Boothe85

if this bike is in decent shape, and my size is this bike worth $50? I could probably negotiate it for $40. Is this bike going to be upgradeable? It's got down tube shifters, which I have used before (are these upgradeable?).

I owned a mid 80's Lotus Satelitte Road Bike with DT shifters, and miss it.

What are somethings I should check for?

https://www.lejeuneyardsales.com/item...576&src=SEARCH

FastJake

I had a Bordeaux. Pretty nice for a lower end bike, that one looks very similar to mine. Mine weighed ~25lbs FWIW. $50 is definitely a good price if it's not trashed and it fits you.

Things to look for:
-Does it fit you?
-Make sure rims are straight
-Rusty cables, flat tires, stiff chain, etc. These indicate a bike that was neglected and will almost certainly need a complete overhaul.
-Finally, does everything work? Does the bike ride well?

randyjawa 

The more you get to know vintage bicycles, the more you will come to understand that there are many things to know before you can differentiate between a good bike and a not so good one.

Have a look at this page. Click on each of the offered buttons and spend a bit of time learning. Doing so will help you save time, effort and cash when selecting and restoring/refurbishing an old bicycle.

Snydermann

What is a Lotus Satelitte? That model is unknown to me.

Boothe85

Ehh not satelitte.. lol It was a Lotus Challenger SX.



I do miss this bicycle. Bought it off CL for $85 and sold it for $140. But I wish I held onto it. I put quite a few miles on it riding around Key Biscayne, FL. Which is beautiful and I clocked 43mph on my little computer coming down the bridge. Too bad the pads were worn down to almost nothing stopping from that distance.

I got more pics I can post if you want to see more.

Boothe85