheme that is hard to duplicate, but one was just done by a guy in NY and it came out tremendous.

Strengths
Tange 1 frame. You've ridden it, so you know.
Wheel set. Those 600 hubs can be cleaned and packed smooth as silk. Stainless spokes.
Araya CTL-370 rims tend to need truing IF not tensioned. It's worth the $20 or so a wheel to have them tensioned for your weight. After that, they stay in true quite well if you don't offroad.
Group Shimano 600 tricolor is well known for its quality and appearance.
Nitto B115 bars and stem.

Again, the bike is all ball bearings and can be cleaned, repacked on the hubs, bb, headset and will be smooth.

Weaknesses
Saddle, generally was suede and didn't hold up very long.
Tires, if they're original were Panaracer Technova II's in 700x18 and you might as well use wood.
Frame color. Hey, it was the 80's. If you like it, you'll like it. Very hard to duplicate.

I've had several like that. Traded/Sold one to roccobike. Sold two others. If I find another in my size, I'll buy it. If I saw yours anywhere and decent for $165, yeah, I'd buy it.