Did I make a mistake?
01-15-17, 06:15 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
UPDATE: Did I make a mistake?
Went and looked at a Univega Gran Premio over in Dallas, TX. I think it was a late 80's frame, not sure though. The paint was a dark blue with faint wisps of a dark red. It was Tange and the frame was in nice shape. The tires were brand new. Now as far as the rest of the bike goes, all the components were hodge podge. The only two matching components were the rear brake and the headset were Shimano 600. Crank, pedals, front brake, shifters, hubs, rear derailleur, front derailleur and even one of the rear cogs was not even the same as the others.
But all that aside, good gosh that bike felt great! Boy was it fast and light. The guy originally wanted $200 for it. I offered $50 and he said that he was thinking $120. I shook his hand and told him thanks and walked away. I sure hope I can find one in my size again (61-62cm)
But all that aside, good gosh that bike felt great! Boy was it fast and light. The guy originally wanted $200 for it. I offered $50 and he said that he was thinking $120. I shook his hand and told him thanks and walked away. I sure hope I can find one in my size again (61-62cm)
Last edited by Flyboy718; 02-02-17 at 11:13 PM.
01-15-17, 06:18 PM
#2
Senior Member
If it was your size and the frame and wheels were in good shape, and you liked the ride, $120 seems like a pretty good deal. Other stuff is easily swapped out.
01-15-17, 06:33 PM
#3
Senior Member
I wouldn't loose any sleep over it. There are many more 61-62cm bikes out there. Besides, searching for the right bike can be fun.
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01-15-17, 07:02 PM
#7
Senior Member
This bike was one notch below Univega's top model race bike BITD. Granted, it might be a hodge podge parts bike now, but considering how often I've seen people brag about their viva sport or whatever cheapo model that they payed $200 for, it's a more than a little irrational not to think this is a good deal. This is a very nice bike for the price.
It depends on the condition of course. Taking a friend is a good idea. If it's a wreck it's never worth it.
Also, "hodge podge" was original spec on these. It's from an era before the groupset brainwashing fully set in.
It depends on the condition of course. Taking a friend is a good idea. If it's a wreck it's never worth it.
Also, "hodge podge" was original spec on these. It's from an era before the groupset brainwashing fully set in.
01-15-17, 07:41 PM
#8
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A $50 offer? I don't have the balls to low-ball that low. I'm surprised he gave you a decent counter offer and you didn't take it.
01-15-17, 07:50 PM
#9
Senior Member
This bike was one notch below Univega's top model race bike BITD. Granted, it might be a hodge podge parts bike now, but considering how often I've seen people brag about their viva sport or whatever cheapo model that they payed $200 for, it's a more than a little irrational not to think this is a good deal. This is a very nice bike for the price.
It depends on the condition of course. Taking a friend is a good idea. If it's a wreck it's never worth it.
Also, "hodge podge" was original spec on these. It's from an era before the groupset brainwashing fully set in.
It depends on the condition of course. Taking a friend is a good idea. If it's a wreck it's never worth it.
Also, "hodge podge" was original spec on these. It's from an era before the groupset brainwashing fully set in.
01-15-17, 08:04 PM
#10
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Thread moved to Appraisals.
01-15-17, 08:31 PM
#11
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It was Tange and the frame was in nice shape. The tires were brand new. Now as far as the rest of the bike goes, all the components were hodge podge. The only two matching components were the rear brake and the headset were Shimano 600. Crank, pedals, front brake, shifters, hubs, rear derailleur, front derailleur and even one of the rear cogs was not even the same as the others.
But all that aside, good gosh that bike felt great! Boy was it fast and light. The guy originally wanted $200 for it. I offered $50 and he said that he was thinking $120. I shook his hand and told him thanks and walked away. I sure hope I can find one in my size again (61-62cm)
But all that aside, good gosh that bike felt great! Boy was it fast and light. The guy originally wanted $200 for it. I offered $50 and he said that he was thinking $120. I shook his hand and told him thanks and walked away. I sure hope I can find one in my size again (61-62cm)
If $50 is all you have to spend, then it makes sense to have walked. But its a bike that bike that felt great, was fast, was light, and the frame was in good condition.
