1984 Schwinn High Sierra w/ Paperwork
 

Well first off I am new here, but have searched high and low and not found a very consistant answer to my questions, so here goes...

1. I have an all orginal Schwinn High Sierra from 1984 WITH the org manual and receipit! My dad bought this bike new and finally handed it down to me. I tuned it up, put new tires on it, and have been riding from time to time. I'll have to admit, it's pretty stinkin' nice for such an old bike. Any value to it? I'm looking to get both me and my wife newer bikes and can't seem to narrow down a value. It has the org grips, brakes, gears, and such. Typical rust on the handle bars where the chrome has worn through. Overall it's in very good condition for such an old bike, but I'll get some pics that will show the good, bad, and ugly. Thanks for any help! I'll get some pics up tomorrow evening.

It may not be the diamond in the rough you are hoping for, but there is a small market for them.
I paid $50 for the frame/fork/brakes and built mine around that.
Don't know what kind of bike you are looking, but it might just be worth updating the schwinn some.

an '84 hmmm I would have tought High Sierra would have been a model from the later '80s. I do hoever agree there is a small market for used MTBs. some of the highend old bikes sell for crazy money sometimes. there was a nice Bianchi on ebay last week that went for about twice what it should have but Celeste Bianchis sell at a premium.

post some pics of yours but the value will likely be low. having the original brake pads and grips really mean little in terms of value. if the bike has been ridden alot the brake pads are likely in need of replacing. rust on the 'BullMoose' bars can be bad because I think they are a bit collecty.

here are some specs I found. look like '84 may be the year for more than one model.

http://mombat.org/Schwinn_Specs.htm

Bianchigirl, are there any topics that you don't know about? :thumb:

So whenever I see a CL bike and are curious of the "value" I google it and it usually comes up on this forum. He wants $220 and has 3 full paragraphs on why it's worth that much ($90 for the pedals on ebay etc...) I'm not interested in the brand or model.

Perhaps this appeals to the Schwinn enthusiasts?

"....XL frame,vintage mountain bike that was bought and sold right here in Phoenix at lbs bike barn,see pic stickers
Araya rims, bull bars,Shimano peddles mountech derailer,High end large flanged hubs front and back made in Japan think brand Joytec Diacompe motorcycle style brake levers with Suntour components. Bike made with ALL high end tubes are 4130 cr-mo,so light for it's size and strong.Not main frame only, complete tubeset 4130 CrMo.

Needs tire cables tubes are good otherwise clean and dent free,has few scratches on to tube ,very lightly used bike in last 34 years.I'll post frame size soon but it is XL prob 33"-34" standover or slightly more large or XL frame.The driveside chain stay hardly has a mark on it and the gears look to be hardly hardly worn wear from chain slap would be.Bike even has a horizontal quick release on the seat.This was there highest end ATB or Mountain Bike offered that year.Full 4130 CrMo frame sticker attached.This bike does have several scratches on top tube,it was riden but not hard it looks to me.Rims seams pretty true and no damage anywhere.Yes it does have quite a few scratches on top tube

230 pretty firm.Please send your phone number if you want to talk about the bike or email me, please. I'll post better pics soon sorry,going to clean it up some before next round of pics,sorry they are terrible,just been busy with other bikes.Front tire is ok and tube is in good shape,rear needs tire and tube.

Thanks for looking and be happy to chat with any interested buyer about terms.One on eBay similar but its only a Sierra for 435,mine in is a High Sierra much more sought after for vintage mtn bike complete bikes.Yes this bike needs rear tube and tire.I replace in next few weeks if not bought, thanks for looking.The peddles on this bike sone guy asking 90$ for identical ones on eBay.I know this may seam expensive and it is and I appreciate that I've not received one email telling me a a rip off ECT,thank cl customers,you guys been so great buying my bikes I try to keep the vintage stuff going.Have a dozen vintage Schwinn road and old mountain mostly all and cleaner then this bike also...."

