guyneedsabike

Hello,

I've been reading this forum for a while, but not posting. I've found a kestrel carbon fiber road bike on craigslist that I think will fit me, but of course I'm going to try it out first.

The guy selling it wants $250 for the bike, which I think is a fair price. He says he thinks it's an EMS frame, with a dura-ace drivetrain and a 105 derailleur.

It needs new cables, a new chain, and new tires, but I think it's a good deal. Am I crazy, or should I go for it?

Thanks!

Rosso Corsa

Sounds like a cool bike, especially if it has the first generation STi shifters on it. If you have any need for it, $250 isn't much to fulfill it. If it's carbon, be ready for a flexfest.

veloboy971

definitely...I'd kill for one of those. One of my riding buddies has a couple of those...they are badass

ptle

Sounds like a fair price. I'd inspect the carbon very carefully though and ask him about any crashes he's had.

guyneedsabike

thanks for the input. I'm gonna go for it. Does anyone have any pics of Kestrels of that vintage? (92/93)

jrobe

An 18 year old carbon frame. No chance.

I am not familiar with that frame but carbon technology has improved dramatically in the last 18 years. Not even to mention the improvement in components over that time frame. Why screw around with a bike that old?

mzeffex 

'cause they're cool ^

A lot of the old Kestrels had this really cool kind of.. granite?.. paint scheme. They're neat. A shop I went into in NJ had several for sale, they were the owner's bikes.

guyneedsabike

Well, the bike is 18 years old, but it was a top of the line carbon frame (no lugs) back then, with top of the line components for about a quarter of the price of a modern bottom of the line carbon frame with modern bottom of the line components. And for what it's worth, I think an 18-year-old dura-ace/ultegra components are probably higher quality than modern tiegra or sora. Feel free to prove me wrong, but I don't think I can find a better bike for less the $300, which is pretty much my price limit.

Velo Dog

Hope i don't check in with this after you've bought the bike, and i admit i don't completely trust old carbon fiber, based on a neighbor's experience with it in aircraft parts. Having said that, though...it's old carbon fiber, and that stuff doesn't last forever. check carefully for cracks in stress areas.
For the money, i'd probably do it, too. but i'm not sure i'd sit easy.

guyneedsabike

This is true, but they guy says that the bike's been sitting in his garage for most of the past 15 years, which is why it needs new tubes and a chain, and is also why he's selling it soo cheap. I agree with you that carbon doesn't last forever, but I'm sure it'll be more reliable than my 40 year old Schwinn varsity, which has already thrown me to the pavement once or twice...

Brightwork

yes

rufvelo

No.

deadly downtube

they are as good as modern dura ace only slightly heavier, and i'm talkin very slight. 8 speed is very solid, i know cross riders who go out of their way to buy all the 8 speed they can find, since it's so reliable and better at cross than 10spd and 9spd. 8 speed was a huge leap of improvements, 9 and 10 are only slightly improved.

and i don't see why that frame would be risky to ride if it has no visual blemishes that are suspect. like cracks or delaminations.. 15 years in a garage wont do anything to the integrity of the frame. a lot of sunlight on raw carbon might be bad news for old carbon but not new carbon.. but since it is kestrel i imagine it has tons of paint on it. just be sure to wipe the frame down occasionally and check it all over for cracks or whatnot..

SSRI

if is vintage dura 7400 sti even with a 105 derrailleur, the parts are worth more then 250.
if the bike fits, buy it

roccobike

I'd buy it. Inspect the CF carefully or bring it to a shop to inspect it. If it's good, go for it. I don't have vintage DA but I do have vintage Ultegra/600 STIs. They are awesome, way better than late model SORA or early 105. They are very smooth and offer ratcheting so you can adjust the derailer to take out chain rub. The comment before about the components being worth close to $250 is true. BTW, be sure to check the DA shifters to be sure they shift up and down. If they won't shift in one direction, think about passing on this.
As for old CF, I'm riding a 98 Lemond OCLV with no problems. Robbie Tunes is riding CF from the late 80's with no problems. I have a non-BF member who I ride with that has a 93 Specialized CF, no problems. Come to think of it, I don't know anyone with vintage carbon that's had problems due to age.

guyneedsabike

About how much should it cost to put a new chain on it, new tubes/tires, and new cables/housing?

guyneedsabike

Solved my own problem... around 80 bucks, depending on what kind of chain I go for.

guyneedsabike

To update: I bought it. Here's the "before" photo. I'll post an "after" photo when I've put some work into it.


btw: It's got a weird mix of parts:
dura ace cranks and bottom bracket
shimano sante shifters and rear derailer (way old school, but nice at the time)
shimano 105 brakes and front derailer (front DR may need to be replaced)
mavic rims (with flat tires)
seems to have a shimano hyperglide 7-speed cassette, but I haven't figured out which groupset it is.
real old school shimano clip-in pedals that I'm never gonna find cleats for
profile tri bars

I've got it mostly fixed up, and even road in a triathalon on it last weekend, though it still needs more work.

wahoo!

stien

Wow, that's a mutt! What was even original on it? Petty bike though.

guyneedsabike

I think the brakes and front DR were original. The guy also gave me a set of 105 cranks, which I think are the originals.

Definitely a parts-bin bike. Nice parts, but pretty much everything was loose when I first got it, lol

Sonoma76

Exactly the frame I remember lusting after as a boy, except I liked the white ones. Kestrel was the s*** back then!

guyneedsabike

Well, I'm pretty happy with it =)

Magnificent777

So do you have current picture as you have it now? It would be nice to see what you done with it.

guyneedsabike

I'm going to put a new derailer on it tomorrow and get it tuned up. I'll take a couple photos after that.

midgetmaestro 

Sweet. Consider me subscribed. Also D/A 7400 is da $hit.