You mention wanting to find one in your size again...are you expecting it to also cost $50?
As already posted, the GP was near Univega's top end in the 80s and 90s. It seemed to change year to year but it was 2nd to 4th consistently.
Below is a '92 (if i remember correctly) that i refurbished and sold this past summer. Tange tubing, still lugged at that time, awesome paint, and Exage 500 group.
New cables and housing, tape, newer tires, and all bearings redone.
I sold it to a kid for a discount since he had worked hard to do his homework and wanted to get into roadbikes- $185.
That bike was fantastic quality and is an excellent frame to upgrade.
Shocked the seller even countered your offer. Good luck finding a $50 bike in good cosmetic and mechanical condition thats light, fun to ride, and fits you great.
01-15-17, 08:49 PM
#12
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Thread Starter
Did you expect it to sell for $50? You mentioned new tires...even cheap ones are $15 each, so those alone cost $30. Was the rest of the bike really only worth $20 to you?
If $50 is all you have to spend, then it makes sense to have walked. But its a bike that bike that felt great, was fast, was light, and the frame was in good condition.
You mention wanting to find one in your size again...are you expecting it to also cost $50?
As already posted, the GP was near Univega's top end in the 80s and 90s. It seemed to change year to year but it was 2nd to 4th consistently.
Below is a '92 (if i remember correctly) that i refurbished and sold this past summer. Tange tubing, still lugged at that time, awesome paint, and Exage 500 group.
New cables and housing, tape, newer tires, and all bearings redone.
I sold it to a kid for a discount since he had worked hard to do his homework and wanted to get into roadbikes- $185.
That bike was fantastic quality and is an excellent frame to upgrade.
Shocked the seller even countered your offer. Good luck finding a $50 bike in good cosmetic and mechanical condition thats light, fun to ride, and fits you great.
If $50 is all you have to spend, then it makes sense to have walked. But its a bike that bike that felt great, was fast, was light, and the frame was in good condition.
You mention wanting to find one in your size again...are you expecting it to also cost $50?
As already posted, the GP was near Univega's top end in the 80s and 90s. It seemed to change year to year but it was 2nd to 4th consistently.
Below is a '92 (if i remember correctly) that i refurbished and sold this past summer. Tange tubing, still lugged at that time, awesome paint, and Exage 500 group.
New cables and housing, tape, newer tires, and all bearings redone.
I sold it to a kid for a discount since he had worked hard to do his homework and wanted to get into roadbikes- $185.
That bike was fantastic quality and is an excellent frame to upgrade.
Shocked the seller even countered your offer. Good luck finding a $50 bike in good cosmetic and mechanical condition thats light, fun to ride, and fits you great.
01-15-17, 08:56 PM
#13
Sunshine
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I had $140 in my pocket I figured that was a good offer for that bike if he was asking $200. But when he rolled it out with both tires flat and all the franken parts I was pretty bummed out. I was looking for a bike that had original parts in good working condition and maybe only having to do very little to it. I am pretty much a all original kinda guy or pretty close to it. I admit the $50 was low and I was willing to go to $75 but when I asked him what he was thinking and he said $120 I knew that it wasn't meant to be.
I am all for a bike that's mismatched if the components are quality. 600 plus 105 plus Exage500 plus RX100 would be OK by me. Well, I would want the levers to match!
01-15-17, 09:04 PM
#14
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Thread Starter
Absolutely! If it had a mix of parts like that I would have left the $140 with him. The front brake, shifters, crank, pedals, rims, hubs, brake levers all I had not heard of. He said it was a bicycle ministry that puts together bikes to give to kids. So that makes sense where all the parts come from. The pedals, I swear were about as big as my foot.
01-15-17, 09:45 PM
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Went and looked at a Univega Gran Premio over in Dallas, TX. I think it was a late 80's frame, not sure though. The paint was a dark blue with faint wisps of a dark red. It was Tange and the frame was in nice shape. The tires were brand new. Now as far as the rest of the bike goes, all the components were hodge podge. The only two matching components were the rear brake and the headset were Shimano 600. Crank, pedals, front brake, shifters, hubs, rear derailleur, front derailleur and even one of the rear cogs was not even the same as the others.
