Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Vintage MTB...

Bought something I know nothing about. Inqirey if it is decent or fodder:lol: I think it is an 89. Taiwan made mongoose sycamore atb. Has a db tange main frame Thoughts? TIA 240035240036240037240038240039

Looks like it needs a tuneup but otherwise in good shape. Deore = nice but the Mongoose name has been tarnished by Walmart. I'd say all tuned up you could get around $100 for it.

I am an avid collect/restorer/rider of vintage road bicycles, many of which are featured on my website - MY "TEN SPEEDS". That said, I have recently become interested in vintage mountain bicycles.

Since my interest in relatively new, I do not know all that much about the vintage mountain bicycle. My guess is the one presented is of little value in the vintage world. Though the Mongoose is a nice brand, the bicycle is, as someone else pointed out, tainted with department store taint. To that add that the one you are interested in is really pretty darn new and not quite vintage in my opinion.

Were I buying the bicycle, I would pay up to $40.00 for it, and not a penny more. Were I selling the bicycle, I would expect to get between $100 and $150, and that is assuming it is all cleaned up and working properly.

Please keep in mind that any price anyone suggests is little more than a guess about value. There are a host of things that impact Vintage Bicycle Value (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VALUE/VALUE_1_Start.htm), many of which have little or nothing to do with the bicycle itself.

Anyway, good luck with the bicycle and enjoy the ride. Though not a highly collectable piece, the bike will, none the less, be fun to ride and increase in value when it does become a vintage machine (about 12 years from now, best guess).

Haha-23 years old is new? I don't think the mtb was born until 79. Unconcerned with collectability, but uncertain how to tell the difference between the dept store/bike shop mongoose. Now that I think about it-any without suspension must be pre-wally world, still could be wrong. BTW, got it uber cheap. Couldn't resist the wishbone stay. It will be ridden hard as a commuter-so I'm inquisitive of the frame quality being worth the overhaul. I'd love to see a 'My vintage mtb" site!

I wouldn't spend a bunch of money on it as it's probably only worth $125 or so, but it should last you a long time as a commuter. I have a similar vintage Jamis with the same component set that I use for gravel grinding.

I'm interested to see if you are going to use a rack. I think that wishbone stay will limit your choices.

Definitely preWalmart. Nice bikes, get zero respect out there unfortunately. For personal use, the lack of respect should have zero impact.

I agree that is definitely from the prewalmart period, as as all the resellers say used MTBs get no respect. The Deore certainly iddentifies it a top of the line bike though, what is the tubing?

I might clean/overhaul it and stick it on CL and see if I get a sentimental buyer willing to dump alot of cash for "a bike just like my first mountain bike" or "I always wanted one of these". Nobody says you can't ride it while your trying to sell it right?

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=240035&d=1330923199

It will be ridden hard as a commuter-so I'm inquisitive of the frame quality being worth the overhaul.

These old steel MTBs make great commuters. Yes, this one is definitely pre-Walmart (IIRC they were sold out around 1999.)

Anyway, as far as the quality of the frame I wouldn't worry about that too much. All the old decent steel MTBs weigh about the same, so it's really a matter of personal choice. I've found the old MTBs to be hit or miss. One may feel awkward and dead while another may feel perfect. Right now that perfect bike for me is a 1995 Gary Fisher Tassajara. Nothing special but the frame is just a sweet-spot for me. Bottom line, ride the bike and see if you like it.

Ask these guys.

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-classic/official-what-worth-thread-wiw-463090.html

Thanks for all the feed back. I'll overhaul it for my son-shouldn't be too hard as I've brought a few road bikes back to life. If I add a rack/it can be a seatpost attach, but he prefers back packs. Be back with the progression of it.

That bike is far from walmart junk, overhaul away. Sunlite makes a couple different adapters which should making mounting up a rack no problem. I got a few from niagara a couple years ago for some projects I had kicking around. I just did a quick check and found three similar but slightly different items on their site with "sunlite monostay adapter" in the item title so give it a search and see if one of them will work for you.

Nice old 'goose. 89 sounds like a good guess for year. I had a 1988 Mongoose Alta with the same frame design, but cheaper tubing.

That forward saddle is hurting my hamstrings just looking at it. I'm guessing seat clamp (or entire seatpost) may be backwards to accomplish such a forward position.

Value on my local CL about $70 and would take a few weeks. Maybe $100 fixed up - new grips, wipe up the rust a bit, general tune-up.

