golfer007

I dont know a whole lot about Schwins. But I was just wondering this bike is actually worth. Any advice would be very awesome.

Thanks,
Free

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/bik/976765570.html

DavidW56

I don't profess to be an expert, either. But that list of new parts might have cost $75.

roccobike

First, that's a World, not a World Sport. It is probably a hi-tensile steel frame (low end). That said, whenever your dealing with an older bike, maintenance is always a concern. From the description, it sounds like someone took care of that bike. IMHO, if it's in as good shape as it sounds, and is ride ready, and it fits you $75 is a fair price. One change that I liked is the addition of the alloy rims.

wrk101

Yes, assuming it is ready to ride bike, it should be worth about $100. High ten steel frame holds it back from higher value.

+1 Assuming parts are new, that list is at least $75. But they are put on a lousy/heavy frame.

But bike needs to be ready to ride, or you will quickly spend more than the savings at your local bike shop. And I would prefer a cromoly frame, which the Schwinn World Sport has (one model up). Check to verify wheels are true and cables are good (they should not be rusty, and should work freely).

golfer007

Ok, he is bringing it for me to look at in Salem instead of Portland which is helluva lot closer for me to travel and he said he could do it for $50. Should I try to talk him down from the $50? He doesnt really seem to know a whole lot about bikes. If I cleaned it up and everything, do you think I could get like $150 out of it on CL? Those wheels are 700c, right?

Scooper

From the seat tube decal, it looks like a pre-'87, so the OEM wheels would have been 27", not 700c. It's possible he replaced them with 700c when he switched to the Suzue alloys since there's only a 4mm difference in radius and the brake pads could probably be adjusted to reach 4mm lower.

golfer007

Right. But do you guys think it would be a good candidate for a money-making flip? Just clean it up, re-pack everything, throw some lube on and maybe some new housing and cables? I am looking to make a little money. I came across a Schwin Le Tour also listed for $75. Is that a better candidate? Better bike in general?

miamijim

See posts 1-7.

sonatageek

Either of those are a little high if you are looking to flip them. Unless a bike is really higher end, I try to keep the purchase price of anything that will be flipped under $50 (well under if possible) -- The exception would be if it already has brand new tires on it and if the cables were newer and did not need replacement. Grease and cleaning supplies are cheap, but parts costs add up pretty quickly.

Scooper

Generally, yes; the Le Tour is a better bike with higher quality components than either the World or World Sport. Later 4130 chromoly Le Tours are more desirable than the earlier Hi-ten models.

golfer007

Thanks Scooper.

treebound 

You're looking to flip it in the same market the seller is having a problem selling it in, his driving 50-100 miles to sell it for $50 should give you some insight.

If you're really looking to flip a few bikes then to my thinking you have two options:
1. Thrift shops and rummage/garage sales and find bikes for $5-$25 to use a flip fodder.
2. Move up to higher end bikes where there is more margin to work wth.

I just do this as a hobby and have no intentions of making anything more than "a little money", little being the operative word there.

Even in Portland Oregon this is the "off season", stock up now for the spring sale season.

golfer007

Yeah thats the plan with this bike. To repair anything broken, clean, ride, and sell in spring sometime. But the dude never called me back...what a DB!! I dont think a person is a motivated seller when they dont want to call the buyer back. Why even bother is my theory in this. I have learned over the years to be very patient with sellers and not look too needy.

wrk101

Lousy candidate for flip. My rule of thumb is to take the price you have to pay for it, add my cost for parts (I get parts cheap and stock up, but they still add up). If I cannot sell for $100 MORE than acquisition cost plus parts, I pass. This is for a couple of reasons. First, your labor is worth something. So part of the $100 goes to your repair time and your time spent finding the deal. Secondly, the $100 figure gives me a little margin for repair surprises. Third, my estimate of final selling price could be too high.

With this rule, I picked up a Schwinn World Sport (the one with alloy rims and cromoly frame, and a step up from the bike in this thread) at a thrift store last week for $12.50. I estimate it needs $20 in parts, so I will need to sell it for $135. Which is about what I think it will be worth. We will see... Actually a pretty marginal pick that will test my picking ability.


It is a lot easier to make flipping work with a little better bike, like the Tempo I got a couple of months ago for $34, that needed $15 in parts. But that grade of bike is rarer in the TS world. So if you want to flip a lot of bikes, you either have to get really lucky on finding them, or accept a lower grade bike (like the Schwinn World Sport).


Hi Ten steel bikes around here sell for $100 tops, so they are out of the question as a flip, even if I got one for free. But values and pricing are all local. And sometimes the high ten bike can make a good donor, depending on components.

golfer007

I am going to hit garage sale season hard when it starts up. Thrift stores around here literally never have anything!