Brandon286

I recently purchased these 3 bikes as kind of a christmas gift to myself. The first is a Fuji S12-S that I am not sure of the year, but I paid 50 bucks for it, and it was in good shape with new tires and a new bontrager seat. I completely took it down to bare frame and overhauled all the parts, and tuned those pesky downtube shifters which took a while. The bike was already painted flat black when I got it, and I am still in the process of finishing up working on it (brakes, handlebar tape etc.) I really like it.





These next 2 I picked up off Craigslist last night, I got both of them as a package deal for 180. They are in extremely good shape for being 20 years old, but just need new tires and a bath, and that's it. I dont think I need to be as drastic and overhaul them like I did the Fuji. The Cannondale is a 3.0, and the Trek is a 1100. I dont know much more than that, but if someone could tell me some more about them and how much they are really worth I would love to know. I think for 180 I got a hell of a deal, considering old crappy schwinns and wal mart bikes go for 150 on CL most of the time, and these were at some point bike store quality bikes. Hope you enjoy and I would love to see some feedback. Cheers!









NOTE: I was told that these may be undersized for my height (6' 2") but the previous owner is the same height and claimed to have raced these bikes at some point.( IDK) The reasoning behind the undersized comment is that the stems and saddles are too far out. I am new to all of this so I wouldnt know. Help on that would be awesome as well. I am comfortable on all of these bikes honestly.

cb400bill

Did you buy them to ride or to resell?

Brandon286

I would really like to keep them, but if they wont serve me any good, then yes I would resell them.

Dyermaker

Looks like a Brooks Pro on the C-Dale.

Score.

wrk101

Only the S12S is about your size. The other two bikes are for someone about 5-9. In my market, all three are great finds, and the Cannondale is probably the best. I would remove that seat off the Cannondale and replace with something generic, as that seat alone is probably worth $75 plus, and would not get you a dime more for the bike on resale. Reselling that seat alone would almost cover what you paid for the Cannondale! Nothing better than flipping a free bike. I pick up good clean road seats for about $2 at thrift stores all the time. Picked up four last week.

Too bad the decals and original paint are gone on the Fuji. Around here, that would knock the price down quite a bit. Still at $50 its a good buy.

Brandon286

so should I sell the 2 I just got and keep the fuji? Theres no way I could ride these safely?

and whats a good asking price for the 2 I just got, minus the brooks saddle?

wrk101

If you want to ride a bike that totally does not fit, I guess you could. There are people that do it out there. Of course, their backs hurt, their knees hurt, etc.

As a practical matter, the Trek and Cannondale have the most value anyway, so if you are being a thrifty rider, keep the cheapest one, which just happens to be the only one that fits, and sell the other two.

Selling price is all about condition, the key words are "ready to ride" and "spotless". On the Cannondale, I would change out the seat, remove the seat bag, and change out the bottle cage and bar tape (it looks tired to me). I buy bar tape in bulk, less than $3 per bike so for a minimal expense, it can make a bike really look finished. And similar bartape is sold by my local dealer for $15 to $20, so it adds value. I would use a generic silver bottle cage, I get them for less than $2. Then I would use a polishing compound (Walmart sells it in the auto section) to clean up the paint and frame. I would use soft scrub or similar to clean up the brake lever hoods. Air up the tires, if the cables are rusty, replace them. Anything worn or tattered will depress your price significantly. If the tubes leak, they need to go. And the tires need to match and look newish (they do in the pictures).

I would do a similar cleanup on the Trek.

I would sell the Cannondale around here for $275, and the Trek for $250 (in pristine, ready to ride condition). Not sure of the size of the Trek, if it has a 19 inch frame, I would sell it for a little more as small frames sell at a premium.

And to sell anything on Craigs List or ebay, you need to do a good/great job marketing your product, with great pictures (full size, not the small C/L crap). I have seen the same bike sell on ebay for 3X higher at the same time just due to great marketing. Getting full market price is not automatic.

If you are going to flip a bike, IMHO, you have to look at how you add value to the bike. Value is added by cleanup, minor maintenance, and superb marketing.

junkfoodjunkie

Great Advice!

