serpentaria

Today I purchased a couple of vintage bikes and need your help in determining if I got ripped off

The first bike is a 1984 Trek 510. The components aren't original. Basically, I think I was paying for the frame, which is fine because I planned on upgrading the rest of the bike.

The other purchase was a Romani frame. I've searched around and found very little information on this brand, so any more would be much appreciated. Pictures of the Romani frame can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9565951...ream/lightbox/

I payed $500 for both the Romani frame and the Trek 510. So, did I get ripped off or was a decent price, or did I get a deal?

Thanks in advance.

thinktubes 

Getting a BMZ vibe off the Romoni. Is there a BMZ stamped on the BB?

FastJake

+1 From your description I might put the value of the Trek at $200 or less. So if you don't mind paying $300 for that Romani frame you did ok. Maybe overpaid a bit but not ripped off by any means.

serpentaria

Thanks for the replies.

I figured it was a bit high, but I am still happy with the purchase. They wanted $275 for the Trek and $300 for the frame and asked if I could get both for $500. Anyway, they both seem like nice frames, or at least nicer than my old Motobecane Mirage Single Speed (which was still a decent bike).

I could not locate a BMZ stamped on the BB. I'm sort of at a loss with this frame. I've searched extensively online for any information regarding this bike, and although I've found people with the same looking frame, decals and all, the fork seems to be different, where theirs is all blue, whereas mine has the chrome crown.

From the decal it seems like it is made of Reynolds. I found a post on another forum mentioned that it was probably Reynolds 520, but again, the decal is so faded and stripped away, that it's impossible to tell.

Since my knowledge of bicycle mechanics is, at this point, very limited, I've no idea how to start building the Romani up. I want to turn it into a single speed, but am not sure where to start as far as what kind of threads I need etc. Any help would be much appreciated, as I continue perusing the forums for more info.

Thanks again.

serpentaria

I like to think that I am pretty resourceful. Armed with this forum, CL and the local bike shop, I think that I might be able to hunt down some parts for cheap(er). Already found a good Mavic Aksium wheelset for around $100. Since the Trek is already ride-able, I'll be using that for commuting as I learn more about this Romani frameset and begin to build it up over the next month or so. The money isn't a huge issue, but since the frame cost me around $300 already, I think I may be able to put together a decent SS with another $200 - $250 more? We'll see I guess.

FastJake

That's a classic Reynolds 531 decal. I'm not sure why, but virtually all of them fall apart with age. I can make out the '3' so it's definitely 531.

Edit per below: to clarify, I was identifying the Romani to be 531. The Trek should be 501.

bent-not-broken

1984 Trek 510 should be Reynolds 501 per the Trek Brochure