geachyguy

Hi,

I've been sitting on a pristine Voyageur for a few years now, but the time has come to part ways. It is the light blue/chrome model, in pristine condition, only real blemish is that one of the '1's in the 11.8 is smudged a little. Original components, new tape and new tires. A potential drawback: it is the 25" frame, with 35" standover, which limits my pool of possible buyers. What do you think I can get for it? There is another Voyageur posted in my area for $300, same size and year but the black/red paint job, though definitely in worse (but still good) condition, but it's been up for 2 months. Another just posted for $320. Are those reasonable prices to hope for, or is it just wishful thinking?

Thanks

bikemig 

A lot depends on where you live. Those would be optimistic prices where I live but maybe not in a big city. The fact that those two "comparables" are sitting on CL tells you something about the value of the bike. Still given the condition of your bike, you can take a shot at a higher price.

mstateglfr 

An ’82 is basically the same as an ’81 and ’80. The 11.8s really had little to no change thru the 3 years. The pedals changed slightly as did the seatpost, but I think that’s it and both of those are very minor.

I have an ’80 in the 25” size and love it, but that’s after putting a lot of time and money into making it what I want. As stock, it’s a pretty underwhelming bike. Its not bad, but it certainly doesn’t stand out against hundreds of other late 70s/early 80s sport touring bikes.

There are a lot of limitations with that bike. The 3 I consider to be the biggest are-
- That cassette is dead technology. It’s an early generation cassette which isnt compatible at all with current technology. Anything wrong with the wheel means a whole new wheel is needed.
- The stem is 21.1mm instead of the more common 22.2mm which makes it nearly impossible to swap the stem out. This greatly reduces options for adjusting for a better fit. And it also limits options for handlebars.
- Frame geometry is not traditional touring. People see ‘Voyageur’ and think touring, but this model has shorter than typical chainstays, no bottle cage mounting points, and very limited space for fenders.



For me, ‘all original’ means its in need of a total overhaul- new cables and housing, new grease in bearings, new brake pads. All that costs $, obviously. Good that new tape and tires are on there already(assuming they arent the $17 Kenda 1 ¼ version).

If its really in excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition and all that’s needed is a total overhaul, I’d probably pay $175. You have to figure another $50 for pads and cabling. $225 into it and it’s a solid older sport tourer.
You just need to find a tall person who knows how to fix the bike up and wants a sport tourer with limitations compared to bikes just a few years newer.



Maybe I am undervaluing it because I have one and know its limitations? Not sure, but I also love riding mine and cant see ever wanting to part with it, even knowing those limitations.

oddjob2

In November 2014, sold a fully refurbished 11.8'with rough paint for $275.

geachyguy

Okay, I should clarify: the more durable of the components are original. The brake pads, cables, cable housing, etc. is new. I didn't repackage the bearings, but they don't need it so I think the guy I got it from had done so recently. It really is in excellent condition. Also, I am in Minneapolis. I'm not sure how the bike market here compares to elsewhere, my impression is that prices are higher. Has anyone seen data on bike pricing by area? I guess it would be hard to quantify, since used bikes vary in condition.

I actually got the bike as a tourer, then ended up using an old hardtail mountain bike instead, because 26" wheels are so much sturdier/more available in 3rd world countries. But I do remember being surprised when I got the Voyageur that it was touted as a good touring bike, since it is lacking in a number of departments (no eyelets for a front rack, for example).

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'll wait for a nice day, ride it around one last time and take pictures of it out in the sunshine. Maybe post at $350 and see how far I have to drop.

oddjob2

As @OldsCOOL says, "the OP is watching too much American Pickers."

mstateglfr 

Ah, with new cables, housing, and brake pads- that ups the price a bit for sure. And MPL is an active vintage bike market. Really active.

The size may keep it from being a big interest, but I could see an 11.8 in solid cosmetic condition and freshly worked on selling for $250-275. It may need to sit for a few weeks or more to get that price, but eventually someone tall who wants an older road bike will come along.

When the weather gets nice, the MPL craigslist has a small but pretty consistent flow of larger framed 80s road bikes. Dont just compare your bike to other Voyageur 11.8s, but compare it to other 80s road bikes which are larger as many potential buyers wont be brand specific and if your bike is $100 over most everything else, itll sit.
Pricing it above the comparables which have sat for months may not be the best plan. Yours may have better cosmetics, but you could price yourself out of interest. If you are the same price and have better paint on your bike, you now have a reason for the buyer to pick yours.

geachyguy

what is American Pickers?

Yeah, that's a good point. I guess I was thinking I was giving myself room to negotiate downwards - I *never* pay the asking price on a CL bike. But $350 is too high, you're probably right.

nesteel 

Thread is worthless without pictures.

OldsCOOL

"Hey Frankie look, it's the Holy Grail Huffy"

robert schlatte

In 2013, I sold a completely rebuilt 1981 black 11.8 Voyageur with new aero tektro brake levers, Cascadia fenders, new chain, salsa bar tape, cables, housing, etc. for $325.

oddjob2

1/3 of the price was the Brooks B17 saddle?

robert schlatte

yes, but I didn't sell it with the brooks saddle.

geachyguy

In case anyone else comes across this thread and is curious, I ended up selling the bike for $250 (my asking price, decided I wanted to move it quicker to make room for a new one). I sold it to an ex-NBA player across the country, who paid for it to be packed and shipped to him, so he paid considerably more than $250, but I'm not sure how much. He is 7' tall and had one as a teenager, so definitely a pretty unique buyer.

It was on CL for ~1.5 months, didn't get any interest until buyer came along. I'm in Minneapolis.

jjames1452 

I sold two 25" chrome 11.8's for $200 ea. They are so cool looking that after realizing the first was too large, and selling it, I had to buy another...... go figure. Sometimes cool looking bikes come before actual good judgement. So, of course, I sold the second one as well. Both were in great original condition - and tuned for the $200. One buyer was fairly local to Central Ohio, the other from near Chicago Il. Good luck - wish they made one in 24".