But all that aside, good gosh that bike felt great! Boy was it fast and light. The guy originally wanted $200 for it. I offered $50 and he said that he was thinking $120. I shook his hand and told him thanks and walked away. I sure hope I can find one in my size again (61-62cm)
But all that aside, good gosh that bike felt great! Boy was it fast and light. The guy originally wanted $200 for it. I offered $50 and he said that he was thinking $120. I shook his hand and told him thanks and walked away. I sure hope I can find one in my size again (61-62cm)
If you are asking the questing is $50.00 too low an offer for a bike that is clearly worth 200.00 than yes it was a mistake. If you don't care about wasting your time hunting for another one then I would ponder how much is your time worth?
Sometimes you have to justify a low offer because you are going to need to invest more money to get the bike setup correctly.
01-15-17, 10:05 PM
#16
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I still find it very strange, from an observer's POV.
01-16-17, 12:16 AM
#17
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...yeah. I still don't understand the "matchy-matchy" phenomenon. It's like one day I was all minding my own business, picking out cool stuff for a gofast ride, and then, while I was distracted by that, groupsets were the new black, and everything has to have the same name and number on it from hub to seatpost.
I still find it very strange, from an observer's POV.
I still find it very strange, from an observer's POV.
Blame Tulio.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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01-16-17, 08:10 PM
#18
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Couldn't you tell it was a frankenbike from the CL photos? Then again, that might be giving too much credit to murky, sloppy CL photos.
Last edited by Clang; 01-16-17 at 08:18 PM.
01-16-17, 11:19 PM
#19
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I have mixed feelings about this: on the one hand, you walked away from a $120 Gran Premio = bad move.
On the other hand, I understand the desire to purchase a bike with, if not the original components, at least a good mix of quality components.
But I wouldn't mind sitting on it for a while, and collecting what I wanted on there as I go. I've got other bikes I can ride in the meantime.
Here you go, ponder this $500 Gran Premio (63cm) on ebay while you think about it...
UNIVEGA Gran Premio 63cm road bike, vintage Tange double butted steel, excellent | eBay
On the other hand, I understand the desire to purchase a bike with, if not the original components, at least a good mix of quality components.
But I wouldn't mind sitting on it for a while, and collecting what I wanted on there as I go. I've got other bikes I can ride in the meantime.
Here you go, ponder this $500 Gran Premio (63cm) on ebay while you think about it...
UNIVEGA Gran Premio 63cm road bike, vintage Tange double butted steel, excellent | eBay
01-17-17, 09:08 AM
#20
Senior Member
Yep, you screwed that up. The frame alone is worth $120. Better luck next time pardner.
01-17-17, 12:33 PM
#21
Senior Member
Yeah the frame alone was worth the asking price, but if you aren't a mechanic and don't want a bike build project, I can understand your reticence.
01-17-17, 01:17 PM
#22
aka: Mike J.
My vote is you should have bought it for the $120, especially since the money would go to help the guy build more bikes for people in need. And factoring in the new but flat tires, $50 was toooooooo low.
Good luck in the search.
Good luck in the search.
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01-17-17, 01:26 PM
#23
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Thread Starter
No, he is not the guy that does the bicycle builds for the ministry. He didn't know anything about bicycle mechanics or the parts for that matter. His friend put this one together for him before he moved to Texas a few months ago.
01-17-17, 01:31 PM
#24
aka: Mike J.
Absolutely! If it had a mix of parts like that I would have left the $140 with him. The front brake, shifters, crank, pedals, rims, hubs, brake levers all I had not heard of. He said it was a bicycle ministry that puts together bikes to give to kids. So that makes sense where all the parts come from. The pedals, I swear were about as big as my foot.
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01-17-17, 01:35 PM
#25
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Oh, I get it now. Say no more. A real frankenbike as in: Let's put on whatever junk bin parts scrounged from department store specials onto this fancy racing bike because we are completely oblivious as to what it is...
Yeah the frame alone was worth the asking price, but if you aren't a mechanic and don't want a bike build project, I can understand your reticence.
Yeah the frame alone was worth the asking price, but if you aren't a mechanic and don't want a bike build project, I can understand your reticence.
Last edited by Flyboy718; 01-17-17 at 01:39 PM.