Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - JC Penney Bike, did I get ripped OFF???

Hey all,

this is my first post on these boards! I wish I had checked this place out before I hastily bought my first bike.

I just bought what a JC Penney brand bike.

http://images.craigslist.org/3n83k83p15Q85R35S798662ac23e1e1bc13c5.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3o53p53lf5Qa5R05Sc986456606ca49641f16.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3na3k13m25Q95P05R4986114ef4fac97d1c24.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3nf3me3pf5Q75P55S7986f7553bc197671791.jpg

I bought this thing for 160$ !

Having searched these forums, I have only heard bad things about this bike. I plan to only use this bike for a short while till I learn more about bikes at which point I'd like to sell it off. How much do you think I could re-sell this thing on craigslist for? Do you think I could make my 160$ back? I feel like I've been ripped off. :(

--sincerely, some freaking guy

how much do you think i could re-sell this thing on craigslist for?

$50

This is one of those topics that makes me wonder if it could possibly be real. I can't imagine ANYone paying $160 for a 20-30 year old J.C. Penney *** (Good Grief! You can't even say "P. O. S." ?) . I concur with cb400bill: It's worth $50 at the very most. Probably more like $20.

I'll just refer you to PT Barnum

And would you like to see the egress?




Your only hope - Turn it into a fixie!

You buy socks and blenders from JC Penney. Nuff said.

Cool handlebar tape, though.

You're never gonna make your money back....

You might as well ride it

It won't be all that bad, really.

It's unfortuate, but you got ripped off; just be glad you learned one of life's important lessons so cheaply.

As bluegoatwoods says, you may as well ride it. It won't be all that bad.

You didn't get ripped off. You did over pay. There's nothing to be learned from exaggeration or mis-stating a problem.

You bought it to learn something and indeed you have.

As a snobbish bike rider the things that jump out at me from the photos - stamped steel cover on crank is only found on the cheapest bikes. Stamped steel anything that is recognizably stamped steel is a bad sign of cheap and heavy. Yes, there can be a lot of stampings on even the greatest bikes. You won't be able to tell.

Stem mounted shifters. In principle there is nothing wrong with them. That is a convenient place for the things, but it just wasn't done on better bikes. That said, there are some worthy bikes that have them, but you'll have to look past the surface to find them.

The turkey levers on the brakes are worse. They were a bad idea from the get-go and are not found on better bikes. Again, there are exceptions, and a lot of cheaper bikes that had these features can be great fun to ride and hot rod. The presumption is against them.

Ashtabula crank on a drop bar bike. Aside from the Schwinn love (and that has more to do with childhood memories and historical significance than bicycle quality) Drop bar bikes do not come with one-piece cranksets.

Steel wheels are not high performance and have frightening braking characteristics when wet.

Again, all of these are shallow, surface sort of things. There can be a decent or at least fun and worthy bike behind them. When you put them all together on one bike it's pretty damn unlikely.

Now for something more telling, the heft test. Grab it by the top tube and pick it up. Back before the things were commodified, the frame of a bike was its soul. Now it's just another component from another Pacific rim factory. The easiest thing to know is how heavy is it and how does it feel in the hand and under your butt. The lighter frame is not always the better frame, but up to that point, good frames are not heavy. Good bikes have a bit of vibe to them when you pick them up. There is a resonance of light steel tubing.

You Sir, have a pipe bomb. Make of it what you will. Ride the snot out of it, learn how to work on these things and/or hot rod it. It might not make a bad townie/cruiser/ upright bike.

Why not list it for what you paid? Is it too much? Hell, I wouldn't pay it, but you did and someone else may. Don't lie about it or write one of those hideously dishonest CL ads we mock around here, but say what it is and offer it up.

When I get bikes like yours, I donate them to my favorite charity. Getting ripped off does not permit you to rip someone else off.

Call it a lesson, I have had some that were a lot more expensive than this for sure!!!

Rotate those bars up and the bike's instantly 10x better.

Rotate those bars up and the bike's instantly 10x better.

Id'll be a Chatt Vegas crooser than. Who cood ask fore moar.

dear friends,

thank you all for your help! you are truly a kind coterie and I will be sure to scour the boards for more help. :thumb:

--somefreakingguy