part

Hello all. I was thinking of purchasing a road bike, and heard good things about vintage Raleigh's. I am in talks with a seller but have had a hard time trying to figure out the worth for this bike. I am a total beginner and do not have an eye for judging bike value. I just want to put in the hours in the summer (for exercise, mainly) with a dependable bike.

The only descriptor for this was (quote): nice and beautiful Raleigh original bike with 23" frame ,10 speed ,, leather saddle(wright ) made in England , bike is polished and ready to ride , no work needed

Negotiated price was $180 with a replaced saddle (replaced with stock road saddle).

Here is a gallery: https://imgur.com/phpcqxf,L40ysFe,Nrf...V0G8,zzsIf0g#9

lostarchitect 

The Gran Prix was one of Raleigh's lower end road bikes. This one has a cottered steel crankset, which is going to add to the weight of an already fairly heavy bike. The chain looks rusty and the cable housings look original, which makes me think the bike hasn't had much maintenance. The bearings and grease are probably ancient. Consider that you may need to do some maintenance, and maybe replace the tires, too. Taking it to a bike shop will drive the cost waaay up, so you might want to work on it yourself.

Whether the price is OK or not depends somewhat on where you are. It's not in awful shape and the price is in line with what I'd probably expect to pay in a bigger market, but I'd definitely try to negotiate it down.

Regarding the saddle, it's probably worth half as much as you're paying for the bike, so I would not have it switched out if possible.

oddjob2

Pass. Needs an overhaul and has Simplex Delrin FD, likely to break due to age.

part

With saddle it was 220. As for the market, I am located in Toronto, Canada. Given your advice, I was thinking of paying the difference of $40 for only the saddle. Also, thank you very much for the well thought out response.

desconhecido 

The bike looks to me to be in decent shape, but I agree that it looks to need a chain, cables and housings, probably a freewheel, maybe tires, tubes, brake pads. Maybe a replacement front derailleur. Then there is the issue of Raleigh threading which may or may not apply to Irish Raleighs. The only thing I've ever read about Irish Raleighs is that some people objected to them being sold with Nottingham head badges. Cottered cranks, in this modern world of ours, can be a major pita. In my experience, bike shops don't want to see them and don't have the knowledge or tools to service them anyway. You can do it yourself, of course, and it's not brain surgery, but if you don't "get" working on bikes it might not be what you want to do.


But, if someone is looking for a bike for exercise purposes, that Raleigh, or a Schwinn of similar vintage, will do the trick. Particularly if you stop at a lot of intersections.

daf1009

+1 I agree with oddjob on this one...I would pass...this is not bad looking...but I would think that, for a first bike, you can do better for the $$$ asked...and...I would say that, if you do decide to go for it...the saddle STAYS for the 180...

desconhecido 

I don't think I'd do it even if the saddle were included. Get that bike for $180 and do all the stuff that's necessary, including probably buying some tools like a freewheel remover, chain tool, cone wrench, and before you know it, you've got $300 into it. Then you've got a $300 10 speed bike that weighs, what, 30 to 35 lbs with steel rims and galvanized spokes.

edited: as the owner of a very expensive $30 Raleigh Sports, irony is not lost on me.

zazenzach

you didnt specify if it was USD or CAD. overpriced either way though.

that bike is definitely not ride ready (by the looks of all that rust). if you dont know how to work on a bike yourself, you'll easily end up paying a shop $100-$300 to get it all fixed up (possible bearing overhauls, new chain, freewheel?, cables, housing etc).

wrk101

You negotiated a price, right? The time to do research is before negotiating. Myself, once I negotiate, I pay. This sometimes means I pay too much (did it a couple of weeks ago). I never negotiate to fish on price. This is one reason I never negotiate with sellers unless it is in person, and they are prepared to buy. Did this last week. Guy comes by, likes the bike, and wants to negotiate. So my first question, "Are you ready to buy now?" He went and got some cash, and then he got a good deal.

randyjawa 

Were I the OP, I would not want an entry level, Old School cottered crank machine for exercise purposes. For the money, there are tons of much better bicycles available. What is needed, perhaps, is a bit of a primer on Quality Vintage Bicycle Features. Have a look at that and then you will be better prepared to recognize a good bicycle from a dog.