Brandon286

does the saddle height and stem height have any effects on the way the bikes are right now if I choose to ride them?

junkfoodjunkie

There are lots of good resources on fit, and almost all are different. In short the saddle height should be positioned so your knee is slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. That is why riding a bike that is too small usually results in discomfort. It leaves you having to reach down much further than desirable for most. There are ways around this, but in my opinion it would be easier to sell off the bikes and get something that fits. With the cash from the sales, if done well, you could score a really nice vintage bike. If you do a search for bike fit you should come up with plenty info.

Jake

big_heineken

What do you mean "pesky downtube shifters"? I'm pretty sure they are easier to "tune" than brifters. Usually the derailleurs need more adjusting than the shifters.

mainducoyote

The Trek is way too small, for someone 5'7'' max

dit

If I were you I would not reject the Cannondale so fast. It appears to be about a 60cm to me and may fit you OK. You will find it to be a quick handling and responsive bike. If I find one in my size for what you paid for it I would jump on it. They are stiff and somewhat harsh riding. I had a 60cm SR500 that I liked but was too large for me so I sold it. I still hope to find one in my size.

Brandon286

Yeah, the Cannondale is a keeper. The Trek is up for discussion. The previous owner said the Cdale was 33" inches from the BB to the TT. The Trek however is a bit smaller, but he said he used it as well, it was just a bit less comfortable for long hauls but good for sprints around the neighborhood. I didnt measure it yet because ive got it at a buddys place right now. Regarless the guy rode it for a long time before he sold it to me, its in awesome shape, considered a classic accoring to allcdale.com. My only concern however is that I was told the frame looks like it was undersized for the previous rider, because of how far the seat post and stem are out of the frame. Any ideas?

USAZorro

What are those inelegant divots on the chainstays of the Cannondale. Is that normal, or is it damage?

Brandon286

thats not a dent, its supposed to be there. I dont know why, but I looked up several other bikes and they all have it, on both sides.

USAZorro

I've heard those ride pretty well, but that's too much of an ugly duckling for my tastes. I'd strip it and sell the frame. Call me shallow if you like, but the size, stiffness and looks are strikes one, two and three in my book. It's fine if you like it like it, and you did quite well to get it for that price.

Brandon286

I like it alot, I was originally going for the Cdale at 150 but he said he would throw the Trek in for another 30 so I couldnt pass that up.

EjustE

That Cannondale is 54 or 56 max. (also it appears to be a 1990 model). The serial number should be on the bottom of the non-drive size chain stay. The second and third digits are the size...

This is the size of a 1990 cannondale head tube on a 60 inch frame:



as far as the chain stay divots go (2 on the outsize on drive side and 1 on the non-drive side; and 1 each on the inside of both drive and non-drive) are features on the frame. These bad boys have oversized aluminum stays and the divots are necessary on outside of the drive side for chain clearance and on the inside for tire clearance.



Not sure about the function of the outside divets on both sides further from the BB...

RFC

I declare Thrifty Bill's quotes in this thread gospel. It's time for a Thrifty Bill Primer on bike flipping. I sold one Bianci with a black Turbo before I realized that nobody I was selling to gave a rats ass that it was a Turbo and anything would have done (thus the low grade saddles on bikes I have purchased). And, if they are good, don't forget to trade out the pedals, seat posts, and stems.

Brandon286

i think ill squeeze onto that Cdale for just a while haha, the more i look at it the happier it makes me that i now have it in my posession.

wrk101

Thanks! I have learned this lesson the hard way myself.

thrifty bill

Brandon286

Finished up some work on the Fuji tonight, and took a pic of me on the Dale. I look so damn big, but am 100% comfortable, weird. This isnt my place btw so disregard the mess and such.

RFC

I think you look fine. As long as the bike is in your general comfort range, on the small side is OK.

EjustE

Too small a ST, one can deal with (I actually like to ride about 2 sizes too small to get a nice compact TT)...but... those cannondales have what they called "Criterium Geometry" and their TTs were much smaller proportionately than their ST. Give it a shot, but you might want to pull your saddle as back as possible on the rails and get a huge stem to make it happen...