iptem3000

tyjaman - I really hope you fix that one up and take lots of pictures. I would love to see what it looks like when complete. Crazy story too. Crazy

Sixty Fiver

Catch of the year methinks...

Sixty Fiver

A friend of mine is a pre-eminent collector of Moultons and he decided to retire this one. He is a master mechanic and expert class builder in every respect so all I need to do is swap the stem and bars and fit a proper Brooks saddle... I believe he had adapted this Moulton for his son to ride, hence the shortened cockpit.

I think that GB stem and rando bars I have sitting in my shop will look wonderful.

Generator hub on custom built wheels...



Shimano Inter7 hub... and new dual pivot brakes.



And for the money... the frame has been powder coated and know all the important bits have been expertly serviced.



You know I am going to build a custom and swappable rack for this that will accommodate panniers...

TuckamoreDew

Oh, lordy! That looks like a bikeworks tag. How many seconds did that last in the shop before you scooped it up? Or did it go directly to you?

Sixty Fiver

I just happened to pop in this afternoon, recognized the bicycle right off, and then had to argue about paying more than what the tag said.

Think that I will get the bars swapped tomorrow and take it back to what is was when I first test rode it and so it is a good fit... this was one of the bicycles that inspired me to build up my P20.

Should serve as great about town bicycle as well as a capable light touring bicycle... and an awesome loaner for select people.

TuckamoreDew

Congrats on great timing. Please tell me that wasn't at the North shop or I might cry a little.

Sixty Fiver

You can cry a little.

But now I have an extra Moulton that needs to be built up... if you know anyone who is interested.



Just swapped the upright bars for my GB stem and rando bars... makes the bike look and fit right.

Sixty Fiver

Tuck... if it helps I have a good stock of whiskey on hand if you want to stop by and drown your sorrows.

Kobe 

The seller I purchaced this from pulled it from the trash on trash day. The only thing wrong with it is a rear wheel that needs trued and a good cleaning. It is a Diamond Back Master TG. I don't know how these relate to the Centurion line up, but it is all 105 with True Temper steel.

The delima is weather to clean it up and sell it (too small for me) or shift the parts to a better frame. I just don't think the Diamond Back name would command what it is worth.

marley mission

i like that bike - looks a 63cm-ish range?
you must be big fella

Amesja

Great find. I say strip it and harvest the parts.

Strip the decals right off if you can, polish up the frame nicely with scratch-X, take a good photo, and sell it on CL as a frameset. List it as a "nice lugged quality steel frame in Xcm with downtube shifter bosses. Great project frame for taller rider or convert to single speed" I bet you'll get a bunch of calls.

Don't mention the names Diamondback or True-temper. They are not the droids buyers are looking for. You could probably get $50-75 for the frameset if you lived in or near a decent market once spring hits. Maybe even more. Who knows. It'd go fast in Chicago for upwards of $100. I'd rebuild the headset, chase/face the BB so it looked pristine, and push the fact this good-quality lugged vintage frame with down-tube shifter bosses is ready to build and professionally prepped. Many folks hear lugged, & down-tube bosses and immediately they are impressed that it must be a somewhat higher-end vintage frame. They aren't all that far off.

Keep the rest of the parts for another build or sell piecemeal as well. If the wheelset is cleaned up, trued, rebuilt bearings you might get a decent price for them too. The groupset might sell together or a la carte. It depends on if you want to sell them or how much time and effort you want to spend on individual sales.

Good find. But not a flipper whole IMHO. If you want to flip the whole bike at least pull the decals off. The Diamond Back name will to be your friend here for resale value.

Sixty Fiver

Looking better in the light of day... just need to run cables and sort out the shifter, will be ordering a jtek bar end shifter for the IGH and have a few months to git er done.

anixi

I sold mine in a bad market for over $200. These bikes can actually be marketed as nearly as good as a Centurion Ironman. I would keep it intact and ask for $250, assuming you fix all the issues (including bar tape!).

