bobbyj

Hi,

I am a newcomer to biking and im looking to get a road bike. I posted a link below of a trek i found:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/2304640420.html

Is it work it? How good is the overall quality of trek bikes?

Thanks

toytech

Hard to tell which model it is, they can range quite a lot in value. I have sold a 470 for 200.00 a 660 for 400 a 510 for 300.00 and have a 728 ~900 at the moment, and I am in the bay area too. I think it will likely sell at that price fairly quick.

bobbyj

so overall its a good buy and i should act asap? Asumming that i like the bike once i actually see it.

MetinUz

Looks like a 730, very nice. Probably a 21" frame, not quite 55cm. Grab it quick!

bobbyj

Sounds good. Hopefully he hasn't sold it yet!

Thanks for the help. Much appreciated.

AngelGendy

That was the model of my first "real" bike BUY IT! BUY IT NOW!

wrk101

Great deal, go now!!!!!!!

bobbyj

i got it!!!! We settled on $200

Amazing bike all around. Paint needs touch ups for sure but i absolutely love the way it feels. Is there any way i can confirm that it is a 730?

bobbyj

Ok, so the serial is A005753. Based on vintage-trek.com, its a 1981 710.

Did I get a good buy? What is the worth of this bike?

TugaDude

Bobby, with all due respect, the value comes from you. What do YOU think of it? Why do you care what we think? I'm sure it is an awesome bike and you probably did get a smokin' hot deal on it. Now adjust it, lube it and get out and enjoy it. Are you looking to flip it for a profit?

I don't mean to come off as harsh, but lately we've been getting lots of new "members" that on their first post want to know information so that they can post their dads old bike on Craigslist or Ebay. Most of us here buy and sell and some are probably true flippers, but most all of us are passionate about bikes.

If you are truly excited about your new find, that's great, I salute you. Enjoy the hobby and help preserve and keep classic bikes on the road where they belong.

Too much coffee this morning.

Anyways, congratulations on a nice find.

TugaDude

By the way, vintage-trek has a link for approximate resale values, check it out. From what I remember, they say if the paint is in really nice condition and there is nothing wrong with the bike it is probably worth half of original retail. In that case, by definition you probably got a decent deal at worst.

AngelGendy

Clean it up and put a little carnuba wax on the paint and enjoy it!

wrk101

Post pictures. In an average market, in pristine ready to ride condition, with excellent marketing, $400, maybe more. Deduct for any defects. Add a premium for a red hot bike market.

From your other post on some minor mechanical issues, the bike is not in that $400 condition right now, but you should be able to get it there.

This bike was a precursor to the 720, which garners big bucks (I have a 1979 714 myself).

bobbyj

Here are some pics. Notice on one of the pics there are paint chips, this is somewhat constant throughout the bike.

TugaDude

Wow, the rider must have been really short. That is a nice frame, but if I were going to keep it I'd have it professionally painted. No powdercoat, with all due respect to powdercoaters. I've seen their work and some is outstanding, but for this bike, I'm thinking a nice BASF paint will do the trick.

wrk101

XS frame size makes that bike more valuable. Condition of paint is a large negative (you still did very well on it). I would start with polishing compound, some of those scrapes may clean up. Then I would get some model enamel, and very CAREFULLY do some touch up work. I have successfully touched up bikes with more paint damage than that.