Classic & Vintage - Maximizing the Sale...

I have been thinking of selling my 87 Schwinn Traveler. These are my options:

1. Bring the bike back to original condition with Suntour Alpha 5000 derailleurs, Custom bars & stem, Sakae SX crank, 27" wheels with Maillard hubs

2. Sell it with the set-up as I have been riding it now for the last year, which is like option one, but with 700c Wolber wheelset with 105 hubs (well, I've been riding it with Mavics and DA hub but I'm not giving those up), Tektro long reach caliper brakes, 600 Ultegra caliper brake levers, Cinelli bars & stem & black plastic fenders (see link in my signature below)

3. Strip everything and sell just the frame. I'm not sure this makes sense, especially since I don't think I'm going to use the leftover parts for anything else

4. Like number 2, but with all 600 Ultegra components, since I have most of them & 105 STI shifters/brake calipers

What should I do to maximize my money? Of course I'm not stuck to these 4 options, but these are the ones I can think of.

If you have the original stuff, I would put it back on that bike. A Traveler from that era is not going to get a huge response, so high end parts would be wasted on it. And those original parts don't have much value, they bring more when attached to a bike.

If you don't have the original parts, or don't want to spend the time rebuilding it, then just sell it in its current state. What you are losing there are the Ultegra calipers and the Cinelli bars.

^Thanks ^

I know you're right. I just needed to hear it. The thing is that I think this bike is so underrated. The frame is Taiwanese 4130 Chromoly tubing, which is much better than the older heavier Travelers. But the original components are awful. If the frame was a bit larger I would keep it as my winter beater.

Here is what I have learned about Determining Vintage Bicycle Value (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VALUE/VALUE_1_Start.htm) and How To Increase Sales Value (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VALUE/VALUE_6_Increase_Value.htm).

Hope it is a help.

you've got the advice of two of the most knowledgeable flipper on this site... i would trust what they have to say :)

What is your local market like? Do you have college commuters nearby? Do you want to play the ebay game?

Part of deciding what to do is deciding how and by what method you're going to use to do it.

What is your local market like? Do you have college commuters nearby? Do you want to play the ebay game?

Yes, both Northwestern in Evanston and Chicago obviously make it a decent market. I'm not sure about the Ebay game. I only consider Ebay for medium to high-end bikes and parts.