Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Colnago Master X-Light in Mapei team colours---not C&V exactly

Hi guys, I know that this 2005 bike is not a C&V bike but it has been constructed with a Classic in mind so I
figured I would ask y'all what this is worth---plus, there is no other appraisal forum ;) It is essentially NOS; the seller bought it and stored it and then sold it to me. Yes, I own the bike and I would ride it except that it is too much bike for me...it is too nice and I wouldn't want to ruin it so I think it is better off in someone else's garage.

The photos show a bike that is in fantastic condition but up close, you can see that it truly has never been ridden; the little knobby things on the tires are there, the chain hasn't got a spot of dirt on it and there is a fine dust from an attic on the brakes so I believe the seller when he tells me that he never rode it.

I've google'd around a bit and understand that the frame itself is worth a fair bit and the bike as pictured has a 9-speed Veloce group on it, probably not a group typical for a frame of this calibre. Would I be best to part the bike out?

Another thing, when I post the ad, how do I get across that the bike is NOS? It doesn't have the shipping wrappers on it or anything like some of the NOS stuff I see on eBay, is this just one of those things we take at face value?

The wheels are Veloce hubs lace to Ambrosio balance aero profile rims and the fork is the Colnago Flash fork.

I hope some of the Colnago aficionados can give me some ideas, how do the photos look? It is hard to get the colours to show and that the tubes are a special "crimped" tubing built especially for Colnago by Columbus. I have never sold a bike as high-end as this so any advice is appreciated, cheers.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/jetsanchEz/mapei.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/jetsanchEz/mapei2.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/jetsanchEz/mapei3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/jetsanchEz/mapei4.jpg

Frameset will probably net as much as the complete bike. So why not keep the parts?

No words can convey NOS status. Thats a term that is grossly overused in my opinion. Let the pictures tell the story. And essentially NOS is not NOS. The bike is used the moment it comes out of the box (just my opinion).

I struggle with a similar challenge. I have a 2002 Colnago Master Light, all Ultegra (nine speed). I figure I could keep all the nine speed parts, and sell the frameset for about the same money. Right now, I am just going to keep the bike and ride it.

As far as selling the frameset, unless you are in a super hot market, you are going to have to go the ebay route. Local Craigs List is not where to get full value out of a higher end bike. I bought my Colnago on C/L earlier this year for a price (low) that I will not post here. And the bike was on our local C/L for over a week, so its not like one of those lightning fast deals.

Your first picture is overexposed. You need to try some alternate lighting or take it in the middle of the day on a sunny day.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3352/3343526043_b39a24003c_o.jpg

One thing to consider:

Unless you live in southern CA or FL this bike will worth about $300 more in March than now...

These are good points guys, thanks.

Yes, I think that spring is a better time to sell a bike but I was hoping to clear some space.

And yes, I could probably use the Veloce parts on my Ciocc plus it would be a lot easier to sell just the frame on eBay but I am in Canada and the cross-border shipping can get expensive and deter potential buyers.

I am in Canada and the cross-border shipping can get expensive and deter potential buyers.

Nah... the buyers will have clover leaves all over their eyes :)

Rummage around the Colnago info sites and figure out the correct color/paint name and number. It is one the second owner now so "NOS" is not a good term to use. Colnago owners, in my opinion, are a little like Porsche owners in that some run them hard since that's what they are made for, some are fanatical perfectionists about them and will scream bloody murder if they find a speck of moth poop that you didn't disclose to them, and a lot are just average Joes who just like them and always wanted to have one at least once in their life (I've got my Colnago MasterLight, haven't swung getting a Porsche yet).

For high end bikes there is a guy at a local shop here that many people have run their nicer bike sales for them. He does nice pics, great words, and knows the shipping and auction game and also knows how to deal with the scammers.
With or without the components is up to you, but taking them off will leave the assembly marks showing and will possibly leave chipped paint behind in the clamped areas. 9 speed is closer to the 8 speed stuff on mine so for your's I'd probably sell it intact.

And have an honest story ready as to why you haven't put any miles on it. Nobody's business, but it is a curiosity. and I probably wouldn't mention the attic dust. In fact give the bike a good cleaning, there should be no dust on the bike.

As to price, put it up for what you need to get, the market will do the rest. Seasonal timing is important, depending upon your location.

Hope this helps some.

My phone isn't edit friendly at the moment:

"One" s/b "on".
S/b "your 9 speed stuff is closer to the current 10 speed stuff ..."

Probably more but I'm tired.

For condition, you could say "mint", or "built up but never ridden" (which might, or might not be 100% the truth), or "in perfect condition, ridden less than x miles" (pick a number you know would be correct). Aside from that, lots of photos.

I'd sell it as frame and fork (and possibly headset). It will net nearly as much, and will bring the shipping cost down dramatically.

Sweet bike. Glad it's not my size.