Raleigh Whazzit
06-17-09, 06:33 PM
#1
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Raleigh Whazzit
hello group
Looks like I've a lot to learn...
I was gathering stuff for my .orgs' garage sale,and was intent on degreasing this beater that
bought from a farmer to ride with my kids 15 years ago. Thinking it was just a sturdy Frankenbike to use for errands. When I started cleaning I saw .."Nottingham",,,went to the web and found you guys. Now I feel obliged to clean this up. It looks most similar to late 50's pix , has a swiss
Pletscher newspaper carrier,5 speed Suntour gear, 27" wheels. Can someone ID this ? How much looks original? "As- is" value estimate to buyers ? I adjust the brakes just a bit, grease the chain, and most of the scratches and crud were there all along. Almost let this go, now I'd like to rebuild it. Is the shade of metallic green OEM ( I doubt) or does it need to be stripped and relacquered? Thanks for advice. (I thought I'd be cleaning up another 16 year old Kmart/Ross bike my adult son left behind.)
CS in Cicero NY
Looks like I've a lot to learn...
I was gathering stuff for my .orgs' garage sale,and was intent on degreasing this beater that
bought from a farmer to ride with my kids 15 years ago. Thinking it was just a sturdy Frankenbike to use for errands. When I started cleaning I saw .."Nottingham",,,went to the web and found you guys. Now I feel obliged to clean this up. It looks most similar to late 50's pix , has a swiss
Pletscher newspaper carrier,5 speed Suntour gear, 27" wheels. Can someone ID this ? How much looks original? "As- is" value estimate to buyers ? I adjust the brakes just a bit, grease the chain, and most of the scratches and crud were there all along. Almost let this go, now I'd like to rebuild it. Is the shade of metallic green OEM ( I doubt) or does it need to be stripped and relacquered? Thanks for advice. (I thought I'd be cleaning up another 16 year old Kmart/Ross bike my adult son left behind.)
CS in Cicero NY
06-17-09, 08:37 PM
#2
Thrifty Bill
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Looks like a basic model, perhaps a Record or similar. Stem shifters, steel rims, nutted axles (no quick release levers), and cottered steel crank are all signs of an entry level bike.
Be careful not to put too much into it. Take pics from the drive side (the side with the chain). Any Suntour components (and other brands as well) will have date codes. You can look them up on the vintage Trek site. Yes, I know your bike is not a Trek, it does not matter. You are looking for Suntour codes (its not a Suntour site either). If you do all the work yourself, and shop carefully for parts, you can do a lot to a bike for $40. I commonly spend less than $30 on parts to rehab a bike, including new tires, tubes, cables, replace bearings, and basic lubrication.
Unless the paint is really bad, painting an old bike does not work out financially. A really good paint job will cost you $100 or more, and then you have to buy replacement decals. Rattle can (spray paint) paint jobs are usually marginal at best, unless you are really good. And then you still have the issue of decals. Paint in your pics looks pretty decent. Get some Simple Green and WD40 and it will clean up well.
Unless you are in a red hot bicycle market, As-Is it will have very little value, maybe $25. Most buyers want bikes that are ready to ride, not projects. Those of us that look for projects expect a healthy discount to justify the time, effort, and parts needed to rehab the bike. I bought a similar vintage Raleigh Record project last year for $5. Totally cleaned up and ready to ride, it was a $100 bike (you can see why painting wouldn't work out financially).
And if you pay someone to do the work, the numbers rarely work out. Shops around here would charge $200 to $250 to fully rehab a bike like that one. Shops have overhead to cover, and employees to pay.
Be careful not to put too much into it. Take pics from the drive side (the side with the chain). Any Suntour components (and other brands as well) will have date codes. You can look them up on the vintage Trek site. Yes, I know your bike is not a Trek, it does not matter. You are looking for Suntour codes (its not a Suntour site either). If you do all the work yourself, and shop carefully for parts, you can do a lot to a bike for $40. I commonly spend less than $30 on parts to rehab a bike, including new tires, tubes, cables, replace bearings, and basic lubrication.
Unless the paint is really bad, painting an old bike does not work out financially. A really good paint job will cost you $100 or more, and then you have to buy replacement decals. Rattle can (spray paint) paint jobs are usually marginal at best, unless you are really good. And then you still have the issue of decals. Paint in your pics looks pretty decent. Get some Simple Green and WD40 and it will clean up well.
Unless you are in a red hot bicycle market, As-Is it will have very little value, maybe $25. Most buyers want bikes that are ready to ride, not projects. Those of us that look for projects expect a healthy discount to justify the time, effort, and parts needed to rehab the bike. I bought a similar vintage Raleigh Record project last year for $5. Totally cleaned up and ready to ride, it was a $100 bike (you can see why painting wouldn't work out financially).
And if you pay someone to do the work, the numbers rarely work out. Shops around here would charge $200 to $250 to fully rehab a bike like that one. Shops have overhead to cover, and employees to pay.
Last edited by wrk101; 06-17-09 at 08:46 PM. Reason: comment
06-17-09, 08:39 PM
#3
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I'll put a bet that it was once a Raleigh Sprite.
-Kurt
-Kurt
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