Boulder Bikes

I'm selling a Waterford frameset and could really use some help with pricing. I know they started at $1100 when new, but hey that's a long time ago. Below is the description and some photos. Please let me know your thoughts on pricing it.

1997 56 cm Waterford 1200 road racing bike frameset and forks with lugged construction, hand-made Reynolds 753 steel tubing, Henry James custom drop outs. Includes Shimano Dura-Ace headset. Frame measures 56 cm ST/56 cm TT. Yellow and black frame in great condition, except for two minor top tube dents (see photo). Waterford number D97076.

I can also include a 27.4 Thompson seatpost that is in mint condition since they can be a bit tough to find in that size.

I really appreciate the advice.

Picchio Special

I have a 1200 complete bike (Dura Ace 9-speed) in 9/10 condition with forest green metallic paint and red lug lining that I'm trying to get $800 for, if that helps. Only one nibble thus far.

late

My bike shop has a 56 Waterford road bike from around that time.

Complete bike, asking 700 now, it's been for sale for about a year.
I think it's a steal, but it's a size big for me.

I can't imagine passing over that for an entry level alu, but there it is.

Boulder Bikes

Thanks for the fast feedback. I really appreciate it. Waterfords are definitely targeted to a particular audience who appreciates a steel racing frame and it can take a while to find the right buyer I guess. At $700-800 for a complete bike how much do you think the 1200 frame would be worth?

A bike can easily have $700-800 worth of other components depending upon quality. So perhaps half that for the frame alone?

The mint Thompson seat post and saddle are probably worth $75 by themselves.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

rc32

Just to give you another data point. In 1998 I bought a Waterford 1200 frameset painted in yellow and (daytona) blue...similar to the fade in the OPs picture but mine faded from yellow to blue from top to bottom instead of front to back. In any case, that frameset was less than a year old and I bought it up in the Madison Swap meet in January of 99 for $450. The original owner apparently had several Ritchey Road Logics and liked them better than the Waterford...go figure. His loss, my gain.
It was in mint condition. Rode it, raced it, enjoyed it a lot for 4 years. I stupidly sold it in 2002 for $500. Mine had an American Classic seatpost though. But, to this day, it is the BEST riding bike I've owned in the 23 years I've been riding.

longbeachgary

For me personally the dents in the top tube really take away from the value. I know that they may not have any impact on the safety or integrity of the frame but to me it can't be called MINT or GREAT condition. Dents didn't get there on their own so something had to have happened to get them there.

Boulder Bikes

@rc32 and longbeachgary Thanks much for jumping in on this thread. You both make very good points. I can't say how the dents got there for sure since they were there when I bought the bike used. They don't impact the ride in the least, but they do indeed have a cosmetic impact. Any suggestions on pricing?

I've been searching far and wide across the internet and similar framesets alone seem to range from $300-800 with $500 (including seat post) to be about midrange. That might be a high price with full bikes going for $700 but a lot depends on components. Not sure if you (rc32) sold the frame or the full bike for $500. Value is in the eye of the beholder, but "fair market value" ought to be some middle ground. Your thoughts?

rc32

I sold just the frameset with the seatpost included. So I actually made some money on it after riding it for 4 years. However, it was still in pretty much excellent condition as I had taken great care of it.

Boulder Bikes

@rc32. Thanks for filling in the blanks. Now to find an interested buyer...

Picchio Special

I still have my 1200 in 9/10 condition with 9-speed DA listed on CL for $800 with only one caller so far - I'm kind of surprised.