TexLex100

There is one for sale. Seller indicates that it has been in a garage its entire life! Drivetrain is Shimano 600 Tri Color components and says that this is the line that became Ultegra in the late 90's. No year is given for the bike. Asking $500. Is it worth this price? Do you recommend buying an old carbon frame? Thanks.

Kevindale

These bikes have a following, though probably not a large one. Robbietunes has built up several of these, and if you do a search you'll find some very informative threads. I have one with a stuck seat post that I'm dragging my feet on dealing with while I sort other bike projects, but I'm looking forward to getting mine on the road.

I think the asking price here is high. I see really clean frame/forks selling on eBay for less than $150. The Tricolor group is a solid group, but not super pricey, and there's some scratches/wear/corrosion on this set. The components and frame show signs that, even if this was always garage kept, it was put away wet and dirty at least some of the time. The Brooks saddle and Mavic wheels are solid additions. It needs a good cleaning, and looks to have been sitting for a while and probably needs all the hubs/BB/headset serviced. I don't think even parted out this would get to $500, but as it sits I think more like $250-300. That said, I wouldn't take my range to the bank - others with more informed opinions will be along soon.

CliffordK

I never see vintage carbon monocoque frame bikes for less than $500 around here. But, I wouldn't say the price is too low either.

Occasionally some old carbon lugged frame bikes for $300 to $500.

So, I think the price is close.

Lots of debate about riding vintage CF. I ride an old CF Colnago... and like it. It may be that 90's CF bikes are pretty sturdy.

blakcloud

I was thinking that this bike has seen little use so it might be worth it. I would be happier at $400 but if I really wanted it $500 wouldn't kill me.

TexLex100

Thanks for all your advice. Is there a way to figure out how many speeds or the largest sprocket? (I asked the seller but received no response yet). Also, would it be easy to change the stem to make it a bit more upright riding position?

I've never bought a vintage before, so I am a bit unsure. I would also have to add $120 tune-up cost charged by LBS in my area, since I am mechanically challenged :-(

CliffordK

I count 7 sprockets on the rear which seems reasonable. I can't tell if it is a cassette or freewheel, but I'd guess it is an old uniglide.

That appears to be a "standard" crankset, so probably 52/39, but you would have to verify. It wouldn't take less than 39T without changing the cranksset.

Like an old car, you can save a lot of money if you can do your own maintenance. Your mechanic will get wealthy if you can't do your own maintenance. But, for a 20 yr old bike, it is always reasonable to update bearings and etc.

Oh, it looks like that has some kind of a SCOTT style wrap around handlebar. Unique. It means that stock handlebar tape will invariably never quite fit.

Kevindale

This is why I don't think it's a $500 bike - it's not ready to ride. If it were clean and you could be reasonably confident that it was really ready to adjust bars/saddle and ride, that would be a different case. This bike needs to be fully disassembled and cleaned and lubed. The shop will charge $120 for the tune up, but in my experience that won't include disassembly and cleaning. The tires look to be in decent shape, but if not, that's an expense that'll need to be accounted for. The Brooks saddle also looks like it has a weird sag. I notice that in the ad there's no closeup of the saddle; why not?

I also see 7 cogs in back, and in the photo of the chainrings it looks like the big ring is a 53. Also, what brifters are those? I think these are cool bikes, and I think there were substantially overbuilt so I don't doubt their sturdiness. But I don't see a big demand for them, and if you check the sold listings on eBay complete bikes seem to go for well less than this. Anyway, hopefully someone who's actually bought and sold a few of this will come along and correct me.

TexLex100

This is really useful. I love the simplicity of the vintage bikes compared to the newer ones (including mine!). But I guess without adequate knowledge of bikes mechanics and without personal knowledge of the seller I should steer clear. Would you trust vintage bikes sold at a LBS? Or is it the same uncertainty?

DMC707

Price is not insane if it fits. -- bikes tend to be a bit more expensive in the greater DC area.

Its a racier bike than your late model Giant as well. The owner likely added those brifters as thats all he could get in a 7 speed set new and he wanted to upgrade it

If it needs tires, i'd offer $400 and let the guy know your trying to budget for those as well.

wrk101

Those are not tri-color 600 shifters, which do have good value and are 8 speed not 7. Those look like cheapo Tourney 7 speed shifters or similar.

At the $500 price point, it would be 8 speeds, it would be ALL Shimano 600, and it would be spotless. This bike is zero out of three in my book. Now if it was $250, sure, that would be a very nice deal!

