tan115

Hello,

I live in an apartment building in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Recently, the bike storage area in the basement was cleaned and I rescued an old Benotto that was on the way to the dump. Judging from other pictures online, I think it's probably from the 40s or 50s. It has nice lugs, internal cable routing, decent parts and it surprisingly light for a city bike. It's in ok condition for it's age, but most of the chromed parts are rusty and the paint is in bad shape. The fork is also really neat; it almost looks like it has internal lugs. The leather saddle is still in good shape. The cranks are marked benotto, the brakes are benotto "super lusso" and the rear hub is marked "super grana". The saddle is marked "M P L" Milano. There is a heart shaped cutout on the back of the seat lug and I think a serial number that reads C6858. I would be grateful for any information about the bike's age, value (if any), and if it's worth restoring. Sorry for the bad pictures....i took them in a poorly lit basement.

juvela

thank you for sharing this interesting machine. it has a nice Giostra chainset. the stem and bar appear to be Schierano.

others will be able to give more information...

tan115

Thanks for the feedback. If it's worth something (say more than 100 euros), I may be inclined to sell it to someone who would enjoy restoring it. If not, I'll try to get it working for an occasional trip around town, but I don't really need more commuter bikes in my already congested storage area. Any idea on the value?

juvela

hello again tan115,

was considering the date and estimate it must be between the late forties and the mid fifties. you certainly did the right thing to save it from the trash. there are plenty of enthusiasts who would enjoy working with it.

suspect the headlamp may be an Aprilia.

do not have any ideas as to value. the fact that it is vintage Italian from a well known maker helps its value. the condition is of course a bit of a challenge. mercifully, there appears to be no damage. it is definitely worth retaining to sell.

other members can give you a good estimate as to value. value can vary widely with location. probably not many members have a good feel for the Slovenian market. one thing you could do is look for similar machines on ebay.it i found forties era Benotto town bike on there just a few weeks ago:

https://tinyurl.com/mlmu6ey

this will at least give you something to compare with.

best wishes with the cycle!

tan115

I realize this is an old thread, but I still have this bike and would be interested in getting a ballpark estimate on it's value.

tan115

Here are some better images if it helps.
Thanks.

juvela

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it may be that the serial number there on the seat lug may lead to a date through the forum's numerous Benotto experts; perhaps you could post it...


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tan115

Thanks, the serial number is C6858.

d_dutchison

Put it on ebay with a starting price of 90e and see what happens. Your local bike shop can give you a price for boxing for shipment, and you can add that plus shipping as needed,

randyjawa 

When appraising vintage bikes, I set value at what I would pay and for that old bike, I would go up to $200.00 CND which is about $153.00 US. Were I selling the bike, I would want more, perhaps even double the two hundred (inspection would help to determine that).

Not the best steed for running around town, in my opinion, but a decent restoration project. The cost to restore will run a few hundred but the result will make the expenditure worth while, from a doing point of view. Don't restore and expect the value to go up enough to cover restoration costs, though.

Just an old man's opinion and, PLEASE, do not offer the bike to me. Got more projects than Dr. Carter has Little Liver pills.

tan115

Ok, great. Thanks for the estimate and advice.