Asking prices mean nothing. If I ask $20 for a ten dollar bill does that make a ten worth twenty? If so I’m heading to the bank. High Sierra is $100 to $150 depending on condition and rust. More rust then the value is more like $50.

Vintage MTBs get very little respect, collectors are not grabbing High Sierras.

Crazy sellerabove is referencing “asking prices” on eBay. When I hear this from sellers I tell them go for it.

Those pedals pictured are not the desirable ones.

Although vintage MTBs tend to go cheap their parts can have value. I just finished parting out a similar era MTB. Cost me $40. Had I put $75 into it, I might have been able to get $100 for it (lose money). Instead I parted it out for about $400. It’s how it goes. My choice was lose ~$20 or make $350. I chose the latter.

I would say the nicer parts bars shifters, crankset and seatpost are worth about $150 and the whole bike in it's current condition is worth about the same. If you still have them the original bear trap pedals that came with this bike can be worth $50-100. I do agree with wrk101 that MTBS from this time frame are often worth more for parts than you can readily sell the whole bike for.

I paid $150 for one in excellent shape with new tires and brake pads a while back. If it needs work or has cosmetic issues, it'd be worth less.

What a beautiful photoshoot for a $220 mountain bike! Goodwill Store home decor featured in the photos of the bike, instead of taking photos in the bright Arizona sky. Great ad copy too.

As presented $90 fmv tops.

6 year old thread lol
Has that got the bi plane front fork?

3 paragraphs.. how nice--- :eek: 8 years ago my neighbor left this by the dumpster. He had put new wheels on it. My wife said she would ride it. Too small for me. I put new brakes, grips, cables and smooth tires on it and gave it a tune up. She rode it a few times as wives will do. It was about as clean as it gets. I sold it for $100 to move it quickly. Maybe I could have eeeked out $20 more to the right buyer.

Amazing, so "....the whole is NOT greater than the sum of it's parts...."

I need to start snatching up MTB's and parting them out.....asif i have the time :backpedal:

[QUOTE=spedrunr;20282169]Bianchigirl, are there any topics that you don't know about? :thumb:

So whenever I see a CL bike and are curious of the "value" I google it and it usually comes up on this forum. He wants $220 and has 3 full paragraphs on why it's worth that much ($90 for the pedals on ebay etc...) I'm not interested in the brand or model.

You should offer $150 without pedals and let him sell them on ebay himself!

[QUOTE=Bianchigirll;20285523]ha, the problem is that I don't want that bike and I don't think i'd pay $50 for it unless I knew I could part it out for $150

I'm guessing Schwinn enthusiasts might overpay for the frame?

I don't know enough about the MTB mkt to sell parts (nor do I have the time to meet up with CL buyers or post/sell on Ebay)

I've had several 80's Schwinn Mountain bikes over the years here lately and they all seem to sell in the $200 to $250 range with the older models bringing the fastest cash.
The High Sierra was near top of the line, or at least the most affordable of the top two or three models. I bought a new High Sierra myself in 1987, with a Blackburn rear rack, alloy kickstand, and cycle computer installed it was just under $450 plus tax. Mine was black chrome and a 23" frame.
My issue with that bike was that it was not a Schwinn, but a Giant rebadged. That didn't make it a bad bike but it wasn't a Schwinn. I kept it for a few years and sold it for about what I paid for it.
I've since owned a few more various models from that lineup and there's really no difference in ride quality between the Mesa Runner all the way up to the High Sierra. The frames are nearly identical with the HS being Chromoly.
Personally, my favorite has been an early Mesa Runner I picked up that had full fenders installed and road tires. It handles the pavement much better than my original High Sierra did. My original bike had issues with the brakes dragging, (cantilevers), it came with very course tread on the tires that rode terrible on the street, and it had issues with the black chrome peeling, so much so that they replaced the frame twice within the first year due to the chrome issues.
These days I see more High Sierra and Sierra models than Mesa Runner models, all seem to be in the same price bracket. They're a hard sell but they do eventually all sell.

Beat paint, rust, mis-matched tires...50 - 60 bucks as-is. Would flip for $150; maybe.