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"All original parts" - how important?

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"All original parts" - how important?

Old 07-19-07, 03:34 PM
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"All original parts" - how important?

How much does "all original parts" affect the desireability -- or, more specifically, the resale value -- of a 20+ year old bike?

A couple months ago I bought a 1985 Bridgestone 600 that was in original condition, all original parts (quite literally: the tires and tubes hadn't been changed ever!). In order to make it rideable (for me) I put on new handlebars, new stem, new saddle, new seatpost, & new pedals. (As well as new tubes & tires, obviously.) But I saved all the old original parts.

Anyway, I'm guessing that sometime in the forseeable future I'll sell this bike.

So my question really is: Will keeping all those old parts, & re-installing them on the bike when I finally want to sell it (so that once again it's in original condition -- "all original parts") allow me to recoup more of my investment than if I try to sell off those parts individually now, & then sell the retro/modern Frankenbike in the future?

Am I making any sense?

Those parts are taking up space in my closet. I'm sure I can get something on eBay for the old pedals, saddle, seatpost etc if I sold them now...but would I be able to get more for them if I hung on to them & re-installed them as part of complete bike five or so years down the road?

I.e., do the original parts add more resale value to the complete bike than I could get if I sold them individually?
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Old 07-19-07, 03:41 PM
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It depends entirely on who the buyer will be. Know way to know ahead of time. Roger
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Old 07-19-07, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by rhenning
It depends entirely on who the buyer will be. Know way to know ahead of time. Roger
That about sums it up. Speaking for myself, having all the original parts for an expensive or rare vintage bike would mean a lot. I might change/modernize some of them for myself, but I'd certainly keep the original stuff boxed up to give to a new owner if I decided to sell it.
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Old 07-19-07, 04:05 PM
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From my observation, with a 20 or 25 year old bike, in general, it probably means less than for a 40 year old bike or more.

For a 20 or 25 year old bike, a good classic rider is likely to be a good bet as long as the general look and feel is retained with relatively period correct parts. All bets aare off if it is of specific historic importance or a real high end bike or extremely old... in which case, original carries a lot more importance.

But, since you have the parts, unless space is at a real premium, I would keep them.
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Old 07-19-07, 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Little Darwin
From my observation, with a 20 or 25 year old bike, in general, it probably means less than for a 40 year old bike or more.

For a 20 or 25 year old bike, a good classic rider is likely to be a good bet as long as the general look and feel is retained with relatively period correct parts. All bets aare off if it is of specific historic importance or a real high end bike or extremely old... in which case, original carries a lot more importance.

But, since you have the parts, unless space is at a real premium, I would keep them.
I agree. Yes. +1.
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Old 07-19-07, 04:43 PM
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On a related note, what does it mean to be "period correct"? I'm sure brifters on a PX-10 aren't. But let's say someone buys a bike in the mid 70's and then 5 years later when less cash strapped swaps the steel wheels for some new alloy wheels. Are those wheels "period correct" or not?
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Old 07-19-07, 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by tjspiel
On a related note, what does it mean to be "period correct"? I'm sure brifters on a PX-10 aren't. But let's say someone buys a bike in the mid 70's and then 5 years later when less cash strapped swaps the steel wheels for some new alloy wheels. Are those wheels "period correct" or not?
No, they are not correct. But, if they are the correct model, that is almost as good.

As for the correct parts, it all depends on the collectability of the bike. Changed parts to my 1989 Klein or 1985 Falcon don't lower the value. But, andy changes, even period-incorrect parts of the right model affect the value of my 1978 Schwinn Paramount. Look on eBay - "All original" Schwinn Paramounts from the 70s go for 1000+, but ones with replaced parts can be had for as low as 200+.

I would think there would be similar effects on old Italian bikes (Colnago, e.g.) and really old bikes and any other collectable bike.
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Old 07-19-07, 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by greyg8r
No, they are not correct. But, if they are the correct model, that is almost as good.

As for the correct parts, it all depends on the collectability of the bike. Changed parts to my 1989 Klein or 1985 Falcon don't lower the value. But, andy changes, even period-incorrect parts of the right model affect the value of my 1978 Schwinn Paramount. Look on eBay - "All original" Schwinn Paramounts from the 70s go for 1000+, but ones with replaced parts can be had for as low as 200+.

