Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Centurion Le Mans 12

Hi. How much is a Centurion LeMans 12 worth? I do not have the year. But it was in fairly good condition. Also on the tube it says No. 5. And from my research that's the frames type/material.
The brakes did make squeaky sounds. And the gears work fine. How much is this bike worth.

Also, i tried to find other names on it and on the part where you attach the pedals, it said Sugino GT

As you can tell I am very new to road bikes. Please help me out.

You will need to post pictures as it is all about condition. You don't really need to ID all the parts, as many of us are familiar with or own Lemans 12 Centurions.

The Lemans 12 is a lower end Centurion, still pretty decent, but not a high end bike.

I really can't post pictures because I randomly asked the guy if he had other road bikes for sale, and he said he might sell the one he had with him so I took down as much info as I could and he let me ride it and it seemed to be a pretty good fit for me.

since the brakes made squeaky sounds, I'm guessing the other parts might need maintenance/calibration.

So what would the price be for a 5 out of 10 condition bike?
and what would the price be for a 7 out of 10 condition bike?
Just give me your best estimate. I'm thinking of offering 150.

Also what does the No. 5 mean since you are familiar with Centurions.

anyone else please?

I really can't post pictures because I randomly asked the guy if he had other road bikes for sale, and he said he might sell the one he had with him so I took down as much info as I could and he let me ride it and it seemed to be a pretty good fit for me.

since the brakes made squeaky sounds, I'm guessing the other parts might need maintenance/calibration.

So what would the price be for a 5 out of 10 condition bike?
and what would the price be for a 7 out of 10 condition bike?
Just give me your best estimate. I'm thinking of offering 150.

Also what does the No. 5 mean since you are familiar with Centurions.

It's Tange Champion No. 5 tubing, which is decent but nothing special. It's likely that frame is also built with high-tensile stays and forks, which makes it both heavier and less 'lively' feeling (though this is always a subjective assessment). In later years, the LeMans improved greatly in both tubing and components.

As a comparison, I'm currently overhauling an '87 LeMans RS. I mean, completely overhauling it: repacking hubs, headset, bottom bracket; complete frame off cleaning and lubrication of components; new cables, new housing, new brake pads, wheel truing, new bar tape, and a new chain. And this bike was in very, very good condition to begin with. However, I plan to sell it and I won't sell a bike that is unsafe and not ride ready (unless I expressly advertise it as such).

It's got Tange 2 tubing (much lighter than Tange 5) and mangaloy forks, Shimano Z Series derailleurs which are very similar to 105, SLR levers and calipers, etc.

I think the most I can sell it for is $250. I've spent far too many hours on it, and I knew going into it I wouldn't be able to make much of a profit on it, but what the hell - it's a very nice machine and deserves a second life.

So, yes, expect to put some sweat equity in it to get it safe and functioning at its optimal level.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't pay much more than $50-$75 for that bike if it needs much work. Maybe $150 if it had the same work done as I've described above. Has the seller offered a starting point for the negotiations?

Ah, here's the '84 catalog with a LeMans 12. It's got the Sugino RT cranks. Only 3 main tubes are Tange, rest are high tensile:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/centurion1984/index.html

And I Googled 'centurion lemans 12 site:bikeforums.net' to get you some more reading material:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=JpM&q=centurion+lemans+12+site%3Abikeforums.net&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

wow thank you so much junkyard. that really helps a lot!

Sorry I got here late. A Lemans 12 is a solid commuter-type bike that should run $100-$125, even cleaned up. Highly cleaned, waxed, lubed, adjusted, you may get $175. Here, I'd be lucky to get $100. There are just too many other bikes out there that are a bit better if you're being selective.

Now, JYB's Lemans, different story. A Tange 2 Lemans or Lemans RS is a nice bike, and they make good century bikes due to their geometry and light weight. I'd say they're worth an upgrade on components. They will hold their own in the $250 bike market, no problem.

The Lemans 12 may be worth an upgrade, but the upgrade would cost as much as the bike.

+1 Super clean, ready to go, maybe $175. A project, more like $50 to $75. I paid $20 for my project Lemans 12.

Squeaky brakes can be a lot of things, do a search of the forum on that topic, lots of threads. In my experience, toe in is the most common cause. But anytime you are working on brakes, you need to rehab them first: cables, housings, pads, disassemble, clean up and grease, and even clean the bike's rims. I had one set of calipers I never could sort out. I replaced them with another set I had in hand, and the noise was gone.