recneps345

My old neighbor called me this weekend because he was about to throw out 2 mid 80's Raleigh Sportif(410 frames) bikes that his wife and he purchased new in the 80's(he thinks). The bikes were ridden 20 or so times the first year never to be ridden again. They have been in his basement since. The bikes appear to be in great condition aside from the tires that are crumbling.
I can't find the sizes of either of these bikes or the year they were made. If anyone can give me the size, year, and worth of these bikes I would greatly appreciate it.

Bianchigirll 

I think they were made in 1983 and one looks to ne a 22" the other a 20". as to the value they may be worth $10,000 a peice.

now this is just a guess, some pics would help alot in the actual identifying and aprasing

recneps345

Thanks. So, they translate to around a 50.8cm and a 55.88cm. I typically ride around a 58, but I raised the seat and it feels pretty good for a winter/rain bike. My wife is 5'3" with really long legs, but I am thinking it is going to be tougher get as nice of a fit. I will take both of them to the bike shop to see what they can do.
I have taken pics, but my home internet is down. I will try posting when I can. I was really surprised at how great the bikes looked.

recneps345

Any other thoughts on value of each of these bikes?

Bianchigirll 

I hope you realize my reply was rather tongue in cheek since I can't see the bikes nor have any idea if they are 10spd style, upright 3spd type or beach cruisers. there have been lots of views but without pics it is hard to tell anything about a bike

redxj

$3.50 each, or actually post up some pics if you want a real value.

recneps345

Sorry, I put the serial numbers on a different thread, but I forgort to add them on this one. They are 4PK34583 AND
4PL3220V. The "5" in the first serial number and the "V" in the second are hard to make out. Can anyone give me any info based on the numbers. My pics were to big to post, so I will see what I can do.

recneps345

Here are some crappy pics of the bikes before being cleaned, but this is better than nothing. Again, the year of the bikes, size, and worth would be greatly appreciated.

recneps345

Bumping pics for morning crowd.

SteveSGP

Cleaned up and rideable in my market I'd say $180.00-$200.00 each in bike season.

They're lower end bikes but they're very functional.

recneps345

Thanks. I am going to the bike shop this weekend to get some tires and tubes to get them going again. I got my wife on the smaller one and she looked pretty good on the bike. It is probably a little big, but I am just trying to get her our on a bike to see if she likes it.

wrk101

Around here, steel rims, high ten steel frame, claw derailleur hanger, cottered steel crank, stem shifters, turkey levers, needing tires, cables, general clean up, very little value. Its an entry level bike from an era that entry level was lower end than entry level today. The Avocet saddles on the bikes are worth about what the bike is worth.

Cleaned up, new tires, ready to ride, around here, $100 to $120 max (I've sold a few of them). Paint appears to be in excellent condition. As something to flip, by the time you get everything repaired and cleaned up, the cost to rehab is close to the value. When I find them anymore, I donate them to the charity of my choice, as they can sell them as is for about $50. I would probably swap the saddles out first, as those Avocets look good on vintage bikes (and I have a crate full of reasonable saddles).

Manage your spending carefully, and you can have bikes ready to ride for $50 to $60 each.

recneps345

Thanks for the great info. I figured I could get $150-$200 for both of them on CL. My wife has never had the desire to bike, but I was hoping this could be a "gateway" bike. I don't want to give her a bad first impression by putting her on a heavy junker, but I also don't want to spend $400-$600 on a nice lighter bike that she may never ride more than a handful of times.
I might use the larger one as a rain/beater/winter bike, or I might just get it going to give to my brother to see if he like road biking as he already enjoys mtn biking. I would be using the bike shop to get these bikes tuned up and running, so I would probably be looking at more like 100 per bike to get them going. We will see what I do.
Any ideas on the year or sizes of these bikes?

Bianchigirll 

nice looking bikes I was thinking they were more the upright type with northroad style bars.

if you are going to put new tires on htem PLEASE make sure they use a tan sidewall tire.

recneps345

Can't argue with the price since they were free. Now I just need to take a trip to the bike shop to see where I go from here. I wish I could get the year and size of the bikes, but I can't make sense of the serial numbers. Any other experts out there that could help with this? Thanks everyone.

wrk101

1. Size: just measure it with a tape measure. The bike shop can do it if you are unsure.

2. Age, just look up the date codes on the components. Almost every part on that bike will have a date code.

recneps345

They are size 19 and 22. I think the 19 would be good for my wife at 5'3" with long legs. The 22 is going to be a little small for me, but it could work for a get around bike. I am 6'1" with short legs long torso. I did a quick glance at the bike for date codes, but I didn't see anything.

recneps345

Just saw the exact bike on CL in my area for $150, but mine were in much better condition. He had is labeled as a 1985, so there you go. I will keep my eyes on it to see if they sell it.