Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Bridgestone 450 for $225. Fair price?

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new, reliable bike to get me around campus and around the city (my current peugeot is slowly dying a sad painful death).

Sadly, I don't know much about how to price bikes yet. Is this a fair deal for the sfbay area?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik/2704771437.html

Vintage Bicycle Value (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VALUE/VALUE_1_Start.htm) is a tough thing to predict. Value depends on many things, some of which have nothing to do with the bike, itself. Spend some time looking through the article and you will be prepared to understand value a bit better.

Also, the better the bicycle, the greater the value. Time spend learning how to determine Bicycle Quality (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_1/FREE_SITE_6_BICYCLE_QUALITY.htm) will also help you decide, for yourself, if the price is fair.

That said, $225 for a good quality vintage road bicycle is quite fair, in my book.

Good deals in a hot market like San Fran (perhaps the hottest market in the country), are not going to last long enough to get an answer to: "hey is this a good deal?". There are too many people out there that can spot a good deal.

So the two choices are: 1). Get educated on what makes a good deal so you can POUNCE on one as soon as you see it, or 2) pay a little more, accept you are not going to get some super deal, but still know enough that you can inspect the bike for serious defects.

Great deals even here in Hooterville last 15 to 20 minutes tops, I get scooped all of the time. Good deals can last a day or two, depending on the price range.

If it is in truly excellent shape, meaning ready to ride with newer tires,brakes and lube, then $225 would be a great price in your area. the problem is, that with out pictures it is hard to tell the condition. Excellent means different things to different people. He may think excellent is all original tires,brakes and tape even though they have many miles on them.

I have had several Bridgestone 400s that I like a lot that I paid a little less for.But the 450 is a step up and your market is different and the small size is harder to find.

Excellent means different things to different people.

+100 Indeed. I went to look at a 1981 Miyata 912 last night. The seller said it was garage kept. I think he meant it was in the garage that afternoon and spent the previous 20 years in the back yard. Geez.

Here in SoCal Bridgestones seem to sell quickly. People know the name and will pay good prices for even lower end models in good condition.

Components are underwhelming, but still solid and it does have indexed shifting. That plus the Bridgestone name (cult following) and your market, $225 sounds about right.

All depends on condition though which we can't assess without pictures. As mentioned, "excellent" means absolutely nothing.