Motobecane Grand Jubilee
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Motobecane Grand Jubilee
I could get this one for $150 or maybe a bit less. I think t's a 1978 w Vitus frame. Way too big for me so it would be a flip. Original owner says not much use, and appears to be mostly or all original. Would need new tires at least. Is it worth the effort?

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In my area, there isn't much flip room left after your initial purchase and needing tires, etc.
I'd pass.
I'd pass.
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Ditto. In my market, after putting 4 to 6 hours into it, and another $75 in consumables, I might get $150 for it, $175 tops. I am seeing some really nice stuff right now under $100.
Prices of finished projects are DOWN, prices on consumables are UP. It's the classic squeeze play. I prefer to avoid it.
The one really nice thing on that era Motobecane is they used a lot of Japanese parts. So it might have come with first generation Cyclone (if not, Vx GT which is nice too), forged French sized stem, nice crankset, possibly Japanese made Swiss threaded BB, decent French sized headset.
The last similar Motobecane I bought was $50. At that price point, it was a no brainer.
Are you selling any vintage down tube shifter bikes for $200 or more? That used to be the price point, no more.
Prices of finished projects are DOWN, prices on consumables are UP. It's the classic squeeze play. I prefer to avoid it.
The one really nice thing on that era Motobecane is they used a lot of Japanese parts. So it might have come with first generation Cyclone (if not, Vx GT which is nice too), forged French sized stem, nice crankset, possibly Japanese made Swiss threaded BB, decent French sized headset.
The last similar Motobecane I bought was $50. At that price point, it was a no brainer.
Are you selling any vintage down tube shifter bikes for $200 or more? That used to be the price point, no more.
Last edited by wrk101; 05-25-23 at 12:11 PM.
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I agree with most of the sentiments. I have one in the opposite color scheme, mostly red. Mine was in excellent condition and I paid $140 for it, if I remember correctly. I love, love it. No room for profit at that price.
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A set of tires that would look good on this bike would run $60 minimum right now and fixed up fully serviced ready to ride $250 or so is the most I could see this one going for so no real room for flip on this one at nearly any price. You would need to get it for basically free for it to make sense and then it would only be OK deal.
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Don't waste your time. I myself would grab it for $75 to $100 to recondition, modify (bar-cons, etc.) and ride. Motobecanes are great bikes, the Grand Jubilee is a great model, '78 was a great model year, and it's my size. The market around me is way softer than a marshmallow right now. You might see similar bikes cleaned up for $400, but they aren't selling. They are constantly reposted over and over again. You don't even see them selling for $150. On the other hand, you don't even see many decent vintage bikes like that for sale. I binged on a tsunami.of really crazy deals on upper mid-range bikes last year, and I'm hoping all bikes my size stay in the $400 range.
Last edited by cycleheimer; 05-26-23 at 05:11 AM.
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