Originally Posted by
afilado
A couple of years ago I bought quite impulsively off Ebay this fine steed. I paid too much for it but maybe inflation and the current trend toward rediscovery of the abiding value of steel framed bikes will help me catch up, someday.
The story I got from the seller is that it was set up to sell/ride by a bike shop in the midwest. It was ridden on a shakedown cruise and then hung up, where it remained all these years. Nothing about its condition contradicts that. I did clean some dark smudges off the underside of top tube where the dark rubber/plastic hanger arms left their impression.
It is near mint. Even the tires are still good. I will have to replace the brake pull gum covers as they have disintegrated since these pictures were taken, just at the time of purchase.
It seems incongruous that a French bike would be so completely fitted with Japanese components. Still, it was the era of Japan on the economic and technological rise in the West. Makes sense in that context. And as I understand, Bertin was a modern man, a good businessman.
This bike today sets just as I bought it. I gauge it to be about a !979-80 model, based on the component group. I know the date is on the bits somewhere, and I'll get around to pinning it down someday. Any educated guesses?
My son, who knows even less about bikes than I do, studied it one day and then proclaimed, "it's a Cadillac". LOL. I'm sure when I get it refreshed that's how it will ride............relaxed and plush. Citroen-like. A Sunday-ride-in-the-park bike.
The Shimano 600 Arabesque group is not that highly regarded, I know, but say what you will about it, it is mighty pretty in a decadent kind of way. I think opinion will improve over time.
As for value, I sometimes think that parting it out would be the only way to recoup my initial outlay, if I ever sell it. Is it of such pedigree that it should be saved intact as a document of the times, no matter how minor or schizophrenic?
Cheers.
First, that is a beautiful bike and as excellent a piece of vintage cycling as nearly any of its day. Bertin made very fine-riding frames, and the ride should be very good with the 600 or with an upgrade to a modern group.
I'm not clear on what your goal is. Is it to recoup your dollar value, recoup the worth of the bike, maximize the return on the bike, clear your garage, or find out how best to get this bike into daily use?
If I were you, my first question would be, how does this bike ride and does it fit with my riding style and of course with my body? Do I like it? The only way to answer that question is to ride the bike and see if you like it. Now if you're as picky as I am you'd want to make sure all the pieces that turn and grab are working correctly, so I would go through it and check everything, repairing cables or bearings as necessary, then adjust the derailleurs, cables, and brakes based on visual and road checks. I would want to judge the frame, primarily, since to percieve the characteristics of a frame can be confused when say the handlebars are not straight. The frame is the key, of course, because any gruppo can be hung on a great frame depending on what sort of use and style you want the bike to have.
I personally don't think that much of the 600 series parts, but there are some pieces of it that I think work very well - headsets +1, brakes -100, just for two examples. It was not the lightest setup of its day.
Now if you know you like it, you will have another fine bike in your stable. If you don't like it, look down the "how do I want to sell it?" route.
Road Fan