Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - 70s raleigh pair

so i'm looking at matching pair of raleighs near my place.. brown mens and brown womens, says 70's in the listing, and they look like 3spds, maybe sports models.. not sure. orig seats i think too. I'm intersted in the pair, i asked about the model and size of the mens, but they only responded saying they are still available. i have to drive 30mins to get there, so was hoping to get some input here. size? model? 3 speed sturmeys? good price to pay? i was hoping to start with an offer of 60$...



thanks everyone!

He should be able to get more than $60 for that bike. If I was the seller, I would hold out for more. 3 speeds are pretty hot right now in a lot of areas of the country. And I delete any/all email offers. 99% of sellers I have dealt with do not know how to measure the size of a bike, and/or don't want to bother with it. When they do list a size, they are almost always wrong. They want someone to come in person, with cash, and buy the bike.

To get a deal, you have to be willing to chase after some deals that don't work out.

Take cash, negotiate in person, and good luck!!

it's on craigslist... and they have they're email listed, what should i have done? i've been reading around and thought that a decent price was about 50$, closer to 100$ if i wouldn't have to do much to it. it's been on there for a month, plus i don't want to drive 30mins for a bike that's too small for me. sooo, whats a fair asking price?

Based on the photo, I'd say that is a 23" frame, early 70's Raleigh Sports, with a Brooks B-72 saddle and original saddle bag. The saddle alone is worth the $60 you wanted to offer. You could offer him $75, but be prepared to pay $100 which is not out of line. Raleigh Sports were built to last, and last they do.

If you pay $100 for the pair, you stole them.

good info. thanks everyone, much appreciated.

it's on craigslist... and they have they're email listed, what should i have done? i've been reading around and thought that a decent price was about 50$, closer to 100$ if i wouldn't have to do much to it. it's been on there for a month, plus i don't want to drive 30mins for a bike that's too small for me. sooo, whats a fair asking price?

Sure they have their email listed, but that's for scheduling a visit. Go fast before someone scoops them up. Around here, going to the store is a 30 minute drive. So I guess its all about your frame of reference.

i got the pair for 150.. sounds like/i hope that's a fair price?? going to pick them up tomorrow.

If the saddles are original and in good shape, they alone cover at least 50% of what you paid. Depending on condition, you either got a good deal, or a really good deal. Fair price would be more, certainly over $200 for the pair (depending on condition).

well, great! thank you for the advice and the replys! i do appreciate it.

You should post pictures of both bikes and share in your purchase. A pair of Raleigh Sports in good, original condition for $150 is a good find.

I was fortunate a couple of years ago in finding a matched pair of well maintained Sports in excellant condition with Brooks B-72 saddles, saddle bags, Pletscher rear racks and new tires for $125.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3462/3871115566_d7cf9eba54.jpg

i will post pics when i get back from my trip after work! that's a fine pair you have there, i'm hoping for something similar.

I personally have a hard time finding 3 speeds with a larger frame so that is a big plus in my book. The smaller sizes seem to be a lot more plentiful. 150 for the pair is a good price, I would be satisfied to pay that.

Excellent price IHMO. I usually pay that for a single one is decent shape in the sizes I want.

Aaron :)

So they are definitely in good shape, but have dings and scrapes associated with a 40 year old pair of bicycles (mostly the mens). the paint and decals are bright, looks like all original parts minus the pump. a 23" frame for the mens. They have very minimal rust, small spatterings on the bars and rims (had to look for it). i couldn't find the date on either hub, and the womens hub has a slightly different look (lines/grooves) than the mens.. i didnt look too hard but rubbed the grease off where the logo is at. with some cleaning and small repairs, i think they should make great weekend riders for my gilrfriend and i next spring. i'm pretty happy, what do you guys think??

okay spent a long time trying, but cant get my photos to upload, may be too large...

Sounds like you got an excellent deal.

i finally made time to re size a picture. one i took after i got them home and off the rack.. anyway i'm excited to get both bikes tuned and cleaned up. the saddle bag even has original instructions and a matching combo lock in it. i'd love feedback and any advice.

thanks.

They both appear to be in pretty good condition; paint, decals and the saddles. Both also have the self adjusting brake levers, first introduced by Raleigh in 1973 and I believe discontinued a couple years later. How are the S/A hubs stamped, 73, 74?

They both appear to be in pretty good condition; paint, decals and the saddles. Both also have the self adjusting brake levers, first introduced by Raleigh in 1973 and I believe discontinued a couple years later. How are the S/A hubs stamped, 73, 74?

sorry for the re opening here.. but after cleaning the mens, it is stamped 72.

Is that a BROOKS saddlebag???

If so then that itself was worth the price of admission!

it is a brooks saddle bag. but it's very stiff, and one of the straps is broken. it actually has the raleigh manual and a old school combo lock still in it. my goal this summer is to see if i can soften it back up and repair the strap...

I think you got something special there. The strap can be easily repaired by any qualified leather shop or shoe-repair place. Is it 100% genuine leather?

it's on craigslist... and they have they're email listed, what should i have done? i've been reading around and thought that a decent price was about 50$, closer to 100$ if i wouldn't have to do much to it. it's been on there for a month, plus i don't want to drive 30mins for a bike that's too small for me. sooo, whats a fair asking price?

