sjpitts 

I am going to take a look at this bike later today. I am pretty sure it is the right size for the Wife, and it looks like a nice bike.

Tange No. 1 Tubing (and it looks like it has Chrome Lugs)
600 components
Ukai Rims

But I can't find any more information about the Elitist model. And not much comes up about Takara in general. I did a bunch of searches and found basically nothing.

Anybody have any info on this make or model? I don't know enough to just read the geometry.

Jared

EjustE

based on the Tange #1 and the 600 components, I'd say that it is a close to top of the line, mid-80s japanese "racing" bike (I do not see eyelets for racks back there). Nice bike!

wrk101

+1 Like the Sekine thread, the Takara is another one of those obscure Asian brands. All of the Takaras I have seen up to now were low end to bottom end. This one is more mid level or upper level for that brand. If I were you, I would ignore looking for the exact model or even brand, and just focus on the build quality and components.

Many of the Asian bikes from that era are pretty interchangable.

Your bike has several desirable features: chrome head tube lugs, Champion Tange #1 frame, Shimano 600 drivetrain, aero brake levers. The Ukiah rims are nothing special (nothing wrong with them either), they were standard on many bikes from that era.

Assuming the bike fits, I would make an offer based on your budget. Pretty nice keeper bike. As far as the general marketplace, it is not on the short list of desirable Asian brands, so it would not have the market value of some of those brands (even though it is probably equivalent).

sjpitts 

Well, I just got an email from the seller saying the bike was sold. I should have known he had another buyer, as he kept stringing me along and wouldn't let me come see it.

So the next question is-- which one of you jokers was the one who bought it? I know there are at least two other forum members in Arizona who are always looking for 54cm bikes.

Jared

wrk101

To get the really best scores on Craigs List, you have to act fast, really fast. Any bike that lasts long enough for a posting: "Is this a good deal?" will usually not be a great deal, unless it is extremely poorly presented, in a remote area, or at a high price point ($500 or more). In metro areas, there are always several active flippers scooping up bikes on a full time basis.

You'll find another deal out there.

sjpitts 

Oh I know all that. And I tried, but the seller was always claiming to be unavailable.

I just want the other buyer to fess up if he/she is here.

And to be clear, I don't have any hard feelings. . . . just curiosity

Jared

wrk101

FWIW: I had a seller who played the unavailable game as well til I gave up. Then about two weeks later I got an email from him and I bought the bike.

You never really know about sellers, particularly on Craigs List. Its pretty wild.

umpire54

Your guy probably had someone on the way when you posted the question on this thread.

Like wk101 says...YOU GOT TO BE FAST ~ REALLY REALLY FAST. I doubt anyone on the bike forum would do something like that.

If I were in your area and had read the ad...and the bike was the right price with the right components...I would have been on the way to get the bike while you were asking if it were a good deal on Bike forum. REMEMBER: FIRST ONE THERE WINS. IT'S THE NATURE OF CRAIGSLIST. Other people see the ads too! (unfortunate for us sometimes)

Don't feel bad though...We all miss out on bikes like that all the time on CL. I know I have missed 3-4 really killer bikes dirt cheap by less that 15-20 minutes each time. The best one was a very loaded Raleigh Portage (expensive paniers and bags, waterbottle cages, computer, gps, in excellent condition for $200.00. Bummer! I have bought 12 bikes since then...about half on CL.

wrk101

I use a simple process to quickly evaluate whether to buy a bike. Rather than worry about what the bike is worth, I just look at usable parts and compare them to the asking price. Once the parts exceed the price, I grab it. Such a quick inspection can be completed in well under one minute. It is easy to concentrate on a bike's defects. My process is just the opposite, a quick look at what on the bike has value.

So for example, I recently bought a 1976 Centurion Elite with a frame in deplorable shape. But it was $30. I just looked at the wheelset, and I saw $30 value. At that point, I bought it. Beyond a nice set of concave alloy Weinmann wheels, it had Shimano DT shifters, a decent three piece alloy crankset, decent brake calipers, alloy bars, stem, seat post. Tires were shot, frame paint was shot, seat was shot. But for $30, I easily got $75 worth of value, probably more. And the frame is cromoly, so I will probably give it the old oxalic acid bath, and save it for a future project. I keep waiting for powder coating pricing to get low enough to be able to resurrect some tired but dent free frames.

The wheels and shifters have already gone on another project bike. Crankset, bars, stem, post, bb, and headset all went into the parts bin.

Had I spent time researching the bike first, it would have been gone before I completed the research.

Sixty Fiver

Ukai made some very nice wheels and they are incredibly tough... Miyata used them on their upper end models.

Looks to have been a nice bike and hope another similar bike pops up for you.

sjpitts 

You guys don't seem to believe me, but I really did try and see this bike from the moment it showed up. The seller just wouldn't let me. I really think he had someone else who beat me to it, and the seller was holding me in reserve without telling me so. I didn't post the question until after the seller had finally agreed on a time to let me come see it.

I don't feel that bad about it, even though I suspect it was a nice bike.

I have decided what I really want is a 54 cm 85 Ironman to match the one I have.

Jared

PS: But I would like to see the buyer fess up. Was it someone here? Frpax? RFC? JAG410? OFG? Those are just the few Arizona guys that could have been after that bike.

Maybe I will be lucky and it will be someone who really wants a Centurion ProTour instead.