Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
Reload this Page >

Zeus 10-Speed -- Fixer-upper?? -- Worth $40??

Notices
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals. Use this subforum for all requests as to "How much is this vintage bike worth?"Do NOT try to sell it in here, use the Marketplaces.

Zeus 10-Speed -- Fixer-upper?? -- Worth $40??

Old 12-31-11, 06:30 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
nrowensby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 233

Bikes: 2006 Diamondback Century

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Zeus 10-Speed -- Fixer-upper?? -- Worth $40??

Not sure where to put this...

I found an old Zeus 10-speed, rusty, looks like it could be be sanded down and repainted, besides that, it seems to be in proper working order. Good tires, wheels, brakes, and shifts as it should...

Would it be worth it at $40??

How hard is it to strip the bike down to the frame? Can you sandblast the frame or would you have to sand it by hand?

If it turns out the frame is toast... would the good parts be worth $40?

nrowensby is offline  
Old 12-31-11, 08:11 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 1,007
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I have an old Zeus Criterium from the '70s and it is a pretty nicely made frame. The sticker for the tubing type was located just above the shifters on the downtube - the top frames are usually Reynolds 531. Sandblasting (or some other abrasive material) would probably be easier than sanding. One thing to note: Zeus bikes used French threaded components.
jemoryl is offline  
Old 12-31-11, 08:12 PM
  #3  
Vello Kombi, baby
 
Poguemahone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Je suis ici
Posts: 5,322

Bikes: 1973 Eisentraut; 1970s Richard Sachs; 1978 Alfio Bonnano; 1967 Peugeot PX10

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 80 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 14 Times in 13 Posts
Buy. Worth it for parts. Fork looks funky, but pics are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to forks.
__________________
"It's always darkest right before it goes completely black"

Waste your money! Buy my comic book!
Poguemahone is offline  
Old 12-31-11, 08:18 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
zukahn1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Fairplay Co
Posts: 9,582

Bikes: Current 79 Nishiki Custum Sport, Jeunet 620, notable previous bikes P.K. Ripper loop tail, Kawahara Laser Lite, Paramount Track full chrome, Raliegh Internatioanl, Motobecan Super Mirage. 59 Crown royak 3 speed

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 786 Post(s)
Liked 1,706 Times in 620 Posts
Yes it's worth it $40 if it was listed on CL's in my area I would probably buy it. This bike has a lot of potential if it has all of the original Zeus parts in working condition it could realisticaly be parted out for a couple of hundred. Or rehabed into a very nice C&V potentialy worth 10x the asking price maybe more depending on model and components.
zukahn1 is offline  
Old 12-31-11, 08:23 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
Pictures aren't the best and are taken from the worng side but I can see enough to tell that it's worth $40 for the parts alone. The frame is questionable. If it's rusted that much on the outside it's probably just as bad inside and there is the potential for a catostrophic failure. I wouldn't waste my time and money on it, unless you're in desparate need of a piece of wall art. +1 regarding the French threading.
T-Mar is offline  
Old 12-31-11, 08:28 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
zukahn1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Fairplay Co
Posts: 9,582

Bikes: Current 79 Nishiki Custum Sport, Jeunet 620, notable previous bikes P.K. Ripper loop tail, Kawahara Laser Lite, Paramount Track full chrome, Raliegh Internatioanl, Motobecan Super Mirage. 59 Crown royak 3 speed

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 786 Post(s)
Liked 1,706 Times in 620 Posts
As said in the value thread this bike is worth $40 even if the frame is trash. If not bent the the stem and crank are worth more than the asking price for the bike.
zukahn1 is offline  
Old 12-31-11, 09:05 PM
  #7  
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
well, I screwed up that merge

I would definitely think any Zeus would be worth $40
unterhausen is offline  
Old 01-01-12, 06:47 AM
  #8  
Thrifty Bill
 
wrk101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
Posts: 23,570

Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more

Mentioned: 96 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 957 Times in 624 Posts
Its not a fixer upper, its a donor bike. If you can use the parts, or are interested in selling them, then its worth it.
wrk101 is offline  
Old 01-03-12, 12:14 AM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 428

Bikes: 2003 Lemond Zurich; 1987 Schwinn Tempo; 1968 PX10; 1978 PX10LE, Peugeot Course; A-D Vent Noir

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
$40 for a Zeus (in almost any shape)? And you have a complete bike? How do you say "no brainer?" Of course it is worth 40 bucks...
neurocop is offline  
Old 01-03-12, 04:18 AM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
randyjawa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,672

Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma

Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,743 Times in 934 Posts
Buy the bike and then put the brakes on. Think carefully about painting the bicycle. Original art and paint is much sought after when vintage road bicycles are the concern.

Take some time to ask for advice on the Bike Forum, as you have already started to do, and take some more time to ask yourself the question - Should I Paint My Bicycle? You might be surprised at the answer.

The bike is yours, of course, and you can do with it as you please, but I do recommend caution. If painting is your only choice, you might want to take a look at How I Paint Bicycles.



Hope that is a help and a Zeus, for what it is worth, is a highly collectable bicycle. I have owned a couple but never a high end model.

Also, when offering pictures, it is best to display the drive side of the bicycle...



and, if possible, take close up shots of frame and component detail, although you do not have to remove the components to do so...

__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".

Last edited by randyjawa; 01-03-12 at 04:19 AM. Reason: forgot link
randyjawa is offline  
Old 01-09-12, 07:40 PM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Locust NC
Posts: 716

Bikes: 1992, Cannondale R900. 1991 Paramount pdg

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 61 Post(s)
Liked 157 Times in 63 Posts
Somehow I missed this thread. I am the one who bought this bike I was the first one to email the seller. It took three weeks to have them contact me. The bike frame is not rusted inside and is in good mechanical condition. There is no saving the paint. This would be a very big project to take on for a first time restoration. All the parts are original and it is a 531 frame. I will repaint the frame using auto lacquer add decals and clear coat. Polishing all the parts will take quite a bit of work.
Ed
EddyR is offline  
Old 01-10-12, 03:53 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
nrowensby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 233

Bikes: 2006 Diamondback Century

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Congrats Eddy... I could never get a response.
nrowensby is offline  
Old 01-10-12, 07:26 AM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Locust NC
Posts: 716

Bikes: 1992, Cannondale R900. 1991 Paramount pdg

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 61 Post(s)
Liked 157 Times in 63 Posts
Thanks nrowensby
The seller a new bike co-opp didn't check there email. I had given up and they relisted it so I emailed them again and finally got a response. They were very nice people but I think they have a lot going on in there lives right now. I don't normally buy a bike rusted like this but a Zeus is so hard to find that I would take it in any condition for the parts. The bike is complete except for the wheels. The rust looks much worse than it is. I rebuilt this Italvega it had no paint and every inch of it was rusty. It was a quick job and I sold it. Now I wish I had it.
E
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
Italvega.jpg (75.5 KB, 27 views)
EddyR is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
milofilo
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
4
03-27-16 09:27 PM
smontanaro
Classic & Vintage
36
08-30-15 07:23 PM
hny123
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
4
05-19-15 03:13 PM
nrowensby
Road Cycling
9
01-04-12 04:09 PM
SumoMuffin
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
10
10-31-11 11:26 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.