Jsd1969

I ran across a Craigslist ad for a trek 800 Antelope and an 820 Antelope. both functional according to the post but in my opinion rough condition. Asking price is 100.00 for both. Deal or no deal? Oh, I believe they are 1993 or 94.
Thanks

Please forgive me. Having trouble posting pics from phone.

Jsd1969

oddjob2

In a strong market, clean and ready to ride, those bikes can fetch $125 and $140 respectively, if they are 18" or larger frames. I have horrible luck with 16" frames, including a beautiful condition lugged 930.

At $70 for the pair maybe, if the stem and seatpost are free and the tires are good.

wrk101

If they are in rough condition = pass. Its all about condition, in pristine, fully ready to ride condition, $125 to $150 around here. Trek name is a plus.

If you buy them, who is going to do the work? If you can do it yourself, it can make sense. Pay a shop to do it, and it doesn't make sense.

MTBs are plentiful, get nice ones would be my advice.

It depends on your definition of rough. I can't tell a thing from those pics. Sometimes, I see bikes posted on here that are in "pristine condition", that to me are rough, really rough. Other times, its just the opposite.

IthaDan 

If you're going to ride and own them instead of flip them, I'd say you will have a tough time find a "his" and "hers" for anywhere near that same $100.

They are rough, but after a little cleanup, they both should be plenty sufficient for commuting or occasional MUP rides.

Jsd1969

I had to scale the pics down to post them on here.I'm relatively new to this but have experience restoring classic cars. My interpretation of fairly rough is some surface rust and scratches. I have not been able to actually look at the bikes so I am just judging from the pictures as well. I would be doing the work myself and I'm not looking to flip them. I have two daughters and I was looking for good solid bikes for them.

IthaDan 

If that's the case, you'd have a tough time finding better bones for twice the money.

oddjob2

Those bikes need a new saddle, cables, chain, and possibly shifters, so $40-$75 of additional investment each. Girls like clean and shiny, I'd keep looking, especially garage and church sales.

Jsd1969

Good point on the clean and shiny. Do these look beyond cleaning and shining?

oddjob2

The handlebars look like the bikes never saw a day in the garage, the 800 has a lot of scuffs on the top tube, the 820 has scuffs on the fork. You can touch up with nail polish too.

But if you keep looking and can move quickly you can do better. These three examples were bought for between $60-$100 and are shown pretty much as purchased. I paid full asking price too.

Gary Fisher Advance


Trek 820


Paramount PDG Series 40

Jsd1969

Thank you all for the help. I think I'm gonna pass on these. The neglect on them was my biggest concern. Ill hold out for something nicer.

wrk101

To a seasoned mechanic, work on bicycles is very straight forward. What is not straight forward are the tools. Few if any of your current tools will work on a bike. You can spend some serious money on tools. To me, thats OK, as I love tools.

But to someone who doesn't want to drop a lot of $$ into tools, the solution is to find a bike co-op. Many larger cities have bike co-ops, with tools, mechanical advice, and inexpensive parts. People like me donate a lot of our leftovers to the local co-op, where they are used to get someone on a bike and riding.

While I have no trouble finding MTBs at low prices, I look for bikes all the time. So these are not a bad deal.

Fairly rough in my experience is worse. These sound to be typical.

But typical can mean needs new tires, tubes, cables, bottom bracket, chain, freewheel and shifters. (I usually find neglected road bikes with good bottom brackets, on mtbs, that is rarely the case). I buy parts in bulk, so that list may be $65 (PER BIKE!). To someone who goes to a nearby bike shop, that list can be $175. Add to that list a saddle and pedals, there goes another $30.

So how do I manage $$ on a MTB? I find a donor mtb, that can provide wheels, saddle, pedals, sometimes tires, etc. That can cut my spending way down. Found a donor mtb this weekend, $5. For $5, I got a decent set of wheels, good derailleurs, good crankset (bottom bracket was toast, naturally), pedals, good shifters, brake levers, brake calipers, and seat post. Bike had been sitting leaning against a fence, in the weeds, for several years....

This is the main reason that flipping mtbs rarely makes sense. And even for personal use, even getting one FREE that needs rehab can turn into a bad deal (but a fun project).'

That Paramount Series 40 was a smokin hot deal.

Jsd1969

Thanks wrk101
So, here's a question for you. Would you buy them? If yes, why?

Tools are not a problem for me. I have LOTS of tools and don't mind buying more.

oddjob2

There is no shortage of cleaner bikes, a few bucks more up front, but a lot less investment in time and parts. Just need to get the right size for your girls.


Specialized $69
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/bik/3660411901.html

Specialized Hardrock $75
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/bik/3670390019.html

Specialized MTB $100
https://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/bik/3601733735.html

Specialized Rockhopper (?)
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/bik/3655716783.html

Trek 800 $100 - may be gone
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/bik/3620599024.html

Raleigh Womens $100
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/bik/3636507776.html

Giant - looks new $120
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/bik/3605342538.html

Gary Fisher Mamba $95
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/bik/3681729917.html

Diamondback Outlook $100
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/bik/3666278480.html

FastJake

I buy/sell/flip a lot of bikes and I would not buy the bikes in the OP. You might do better for less money if you look hard. Or a LOT better for the same money. Those bikes need a lot of work, and the end result won't be worth it IMO.