Gartenmeister

What we have here is a 1989 Specialized Rock Combo- an early attempt at a drop bar MTB. It has the BB1 bar, Suntour Bar-cons, and I think everything on it is original except for the tires, tape and saddle. I think it is the medium size, 19.5. It has lots of cosmetic injury but functions ok. I picked it up recently in really, really rough shape.....dirt, grime and rust to say the least. Spent a few hours cleaning it up and adjusting it, only to find out I don't really like riding it.

Anyway, it is a $50 bike at best around here.....and that's with the $40 of new tires and saddle I put on it! However, I noticed (much to my surprise) that one sold on e-Bay recently- auction 121119172704. I can't tell for what price due to e-Bay hiding it, but I am really interested in opinions of what the online market will bear on something like this. Particularly if anyone here has actually bought or sold one of these. I know they are not common bikes; but this one is not in great shape....but then again neither was the e-Bay one.

Additionally, I am interested in opinions on the value of parts/components....is there anything in there that would make parting it out more lucrative?

If it was yours.....what would you do with it.....??

Thanks in advance.

randyjawa 

Vintage Bicycle Value is not just about the bicycle. It is about location, size, market skill and, certainly, condition of the bicycle. Finally, there is an element of luck involved. That said...

I have recently gotten into vintage mountain bikes, hybrids and cross bicycles. The values are beginning to be defined and some old mtn, cross or hybrid bikes are fetching $350+, but not too many just yet. So...

If you market your bike well (good pictures, good description and timely complete answers to all emails - etc), you should do well, garnering $250 - $350. However, to achieve that value, you might have to exercise patience and wait for just the right buyer to come along.

frantik

in my market (SF Bay Area) someone had one of those bikes originally listed around 200 and they apparently were accosted with buyers because they kept changing their ad and basically said "best offer takes it and make it a good offer"

it has more value as a whole bike than the parts

Fred Smedley

Someone has been trying to move one here on cl for $250 for at least six months. I guess location does matter.

FastJake

IMO it's a cool bike, and pretty rare. There are very few models that are even in the same category. There was one on the local C/L a couple years back and I wanted to buy it but honestly had no use for it. That and the Suntour indexed components turned me off. Other buyers might think the same. FWIW the one I saw was listed at $250 (?) and it sold in about a week or less.

$50 is definitely WAY too low.

bikemig 

Agreed that it's a cool bike. You might take a shot at selling it on this site for a price you think is fair. You won't get top dollar but I'll bet there will be some interest in that bike.

Here's some info on the bike: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ized-RockCombo

Gartenmeister

Thanks guys for all the replies, they help a lot. I am going to continue to clean this rig up and eventually offer it up for sale. I am well-established on e-Bay, have bought many bikes though I have never sold one (on e-Bay). I am interested in getting started as I have a few others to offer as well.

One more question, do you think would it be worthwhile to get an original-ish saddle for the RockCombo, and replace the tape? Probably cost me $50 for an old Turbo and $15 for tape.....worth the investment?

thinktubes 

nope. $5 seat, $5 bartape - black for both.

In reality, changing either item will have very little effect on the price. The seat that's on there now is worth $50 and should be sold seperately.

frantik

is it possible to get bar tape for $5 without buying in bulk? locally i can get it for about $10

Gartenmeister

Well, ok...I can do black and cheap, no problem. I just wondered if I ought to make these bits more "correct." The original saddle was a Selle Italia Turbo, and the tape was white Bike Ribbon with what appear to be gray hoods. All of which can be easily found.

BTW, the brown saddle is just a cheapie.

Thanks again everyone.

zukahn1 

+1 cheap near zero options bar tape are out there.

frantik

right, i was just thinking about OP's case, where he isn't a flipper so he doesnt have rolls of tape on hand

Lascauxcaveman 

Don't worry too much about "original," that's more important on bikes with notable pedigrees. This bike, while interesting as niche product and probably very useful as a bicycle, doesn't fall any where near that category. Buyers are going to change all that stuff to what they like after they take possession. If that brown cheapie saddle is one that your heinie is very fond of, keep it for yourself and slap on whatever you can find (preferably in black). I would say even just leave the old bar tape on, except for it's incredibly hideous looking and may be a bit of a sales deterrent.

If you were in my neighborhood, I'd be interested in that bike and would pay at least $200, if everything checked out and I liked the way it fits and rides. However, it looks just a bit small for me.

KevDub

hi there,
is this bike gone already?
i would LOVE to buy it.
cheers,
kevin

oddjob2

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-SPEC...item338859d9dd

KevDub

thanks, guys! i missed the auction but will keep looking!

Gartenmeister

I am the OP from this thread. I still have the bike and will be getting it cleaned up and sent to eBay sometime in the next couple months.

repechage

Yes, best to wait a while and let the negative karma Specialized scooped up recently subside.

Germany_chris

Can you let us/me know when it hit's ebay?

Gartenmeister

Sure.

Thumpic

White tape and saddle....gumwall street tires....craigslist for $300......

KevDub

looking forward to that! give us all a shout, please!

Belg-Ital Steel 

I have one, not my favorite bike, but does lots of different types of riding..all ok. I'd want more than $50 for mine.

Gartenmeister

As requested. e-Bay # 151267114106

kbobb

I have 7 of them now and at one point owned two in 1989 that were stolen.
The story of the Rock Combo is available if you are interested. I found the original designer and the thought process behind it.
About 6 years ago I saw the X0 from Bridgestone going above 2k and thought that was ridiculous, but if collectors are looking for a limited run of a "quirk" for the time, (500 built in 1989 only) I better hedge my thoughts..


kbobb