Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Miyata 210 Mixte Value?

This is pending on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320482465894&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I was considering getting it for my wif, as the size is right, and Miyata is well respected.

The catalog indicates that this bike was made in the late eighties. The condition appears to be pretty decent, although it looks like it doesn't have the stock triple crankset (unless he has removed the inner chainring).
The bidding is up to around $200 now, and I'm thinking of offering a bit more.

Worth it?.....worth more?.....or not?

Bidding is really already at $250, because you have to add the shipping, unless you can pick it up locally. So it is already pretty close to full market. With four days left, and three bidders (including two newbies), my guess is that this bike will go for well over market. So I guess it comes down to what the bike is worth to you. ebay auctions are all over the place, sometimes items go for well over market (like the Super Sport last year with a bent fork that sold for $1300), sometimes items go for market, and less often there can be good deals.

This is one of those times the bike is probably going to sell for more than market.

Its not a 1990 bike either. 210 was last made in 1986.

Seller has zero feedback selling a bike. This always concerns me as shipping bikes is a skill. He has shipped model train cars. Not quite like a bicycle. His shipping price is too low, a sign he may not have thought it through all the way. I have had really bad experiences on an ebay shipped bike. So I prefer buying from someone who has sold and shipped several bikes in the past, or do a local pickup. The pictures also show this is not a regular bike seller. A regular seller would have pictures of the rear derailleur, the main picture would have been taken from the drive side, and so on.

On the flip side, this is a pretty nice model mixte. Mixtes are hard to find, and higher level model mixtes are even harder to find. So sometimes, paying over market for such a bike, if it is exactly what you want, can make sense. I have found five mixtes in the last year, and I look for bikes every day (I bought four of them). And if you can go inspect it prior to the end of the auction, and pick it up locally, that will give you an edge.

Bike is not original, as you note, it came with a triple crankset. The Shimano 600 components are not original, but they are an upgrade over what the bike came with. I am guessing that it is a 1985 model based on color and decals.

I personally would prefer it to have the original triple crankset. First, it was a nice touring triple. Touring mixtes are especially difficult to find. Secondly, where I live there are hills and mountains everywhere. There are a lot of advantages to a triple, particularly to someone like me who is lacking enough "motor". There is an older gentleman here that rides a single speed everywhere. I can only imagine the condition he is in, given our hills. I cannot ride one block without facing a pretty serious climb.

I bet TMar is right. The 600 stuff is probably limited to the RD and the levers. If so, that is not such a big upgrade at all. And I bet that RD does not have enough capacity to handle a triple if you put one on front. So if your plan is to replace the crankset, be prepared to replace the RD. Touring type RDs are not expensive on the used market.

+1. This appears to be a very fine specimen of a 1985 Miyata 210, though already getting quite elevated in price. While it does have 600 upgrades, I question to what extent. It's was probably only the shifters, rear derailleur and freewheel, to obtain indexed shifting. Also, at 22", this is the larger version of the mixte, not the the more common 19.5" size. So, if the size is right, it may a last second sniping attempt, as the larger mixtes are harder to find, but be aware that this is encroaching on original MSL.

Thanks. That was helpful. I'll pass on this one.

That bike will bring another 50% of what it's presently at ($200). Why? It's a mixte.

Compare a woman's Rivendell touring bike with the same components, in like-new condition, ready to ride.

Look at all the questions. People are hot for that bike, and in Chapel Hill or Durham NC, folks would be all over that bike.

And it's got a flickstand.

+1 Quality mixtes are going high on ebay right now. This one will go higher, probably well over $300 plus shipping.

Not sure if the seller will ship, but this is listed on my local craigslist.

http://columbus.craigslist.org/bik/1543363537.html

Sold for $295 plus $50 shipping, which is over current market IMHO. I think mixtes are in a special niche, that is going up in value rapidly. A couple of years from now, this will look like a terrific bargain. Demand for mixtes is high. And its not just female riders. The last one I sold went to a man, who was seeking a bike with a lower cross bar. I enjoy occasionally riding the two I have right now.

Sold for $295 plus $50 shipping.

I kept peeking at it until it went over 275. I liked it and it seemed tall but over 300 was too much for me