I'm with you on this one, if a sell lists something on an online format, then they should be capable and willing to deal with emails. I can't count how many people I've run into on CL that won't email info. There's just no way I'd waste my time going to see something based only on a small ad and an email saying its available. I agree that most sellers have no clue as to how to measure a bike but some simple direction usually works if they can handle using a tape measure.

Around these parts three speeds seem to have no value, I have a mint 50's Hercules in the garage, I've listed it many times and got no replies at $150, and the way I feel, if I can't get that, I'll let it hang there. I'd part it out first. Poor economy or not, I'm not a charity and don't care to give things away just because someone can't afford what they want. The last time I went to a car dealership, they didn't offer me a new Lincoln for the price of an old Escort just because times are tough.

I'd say if those bikes are clean and not all rusted or banged up their well worth that price, but I'd sure hate to drive a half hour to find out they look like they've been stored outdoors at the beach for 40 years.

I'm with you on this one, if a sell lists something on an online format, then they should be capable and willing to deal with emails. I can't count how many people I've run into on CL that won't email info. There's just no way I'd waste my time going to see something based only on a small ad and an email saying its available. I agree that most sellers have no clue as to how to measure a bike but some simple direction usually works if they can handle using a tape measure.



I can only say in my experience, I would have missed out on a lot of deals that way. One of my best deals ever was on a Craigs List ad, one word: "Bycicle" and a price $75. That's right, the seller didn't even spell the word bicycle correctly! No picture, no description, no size, no nothing. Got ahold of the guy, the only thing he could tell me was that it was a nice bike, and it was "blue".

So I drove 45 minutes one way to see it. Turned out to be a 1988 Cannondale SR1000, all Sante components. And the guy gave me a nice floor pump and a MTB too. He told me I was the only responder to his ad (he had it posted for several days).

I buy 50 to 75 bikes a year, and I can tell you the lazy sellers, the ones that don't respond to emails, the ones that can't take a picture, or even read the model or name brand off the side of the bike, are often the best deals. Consider they probably are treating all potential buyers this way. Its not just about teaching the seller how to measure frame size, in my experience, a lot of them just don't want to be bothered. So they will sell to whoever is the easiest. The person that just comes by to see it is a lot easier for them than the buyer that wants more information.

So if you skip these sellers, you will miss out on deals.

I can only say in my experience, I would have missed out on a lot of deals that way. One of my best deals ever was on a Craigs List ad, one word: "Bycicle" and a price $75. That's right, the seller didn't even spell the word bicycle correctly! No picture, no description, no size, no nothing.

+1

Some of the best deals I've ever gotten were from people who had no clue what they had and no communication skills to articulate what little they knew about it. It takes a shrewd buyer to read between the lines of listings and/or the patience to look at a bunch of junk and say "no thanks" to the garbage. But the items that are hidden behind these poorly-listed, poorly-described, miscatagorized listings are sometimes pure gold because often you are the only one with the patience or experience to dig them out when EVERYONE else has passed them by. As the only person who shows up you get to buy them for nothing when they turn out to be a rare gem.

Sometimes you can find stuff on ebay that was put in the wrong area and nobody saw it. Like that rare campy hub in the sewing section because they thought it was some sort of vintage thread spool from an old sewing machine. If you are the only one who spots it you can snatch it up for $4.99 at the starting bid price ;)

+1 To poor listings on ebay. I picked up my Schwinn Prologue on ebay at a good price. The seller had mis-spelled Prologue, even though it is clearly spelled out on the top tube. Fortunately, I have saved a couple of searches with just a fragment of the model name (I was looking for a Prologue for a couple of years). Oh yeah, and seller had the size wrong. I have bought a couple other bikes on ebay that were listed as "transportation collectables" instead of under bicycles. One was a Trek 620. The model number (620) is clearly labeled on the chain stay, you could even see it on the pictures. But the seller didn't even bother listing the model number. The other was a Paramount.

after talking with him face to face, it turned out he was just super busy. and he didn't have a phone number listed so email was my only choice.

i think you guys are right though, most sellers just want someone to stop by and take it from them.

that being said... i would think it much easier to take a single minute to respond to emails. and i even take texts all time, rather than having to schedule a meeting, wait around, and be there for the person.. all for a deal that may not even go through. who wants to do that when you're busy? but, it is what it is and that's the price of the deal.

The better the listing describes the item and the more accessible the seller is to asking questions the more likely there will be more people interested in the bike -especially if it has any value. This will ONLY tend to drive prices up as demand outstrips supply. Sure, the seller may not take "bids" per se, and the price might not go up but if there are more people asking about it he might decide NOT to come down on a price and hold firm on his asking price.

Either that or someone else will beat you to the punch. The more people interested in an item the greater chance is that one of them will be an earlier bird than you.

Nope, pooly-listed and ignorant sellers makes for a buyer's market when that buyer is you and you know how to read between the lines or have the patience to fish through many face-to-face meetings to find the treasure buried in the trash.