For a newbie, changing the stem to make it more upright is fairly involved. First, you have to remove bar tape and shift levers from the existing bars. Then you need to coax the handlebars through the stem. Then you buy a new stem. This would be a good time to switch the bars too, so you should probably buy replacement handlebars. Then you install new stem and bars of your choice. Next up you remount the levers. But wait, when the bars go higher, some of your cables will be too short. So you will be replacing cables and cable housings. And when you replace cables and housings, that means you have to readjust brakes and derailleurs. Finally you finish the job by installing fresh bar tape. Two hour job at a local bike shop, at $75 per hour for labor, plus full retail for parts. Could be $250 by the time it is done.

Now if the seller is a hobbyist/reseller, have him do ALL the work and include it in the price of the bike. I just did two bikes this way. Fortunately, I have a large stash of parts, I buy cables, housing, bar tape in bulk, so I cam OK absorbing the cost to complete a sale.

The shops in my area that sell used bikes tend to do less to prepare them, often, they are exactly as found, maybe washed off. And then shops tend to get a lot more for their bikes. I was supplying a local shop with refurbished bikes for a while. They would take my bikes, double the pricing, take a 1/3 cut, and give me the rest. Since they were able to double the price, I still came out way ahead with their sales. Buyers were often more comfortable buying from a shop at a higher price than buying direct from me, even though they were my bikes, refurbished by me.

The trick is to find a seller who either has taken care of their bike and paid to have it serviced, or are excellent at service and go through a bike from one end to the other, taking care of everything. There unfortunately are sellers who just knock the dirt off and call it "ready to ride". You as a buyer have to look closely to tell the difference. Are the tires old? Are the cables rusty? Is the bike dirty? How about the chain? Someone who is thorough has addressed all of that, and more! Someone who is sloppy is usually easy to spot.

TexLex100

But if I do have to get it disassembled to be cleaned and remove the rust plus all possible other changes of tires and possibly gears this will probably become a pricey move!

TexLex100

Very informative. I need to start learning about bikes at the young age of 53!! :-)

Kevindale

Hey, that's a great age to learn, and this is a great forum to help. The tools you need won't cost that much, grease and ball bearings are cheap, and there are good videos online by Park and Art's Cyclery and RJ the Bike Guy.

Here's what I suggest (and I think you've done some of this, but in a scattershot way) - post a thread asking for help finding a good road bike, with your height and an idea of how you want to use the bike. In that thread post a couple of the local CL bikes you've seen that seem cool, and see what the forum thinks. There are some here who are very good at helping people shop and find killer deals.

From reading another of your threads, I think this might be a little more bike than you want, in the sense that these bikes have a reputation for being pretty quick/twitchy in their handling, and might be better for crit racing than general road bike use. I might be forgetting what you said in the other threads, but I'm thinking you might want something fast, but with a little more relaxed geometry. Correct me if I'm wrong please!

TexLex100

You are absolutely right! Yes I wanted a different one from my 2012 TCX 2. My bike is hard to go uphill since the largest sprocket in the back is 26 and the derailleur takes a maximum of 28 as I was told by the LBS guy. Changing into a larger casette (say 32 or 34) would require changing the derailleur and the chain which will cost (in my area) $350 plus. So I thought that is almost the price of an (old) new bike. My preference is for the sleek shape of the smaller rounded tubes. I know it is merely aesthetic though. I also think that my cyclocross is a tad large for me. I am 5' 8" with an inseam of about 29.5" (and around 210 lb). So theoretically the size I got (M) should work but I feel it a but too big. I still love my bike and got it setup with fenders and kickstand etc. I would probably look for a size 52 instead if a 54. I do prefer less aggressive position (because of multiple back surgeries) but not totally upright.

A complicating factor is that I live in an apartment so my ability to do any maintenance myself would be rather difficult.

I got so much helpful advice throughout. You guys rock!!

oddjob2

They run big size wise.
This is a better deal, although the paint is meh
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...265958646.html

TexLex100

This looks tempting! How can one tell the largest cog in the casette, without knowing the year that is? But since this is too fast and difficult to handle, I should probably focus on more conservative (touring?) breed.

TexLex100

here is a Bianchi Trofero. Although I think this (54cm) would probably be too big.

Any particular brand I should focus on? Or should I just Plan to get a new moderately priced) one? This is probably not a good question to ask in this forum
:-)

Cheers.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/6266469445.html

Kevindale

At your height, a 52 is probably going to be too small. The smaller the frame, the longer the seatpost and the taller the stem needed. The racers who want to get VERY low go for small frames with short stems. I can't imagine you going smaller than a 54cm frame.

