Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Vintage Trek

Hey guys, could any of you offer an opinion on what the following Trek is probably worth.

Pics: http://s697.photobucket.com/albums/vv335/hbbikeshopdotcom/Trek/

Stats:
Great condition - Scratches on tubes and stays, but not very noticeable because of the color - Check hi rez pics

About 23 lbs

56cm center to center seat tube

56cm center to center top tube

84cm standover height

Tubing : 022 Ishiwata Chromo

Suntour Cyclone Gearing with Endbar Shifting

105 Bottom Bracket

Dia-compe G Series Braking

SR Stem and Road Champion Bars

SR Pole and Ideale Leather saddle

Rigidalu 27 Alloy Wheelset

Thanks!

$150-175. Kind of beat up and old.

+1 I would not describe it as great condition, closer to mediocre condition. But it is a steel Trek, and they have good value. $150 around here.

Cleaned up, polished and ready to go, it might bring $200.

Someone told me that $250 including shipping would be well worth it, considering the value of the frame and fork alone. So many opinions, not sure what to think. I just want a bike!

$250 with shipping would be a decent price in my opinion, but I like vintage Treks. Know going in that you'll have to do some work to at least clean it up and get it going well again, but it should be a nice ride.

Someone told me that $250 including shipping would be well worth it, considering the value of the frame and fork alone. So many opinions, not sure what to think. I just want a bike!

I would ask that person how many bikes they have bought and sold in the last year. My estimate is based on quite a bit of personal data. I sure could not sell that bike for $250. But if you want it, go for it. This is the internet. Opinions are just that. Maybe you are in a better market than I am.

I'd say $150, but the background in Photobucket gave me a headache, so subtract for aspirin.

I spent $150 shipped for this frame on ebay. It had a keyless U-Lock, and it was missing the wheels. It also had poor photos, but it still sold for $100 + shipping. I bought it for the frame alone - it was worth it to me. If it's got an 022 fork, then all the tubes are 022, which is comparable to 531, it simply doesn't have the cachet of 531. There is a certain audience that appreciates this type of frame, with clearance for wide tires and fenders. In my case, I doubt I could find a better riding frame for less than $150, and certainly not a modern one.

However, that would be a bit of a project, if you're willing to take it on. Oh, and it's got pre-1982 decals, so it's an early one and probably a bit more collectible.

Here's the ebay photo:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20TX%20500/Trek_TX500_before.jpg

Here it is built up:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20TX%20500/Trek_TX500_0046.jpg

Is that Ideale saddle worth anything? Not in great condition, but perhaps it could offset the purchase price a bit?

I would ask that person how many bikes they have bought and sold in the last year. My estimate is based on quite a bit of personal data.

Exactly. Many of us move alot of bikes and have a general idea of what things are going for in a variety of conditions.


- it was worth it to me.]

No arguements there but you know what your doing and had a vision in mind for the frameset. I've done similar things in the past and will do similar things in the future. The OP is a college student trying to get around campus on a modest budget.



Is that Ideale saddle worth anything? Not in great condition, but perhaps it could offset the purchase price a bit?

I thought about that and it looks too beat up to take a chance on a return of a significant amount of money.

+1 That Ideale seat looks shot unfortunately.

No arguements there but you know what your doing and had a vision in mind for the frameset. I've done similar things in the past and will do similar things in the future. The OP is a college student trying to get around campus on a modest budget.

Agreed. If the OP is looking for a campus beater, there are better, and likely less expensive options. Just wanted to put a plug in for the frameset, in the event anyone ever searches the BF archive for Ishiwata 022 built Treks.

However, it's not a bad long term investment, as the value won't depreciate. And if the OP sticks with cycling, this could fill a niche in his collection. But again, it's 022, not 531, which has less of a inflationary factor.

While vintage steel Treks have been going up steadily the last couple of years, there is no substitute for buying at the right price. The good news is that Trek made a lot of bikes. So if you are willing to pay full market, you can find them often. Myself, I am looking for bikes at flip type pricing, and have found six since the beginning of this year. Had I been looking for Treks at market pricing, I could find a couple per week.

You do need to cast a wide net. I look at C/L in my area, plus towns in a 150 mile radius of here. If the deal is good enough, I will drive. I bought a nice flippable Trek last week on Craigs List that was 60 miles away.

