jt258

Hey guys,
I'm a total newbie when it comes to road bikes.
I'm looking for a bike for my bro, and I found a '79 fuji royale for sale on CL for $300 firm (so it says in the ad).
I found an older thread on fuji royales here. Skimming through some of the comments, it seems like the consensus is its a decent bike.
I just don't know if this is a reasonable price to pay for it.

Here's the link to the ad:
https://annarbor.craigslist.org/bik/4989150362.html

Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks.

cb400bill

Moved from C&V to C&V Appraisals with 3 day redirect.

cb400bill

$300 is more than I'd pay for a high tension steel forked, 26.5 lb, Fuji Royale that someone has replaced the down tube shifters with stem shifters.

eschlwc

for that price point, look for bikes with an on-frame rear derailleur hanger. their presence is a good indication of 'mid-level.'

it's a good rule of thumb for bikes from the '70s and '80s.

Phil_gretz

At least the bike has been fully serviced, down to the details given. This is an excellent riding bike, and the rear dropout does have an integral derailleur hanger. I've sold an '81 Royale for $305 in the DC market, but that had barcons. Is this the right size?

Take your brother to ride it. At least you'll gain by learning from the test ride. I would not pay $300 for stem shifters on that bike. $265. Buy your own Suntour barcons on eBay to make the shifting less wonky. Good bike.

mstateglfr 

Its looks to be in great shape both cosmetically and mechanically. That's a huge plus if you don't want to/cant fix it up yourself.

Its a seriously high price for the quality of bike though. The original downtube shifters have been replaced with stem shifters. That isn't necessarily bad, friction shifting from either spot works fine, its just odd to see that replaced since stem shifters typically mean lower quality overall bike.

Try it out- at least your bro will know if the sizing is good or not so you can further refine the search.


For what its worth- many on this site seem to do their own wrenching, so a bike like this is tough to justify for pricing since they don't mind getting it into riding condition.
You could look at the bike's price like this- $130 for the bike and $170 for new saddle, components, and shop work if you were to take it to a bike shop to get into riding condition. I wouldn't consider that bike for $300 as I would hope there would be other options in that size around your area for less, but I would want the condition to be equal. No point in buying a bike for less if its in bad shape and you aren't the one fixing it up.

FrenchFit 

I have a dozen bikes, including a $3K+ full carbon. One of my regular rides is a vintage 42 yo hi-ten ten speed with stem shifters, probably weighs about 30 lbs. If I knew nothing about the market price of bikes I'd put the old 10 speed towards the middle of the pack, assign a value that's 3x what the market would currently pay. And, it's likely to only appreciate with time.

Assuming your brother isn't racing, hill climbing, club riding, timed event riding, that bike will be a great daily rider if it fits. If he has something of a competitive, hammerhead mindset - forget it. Hopefully, he has some appreciation for a classic design and appearance. --and, be sure to let your brother ride it first, do not trust the "fit" guidelines of the seller.

Grand Bois

It clearly does not.

eschlwc

^ yeah, and the '79 catalog page shows a non-integrated bracket hanger in use.

ramzilla

I'd definitely find out if there's a lower price he would accept. It's missing front and rear reflectors. Has some rust on the chrome steel seat post. It's a mass produced Fuji. Not a collector's item. Otherwise, old Fuji's are good solid bikes.

Phil_gretz

Thanks, guys. You're right about the hanger. I must be remembering a newer one that I had. PG

jt258

Thanks for all the replies. I feel like I'm googling like every other word. But yeah, you guys are right. I was planning on buying my brother a bike for a surprise bday gift, but it's definitely a better idea to have him actually ride the bike before buying him one. I think I'll keep on looking for a better deal.

oddjob2

Patience has it's virtues. Just a little over two months, it sold for better than 90 percent of asking price. It was one of my refurbished flips and I am glad you critics weren't overly zealous in your remarks.

It's kind of an uneasy feel to lurk while the comments role in, but the buyer is a serious rider who regularly rides an Eddy.

mstateglfr 

Did you add the stem shifters or did it come your way like that?

zukahn1 

Not that it matters much. Fuji offered the option of stem shifters and safety levers or racing levers and DT shifters on most of there models around this time. I have seen Royals with both that where basically stock.

ramzilla

When the planet explodes, there will be a lot of Fujis floating around in space.