I would think there would be similar effects on old Italian bikes (Colnago, e.g.) and really old bikes and any other collectable bike.
I understand why "All Original" may matter to some people.

I'm still confused as to what qualifies as "period correct". To me it implies some period of time around when the the bike was purchased but I'm not sure what the outer edges would be.

In other words, I always assumed that replacing a Simplex RD with a Suntour RD of the same vintage is "Period Correct" even if you would never find the Suntour as original equipment on the bike. What I don't know is what qualifies as the the same vintage. Is a '78 Suntour the same vintage as a '75 Simplex?
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Old 07-19-07, 06:43 PM
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I would understand "period correct" as a pretty loose standard -- a bike of a particular era could have been equipped with those parts. So no brifters on the PX-10. A stricter standard would be the factory-spec parts of the original bike. An even stricter standard would be the original parts themselves.
The late 80 Paramounts, which were shipped frame only, would call for period-correct parts (or the actual original ones) because as I understand it there were no factory specs. Same with many custom frames.
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Old 07-19-07, 07:55 PM
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Well, without serial numbers or even date codes on many items (some Canpy items excluded), it's IMPOSSIBLE to VERIFY that some items are original with a bike. I mean like my brake pads are no longer originals as are the tires - but do those items really matter?? Likewise, i replaced the freewheel & chain (but i kept these in the boxes the replacements came in). I'm not selling the bike so it doesn't really matter to me, except when I replace or "upgrade" (hard to do on an all Campy bike), I'm only getting items that were made in 1977 or 1978 (if they have a date code).

Oh, and the handlebar tape is not original either
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Old 07-19-07, 10:55 PM
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Originally Posted by greyg8r
No, they are not correct. But, if they are the correct model, that is almost as good.

As for the correct parts, it all depends on the collectability of the bike. Changed parts to my 1989 Klein or 1985 Falcon don't lower the value. But, andy changes, even period-incorrect parts of the right model affect the value of my 1978 Schwinn Paramount. Look on eBay - "All original" Schwinn Paramounts from the 70s go for 1000+, but ones with replaced parts can be had for as low as 200+.

I would think there would be similar effects on old Italian bikes (Colnago, e.g.) and really old bikes and any other collectable bike.
I would have to disagree - the poster was asking about period correct and I believe his example could be period correct. Depends on the specific parts really. If it's an early 70's bike with Fiamme red label tubulars and you replace them 5 years later with early 70's Super Champion clinchers, that is period correct. If you have a 1983 bike with nice polished alloy box-section clinchers and five years later you replaced them with purple anodized aero rims cuz that was cool at the time then that is certainly not period correct. Neither is original if that is what you mean by "correct". And as others have pointed out, specs, if they exist at all, vary. The brochure for my 72 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia is very generic: for example, the crank is simply listed as "aluminum racing model double plateau". Every one I have ever seen a picture of had a Nervar Star but mine has a Stronglight 49D. And the drivetrain is listed as "Campagnolo Record with derailleur - 10 speed" (not Nuovo Record which only came on the Professional Model). Mine however came originally equiped with Valetino derailleurs. They were shot so I replaced them with Record front derailleur and shifters and Nuovo Record rear derailleur that's even dated 1972 (just coincidence) because the chrome-plated Records are hard to find and expensive. Oh, and I replaced the steel stick seat post with a early 70's TTT alloy seatpost. All of it is period correct but not original. Does it matter? I doubt it. It ain't Rudy Altig's world championship bike, just a nice early 70's Italian racer.
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Old 07-20-07, 06:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Bob Ross
How much does "all original parts" affect the desireability -- or, more specifically, the resale value -- of a 20+ year old bike?

So my question really is: Will keeping all those old parts, & re-installing them on the bike when I finally want to sell it (so that once again it's in original condition -- "all original parts") allow me to recoup more of my investment than if I try to sell off those parts individually now, & then sell the retro/modern Frankenbike in the future?