Would probably bring more money by selling shifters, derailers, cranks seperately on eBay.

Sunlite makes a couple different adapters which should making mounting up a rack no problem. I got a few from niagara a couple years ago for some projects I had kicking around. I just did a quick check and found three similar but slightly different items on their site with "sunlite monostay adapter" in the item title so give it a search and see if one of them will work for you.

Forget buying anything to mount a rack, take the horizontal stays (don't know the technical term) to the seatpost QR. You already have the eyelets on the dropouts.

Ask these guys.

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-classic/official-what-worth-thread-wiw-463090.html

Good people over there, but most of them traffic in blingier stuff than this, so they might be kind of dismissive of it. If I see a post of yours there, I will be sure to chime in saying what a great bike it is. BF people got to stick together.

jim

I forgot when I posted, Blackburn made these for wishbone stays

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Blackburn-MonoStay-Wishbone-Rack-Adapter-MA1-MA-1-/00/s/ODczWDcwMA==/$(KGrHqJ,!l!E5YQw5HnPBOeJ3Si8Kg~~60_58.JPG

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blackburn-MonoStay-Wishbone-Rack-Adapter-MA1-MA-1-/380371157005?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item588fe3400d

That blackburn adapter looks just like the sunlite one I have used except close to 3x the price. Blackburn makes great stuff but I would bet this is one item where the generic brand would be just fine. ALTHOUGH, I seem to recall the cheaper one saying that it wasnt to be used with a baby carrier, so who knows.

As an aside, I've considered mounting one of these to as low as possible on my headtube to facilitate mounting a front rack. Hmmm. . .

So far-I've cleaned and regreased the headset and both hubs/flushed and oiled the fw-muscled the ds pedal off-and added a wb cage. Still have to pull the crank/bb-clean recable all-buy some grips - adjust all the bits- and check the spokes (hey they are ss :) No pics yet (not presentable with a dirty crnak-haha) I'm glad to see some rack fans-but won't be attaching one. I thought of checking in with the mtb folk-but so far I've gotten all the info here with the BF. I won't be picking up another mtb anyway-my tastes run more to road bikes. My moto st has taken a back shelf @ the moment. Thanks for all the info so far-I'll post any questions I run into here.

nice find ... i scored a late 80's hardrock awhile back for $ 7 ....repacked the BB, put some highroad V tires on it and attached a rear rack that i had laying around .... im gonna keep it for awhile ....

1 thing though ... i'd ditch that ugly pie plate

DB Tange is good!

I'm suspect about the 5 speed on the rear??? It just seems that the quality (otherwise) of the bike would have at least a 6. It also looks like something found on a $50 box store bike.
Do the rims match? I can't quite tell.

It's a 6spd 14-30 and the rims are matching araya 26x1.5 alloys. The bb went well-I rebuilt with loose bearings. Just cables to go (have to wait on payday for that) Raining here/so pics will have to wait. An aside question: are the handlebars normal at 24" wide? They seem cumbersome-I've never fooled around with mtb's before. And-oh yea-the pie plate is gone-disintegrated as I removed it ;)

240696240697240698240699240700 Still need to replace cables (working but rusty) but techy the goose is cooked (I mean finished) Thinking of some slicks for it-but want to see how these do with the goat thorns first. Anyway-tada...

Unconcerned with collectability, but uncertain how to tell the difference between the dept store/bike shop mongoose.
I recently bought a mongoose at a pawn shop to fix up for my nephew. The one I bought, I would consider a higher end mart bike. Here's some of the differences I notice:

-Yours has a cast aluminum alloy crankset that is bolted together and servicable. The one I picked up had chainwheels of stamped sheet metal, riveted together.

-Yours has quick releases front and rear. Mine had a nutted rear wheel.

-Yours has high end Shimano Deore components. Mine had Shimano, but low end stuff made with lots of stamped sheet metal. (Acera, perhaps.)

-Mine was most likely made of high tensile carbon steel. I can tell that because it had no sticker tadvertising better tubing.

- a front shock on an otherwise cheap bike tells me the shock will be cheap too.

-Stamped steel bits and pieces all over mine, where yours should have more use of aluminum alloy.

My son when a kid routinely broke bottom brackets on the bikes I could afford him. Good to know what to look for if I see anymore mtbs. Good for cheap (but not abysmal) transportation.