Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Giant Kronos for $300?

Hi, everyone. I'm a first-time buyer looking for a commuter bike--don't need anything fancy, just something reliable and lighter than my current high-tensile hand-me-down.

I've been eyeing this Giant Kronos on CL: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/3275992036.html.

Based on my research and limited knowledge, $300 seems pretty steep to me, but it looks like it's in decent shape. I live in Oakland, California, by the way.

Any advice on this? Thanks in advance!

That looks much bigger than 54 more like a 56. I agree it also seem a bit pricy but you are in Sunny Calif so prices rung high. Is it close? Go try and ride it and see if you can get it for closer to $250. If it does not have a ChroMo fork I might pass even at 250.

http://images.craigslist.org/5Gd5F25Mc3Ed3K73Lcc9g56afd95a51f31f0e.jpg

That would appear to be a circa 1990-1991 Kronos. Original price was $350-$429 US, depending on the exact year. It would have been an upper entry level model for the era. Probably not an unreasonable price for the region, assuming the condition is very good. I agree, it looks more like a 56cm.

You're in a hot market, but I wouldn't pay more than $225. There's a good chance (especially considering the salt air) that the rear wheel may be difficult or impossible to true due to seized spoke nipples. The owner claims that the bike has been "completely restored"; however, truing the wheel was not part of this. If it was easy to do, it would have been done.

Overall it's not a bad bike, but I would look for something that has more long-term potential.

Agree on the sizing being larger than a 54cm.

That looks much bigger than 54 more like a 56. I agree it also seem a bit pricy but you are in Sunny Calif so prices rung high. Is it close? Go try and ride it and see if you can get it for closer to $250. If it does not have a ChroMo fork I might pass even at 250.

http://images.craigslist.org/5Gd5F25Mc3Ed3K73Lcc9g56afd95a51f31f0e.jpg

+1 on the size and the fork this bike does look a little bigger than 54cm and the fork looks like it may be basic replacement fork. If everything is good and it rides great and is your size the price isn't bad for the market. It should be worth checking out if close to verify condition and see if the seller will come down a bit on price.

I disagree on the fork being a replacement. Unicrowns were the order of the day then for most any road machine under 1K and you can even see the Giant decal on it.

Thanks for all your input. I'm waiting for the seller to get back to me about testing it out.

Forgive me if this is a dumb question--I'm just learning as I go along here--but how can I check if the spoke nipples are seized?