mikeronson

Hi. I have an old Raleigh Grand Prix which I took into a bike shop for repair. According to the owner of the shop I needed a new wheelset and new tires and new brakes. I also needed new brake cables and an overall tune-up.

He says he wants $400 for this.

I think that's way too much.

He said the bike will "be like new" when he's done with it.

I looked at a brand new Cannondale hybrid for $440.

I like this bike a lot but not $400 dollars a lot.

Does that seem exceedingly high?

I didn't ask for high quality parts, just a decent quality functioning bike.

I am trying to decide whether or not I should go through with it or just buy a new bike.

Thanks for the tips!

DOS

Not really but depends on the wheels. To get the bike "like new" seems like the shop would have to do a complete overhaul; which means taking everything apart, greasing what needs greasing, etc. In my neck of the woods such an overhaul using just the parts that the bike already has runs about $200.00 (cables included). Add in a decent wheelset and tires and any other parts that might need replacing (I would think freewheel,chain, chainrings, would be at the end of useful life), you could easily get to $400.00. I am not a vinatge Raleigh expert but I think Grand Prix can be had for consderably less than $400.00. You might consider having shop just do the overhaul work and then look to ebay for the parts you need to put the bike back on the road.

cyclist2000

I depends on what equipment he is puttng on the bike. I think it may be a little high but not worth throwing good money at a old bike.

But for me its a no brainer. get the new bike.

The 70's Raleigh Grand Prix is one step above the bottom of the line Raleigh Record. Very low end. This bike has 40 year old technology. and cheap componentry.

Also this Grand Prix is very different from a Cannondale hybrid. Which type of bike do you want to ride?
An entry level road bike would cost you about $800 but would be much better than that old grand prix.

tanguy frame

I have the Raleigh Grand Prix which I bought for my girlfriend in 1978. It's not worth $400 under any circumstances. If I were doing the work, I'd get all used stuff except freewheel and chain + tires. I would spend no more than $150 on parts and do the work myself.

BCRider

Buy the new bike and use the old as a fixer upper project to teach yourself a little about bike wrenching so you don't end up paying all that money next time.

If you add up the cost of all the stuff and figure in the time needed to put it all on and get it working it may be a little high but not by much. At the typical marked up bike shop costs (not gouging, just the regular cost for him for parts and to make a little on top) you're probably looking at almost $300 of that being for the parts alone. That leaves $100 for his shop time. So it's not that far out.

If you bought the same stuff online you'd be looking at 80 to 150 for wheels, 25'ish for tires, 45'ish for brakes, 20ish for housings and cables. Call it around 200 to 250. But that's shopping for the "deals". Oh, and top that off with likley another 40 to 50 for shipping and you're up pretty close to 250 to 300 again.

BigBlueToe

I had a Raleigh Gran Prix in the 70's. I loved that bike, rode it a ton for a lot of years, and it took me to some wonderful places and made some magical memories. However, compared to my Specialized Allez it was primitive, heavy, prone to breakdowns, and had some problematic pieces - the cottered cranks, the nut sticking up on top of the stem, the steel rims, etc.

If you have some nostalgic reason for refurbishing an old, not-so-great bike and the money to spend, go for it. If you want a nice-riding bike, buy something MUCH newer. Even a used, introductory-level road bike from the past 10 years or so will be much better than that old dinosaur.

noglider 

The owner has a limited imagination. He knows how to fix it up better than new, but he can't think of a middling way of getting it back on the road.

Take BCRider's advice!

wrk101

Is the price right? Probably, depending what parts are used. Is it worth it? No. When you are done, you will have a nice $150 bike.

If you want to upgrade, sell it as is, and get something better.

gbalke

Does it make sense to you to put $400 into a bike worth between $50 and $100? If you want to keep the GP and upgrade it, find a used alloy wheel set on Craigslist, install new cables and perhaps housings and new brake pads.

If you lack the knowlegde to do your own repairs, you would be better off to buy a new bike suited to your riding preference. Shop around though, some bike shops offer free maintenance packages. That was one selling point that convinced me to buy my Trek from my LBS.

Keep SA Lame

What wrong with the wheels??
I agree that's too much to put into an older bike of that quality.
I spent about $100 on my older bike - tires, tubes, tune up, new brake pads, new chain, rebuilt headset.

In asking around, at the higher end bike store, a total rebuild was $180.
and you could spend $250 for a entry level set of wheels if you bought them new.

I'll probably go the used route when it comes to new wheel set for an older steel frame bike.

Lots of great advice in the posts above mine.

digger

$400 would be about right for that amount of work for new parts. Strickly speaking in Canadian dollars; a new wheelset can cost $200, tires & tubes=$30, cables (De & Br)=$20, brake pads=$15, tune-up=$50(ish), guaranteed there will be something else to need replacing (housing maybe).

If it was me:
I recommend HillRiders advice - buy a new bike to suit your riding preferences.

I would keep the Grand Prix and rebuild it over time with parts I would find on sale at my LBS OR on Ebay, Craigslist, PinkBike, etc. This would teach you a bit about bicycle repair. Plus it would make a good beater bike for say running errands, commuting, etc so if it gets stolen, then it is not as huge a loss as your new bike.

But if you aren't into that, then I'd either sell ($50 or so) or give it away. Don't put $400 into it all at once for sure.

mikeronson

I negotiated the following- of which I only understand the terminology a tiny bit:

Full tune up including crank set, repacking bearings
new chain.
New brakes and brake cables
New rear derailleur
labor to True and install two wheels (my wheels).

$250

Yes the bike has sentimental value. I disagree that the bike is old and unreliable. Mine has been exceedingly reliable with original parts on it. I rode the bike (a LOT) daily in a hilly city including during the Winter for 8 months without a single problem.

The bike also fits me incredibly well.

I agree that learning to work on my bike more than changing flats, etc is a very good idea. I'm slowly learning!

So for $250 it's worth it to me.

Thanks for all the replies!