Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Considering just keeping this Flipper American Eagle 3 speed.

I got this bike recently as a dumbster find and did basic fix up on it with plans of selling it as flipper for a $100 so a early 70's American Eagle 3speed with 22 inch or so step through preachers frame. While a little small for me I'm about 6 foot adjusted it is fine for me to ride and rides better than a cheaper 3 has any right to smooth shifting great brakes surpisingly good handling. When riding it around town on a test ride I intended to ride only a couple of mile's and ended up riding about twenty with a smile on my face. I have put it on CL for only $90 with few resposnses am I doing something wrong? Would it be wrong or silly for semi serious C&V guy to keep and ride this as second bad weather beater bike?

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc430/zukahn2/American%20Eagle/DSC00755.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc430/zukahn2/American%20Eagle/DSC00754.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc430/zukahn2/American%20Eagle/DSC00756.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc430/zukahn2/American%20Eagle/DSC00757.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc430/zukahn2/American%20Eagle/DSC00760.jpg

1. I would advertise it as a Nishiki, not an American Eagle.

2. A couple of your secondary pictures show rust on the crankarm and saddle spring. A savvy buyer will pick that out, others would miss it.

I have sold similar bikes for more, although I usually avoid 3 speeds. Patience is key. I would call it an "English Racer".

Nice color, but I will never ride another Shimano 3 speed.

Time of year could be working against you. People in colder climates are thinking about pancakes right now, not buying a bike. If you could sit on it until spring, you should have no problems.

It's never wrong to keep adding to your fleet !

If you like it, and it sounds like you do, put the price at $150. No takers? Keep riding it !

Cheers,

Joe

Time of year could be working against you. People in colder climates are thinking about pancakes right now, not buying a bike. If you could sit on it until spring, you should have no problems.

Agreed. People aren't going to buy a bike they have to store for the winter...ride it now and park it over winter...then sell it in the spring if it hasn't completely stolen your heart.

Time of year could be working against you. People in colder climates are thinking about pancakes right now, not buying a bike. If you could sit on it until spring, you should have no problems.

While time of year definitely works against you, I will repost ads every couple of weeks or so through the winter. I have sold bikes every month of the year, without lowering my price. But its definitely slow. Sold two bikes one year on January 1st, and a third on January 2nd. You just never know.

Well as a follow up I made some changes to the add and rasied the price thanks for the tips Thrifty Bill on describing the bike I think they helped a lot. To my surprise the bike sold to a tourist from back east who brought it to ship back to the east coast. He actually thought the bike was fairly light for a vintage 3 speed, it wieghed about 30lbs which seemed heavy to me which I quess isn't bad considering the full fenders and the amount of chrome on it , but most of the bikes I have built have been under 25 lbs. After talking a bit he said that similar bikes that aren't nearly as nice condition wise are selling for a couple of hundred in the bigger eastern markets. From our conversation it seems that it is becoming popular for people living in the pricey markets of the north east to buy vintage bikes on vacation and have them shipped home. It did surprise me a bit to find that market prices are different enough that it makes sense to do this.

Well done! Congrats!

Thanks Thrifty Bill. It's just that most of the bikes I have sold in the past year or or sold in only a few days for full asking price so I started to over think things. In the future I will likely rasie my asking prices and have a little more patience.