chrisarnt

First let me say that I am posting this here because you guys and gals know more than I do or ever will.

That being said, please don't mock or ridicule me. Even though I know this comes with the territory it's not cool.

It really is a compliment to all of you that I would ask your advice.

I love these old bikes and have been wanting to set up a vintage single speed to cruise around on for years.

But, tax season is upon us soon and I need to pay the bills.

I measured from the center of the crank to the top of the seat tube it's 60cm. This seems large.

The frame is nice lugged steel frame
It shifts through the gears and has very light surface rust on the chain.
The rear tire is in good shape, the front is crusty.
The front rim has grippy bumps on the side for extra braking (I suppose) and is rounded more so that the rear.
The seat is a Norex 39, but is pretty dry.
The brake handles and calipers are Mafac
Rear derailleur is Sunrace
Tube shifter is implex as is the front derailleur

That's what I can tell from looking at it.

I was thinking of hitting up the chrome with a little nev-r-dull polishing wool to minimize the surface rust, oil the chain, and just wipe down the rest.

What say you?

jj1091

It should be a 1977-1978 UO-8 model (see cyclespeugeot.com for how to date it). If you're wanting to sell it, show as many pics in your ad as you can, and always show the drive side (side with the chainrings) first. It looks to be fairly original with the exception of the replaced rear wheel as you noted. I never sell a bike unless it's rideable, so the rear tire may need replacing if the sidewall is coming off. In my area, I might get $125 for it if it was clean, serviced, and ready to ride, so if you're looking for quick cash, do as little as possible and expect a lower selling price. There's tons of those bikes available.

lostarchitect 

If you are trying to make a quick buck without spending too much, I'd change the tires to something new but cheap, and put new bar tape on. Beyond that I would clean it up, lube the chain, etc, and hope for the best.

zukahn1

As others have said pretty basic late 70's UO-8 in fairly good condition that really needs tires to be readily sellable. Clean it up a bit and put some cheap new tires on it and you should get $125-150. Sold as is probably only $75 or so.

randyjawa 

There are issues with French bicycles and, at times, those issues make building and keeping a bike on the road a bit difficult, in my opinion. That said...

Most French bicycles, that I have owned, were and are great riding machines. This old Motobe is one of my favorite bikes...



As for value, cleaned up $150 sounds close, as is - $100, in my opinion. Personally, I doubt that you will recoup the cost to put the bike in safe, road worthy and dependable condition. I assume, of course, that you would want to do that before selling the bike, unless sold as is.

oddjob2

Spend $25 on a pair of Kenda 27" gumwalls, ROI is great.

Katiesmalls

what USA region are you in?

RoadGuy

The frame doesn't look bad, but the expendables are a mess.

Needs front and rear tires (and tubes), brake housings, bar tape, and seat before you can even think about riding it.

May need inner brake cables, and chain (can't see details here).

You won't get any additional money out of fixing it, but you might find it easier to sell.

If you need money, it doesn't make any sense to invest another $75-100 to fix the problems, just to turn around and sell it for $150-$175. Just throw it on Craigslist for $75-$100, and settle for $50-$75 cash.

boatmeadow

Thanks for the recommendation - just ordered the Kendas.

FastJake

This. Clean it, oil the chain, put the new tires on, and sell it as-is. I'd expect to get about $75 for it after that work is done.

ramzilla

It's a nice pretty color for a bike. And, the frame looks decent. As-is you would be lucky to get $75 for it. All refurbished it could go for $200+.