Well, a campus bike is the primary reason I'd like a road bike now. But ever since my first ms150 back in 2001 (I rode all 5 on my mtb bike), I've been wanting a road bike, just didn't see the sense at that age of owning 2 bikes. Now, in my 5th year of college (spent 4 years living on campus with our corps of cadets), I'm off campus and would like a cheap, effective, and quick transport medium. I do plan on sticking with the sport, as I would also like to get into triathlons in the coming years. Thanks for all your advice so far, I really appreciate it, and will keep soaking it in as long as it keeps coming.

Also, the trek owner said he wouldn't go below 270 shipped to texas. And I live in a small college town, so few CL bikes, and don't really have the time to drive 100+ miles to the next city (houston/austin).

So, rather than start another thread, I was wondering you guys could give me some advice on some more ebay bikes in this thread. I'm going home this weekend to visit my parents, and they're in Houston, so plenty of bike stores. I'm gonna go check them out, also make sure my sizing estimates are correct.

But here are some ebay bikes I just found, I'd appreciate it if you guys could offer your opinion. I think for simplicity's sake, steel would be my best option, but you guys are the experts.

Thanks!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Giant-RS950-Bicycle-23-inches_W0QQitemZ270444027601QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item3ef7b85ed1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2198wt_681

http://cgi.ebay.com/EUC-TREK-ALPHA-1000-TRIATHLON-BIKE_W0QQitemZ270443689421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item3ef7b335cd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_3075wt_907

http://cgi.ebay.com/Motobecane-Grand-Touring-Vitus-888-Sachs-Huret-year-85_W0QQitemZ220467731933QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item3354e69ddd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_500wt_924

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nishiki-Altron-7000_W0QQitemZ270443758644QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item3ef7b44434&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_722wt_907

http://cgi.ebay.com/RALEIGH-SUPERCOURSE-USA_W0QQitemZ170373349533QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item27ab0b009d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_500wt_924

http://cgi.ebay.com/58-cm-Motobecane-Jubilee-Sport_W0QQitemZ330353702333QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item4cea9d75bd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_500wt_924

http://cgi.ebay.com/Schwinn-Traveler-road-bike_W0QQitemZ170373627194QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item27ab0f3d3a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_500wt_924

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ross-Gran-Tour-58-cm-Steel-Training-Bike_W0QQitemZ220469008648QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item3354fa1908&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_963wt_907

Instead of hitting the bike shops in Houston, I would hit Craigs List. Houston has an extensive C/L, many, many bikes every day. I would also recommend you send a PM to one of the Houston flippers on this list, they probably can find you what you are looking for.

Remember on ebay, shipping can add a lot to the cost of a bike, and some sellers are lousy packers. The last bike I bought shipped on ebay, the seller sent loose in a bike box (absolutely no packing, foam, nothing). Bike was shipped from Seattle to the Carolinas. You can imagine what it looked like when it arrived. I filed a claim, but I really wanted the bike in one piece instead.

I've been checking CL relatively often, but I have yet to find a bike that is my size and not more than $500. I've seen some project bikes, but I didn't see anything that would a reasonable fix for me given my schedule and finances.

When you said to PM on of the Houston flippers on this "list" are you referring to Craig's List, or this forum? Not sure how to ID them on CL, but on the forum I guess I could do some searches and find them (still haven't found my way around the site yet).

But I think I definitely need to check out the LBS to verify that I'm looking for the right size bikes.

That HB bike shop seller won't budge on price, he's a serious flipper and has the market in his area tied up pretty good.

Keep looking, the hard thing is being patient. You may think of getting a blah bike at a small price while you wait for the "right one". That way you are not desperate and you'll really appreciate it when it comes along.

Are you looking for only Treks or only 531 lightweights?
I'm not fond of selling my Trek either but the Schwinn Le Tour II I picked up should make someone happy. 56cm ;)

Instead of hitting the bike shops in Houston, I would hit Craigs List. Houston has an extensive C/L, many, many bikes every day.

+1 Just went and browsed the Houston CL and it looks to me like you could find something decent in the $250 range with a little diligence. Such as this one (http://houston.craigslist.org/bik/1334960994.html). I've never heard of it but steel bike, Shimano components, ready to ride condition. Bring $250 with you but offer him $200. Go from there.

~kn

That HB bike shop seller won't budge on price, he's a serious flipper and has the market in his area tied up pretty good.

