Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - 1970-something raleigh sports 3-speed, value?

hello, i'm new to this site as well as to posting re: bikes in general.

i'm finally moving up from my old fair lady (girls' sting ray) banana single-speed coaster
and i'm going to check out this raleigh sports 3-speed tomorrow.
it seems to be a bit over-priced to me, any input on projected value would be immensely appreciated-
cos i'd like to haggle down a bit, and not insult the seller.

here's the craigslist link:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/1978107423.html

i've figured if she's outfitted the bike with new tires (just says they're "in great shape")
the paint's mint, and the pedals & cables aren't gnarly...

how much do you think i should pay for it?

thanks in advance
d

Price has a lot to do with the market in your area. $150- $175 is not out of line in my area., if the bike is in excellent condition.

Dayna,

Prices on well kept Sports seem to vary greatly based on geographic location. Here in the St Louis area a Sports in very good condition would sell for approximately $100; I bought a matched set of well maintained Sports for $125 two years ago.

Bikes on the East and West coast are often selling for over $200, based on what I've seen on Craigslist. The asking price of $175 does not seem out of line.

The following sites should help you gain some knowledge on the Raleigh Sports:

http://www.jaysmarine.com/bikecollection.html

http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/sports.html

I also sent you an e-mail with some additional advice.

Good luck tomorrow,

Gary

Looks like a nice one. In my area (Boston, MA) that's actually right about in the middle of the average prices I see these go for on craigslist. Read those links that gbalke provided, make sure it's what you want, then see if you can get it for a little lower than the asking price.

hey all, thank you for the responses.
so i ended up getting the bike- after surmising that it must be a '69
(on the SA rear hub) & that although it has some small dents in the fender & such,
it was in pretty great shape. the rims sparkle and i couldn't believe they're around 40 years old. outfitted with new tubes/tires, seemingly updated brake-pads,
everything else seems original.

it turns out that this bike isn't a Sports but rather a Colt, which seems to be
more like the Sports' younger sibling. now i'm having trouble aging it because
while the hub says '69, (according to the catalog) the 1969 Raleigh 3-speed Colt
had a two-tone seat & a font on the down-tube that looks different as well.

my bike's saddle is a Brooks (as the ad claimed), but it's solid black leather
w/ neither those sidelong rivets, nor the large visible springs at the rear.
i suppose it's possible someone replaced the seat with the one it currently has. ultimately this bike looks more like the 1970's Colt & i'm wondering-
is it possible that Raleigh used a '69 hub on a '70 bike?

any thoughts?

i will post photos when i can.

thanks, dayna

Yes, Raleigh is very well known for using what they had on hand at the time. Using a hub that is one year older than the frame is pretty normal, in fact I believe that is the case with my own Raleigh 3 speed. It sounds like the Brooks on your bike is one of the better models. My Raleigh came with a Brooks B72, it has a wide top and two small loops underneath. Does yours look similar to this:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4878583837_a70c553962_z.jpg
Here you can see the two spring loops:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1214/5075392271_9d0f7d39d6_z.jpg