Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Croce d aune adr bottecchia bike pics by request

so i guess i should have posted these earlier to give you a better idea of what we are arguing about. my friend wants the bike but says the groupo is not very good and not valuable. i feel the groupo is more of a collectors item and is worth around 400.00. he wants the bike for 550.00 which, even though he is my friend seems a little cheap to me. im selling it just because ive bought some bikes lately and need to put back cash in my bike account. i gave him the bike to try for a week and he loves it. he knows i only paid 200.00 for it and doesnt want me to make too big of a profit. i think its worth around 7-800.00 but i dont want to sound too greedy. pics should give a better idea to you how much is too much. thanks again. joe

His price is too low; yours is quite fair. Tell him we said so.

Heck - I'll give you $200 just for the frame set. :)

fabulous looking easter bike

If he thinks the components have no value, see what he will offer for just the frame then. You should easily be able to sell the rest.

You say he is a friend. How good a friend? Does he have any nice bikes right now? Would this be his only bike? Would he ride with you? How is he financially?

If he doesn't have the rosiest of finances, doesn't have any other bike and would become a riding partner, I would even give it to him for the price I paid, or for barely more than I paid. If he was financially able to pay market prices and had another bike already, I would give a slight discount on market price, which I would guess to be about $900-1000 given it has the delta croce d'aune brakes and other components and is in good overall condition. Everything is relative. For me, $500 is either too much or too little. $700 might be a fairer price.

well, first of all, let me start by saying that he is a friend but not what i would call a "good" friend. he owns over 30 bikes and has bought some of mine in the past. he rides alot and has been known to flip bikes on occassion. in fact, one of the bikes i sold him a couple of weeks ago for 300.00, he fixed up a bit and sold it for a good profit. he seems to have money so thats another issue. thanks for the help on this one everybody. he may get angry but i think i'll stick to my idea (and your ideas,of course) of what it is worth and if its too high for him, then he can pass on it.
You say he is a friend. How good a friend? Does he have any nice bikes right now? Would this be his only bike? Would he ride with you? How is he financially?

If he doesn't have the rosiest of finances, doesn't have any other bike and would become a riding partner, I would even give it to him for the price I paid, or for barely more than I paid. If he was financially able to pay market prices and had another bike already, I would give a slight discount on market price, which I would guess to be about $900-1000 given it has the delta croce d'aune brakes and other components and is in good overall condition. Everything is relative. For me, $500 is either too much or too little. $700 might be a fairer price.

Then charge him full freight, "friends" don't lowball when they know what something is worth. Tell him you changed your mind and that it is NOT for sale. Why should he profit from your good fortune and tenacity in scoring some cool bikes. I am getting angry, I can't stand cheap people!

vjp


well, first of all, let me start by saying that he is a friend but not what i would call a "good" friend. he owns over 30 bikes and has bought some of mine in the past. he rides alot and has been known to flip bikes on occassion. in fact, one of the bikes i sold him a couple of weeks ago for 300.00, he fixed up a bit and sold it for a good profit. he seems to have money so thats another issue. thanks for the help on this one everybody. he may get angry but i think i'll stick to my idea (and your ideas,of course) of what it is worth and if its too high for him, then he can pass on it.

My opinion is that you never win in those situations. Even if you sell him the bike for $500, he'll feel you have made money off him and won't appreciate your gift for what it his .In reality , by selling him the bike for $500 you are really giving him about $500 ( the value of this bike being approx $1000) . Is he a good enough a friend that you'd give him $500? Because that what it really is...

Just a brakeset like yours brought $335 on ebay recently (http://cgi.ebay.com/Campagnolo-Croce-daune-Delta-Brake-Set-Brake-Levers_W0QQitemZ160414556492QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item255973e14c)

(the group, piece by piece, including the headset, hubs and BB, will bring $700-900 depending on how the ebay winds blow). Not $400

and an SLX frame close to yours, just brought $1600 on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/BOTTECCHIA-COLUMBUS-SLX-Road-Frameset-1990-MUST-SEE_W0QQitemZ290416617773QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439e2de92d)

You might want to show those to your friend...

