Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - 1986 Fuji Sagres

I recently came across an '86 Fuji Sagres and wanted to get some opinions on what a fair price would be (I am looking to buy it and then resell).

The owner says the frame and everything is in good condition. It would just need the usual cables, tires, and cleaning.

Originally, the bike came with Suntour Lepree components, but the rear derailleur has been replaced with a Suntour Alpha 5000.

Here is a link to the specs of the bike . (http://classicfuji.com/Sagres_1986_Page.htm)

Sorry, I do not have any pictures of the bike (I know this would make things easier).

For a flip...........if the paint and wheels are in VERY good condition, I'd pay $100-$125. Maybe even $150. I just rehabbed an '86 Sagres SP.........tires, tubes, cables, pads, barwrap and overhauled all the bearings. It sold for $275 in mid February

Really depends where you live, a Fuji Sagres fully rehabbed here, will bring $200, $225 tops. So I would adjust what I could pay for one down a fair amount, to leave room for surprises and hopefully, a little for the bike fund when I am done. Just work the math backwards: take what you think you can sell it for, deduct an estimate for consumables, plus what you pay for it. I think it is important to keep a cushion for surprises. Just finished working on a bike, the ADJUSTABLE bb cup was seized. That's a first for me, and of course, I did not expect it. But I usually assume a neglected bike will take a new bb, new chain, freewheel, and hopefully the wheel hubs are reusable (with new bearings and grease). So once I got that cup out, it did not effect my budget (I had budgeted in a replacement bb).

For a flip...........if the paint and wheels are in VERY good condition, I'd pay $100-$125. Maybe even $150. I just rehabbed an '86 Sagres SP.........tires, tubes, cables, pads, barwrap and overhauled all the bearings. It sold for $275 in mid February

Thanks for the reply....Wow! Looks like you did a great job with that bike. How much higher in the line-up is the SP?

Following Craigslist over the past month or so, it seems that bikes go pretty high here (Ohio), so I'd say it's a pretty good market for selling – especially with spring coming up. This would be my first flip, so I am a little hesitant about running into unexpected problems. (I'm confident I could fix/replace them, but it's the unexpected costs that scare me). However, the bike is priced really good, so I think I could still make a profit even if I ended up having to invest more money than initially estimated.

I think I'll atleast drive out and take a peak at the bike. Couldn't hurt.

For some reason I thought mine was an '86 but apparently it's an '88 and I believe the SP was only made for 1 year. SP stands for Special Performance and claims to be at home on an overnight tour as well as a local tri.

http://www.classicfuji.com/0_Cat_Cvr_Home.htm

Mine was pretty clean when I got it and I got it with another bike from a local metal scrapper for a very good price.

First rule of flipping (once you know how to source parts at a reasonable price) is that the money is made when you BUY the project. Pay too much, and its hard to make a profit. Realize paying $20 less for a bike is like getting a set of tires free. Now there is always pressure on the buying end by other customers. So in between you have the flippers squeeze.

Always check the stem and post to make sure they are not stuck and look for obvious frame damage (bent fork and ripples in the DT and TT near the HT). Those are avoidable surprises. The condition of bearing surfaces is more in the surprise category. Flip enough bikes and the occasional surprise is not that bad.

Now I will buy bikes with terminal issues, typically they become donors, so I don't pay much for them.

1988 Sagres was better than the 1986, due to indexed shifting and 700c wheels.

Thank you both for the replies/tips...If the bike looks good in person, I will definitely try to bring the price down a bit, so I will have some more room to purchase any needed parts.