anixi

Found a frame on CL, from the mid-80's, what is it worth?

anixi

Vintage mid-80's Tommasini lugged columbus SP steel frame & fork in used but very good condition. Measures 58 c-t, hand built in italy with chromed fork, italian BB, 1 inch threaded fork, braze on FD. Some paint chips but no dents. Tracks straight, very nice ride. Would trade for cyclocross frame/fork in same size.

gomango

Are you buying this or selling this?

Or trade only?

anixi

Interested in buying to build up and sell. It is 2cm too short for myself.

randyjawa 

That might be a good idea only if you get the frame for an incredibly good price and already have the components for the bike, and I do not mean just any components.

The frame, built up with the right stuff, will create a bicycle worth quite a few dollars, but chances are the high price will reduce the number of interested buyers and do so dramatically.

Building the frame with a mis-match of stuff, or even an inappropriate component group, will probably lower the value of the frame, believe it or not. This is a complicated story, but it is, none the less, pretty accurate, in my experience.

I have a Tommasini and it has a beautiful frame set. If I were to sell it, I would want $600.00 for the frame and fork. Hanging a Campy group on the bike, either Nouvo or Super record, will set you back another $400 to $500, putting your total over a grand. How much do you hope to make on the bike? Even if you only hope to make 10%, then your target market will be people willing to spend more than $1200.00 for an old bicycle and, believe me, that is a pretty small and picky crowd, these days.

So, what is the value of the frame? To me, $600.00, if selling. When buying, I would pay up to $200.00 and no more, but that is just me and I get most of my bikes at the Dump.

anixi

Randy,
I know a smidgen of what you speak. I checked EBay and the Tommasinis fully built up are asking over $1500, and they're NOT selling at all. If I do get the frame, I would hope to pay less than $200, put Shimano 7400 on it, have almost all the parts except the wheelset. I'm really not at all sure what wheelset is appropriate. If I do get a wheelset, and it's used, it would probably not be over $150 total, then I have to get the cassette, another $50 at least. STIs would be quite expensive if new, but, a nice used DA might not be. That would make my investment close to $600, maybe more. The selling price, like you say, would certainly not be $1200 for used bits. More like $750, to the perfect buyer. I would make maybe $150, best case! Not sure it's really worth all the effort.

randyjawa 

You forgot to factor in the fun factor, and the help someone else find a nice bike factor, and the opportunity to learn factor...

The point is, doing this for money is not the best way to enjoy doing this. By "this", I mean finding, building, riding and then, sadly, letting gorgeous old road bikes go. Every once in a while, something that qualifies a "keeper" presents itself, and that is the reward that beats the heck out of any $$$ earned, in my opinion.

Of course, it is nice to make $150.00, now and again;-)

wrk101

+1 One false economy I often trip myself up on is using "free" or low cost parts from my bin. Even if the part did not cost me much, if the parts are valuable, then that is really what I am consuming. So those 7400 parts probably have quite a bit of value, you have the choice of selling the parts to make $$, or putting them on a frame and IMHO, making less.

Do I do that? Sure, too ofen. The higher I get up the food chain on either component grade or frameset, the less likely I am to do it, unless it is a keeper, then I do it.


Most likely, the big "profit" would come from just reselling the frameset. If you pick up the frameset for $200, using your analysis, I think the profit on the frameset would be the same as the profit on the build, with a lot less risk (tying up less $$). I always consider risk as part of the flip decision. If I pick up something for $50, and it does not work out as planned, I very likely can at least get my $50 back out of it in parts, and the worst case, I write off $50. If I pick up something for $500, and it does not work out as planned, I can lose quite a bit. And here, its a lot easier to find a customer for a $200 bike, than finding one for a $750 bike. Night and day really.

anixi

Fun factor aside, Randy and Bill, the sad fact is that the economy is in shambles. If it were better, I would be really excited to start the project. Of course, if the economy were in better shape, that frame would be selling for $500!

zukahn1 

I think money wise you would make as much or more just selling 7400 stuff. Even if you get the frame for a good price like $200 and use the 7400 stuff your likely looking at another close to another $200 in parts and another $200 at least to build up a appropiate wheel set with tires and cassette for this bike to do it right. So You would be spending in the niegborhood of $600 plus whatever the 7400 stuff costs is worth and your time and labor.

anixi

Oh, well, the point is moot now. SWMBO has vetoed the frame purchase. Nice frame though!