karanvaid

Hi Guys,


I am writing in from India and am new to vintage bikes. Have been considering investing in a Peugeot PA10/LE 1977 - The condition is fantastic and close to NOS.

I am buying this from a vintage bike website and its costing me around $1100. Is it worth it? I have found a great range in the pricing for Peugeot bikes - and seems like there are a lot of them out there. I feel this is over priced . There are other forums here on the PA-10 and it seems like I am being taken for a ride on the price.

I plan to use this for fun weekend rides and even some commuting. There are other Italian bikes (Bianchi Rekord 748 70, Vicini Super Record Classic Road Bike 1978 or the Rossin Racing Team SLX Classic).

I would also like to mention that I am buying this from this website since they are shipping free to India and seem to be a trusted website for vintage bikes.

Need some help guys and any answers that point me in the right direction are appreciated.

howsteepisit

Changed my mind it is far overpriced as a rider!. But it should not be considered an investment. If you are going to ride it, chances are that the value will decrease over the years. But the value you get out of riding - priceless, but not monatizable.

Kevindale

I think it's safe to say there are very very few vintage rode bikes that should be considered investments.

That bike is on the Steel Vintage Bikes website, and is marked as sold. Did you just buy it, and are trying to find out if you get a decent deal?

karanvaid

Thank you for your reply, Guys.

Yes, Steel Vintage has been nice enough to put it it on hold for a day until I decide between another Italian bikes on their website and do more research on this particular model. I totally agree that it's not an "investment" in the literal sense and I am not buying this for resale. For me it's a beautiful bike and was happy to get something in such a great condition. I am just trying to get a sense of how much over the value I would be paying when compared to a similarly priced Bianchi or Rossin (models mentioned above). FYI the concept of vintage bikes doesn't exist in India (so I have to buy this from abroad) and SV is running a very short term promotion of free shipping (Usually quite a lot to India) at the moment that I would like to take advantage of. I will of course factor in the savings from the free shipping in whatever extra I am being charged (if at all) when compared to other PA10s or similar models - I know the PA10-LE was only made in 1977-78 so I guess it cant be all that popular. So any help in this short time is much appreciated. Thanks.

bikemig 

This is a hi tensile steel bike for $1100? This is a crazy price for a hi tensile steel bike. I love this quote from the website:

"The frame is built with Peugeots own 'allege' steel tubes and allows for some competitive riding."

karanvaid

Yes, I missed that. Thanks for pointing it out. For some reason I was under the impression it was Chromoly.

oddjob2

Pass at $1100.

Make sure you know what size frame you need too. That frame appears to be a 56cm, for a rider 5'8"-5'10"

karanvaid

Thank You guys, I have passed. Going to get in a lot more research from all the great posts here.

Kevindale

Yes, do lots of research, and this is the place for it. Among vintage road bikes, there's value in condition (which is where I think almost all the value of the bike in question comes from, which means the value drops rapidly as soon as it's not NOS quality), and value in perceived quality (by that I mean the top-level bikes that racers and serious riders wanted back in the day). Relatively few collectors put condition at the top of their list, most want a really good bike first and foremost. And bikes that have both great condition and are coveted get very expensive. I wouldn't recommend starting there for your first vintage road bike, especially one you intend to ride.

There are a LOT of bikes out there in very good condition and of very good quality/reputation that can be had for a few hundred USD. Even with shipping to India, you'd get a lot of bike for less than $1100. And you'd have a bike you could ride and, if you didn't love it, resell for about what you paid (less your shipping, of course). And as big a country as India is, I'm willing to bet if your look hard, you can find a vintage bike community there, and potentially some good bikes to get started with.

zukahn1 

I would also agree the price is too high even considering the excellent condition and the international shipping. As said it is basically a hi-ten bike with just OK components. In a medium size even with a couple of hundred for international shipping and bit of a premium for condition you should be able to find a fairly nice mid level vintage rider with better tubing and components for $600-700 or so shipped.