Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Vintage Kuwahara Carerra Sport - $280

Is $280 a reasonable price?

I am very new to this - I'd much prefer DT shifters over stem mounted shifters. How much of a pain would it be to shift to DT shifters?

Is havnig a non-vertical dropout going to make it a pain to put fenders on the rear?

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/2879429690.html

Thanks

Hi
It's new but it looks cheap,but that's not to say it won't be reliable.280 seems way over the top.
Get a bike with fenders fitted.

Hi
It's new but it looks cheap,but that's not to say it won't be reliable.280 seems way over the top.
Get a bike with fenders fitted.

This bike is not new or cheap and would have been built in the early to mid eighties... Kuwahara's lugged frames are of very high quality with excellent construction, and have some of the best finish work on any production bikes I have ever dealt with.

They made their middle to top tier frames in Japan and lower tier production went to Taiwan... this is a Japanese made frame which would have been middle tier and a very good mid level entry in it's day.

$280.00 is a little high (depends on market) but not way over the top for what looks like a very clean and serviced bicycle that you could ride for the next couple of decades... getting something comparable in a new bike would cost you much more than this and for some finding a Kuwahara in this kind of clean and near original condition would make their day.

All I would do is switch the stem shifters to bar end shifters, which may have been what was originally equipped, and lose the suicide levers which may have also been add ons... original brakes would have been Dia Compes which were paired with the Suntour components.

For the OP - If you ride and and love it then you will have a better idea of what you are willing to pay and see if they like to haggle. :)

Just one opinion from someone in the NC marketplace every day (OK, I am in Asheville, but have bought many bikes in your part of the state as well). That bike is overpriced, way over priced. It has the signs of a typical entry level/very close to entry level bike. Claw rear derailleur hanger, stem shifters, turkey levers, 27 inch wheels, nutted rear axle, steel chain rings, steel handlebars, steel seat post, bottom end Dia Compe brake calipers, steel pedals, etc. My guess is that the only part of that frame that is cromoly is the main tubes.

Around here, that bike would be $150 tops, and would take a while to sell. The DT cable stops are typical of stem shifter stops. I would consider $280 to be way over the top. Now in a hot market like SF, Portland, NYC and a couple of others, any bike brings this price or higher.

I love Japanese bikes, and have a lot of respect for all of the companies including Kuwahara. Just about every keeper bike I own is made in Japan (OK, I do have one made in Taiwan as well). And I have owned close to 300 Japanese bikes from the 1980s over the years. At the same time, most of the Japanese mfrs made a wide variety of bikes from entry level to excellent. This one is entry level or extremely close.

$280 in NC will buy a high end, near top of the line Japanese bike from that era. I have only sold one Japanese road bike for that price or higher, and it was top of the line. I see good Japanese bikes from that era going for $175 to $200 (better bikes than this one), and excellent ones bringing $225, $250 max.

"This bike is a joy to ride." Priceless.

Real sloppy bar tape job, and look at that angle of the inner tube valve on the front wheel. Also notice how little of the valve is exposed on the front versus the rear wheel.

For sure, I would not buy a new bike, the last new bike I bought was 1975. But I would look for one in the $250+/- price range, with top of the line components, high end frame tubing, 700c wheels, DB tubing, etc.