I.e., do the original parts add more resale value to the complete bike than I could get if I sold them individually?
I figure it this way: vintage lightweight bikes, like your Bridgestone, are like houses--if well taken care of there will always be a next owner. Some folks like their bikes all original (they are the 'collectors'). Others enjoy customizing the bike to their own tastes, and either riding them everyday or admiring them as they sit.

Either way--the odds are that the next owner will enjoy having the original parts.

I'm one of the latter group--I've customized my 1982 Schwinn Super Sport S/P.

Bagged and tagged in the closet are its: KKT Super Vic pedals/clips, Suntour Cyclone MK II GT rear derailleur, Suntour 'gold' 13-28 five speed freewheel, Dia Compe Gran Compe brake levers, original rear wheel and skewer, unusually nice stem and bars.

Replacement parts have run about five beans. Parts in the closet are worth, maybe, a buck and a quarter or a buck fifty on a good day, plus the usual time/effort ebay hassles.

I ride the bike everyday. Its my six hundred and fifty dollar three grand Rivendell, with its v. 1989 suntour command shifters up on the hoods, 48/38/28 new front triple on the original Sugino AT crank, 48 cm noodle bars level with the seat , 7 cog custom spaced custom hg 13-14-16-18-21-24-28 XT cassette and 700c x 35 mm slicks under its 64 cm frame.

I don't begrudge the parts in the closet. They are on hold for the next guy who by his purchase--or my direct bequest if I'm lucky enough to run into someone when I'm too old to ride who is a fitting beneficiary and who fits the bike--gets to enjoy this ride.

Now that I've rambled on, the answer to your question is clear. The decision is entirely ours, each of us, to make. Good luck with yours.

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Old 07-20-07, 07:38 AM
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To me "period correct" is a pretty loose standard, it must only meet 2 criteria. the parts must have been available at the time the bike was relatively new, and they must have been something someone was likely to have put on a similar bike when it was relatively new. For instance, upgrading steel wheels to aluminum might have been a common upgrade, but for it to be period correct, the wheels in question would have to have been available at the time the bike was relatively new. Suntour barcons on a bike from the early 80s which originally came with downtube shifters woul be an excellent example of a period correct mod.

For me though, period correct doesn't really mean much. It's mostly an aesthetic thing. keeping a bike period correct does little or nothing for resale value, and while period correct mods might improve performance ore useability of a bike, limiting those mods to period correct ones also limits you in how you can set up your bike. Back in the 80s I put the best stuff I could get on my bike. Now that that bike is 25 years old why shouldn't I still do that? I like to keep a vintage look on vintage bikes for aesthetic reasons, but if I want 9 speed indexed shifting on my bike I won't let period correctness stand in my way.

On the other hand having the original parts for a bike may very well effect the value, and the older it gets, the harder it will be to find a bike like that with it's original parts, so if you have them by all means keep them. It's actually probably better to use modern parts,a nd save the old opnes, thus saving the original parts wear and tear. Right now old shimano 600 components aren't hat hard to find. in 20 years though they will be, and putting your bike back to original would become quite difficult and costly if someone wanted to try and track down all the 80s vintage parts that came on it. Having all that with the bike and in good condition will indeed make it a more valuable collectible some day. In the meantime though, just ride it and enjoy it how you like it. Them's my 2¢ and a bargain at half the price.
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Old 07-20-07, 01:09 PM
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IMO, having all original parts means more the higher the value (or the more collectable) the bike and the higher end the original group set of parts used by the manufacturer.

Your Bridgestone by name alone will likely yield a little more than a comparably constructed bike of the same vintage. Typically, Bridgestone is known for specing a mix of decent value components over a manufacturers high stuff.

The bike would likely get the most at resale with a matched high quality set of components on it. The parts that you are referring to (handlebars, stem, seatpost) are probly nothing special and wouldn't fetch much on thier own.

So to answer your question... it all depends......

IMO, set it up with parts you are most comforable with and ride it. If you can conveniently hang onto the original takeoff's, fine. But, don't sweat it either way, ride, enjoy and maintain the bike, either way it'll sell when you are ready to replace/upgrade it.
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