Kuwahara Vintage Roadbike hoarder find!
#1
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Kuwahara Vintage Roadbike hoarder find!
Bear with me! Total biking newbie here but my partner is quite into bikes. We’ve found ourselves stranded in our hometown so we went in search of summer bikes yesterday. We left our road bikes in Toronto, expecting to be home by now.
Picked up a ‘87 Peugeot Chenonceaux in great shape, and a ?? Raleigh Team-Record? Don’t know much about the quality of either bike, the Peugeot just fit my girlfriend perfectly and I wanted something to tinker around with so I settled on the Raleigh.
Brought them both to a local shop for tune-ups and to my bad luck, saw a bike sitting there that I know my partner would adore and it’s the perfect size/style. HOWEVER, I have no idea what to look for quality wise and I’m worried about overpaying. It was brought in by a family member of a hoarder, apparently it’s been sitting in their basement for about 30 years? I’ve never heard of the brand for road bikes and I’ve never paid over 300$ for a bike, so I feel out of my depth. It’s listed for 1000 but they said they could do 875.
Picked up a ‘87 Peugeot Chenonceaux in great shape, and a ?? Raleigh Team-Record? Don’t know much about the quality of either bike, the Peugeot just fit my girlfriend perfectly and I wanted something to tinker around with so I settled on the Raleigh.
Brought them both to a local shop for tune-ups and to my bad luck, saw a bike sitting there that I know my partner would adore and it’s the perfect size/style. HOWEVER, I have no idea what to look for quality wise and I’m worried about overpaying. It was brought in by a family member of a hoarder, apparently it’s been sitting in their basement for about 30 years? I’ve never heard of the brand for road bikes and I’ve never paid over 300$ for a bike, so I feel out of my depth. It’s listed for 1000 but they said they could do 875.
Last edited by sabesthebabe; 05-10-20 at 10:19 PM.
#2
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Here is the link to the album with your photos: https://www.bikeforums.net/g/album/17783692
I don't know anything about the bikes to provide an opinion.
I don't know anything about the bikes to provide an opinion.
#3
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IMHO....Way, Way to high a price.... the Raleigh is HT steel and the Kuwahara does not appear that special to me, others will chime in.
You also need to take better pics, close-ups as well as the entire bike from the drive side for a better valuation.
For a 1000.00, you certainly can find something a little more special/classic.
Here is a BF link for you Kuwahara 12-speed road bike
Ben
You also need to take better pics, close-ups as well as the entire bike from the drive side for a better valuation.
For a 1000.00, you certainly can find something a little more special/classic.
Here is a BF link for you Kuwahara 12-speed road bike
Ben
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Even at $875 CND it is way too much. In my book, I would go as high as $200 in most Canadian cities and up to $300 in the vintage bicycle hot markets. Keep looking and, with patience, you will find a bike that you will love. And, you will come to understand the concept of N+1 and how much fun the hunt (for another old road bike) can be.
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Agreed, the Kuwahara isn't worth 1/2 the asking price even in the GTA. Is you "partner" different than your "girlfriend" because the Peugeot and Kuwahara are vastly different sizes.
#6
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Vintage Kuwahara bikes can be nice items. They were a contract builder for Schwinn and many others. But, I don't ever remember seeing one that would command more than a few hundred dollars. Some of their best bikes were sold under the name Apollo. And, a really fine condition Apollo is only going to go for around $300 US.
#7
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For a grand wait for another REI sale and buy modern!
That's what I will do.
That's what I will do.