sunburst

Bought this in '86 and it's mostly hung on a hook, so it's low miles. I upgraded quite a few things in the last few years, each one a big improvement over the origin. Is this a negative, value-wise? Anyway, I may do a cl sale in the spring and want to value it properly.


changes:
Easton Carbon bars, EC90(?).
Easton EA70 stem.
SRAM compact crank.
Carbon seatpost
Brooks honey B17
Campy Centaur brakes

tugrul

It's a 1987 model by the paint. What happened to the fork?



I don't think the modifications hurt the value, but it might slightly limit the audience, and they probably don't add significantly to the value.

I'm going to throw the figure $250 out there for a clean example, but the Brooks and the hot market could probably push it into the $300s. Beyond that, I think that would just be luck.

auchencrow

Its a beautiful bike - It looks to be an 87 Pro series. Very nice...
Some people don't like the Biopace cranks, so your Sram crank is a plus. So too is the overall excellent condition.
The Brooks is considered a plus too, even over the original Suede Vetta saddle by most people.
However, that stem and the replacement fork is a negative.

I would put it in the $400 ballpark.

Burton

Personally I`m not big on `vintage` and keeping things `original` - I`m far more interested in the quality and condition of the components.

But I`m in Canada too and things here are a little crazy. Here those Easton components are distributed by OGC and EC90 SLX bars (looks like thts the profile p the only other option is AERO in the EC90s) list for $270 and the EA70 stem lists for $85.

If thats Reynolds 531 cromoly then its an excellent frame. Lots of bikes are still made with cromoly and the ones with lugged frames are more expensive. The frame for a Kona Kapu lists for $999.

So if you ignore the brand and the year - I personally think its a great bike! Oh yeah - you have those frame mount shifters. Guess what? Low maintenaince! Most of the cable run doesn`t even use a cable housing! And after spending two hours removing sand from a Shimano 105 brifter leaver assembly because the owner took a spill on the beach - the last thing I`d be interested in is a $600 set of brifters.

But on the other hand, assuming the tires are good quality and in good condition - if that bike was in Montreal, I personally would be more than willing to drop $600 on it.

Some other people might be giving theirs away, but I doubt very many people put on the items you did. IMO the contact points - seat, tires and bars are important. I like what you did.

EDIT: And as an afterthought - the toe clips aren`t an issue. Most road bikes today come new with NO PEDALS.

tugrul

Damn. If you have the original bits, you might be better off putting them back on, as the market for a bike with $300 of stem and bars is narrow.

Burton

How do you feel about that minty Brooks saddle. Thats just over $100 for the cheapest version. About $300 for the top end model with titanium rails.

And we still don`t know what the rubber is. The tires and tubes on my road bike set me back over $125. Somehow I doubt he stuck Kendas on there.

Then there`s that carbon seatpost. Maybe he should post a model and brand. Same for the crankset. I`m thinking the whole package is yummy - but if it were returned to stock it wouldn`t particularly interest me.

My thinking? Strip the frame, powder coat that baby and forget who branded it originally. The whle package is pretty current if you ask me.

My own feeling is that these machines are usually underevaluated simply because many people that buy them plan on flipping them and need to leave room for profit.

auchencrow

$300? OMG. I would definitely reinstall the bars, stem and seat post (and fork) if you have them - it will help you get top dollar, and sell the crabon parts on eBay. There is always someone willing to buy that stuff.

tugrul

I'm hazarding a guess that a Brooks saddle is more well known and understood than some relatively niche handlebars and post, hence the bonus I had assigned to it.

I think you are exhibiting a level of thought and knowledge that isn't reflected by the general market.

What's wrong with the finish? If it is low mileage as stated and as it appears at a distance, "fixing" it isn't going to get a 100% return on investment.

I wasn't expecting such pricey bits really, that's my fault for not paying more attention.

If anything, this bike needs to head over to the Road forum for valuation. The C&V content of the bike is practically a minority share of the value.

catonec 

$300 tops

tmh657

+1 ^ I personally would not pay more for the bike because of the carbon bits and what did happen to the original fork? I would want to know as a buyer since it might indicate something BAD...

If you want the most $$ out of it sell the saddle separately and put a new $20 something on it.
I sold one of those in Feb 2010 in SoCal for $325. It was in VGC, new tires, bar tape and cables but had a cheap replacement saddle.

Burton

The worst possible thing you could do is try to sell this at a garage sale or advertised as an `updated` 1986 machine.

The issue is pretty obvious - most people have absolutely no idea what they`re buying or what anything is worth unless there`s a pricetag already on it. And if the mainreference you give them is the make and model of the frame - thats exactly what they`ll base their `evaluation` on.

So even the few people that know what its worth are really only interested in how little you`re willing to accept. I guess thats what you need to decide.

Interestingly enough - the latest thread in this forum seems to be a guy that wants advice on buying a 1989 Miyata 912. His plans are apparently to use the frame and forks and update the components and sell off the stock stuff.

Sounds a lot to me like the kind of project you ended up with yourself. However, as long as the bike is presented as an older `updated` bike instead of a select group of modern components on a classic frame - you`ll be trying to sell in the wrong marketplace.

Just my opinion.

Burton

When I mentioned powder coating that frame - it certainly wasn`t a suggestion that I thought the OP should do to improve the chances of selling the bike.

It was actually a personal comment indicating that this is exactly what I would do myself if I bought the bike for my own personal use and had no intention of reselling it.

