Road Cycling - another motobecane thread ;)

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View Full Version : another motobecane thread ;)

VegasCyclist
04-03-02, 09:01 PM
this is kinda out of place but I guess it fits in a way ;)

anyhow my dad has a old (25-30 years) motobecane super mirage road bike. it's a neat ride (I was recently cleaning up last weekend) I was just wondering if this bike held any value, or is it just a really cool relic of the past ;)

as for components, as I understand it they all are original suntour parts. it is (of course) a steel frame, and isn't that heavy as you would expect. anyhow if anyone has some info about it I would appreciate it :)

I'll try to get a pic up soon :D

Walter
04-04-02, 06:05 AM
My first "real" bike was a Moto of about the same vintage as that one. I have a soft spot for Motos. To answer your question I've seen Mirages and etc. sell for anywhere from $75-150 on eBay. Top of the liners like Team Champions can bring about $300 though sometimes alot less. You'll get substantially less if you sell locally.

If you desperately need some pocket change sell it. If not keep it as a utility or second bike. As you've already discovered old roadies often have a real nice ride. Depending on the exact vintage upgradng may be difficult. Truly older Motos will have French spec threads and components. As Motobecane became a major seller in the US toward the end of the 1970s the company standardized many of the specs on the bikes bound for the US market. The biggest problem is the BB but unless the bike has been abused and the bearing races damaged you can just rebuild it and go on.

If you do keep it check out Harris Cyclery (Sheldonbrown.com) for a ton of info on older French bikes.

:beer:
D*Alex
04-04-02, 11:56 AM
Most Motobecanes are pretty pedestrian. The only ones worth anything more than $30 are those which have double-butted frame tubing, most likely Reynolds 531 or a similar type tubing. there would be a small sticker on the seat tube telling you if you have this.

The only really valuable Motobecanes are those which were made by Vitus (and were actually re-badged Vitus 979's). Otherwise, even a good Motobecane is not likely to be worth more than $100.