PoorStudent

I have been quoted £130 for a Peugeot Carbolite 103 bike, it has been converted to a single speed. Nisi Rims.

Is this a fair price? It seems quite expensive to me

auchencrow

Yes - It seems quite expensive to me too!


(1 Pound = $1.58)

PoorStudent

What price should it be?

wrk101

Carbolite 103 is not the model, that is the grade (low end) of tubing used. No idea on England market. Bike is NOT in what I call ready to ride condition. Needs bar tape and lever hoods, new tires, and given those items, I would assume it is going to need new bearings, grease, cables and possibly housings.

Single speed conversion? If so, that is about the lousiest SS conversion I have seen. Still has the rear derailleur hanging out in space, still has double crankset, looks like the shift cable was cut about 2 inches below the lever bosses. I would pass around here.

PoorStudent

Thanks for the reply, I don't think I will be buying the bike now... what do you think of this (seat is now installed):



? £50

auchencrow

Hi Poor student!

Here in the US few of us have ever seen a German bike -(and those that have made it over are reputed to not be very good).
I did a little Googling, and found the following comment, which I think is relevant to the bike pictured above:


Here in Germany Kalkhoff is known - but not as a maker of quality lighweight bikes. It is more like a city- and touring bike manufacturer and at one point they did not even braze their bikes themselves but just labeled frames made cheapy elsewhere. Even with german colectors Kalkhoffs are not popular. I see them a lot on trainstations as often neglected commuter bikes. The model you have seems to be outfitted with the typical mix of parts of the time (70ies to 80ies) for cheap bikes which were produced to look like racing bikes but were heavy and not racy at all. Mostly bought for young kids and being really budget bikes.


So I would be inclined to pass on the Kalkhoff - and 50 Pounds would seem especially out of line for one without a saddle or seat post. ( Good luck finding a seat post to fit it ! )

So where are you located? I am assuming the UK? I would think there would be a virtual treasure trove of great old English bikes available to you there!

PoorStudent

Thanks for the reply, the seller said the seat would be installed if I decided to buy it but it still seems too expensive.

I do live in the UK, I just don't know where to look to find good vintage bikes

auchencrow

I was just perusing London's Craigslist - and I see what you mean.

I would suggest distributing "Wanted To Buy- Old British Bicycles" flyers to your neighbors.
(- An older, more established neighborhood preferably, where folks may have a beautiful old Raleigh, Dawes or Mercian hanging from their attic rafters. )

wrk101

Another place is ebay, preferably bikes for sale with local pickup option, or local pickup only. C/L is very active in the US, but not in England. Find out where people are advertising their stuff.

As always, word of mouth (let everyone know you are looking for a bike) works best. Network, network, network.

Did a quick check of ebay UK. Lots of potential local pickup only bikes there. Over 1200 racing bikes for sale alone. I looked at a couple of pages of them, saw 30 to 40 I would be bidding on if I lived in the UK.

robbied196

Hi PoorStudent, I'm in the UK as well If your looking far a vintage racer I'd start with your local paper or newsagent windows, its suprising what can turn up. Unless your really lucky, Ebay tend to command top prices for anything vintage, but occasionally a bargain slips through the net. If your looking for vintage though, be prepared to do some mechanical work especially if your looking not to spend much. The cheaper bikes tend to have been in a shed for 20 years and usually need new tyres, gear adjusting and lubrication. These sort of bikes you should be looking around £20 - £30, I bought a nice 30 year old Dawes for £30 last year, popped two new tyres on and used it with no problems for 6 months. You should be able to track down a good roadworthy, mid market vintage with a budget of £80. Good luck with your search.

PoorStudent

Thanks for the advice, if I find another bike I like and I need valuations I will post in this thread again!

I'm actually living in London, if anyone on here has a bike they might like to sell then please post in this thread/ message me.

robbied196

Google 'London Fixed-gear and Single-speed' I know you may not want fixed or single gear, but they have a Classifieds section in their forum where you could post a wanted ad.

rpf

Hi poor student ,

I had a quick look , out of interest at the London Gumtree listings. And there is frankly, a lot of bad stuff on there so beware. But you do get the odd vintage gem from it also.

This one has a bit of promise, potentially. Although I would be happier with a model number or a better photo to ID it.

But If this has a 531 frame your stealing it and a 501 frame at maybe 20 quid less you are also stealing it I think this is a 70-80 quid haggle right here. If it's one of the cheaper , entry level Dawes without the benefit of Reynolds tubing perhaps leave it though.



https://www.gumtree.com/london/47/73048147.html