Contrary to what most people might like to believe, most of the customers that buy new bikes are more interested in `pretty` than performance, and `new` rather than `quality`.

I like things that are quality items that perform well and ocassionally like to annoy a few people by demonstrating that `old` things can not only perform - they can be `pretty` too.

Drove a number of $5,000 machines this year. The technology is a little different than it was 15 years ago. That doesn`t make it `better` and it certainly doesn`t make them faster.

tenzing211

With original parts, I'd be all over that bike. With the new front end & crank the question as to What Happened? comes to mind.

sunburst

Since there was so much response to this, I'll explain the changes. I know it's a bit of a Frankenstein bike, but I was interested in performance/comfort/functionality, and was trying to keep cost reasonable. This occurred in stages as I started getting into cycling again a few years back.

Getting old, and live in a hilly area, so I put on the compact crank, SRAM Rival, and new BB - really great improvement.
Once I could climb, the brakes were an issue, so went with some Campy dual-pivot brakes I got a deal on - another big plus.
Was having RSI problems on long rides, so went with the carbon bars. Got stuck with that ugly stem, as a result (carbon bars need the large clamp area) - but got a good deal on the pair on cl.
Carbon seatpost, another cl deal. Did it just for fun (with the hope of a little vibration-damping as well).
Forks were tweaked (frame was not!) during a minor over-the-bars adventure. A good shop replaced the forks, didn't save the old ones (big mistake). Frame is 531. Tires are a nice (new) set of Michelin Krylion. And yes, it's a 560 Pro. The Brooks B17 is a huge improvement - my favorite saddle by far, and a revelation when I discovered them a few years ago (I own three B17s, three B67s, one B68).

The look of the toe clips and stem are the only things that esthetically don't work for me. That stem is soooo off.

And to address the price points people threw out, at $300 I'd put on a shorter stem and give to my son. At $600 I'd probably/maybe/if-arm-twisted sell. I've got maybe $700 (retail) in parts into it. But I upgraded it with the intention of keeping it. These changes don't make sense for resell.

sunburst

Oh yeah, one other thing I noticed. My impression is that the Trek brand gets a lot of attention. The Faggin I also asked about (separate thread) got one response asking about the tubeset (Columbia SLX?).

When I advertised for a Trek touring bike on cl last year I got 4-5 serious responses (like with stories telling me why I should sell it to them). And it was only a hybrid-style Trek, mid-90's, that a shop built with road wheels. I had put on some midge bars and it had bar-ends. It was not that special compared to this 560, in my mind at least. I honestly could never get comfortable on it. I got $450 and probably sold it way too cheap, given the response.

1saxman

Yes, TREK does get attention. I have a 1984 Trek 420 'loaded touring' that is just a dream ride - long, comfy and smooth. I was thinking about selling it earlier, but you know what? If I only ride it 50 more miles, it's worth more to me than $300, if for nothing more than the fact that I've had it for 27 years! They can throw it in the trash after I croak. Hey, is the bike in the way? Do you need the bucks that bad? Think about it.

wrk101

Wow! It took me two months to sell a mid 1990s trek hybrid for $150 around here. But it was original/stock.

It would be difficult to get $300 for that Trek 560 here, impossible to get anything close to $600. I've bought and sold quite a few vintage steel Treks in the last couple of years including a 560, but my pricing is for Hooterville. The only ones I have sold for $300 or more were touring models: a couple of vintage 520s and a 620. Everything else was well under that mark.

+1 To comments below, upgrades tend to add zero to the value of a vintage bike. More often, it is either neutral or it can even lower value, particularly of something more collectible. Best way to get value out of upgrades is to either keep the bike and ride it, or swap it back to original state. I routinely swap bikes back to original/near original configuration, as I prefer to put 8/9/10 speed wheels and STI on keeper bikes.

rothenfield1

I just came across your post and am sorry but I just scanned through the comments, so forgive me if I repeat some of what has already been said. But; I have sold a few bikes on CL in the Bay Area, and have a habit of keeping an eye out for a good deal. A couple of years ago, like most things, vintage bikes were selling for outrageous amounts. It was about that time that I sold an ’83 560 for $300. However, I was able to honestly say that the bike had been thoroughly tuned from top to bottom and what components that weren’t original had been replaced with better, yet close to same era. For example the DA hubs were probably the smoothest I’ve ever owned.

The prices of bikes in the BA seems to have stabilized, and while everyone with a gaspipe lugged bike thinks that it will sell for $250, the audience for these bikes is savvy enough to want a clean bike that works properly. IMO, you rarely get the price out of upgrading parts. That nice crank, for example, wont add much, if any, to the selling price. If you have time on your side, with Spring approaching, I think you could sell it for 250-300 from what I can see of it. Of course, there is always the chance that there is that one buyer with money that has been looking for this bike for a long time and willing to pay what it takes to get it.

Just one more thing as an example: I've had my '85 Centurion Elite RS with Tange 2 & 600 drivetrain (A very fine bike IMO) for sale at $285 for a 6 weeks with some interest, but no buyers.

sunburst

Yeah, vintage guitars were worth more a few years ago too. And that was during my peak bicycle-buying phase, although I mostly acquired vintage/trashed Peugeots that I rebuilt (five and counting). I would have been very enthusiastic about your Trek for $300.

Btw, my first bike, a Windsor, was purchased in Pacific Grove on Forest Ave many many moons ago as a starving student at MPC. Back then I owned two things, a guitar and a bike (and didn't feel like I needed much else) - simpler days.