Also, if you're concerned about the gearing for hills, pay attention to the small ring in front and the biggest cog in back. I think right now you have a 34t small chain ring with the 26t largest cog. Many of these bikes from the late '80s and early '90s have 39t small rings, and if you go back a few more years the small rings were usually 42t (often with the largest cog of 21t or maybe 24t). Check out some gear-inch calculators to get a feel for which combinations will give you at least the equivalent of what you have now.

Also, get out there and do some test rides. No sense guessing if the Kestrel or any other bikes is a good fit for you, check 'em out. You'll quickly get a feel for what works for you, size wise.

CliffordK

Both of those Kestrels have about a 12/23 cassette. Perhaps even 21T.

Front small is probably 39T, and can't be made smaller without changing crankset.

I've been climbing hills my whole life with < 23T rear sprockets. One doesn't need huge pie plates on the back. However each person is different. Also different hills.

Changing depends on specs of derailleur. Need model to confirm.

If first Kestrel is uniglide, then it will be a pain to get replacement cassettes for. 7spd freewheels are common.

In general, new cassette, chain, plus derailleur will be $100 to $200 in parts depending on model.

Summer bike repair can be done on a porch. Repair stand is nice, but not absolutely needed.

Kevindale

Looks like a nice bike, not a high-end frame, but the celeste Bianchis command a premium. I'm not sure it'll have the gearing you need. I think right now your easiest gearing is 34.5 gear inches (34t chainring, 26t cog), right? You were looking into going to a 30t or 32t in back, which would give you about 28 or 30 gear inches. You might need a bike with a triple chain ring set up for optimal gearing. That might be your starting point. I think you can find a good vintage or at least semi-vintage bike of good quality for less than you can get a so-so new one, but whatever you do, if your main motivation for another bike is an easier time on the hills, that needs to be the starting point.

TexLex100

Yes, my current bike has a 34/50 crankset and 11-26 casette. I am trying to commute to work a day or so a week. For now I use the bikeshare so that I can do it one way only without having to worry about riding both ways. But if I persevere I may use the giant as commuter since I put fenders and lights in it and have a second one with easier gearing which I can take on some longer rides in the weekend.

The problem with my current bike is the stand over height. When I stand up the clearance is minimal. I also feel a bit extended. I am.not sure whether this is the size or the fact that it is a cyclocross bike.

I can start going for test rides on some of them but I honestly can't tell the condition of the bike except by the general looks of it.

Most of the bikes i saw on CL recently don't have triple chain ring. Most has two and down tube or stem shifters which I think I probably won't like as much as the indexed one and may find it difficult to shift with one hand and ride with one hand.

TexLex100

Mmmm. Pie plates (spoken with the sound of Homer Simpson)

:-)

Kevindale

I wouldn't worry too much about stand-over height, esp. if this won't be your commuter (so you won't be stopping all the time). Using down tube shifters is pretty easy, but if you're up and down hills and constantly shifting then it might not be right for you. The biggest issue is that you'll probably need a fairly modern bike to get the gearing you want. On your CL right now is a Cannondale in 56 (so a bit big for you) but at a good price and probably with decent gearing (10 speed cassette in back). Here's a Fuji Finest with a triple and Ultegra components, but again a bit big for you. You might move your search a bit more modern.

TexLex100

I have to admit that I am not doing any big hills but because of my being totally out of shape and the bad back combine to make me unable to get up on overpasses or longer bridges and sometimes I have to walk the bike up. So a gear combination that would help would be most welcomed!

Any suggestions for new/newer bikes that would have triple chainrings and be comparable in price, say within the $500-700 range?

Kevindale

There are too many possibilities to name a bike or brand. If you're buying new, now is the time the 2017 models are often discounted, so you might check the local bike shops. On your Craigslist I can find a fair number of decent looking bikes with triple chainrings, but most are a little big or small. Note that "WSD" (Women's Specific Design) bikes seem to be more likely to have triples. Often times these bikes merely have narrower handlebars and slightly wider saddles and are otherwise the same as the "normal" version. In other words, a 'WSD' bike might fit you just fine, so don't look past these. Here's a Novara Strada (I think an REI bike) that might work for you. Here's a Bianchi Imola which also might work - I think this one is a bit overpriced, but it's got the Bianchi label on it.

Keep looking, you'll find it. And keep riding - maybe by the time you find the bike with a triple, you'll be in shape to go back to looking at compact doubles.