If you are willing to part this bike out and ebay it piece by piece you are looking at 4 figures. $800 is a very good deal in my book.

''my friend wants the bike but says the groupo is not very good and not valuable.'''

The 1st thing is maybe true, but you do not buy CdA because it is ''very good'' and on the later thing we agree it is incorrect. This sounds like it is not the right bike for him. There are probably many people out there who would appreciate it more.

your right, im sure. he mainly says he loves the bike because the geomety is perfect for him and he loves the ride. i was kind of "pissed off" at him however, because when i lent him the bike for a few days, i told him that the click in the click shifting didnt word too well, though it shifted fine, it just didnt "click" very good. well, he fixed it so it could click better which was great of him, but then he charged me for it, even though i never asked him to fix it. he has done me alot of favors in the past, though, so i didnt mind paying him a bit for doing it and it works alot better now, i guess if i do sell it to him, i should add on the amount he charged me for "fixing" the lever. i think i will go with 750.00 for the complete bike, dont know if he's happy with that or not but we'll see. thanks so much again. i thought it was worth more than 500.00
''my friend wants the bike but says the groupo is not very good and not valuable.'''

The 1st thing is maybe true, but you do not buy CdA because it is ''very good'' and on the later thing we agree it is incorrect. This sounds like it is not the right bike for him. There are probably many people out there who would appreciate it more.

well, first of all, let me start by saying that he is a friend but not what i would call a "good" friend. he owns over 30 bikes and has bought some of mine in the past. he rides alot and has been known to flip bikes on occassion. in fact, one of the bikes i sold him a couple of weeks ago for 300.00, he fixed up a bit and sold it for a good profit. he seems to have money so thats another issue. thanks for the help on this one everybody. he may get angry but i think i'll stick to my idea (and your ideas,of course) of what it is worth and if its too high for him, then he can pass on it.

Given these conditions, I would stick to your guns and go for 700-800 which remains a slight discount on market price. Anybody who owns 30 bikes has no need for another one. If they are going to buy another, they should be ready to pay more or less market price, especially if he has already shown that he does not feel in any obliged to you when you give him a break. I have been known to give certain worthy people a smoking deal, but when I do so, I don't expect them to turn my largesse into a thicker wallet for themselves.

A lot has to do with what you value more: his friendship or getting an appropriate amount for a property you want to sell.

As I indicated earlier, the market value of this bike parted out is close to $2000. With a 40% loss as a whole bike, it is close to $1200 market as a whole bike. The $800 is a 25% discount (what I would call a "friendly" price). But, to tell you the truth, the fact that he charged you to "fix" something, after you loaned him the bike, really rubs me the wrong way...

Your call.

One other thing, I never tell folks what I pay for a bike. It never helps in the conversation for sure.

I buy bikes that are deals (or at least I try to), so hopefully, I usually pay well under market. But for some reason, people think I should pass those savings on to them (my leg work is worth zip). And of course, if I make a mistake paying too much, then they want to just pay market, and have me take the loss. Pretty one sided. So I just stick with selling bikes at fair prices, probably slightly under market.

What I pay for a bike has nothing to do with its value. If I pay too much, it does not make the bike more valuable. And if I get a great deal, then it does not make the bike less valuable.

+2 At $800, that bike is a deal already. Charged you to do the repair? I would adjust the price UP by the cost of the repair, since it now is in better shape mechanically. And since that bike fits him great, he will/should pay your price and be pleased with the deal. He can even apply some of the profit he has made on prior deals to this one.

A lot has to do with what you value more: his friendship or getting an appropriate amount for a property you want to sell.

As I indicated earlier, the market value of this bike parted out is close to $2000. With a 40% loss as a whole bike, it is close to $1200 market as a whole bike. The $800 is a 25% discount (what I would call a "friendly" price). But, to tell you the truth, the fact that he charged you to "fix" something, after you loaned him the bike, really rubs me the wrong way...

Your call.

+1 to everything said in this post.

Tell your "friend" he can go fly a kite while he blows it out his arse.

Money talks,

B S walks.

At the least, charging you for the "work", he did

would be a deal breaker for me.


Regards,
J T