1984 Pinarello montello slx...
 

about to buy this from the original owner, has less than 100 miles on it and original campy everything. whats a fair price to offer?

$1,000

vjp

I can't give you an accurate appraisal, but it looks to be in great condition- especially the decals, which have usually gone to hell by now (mine all chipped off), and that is a team issue paint job. $1000 might not be far off in the right market place.

Looks great. Are you sure it's a Montello? Presumably the Columbus decal says SLX? And the chroming looks right (both seat stays and both chain stays, and fork) but I think of Montellos as having internal routing for the rear brake cable. Check the bottom bracket shell. Montellos took advantage of the greater stiffness of SLX tubing to eliminate the bridge between the chain stays. They also have little wing-shaped fillets with the GPT logo between the top tube and the bottom bracket shell.

But it's still a beautiful specimen.

not sure of the model and have had trouble trying to figure it out, it loos like a montello except for the internal rear brake cable as you said. I assume these are the wing shaped fillets you speak of? Also the columbus decal does not say slx. If you have any ideas on what other model it could be that would be great.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_axjhH6u9w1k/Sk...0/IMG_0326.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_axjhH6u9w1k/Sk...0/IMG_0327.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_axjhH6u9w1k/Sk...0/IMG_0328.JPG

I'd also say $1000 is a fair price given the condition you describe. Of course it's only worth that if it fits you well and suits the way you want to ride. You could easily spend $2000 and a years worth of effort trying to build a bike like that up buying individual parts off of Ebay and CL.

Looks like a great bike.

Its at least an '85 model NOT an '84 as evidenced by the 'Champion of Italy 1984' decal.

Pricing gets a little dicey and its all relative to the owner and his knowledge of bikes and personal situation.

1. Whats the high market value for something like that? $1000? $1200 $1500?
2. What the owner looking to get for it? Did he say, 'make me an offer' or did he say he's like a particular amount for it? Did you approach him asking to buy?

If you inquired about buying it your somewhat obligated to make him a respectable offer. $750 is respectable but I never make the first offer. I simply say, "I know your bike has a certain amount if inherent value and I'd rather not make an offer that may be percieved as insulting."

The owner isnt concerned with getting top dollar, if he were it'd be on Ebay versus being sold by word of mouth.

I'm thinking its a Trevisio or Cadore model, maybe 1986.

And I'm moving this to Vintage Valuations forum

Marty

I would think that $700 to $1000 would not be out of the question on the open market. The tubing type is the wildcard here. Super-nice, if it fits it would be hard to top.

Your shot of the bottom bracket shell from above doesn't show whether there is a bridge between the chain stays immediately aft of the bottom bracket. If there is one there, it is definitely not a Montello.

I don't see any fillets ("wings") bracing the joint between seat tube and BB shell in your photo. I just see blurry lugs. The little "bird-with-wings-spread" cutouts in the lugs at the chain stays (and elsewhere) are a builder's mark common to all Pinarellos of the era. Sorry for creating confusion when I called the bracing fillets "wings." If you run your index finger around the outside of the bottom bracket shell, you will feel and see a definite "step" up onto the fillet, which flares up onto the bottom of the seat tube. The fillet will be embossed with the GPT logo of the same design as you see pantographed into the chromed seat-stay caps. That, and the absence of the chain stay bridge, is the mark of Montello.

Edit: Sorry doubly: in re-reading my first reply to you, I said the Montello fillets were found between the BB and the top tube. Of course that was a brain cramp: I meant to say "between BB and the seat tube."

For the Columbus sticker not to say "SLX" would also be very un-Montello-like. (What does it say?) That was its claim to fame, to make it stiffer in the larger sizes especially. (I have one in 52 cm and it's really stiff, almost too harsh to ride more than 80 km or so on our chipseal.)

But that's still a very nice bike. I'm having a hard time relating that multi-coloured paint job to the chromed fork and four stays. They don't match up chronologically in my mind. Is it possible that it was repainted, with new decals? -- that could explain why they're not peeling off.

Bottom line: If it's Columbus SL tubing and the builder took the trouble to chome that much of it, I think you can be assured you have a fine frame. It's not an el-cheapo entry-level bike by any means. It would be a frame of Record quality even though it doesn't match any of the photos on the Bulgier site. The Super Record groupset is very nice -- it wouldn't be spec'ed on a cheapie.

Best I can do. Good luck.

Have you checked this page?
http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/pinarello85/

Maybe the toptube brake cable guides vs threaded will give us a clue? I've seen pictures of Montello's with guides and some with threaded.