mikemowbz

No dings, dents or rust - ready to try out bare and paint as desired. I have very little sense of the value of one of these in this state. It's a big 25" example, chrome on the fork very good, typical campagnolo dropouts, etc. Given that there are no parts other than the binder bolt, dropout adjusters and head badge, there's not much more to say for the condition than that it's nicely stripped & seemingly very clean, very good condition...

Thinking this might be a good project; I can build it as is, and have the option of doing custom paint if I like the ride or reselling the frame if it's ho-hum or not my thing.

I just need some idea of what a reasonably ballpark figure might be so that I don't overshoot its market value and get stuck taking a loss on a possible future resale...

BTW, I'm in a pretty hot bike market (Vancouver, Canada).

FastJake

Frames/forks go cheap. Less than $100 unless it's something special. Superior is a nice bike but stripped of all its paint (raw steel?) not much.

Once you go that far you also have to convince the buyer what it actually is. I stay away from repainted bikes unless they're cheap or I'm going after the components.

mikemowbz

Thanks for the response.

That low? I would think with the Campagnolo marked dropouts (fork and rear), serial number, and generally impressive detailing on the Superior that it might be worth a bit more. This particular example is basically perfect from what I can tell (no dings, dents, residual evidence of rust or thread damage identifiable), albeit completely stripped. I seem to recall there's a very small amount of rust on the surface of the chrome on the fork, but suspect this can largely be polished away (plus it's strictly limited to a few mm up where any residual will be hidden completely by brake calipers, and really minimal in any case).

I understand the early 80s Superior, as "Paramount's little brother," a Wisconsin-made bike, has at least some cachet...not to mention, I think, 100% Reynolds 531 construction.

I would've pegged $100-125, or even a bit more (especially for an enthusiast of those bikes). Is that a distinct overvaluation? As I mentioned, Vancouver is a pretty hot market. I suspect I could get at least $100 on a sale as is, so I supposed I'd definitely pay that, at least. Come to think of it, the chromed fork w/campy dropouts, long enough for a 25" frame (and therefore plenty long for 98% of applications) would probably fetch $50 on my local CL...

Definitely still interested in any other opinions about the value...

Price it would take for me to get my hands on this is high enough that I may end up taking a pass, though.

wrk101

Yes, that low. Buyers want original bikes, with original paint and decals. Doing a good job recreating that can cost quite a bit and after that process is complete, the bike is still not original. Enthusiasts and collectors want original bikes, not stripped frames.

mikemowbz

Thanks for the response...and confirmation that it's a sub-$100 value.

Fair enough. I'd bet a bar-end plug that I could sell it for $100-125 inside a week in Vancouver, but I guess my comment about 'enthusiasts' may have missed the mark. Perhaps 'wannabe enthusiasts' starved for nice frames, brought up on world in which many ebay auctions are off-limits to Canada or sport prohibitively expensive transport costs, and where everyone and their dog is trying to charge $250 for hi-ten bikes that haven't even been substantially refurbished, might have been closer to the mark.

Or perhaps I'm wrong even about the Vancouver market (though it's only been a week since I sold a Tange 2 middle-range Miele frame & fork for $100, and could have gotten $125 had I waited a few more hours to get rid of it).

I'm pretty tempted myself, assuming I can get it reasonably close to $100 w/shipping...I just don't think I'll get another Reynolds 531 bike in my size for $100 anytime soon. And not being a Schwinn aficionado, I could frankly care less about the paint & decals. Grey powdercoat or something like that; maybe this clear stuff: https://www.por15.com/whatispor15.asp

Or maybe I'll see reason and pass (or have no choice as folks drive up the bidding). I'm pretty curious now.

In the end, I suppose that I'm hoping that others agree wholeheartedly with your valuation. I do appreciate the feedback - I've never bought or sold a stripped frame before (nor do I have any idea beyond past BF threads and ebay completed listings how to look at Schwinns specifically), so really had no idea where it might fall on the value scale. BF C&V helpful as always.

brian3069

That frame being stripped has a much more appeal then one with very bad paint. There's going to be two people who will want it and willing to pay. I'd be surprised if it didn't go for $150 plus. Hope I'm wrong and you get at your price. Good luck.

wrk101

Well, I know absolutely nothing about the Vancouver market. So if with your knowledge, it is worth quite a bit more, go for it, you are likely correct. +1 More likely to go to a wannabe.

mikemowbz

It really is quite ridiculous up here, I'm perpetually envious of many US markets when I spot a 'look what I found for $200 on my local CL' thread on here, when I peruse the 'Are you looking for one of these?' thread, or when I look around in Seattle just to see what's down the coast. Very little wheat among the chaff for a tall rider, and what does come up usually goes fast unless the overpricing is truly absurd. For whatever reason, there just doesn't seem to be the same volume of good stuff changing hands under, say, $400 or $500 (and even then). New bikes and parts are also much more expensive (customs duties don't help), which I think impacts prices on used bicycles. Vancouver is much worse than Toronto or Montreal, though neither of those two is an ocean of bargains...

In any case, I just want to put some wheels on that Schwinn and give it a spin...but not to overpay too dearly and get stuck eating the difference if I can't recover my cost after picking it up and deciding a few spins is all I need. Hence the whole question of its value in current state.

Who knows: if it rides nice, I may just be that wannabe. Do the lame industrial-grade clearcoat-on-steel. Sugino messenger cranks. Itty bitty little flat bar. You know the rest (well, maybe not)...

mikemowbz

Just topped $100 this afternoon with more than a day left. Whatever it's worth. I'm out...

mikemowbz

Apparently it's worth $149.95 plus shipping to someone in the ebay universe:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/170802631045?...torefresh=true

Given shipping costs to Canada, about $75+ too rich for my blood.