Road Cycling - Old Motobecane in local paper, should I go for it?

I saw a motobecane listed in a local paper for sale, I've called and left a msg. Here's the info that was given.

motobecane french road bike. 10 speed. all steel. suntour vgt derailleur. weinman center pole (pull?) brakes. 57cm. Gold color. Good condition. $75.

Is 57cm reasonable for a 5'11" rider? What would such a bike be worth? And is there anything else I should know before considering purchasing an older roadiebike like that?

Thanks.

-Jon M, roadiebike newbie.

The size sounds right but I think that $75.00 is about double what it should reasonably sell for.

Is it a piece of crap compared to a newer road bike (other than the fact that it's only a 10spd), and if not, why so cheap?

Many bikes of that vintage had steel rims - I wouldnt buy it unless I could get cheap alloy rims to put in.

Is it a piece of crap compared to a newer road bike (other than the fact that it's only a 10spd), and if not, why so cheap?

Piece of crap might be a little strong, but we are talking about a 30 year old bike. That bike came from the pre-mountain bike bike boom era. In those days, nearly anything with a derailleur would sell and some of them, frankly, were pretty marginal bikes. Because so many were sold, there are a lot of old bikes of that era gathering dust in garages so the supply exceeds the demand and reasonable prices are low.

Every part of a more modern bike will be nicer in some way. There are also replacement part issues. That bike most likely has 27 inch weels. 27 inch tires and rims are still available, but every year that goes by you have fewer choices. I don't know what the bottom bracket threading on that bike is, but if it's French, you'd better like what you have now because replacements might be hard to find.

I saw a motobecane listed in a local paper for sale, I've called and left a msg. Here's the info that was given.

motobecane french road bike. 10 speed. all steel. suntour vgt derailleur. weinman center pole (pull?) brakes. 57cm. Gold color. Good condition. $75.

Is 57cm reasonable for a 5'11" rider? What would such a bike be worth? And is there anything else I should know before considering purchasing an older roadiebike like that?

Thanks.

-Jon M, roadiebike newbie.
Around here you would have to pay someone to haul it to the landfill.You can buy better Univegas, Nishikis and others from the orient for less at garage sales and thrift stores. Every Motobecane I ever saw would embaress a legitimate landfill.

The size seems right. Cannot determine the value until you find out the actual year, model and condition of the bike, but it is most likely not a bargain.

Given the overall response in this thread, I think I'm gonna hold out for something newer and better.

57cm is probably too big for someone 5'11" unless you have an unusually long inseam. Would agree though for $75 you can do better!

I got a 89 trek 1100 for $100. Aluminum rims, smooth shifting...seat sucked but oh well, and overall despite seeing many miles was in good shape....nuff said :)