Keep looking, the hard thing is being patient. You may think of getting a blah bike at a small price while you wait for the "right one". That way you are not desperate and you'll really appreciate it when it comes along.

Are you looking for only Treks or only 531 lightweights?
I'm not fond of selling my Trek either but the Schwinn Le Tour II I picked up should make someone happy. 56cm ;)

Well, definitely want a steel frame. For the most part, I'm young and not planning on doing any racing anytime soon, so I don't think a couple pounds is going to make much difference for me.

I'm pretty sure I need at least a 58cm. I'm 6', with long legs, and I really like to feel that extension of the legs. I've got a mountain bike for now. So no rush. Although I think I need to repack the bearings in the crank or something since I'm starting to hear a tick.

def get a good idea of fit at a local shop on a traditional geometry bike, I thought one fit was "good enough" and I went down two sizes and it feels so much better because of my short arms and torso.

Just found an pretty nice bike on CL, but the issue of size arises again. I don't know how much difference it'll make, but it's 1-2 cm shorter than what I've estimated my size to be. But yeah, definitely going to get going to try and get a good estimate at a LBS and then we'll see.

Thanks for your help guys.

First of all... don't take a posters word for it. Bring a tape measure with you if you want but a cm or two is not an obstacle. Best bet is to get on it, ride it. Get the saddle height right first. Measure from the top of the pedal to the top of the saddle on the bike you ride now, then armed with this data adjust the saddle height of the bike you are looking at before you ride it. Then see how the reach feels. It will probably feel a little weird at first if you are used to a mountain type bike. If the reach seems off then a new stem might be all you need to get it right. That would be a good thing to have your LBS help you out with if you're not sure how much longer/shorter you need.

Also... if you look at a bike with a shorter seat tube than what would be optimum for you and you end up jacking the saddle up a few inches to get the height right, just note the difference in height versus the handlebar height. If the handlebar height is a lot lower than the saddle height and the stem is already at its minimum insertion line, then this could be a comfort issue for someone new to road bikes. In this case you might want to look for a bigger frame. Just keep in mind that some manufacturers measure ctc and some ctt. ctc = center to center. ctt = center to top. And Craigslisters generally don't know how to measure. ;)

Hope this helps... Good luck.

~kn

First of all... don't take a posters word for it. Bring a tape measure with you if you want but a cm or two is not an obstacle. Best bet is to get on it, ride it. Get the saddle height right first. Measure from the top of the pedal to the top of the saddle on the bike you ride now, then armed with this data adjust the saddle height of the bike you are looking at before you ride it. Then see how the reach feels. It will probably feel a little weird at first if you are used to a mountain type bike. If the reach seems off then a new stem might be all you need to get it right. That would be a good thing to have your LBS help you out with if you're not sure how much longer/shorter you need.

Also... if you look at a bike with a shorter seat tube than what would be optimum for you and you end up jacking the saddle up a few inches to get the height right, just note the difference in height versus the handlebar height. If the handlebar height is a lot lower than the saddle height and the stem is already at its minimum insertion line, then this could be a comfort issue for someone new to road bikes. In this case you might want to look for a bigger frame. Just keep in mind that some manufacturers measure ctc and some ctt. ctc = center to center. ctt = center to top. And Craigslisters generally don't know how to measure. ;)

Hope this helps... Good luck.

~kn
Good info. Yeah, I honestly don't see how ya'll do are able to keep yourselves in that annoying position for long periods of time. But, I'm willing to learn. Also, ideally what should be the height difference between the seat and handle bars? I've seen them the same height before, and I've seen some really high seats that I don't know anyone can force themselves into that position for more than a few minutes. Aside from what feels comfortable, is there any guidelines (similar to the 10-15 degrees in the foot/peddle connection rule when sizing).

Thanks!

The more proficient you get at it the more aggressive your position can be.
Easiest position is handlebar even with saddle when saddle is in the optimum position.
Then you can go to 1" lower etc. I can ride with a 4" drop but it is a little more fatiguing, although I am more aero and I can get faster avg times. I have mine at 2" drop and its a better balance. You may need different stem setups. I had to get a new fork with a longer steerer so I could get the right position. If you are on a threaded steel fork then a taller technomic stem may be what you need and then you can work from there.

Expect to put some more money into that.

~kn