Michael Shaw

I have too many old bikes and am thinning the herd, so to speak. Doing a little spring cleaning.

I put a really nice little Miele Lupa with 23-inch frame on Kijiji and found that nobody was interested.

However - it is in good condition and does have a lot of nice features.



The bike has a Columbus frame, Ambrosio aluminum alloy rims, and a complete vintage Shimano 105 group: Shimano 105 Hubs, Shimano 105 head set, Shimano 105 brake callipers, Shimano 105 brake levers, Shimano 105 front and Shimano 105 rear derailleurs, Shimano 105 gear levers, Shimano 105 crank arms, and Shimano 105 pedals... and eBay shows Shimano 105 stuff selling very well.

Here is the question: Should I part this bike out or sell it as is ??

Mike

randyjawa 

Spring is on its way. With that in mind, I would ensure the bike is cleaned up and road worthy, then sell it as a complete bicycle. You can always decide to part it out later, if it does not sell.

thinktubes 

Cleaned up and in-season, I could see that bringing $300-ish.

A partout would be a wash. The 105 stuff doesn't get the love it deserves.

For me, the decider for a partout is if the bike has 600/ultegra or above.

oddjob2

Do you have those magic words in your ad, "great for a fixie"?

wrk101

I would NOT part it out, and I would NOT sell it as is.

Bike needs some minor cosmetic attention before I would sell it complete. So that eliminates as is.

+1 105 bits from that era just don't do well on a part out. Part outs work when you have more desirable, higher end components. Parts like those 105 bits are what I put back on a frame I strip of higher end stuff.


If I was selling that OP bike, I would address the rusty fasteners first, clean the lever hoods, new bar tape (a contrasting color with "pop", a set of matching tires, eliminate rust on brake housing (I would replace it with housing the same color as the bar tape, bottle cage would match too), polish up the crank, etc. Bike could sparkle.

White would be a good choice on bar tape/cage/cable housing. Or possibly red.

T-Mar

+1. Parting out takes a lot time and effort, and you're often left with some odds and ends. Often this negates the potential for an increased return, so it's not my preferred approach. BTW, you can put in the ad that it is a 1989 model.

Bianchigirll 

I agree it is nice bike but not worth the effort to part it out. If you had a buyer for the frame that sold everything as a 'kit' that would be OK, but whole is best.

Give her a good fluff and buff and sell after the mercury climbs up above 60 for a few days.

Michael Shaw

Wow !!

Thanks to all for the great advice.

I'll push it back into the bike closet and wait for a few warmer days...

And advertise it as "Great for a fixie...."

Mike

jet sanchEz

A little acetone will get those hoods sparkling and some white bar tape will really make the bike look fresh. Clear photos against a white wall and in the sun will get you a quick $300 or so come April, especially if you are near Toronto.

IthaDan 

You're a little mistaken here. I've found that someone is ALWAYS interested in a 105 equipped bike, just sometimes they aren't interested in it for the requested price or given the provided information/pictures.


Don't do this- any time I see this, I consider lowballing the seller. This implies a lack of knowledge and has me wondering just how "ready to ride" a bike really is. If it's a geared bike, make sure it functions as one, and you'll get the premium that a functioning geared bike gets. Anyone planning a fixed conversion knows what they're looking for already.

+1, Give it a spitshine and focus on taking better pictures of both the good AND THE BAD, maybe find a catalog scan and include that in the ad (a site like imgur.com can generate html that you can paste right in to the body of a craigslist ad so you can add as many pictures as you'd like) make it look like you know what you're talking about- I've found that conveying a knowledge and understanding calls the pricing of the bike into question much less.

oddjob2

IIRC, the OP is an experienced flipper and gets huge prices on his Raleighs! Or am I thinking of someone else?

fiataccompli

So, I guess 80 bucks for one with 7 speed shimano (early '90s?) and otherwise generally the same shape (or slightly better) sounds OK, then, eh?