Bikedued

A whole lot of wrong info there, if you ask me. Mine was one of the most stable and one of the best handling bikes I've ever owned. You could ride it for blocks on end one handed, without so much as a twitch. When it came time to sell it, it brought $250 the very day I listed it. I probably should have asked more, honestly. The only drawback is that those bikes had spoke issues, especially on the rear wheels. My wheels from the Master I owned popped a spoke every 9-10 miles, but once I got them rebuilt I never had another issue.,,,,BD

This one looked in similar condition to the OP's, when I picked it up for $125.. A little polish, and some new tires, and it got snapped up in a hurry. Really, they are outstanding bikes, worthy of the Centurion name on the left chainstay.

wrk101

+1 New tires, bar tape, cables and housings, plus an overall cleaning, and its ready to market. Should do just fine in most markets.

I usually strip the ones where there are significant frame issues/damage, a frankenbike, or have high end, valuable components. 105 does not get much respect in the market, I do better with groups like 105 and RX100 when they were attached to a bike/frame.



Now if you have a nice vintage Trek frameset sitting around, sure, swap away.

Kobe 

Thanks for the tips guys. I probably will redo the tape, brakes,cables and re-grease. I just was not sure if everyone outside of C&V was aware that these are not the same DB's as today(I think that is why I got it cheap).

I piked it up in a section of Philly that you would swear you were in Appalachia. It was down along the Schuylkill river just above Manayunk. Trailers and shacks, but a great view.

curbtender

Sold a DB to a friend who had been riding a Raliegh Comp. It's his go-to bike now. i was impressed with it.

Amesja

Never did I say the DB was a bad bike. If it fits, ride it.

My point is that most bikes are worth more as parts than as a complete bike. That's a fact of life. It's also a fact that the DB name has been tarnished in the eyes of the general buying public and most people looking for a quality bike on CL will see DB and think Huffy.

Sorry but true.

It's a nice bike but it doesn't fit.

STRIP it and part it out makes the most economical sense. Too bad.

Bikedued

It's worth more not stripped. I still stand behind that. It's worth more than you think it is. Diamondback still has name recognition, and anyone who has a clue knows they're just a Centurion with an identity crisis.,,,,BD


Now if you want to talk about a line of road bikes with almost no value, as a whole or as parts, lets talk Mangusta's....hint, they kill snakes for sport and dinner....

Kobe 

I have never been one to strip and part out unless a frame is destroyed. Too much work boxing and shipping fom me. I would much rather sell complete bikes even if it means transferring over all the components and I may put these on a Klein Quantum that had a Dura Ace group. The Dura Ace group will get kicked up the line to an as yet not determined frame.

Sixty Fiver

One more plus for the Diamondback... people who know bikes will recognize that they made some exceptional frames and pay accordingly.

wrk101

General buying public in my area recognizes Trek, Cannondale, and Peugeot. Once you get past those, they really don't recognize much. They will recognize 105 as a desirable group as well (or have a bike friend that tells them 105 is good).

A lot of bikes at this level that I sell go to newb triathletes on a budget. The local tri shop in my town has race bikes starting at about $1200. That pushes buyers into the used market, looking for something in great shape cosmetically, light weight, and rides well. Their reference point on weight might be a heavy XMart MTB or similar. So a decent weight racing bike like your DB could look like an excellent buy.

anixi

Sorry, have to ask: have you ever owned a DB Master? If not, you really have no grounds for an opinion, do you? I have, I can vouch for them.

mountainlaurel3

Took a chance on the classic horrible CL photo. Picked up two interesting bikes for a mere $40 total.

The first a 1985 GT Timberline. Definitely some rust on the chrome, but cleaned up it could make for a flashy townie ride.

Also a Raleigh Mountain Tour Tamarack. Randomly 650b, super long wheelbase and slack angles. Original plan was to fix it up a touch and sell it but now I sort of want to steal the wheels for a future 700c-650b conversion project. Not sure how much I'd ride this - would be a fun cruiser, but I already have serious space problems...

Chris_in_Miami

Phenomenal score on the GT, those bikes have great appeal to both vintage MTB and BMX aficionados.