Effect of drillium/modifications on value/market
 

I'm not sure if this belongs in appraisals, but it's a more general question...

In your experience, what does drillium due to the value of a part, assuming it's well done but not at the Otis/DD level? Does it negatively impact the time it takes to sell (is it a smaller market)?

I think Otis/DD work definitely makes it more appealing, and obviously work done by the infamous cross dressing nazi hurts value...but what about in the middle?

Here's an example:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/...psthfbjess.jpg

IMHO, done in good flair I would pay more. Contrary, done crude or poor would be negative value to spare parts only or the giveaway bin.

Of course and in regards to the rarity Campy stuff, stock only. But for the most part and given the long run production of NR and S.Record standard issue, its not THAT special. I rather enjoy seeing a variance or someones mod done. Especially if one was creative and worked over a rashed out part.

You could actually make those parts much nicer pretty easily. A few minutes with a proper chamfering bit would get that ring looking much better, as well as dressing the edge where it transitions to the spider. They left that pretty ragged looking when they cut off the inner web.


Drilling smaller holes evenly spaced between the existing holes in the FD cage and properly chamfering those would go a long way as well.


Check those chain-ring bolts, they sort of look like Ti in the photo? Those would have some value in my opinion if so.


Whenever selling used parts I always try to maximize the value regardless of stock or modified. Clean, polish, overhaul, etc. But I would say the market for anything that's not truly rare or NOS these days is pretty soft.

Thanks...think both posts above are very useful.

I'm not asking as a seller, I'm asking as a buyer who is in love with something (parts not separated), but who is trying to make a rational decision.

Steel once drilled, will Rust if not re-chromed..

When I see some Drillum all Swiss cheesed out I say wtf, someone took it too far and it could affect structural integrity.

Check out this Masi. Not sure if I have seen crank arms drillumed like that but chainrings might be overdone a bit.

Decorative Embroidered Trim Ribbon Craft Supply 5.5 Cm Wide By The Yard FT738E | eBay

Obviously bad workmanship detracts from the value, possibly destroying the "collector" value of a part so completely that it can only be a "rider" now, and at the same time it may weaken the part so much that no one would use it as a rider.

Barring that extreme, it is a matter of taste, isn't it? I once thought it was a great look, but sometime in the last thirty years I got over that. I can see how tasteful drillium would enhance the value of a part in one person's eyes, but in my mind it does not.

I agree, it's taste. It may limit or attract some people. I would think most prefer original but some of that stuff is sweet, and not all is aftermarket from my understanding.

Hmmm, if I were buying I might put a premium on well-done drillium, but anything below a certain level would detract for me. Of course, there's more than a bit of a perfectionist under my skin ;)

I do admit, however, to having been tempted by one or two items of drillium on Ebay back in the day. While not overly awesome in their execution they were obviously period pieces. An original piece of drillium from bitd? I might be able to get behind that, too.

DD

^Good point, bikerider007. I'm thinking of all the popular component makers of that drillium era. Many offered as their high-end pieces. This includes Campy such as the Super Record levers. To name a few others, MAFAC, Stronglight, Weinmann, Zeus. If one mods a component to compliment another, I think it works and makes the bike more interesting.

In the above example, the ring looks pretty good (a couple holes a bit off center, but not too bad) but the FD is hacked. It's a wash.

I like a little moderate drilling on the chainrings and brake levers, as long as it doesn't structurally compromise them.

I wouldn't thin Campy crank arms and spiders, other than perhaps a tripilizer mod (in rare cases).

My bike came with drilled shift levers, similar to this.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/...2ef9391d_m.jpg

They eventually both bent and broke due to the hollowing. Never again. Solid levers work just fine.

In my view, if it's not factory drilled, the value goes to zero, i.e., I wouldn't buy it, and if I got it for free, I wouldn't ride it. Too risky. Now if you're outfitting a wall hanger or a conversation piece, that's a different matter.

How do you tell if it is Factory/Original drillum?

It's something I'm definitely considering, and which is concerning. That's a lot of drilling to the chain rings.

I wouldn't be concerned about people who really knew what they were doing, like some of our members.

Know what the parts looked like. When in doubt...velobase.

Good point--I probably cannot! Another reason to walk away.

You can tell as there's no such thing.

Yeah maybe it should be if it looks like a good drillum job or not and is it on a more expensive component. Chainrings and shiftlevers aren't that big a deal, but crank arms and brake calipers maybe more of investment value.

I liked these Drilled/milled SR shift levers, so picked them up. Job looks pretty clean to me and not over done.

Examples mentioned above indeed are factory. The OP obviously are not. Also mentioned is to review on Velobase.

Otis is saying that, by definition, the stuff the factories did which emulate drillium are not actually drillium.

"Drillium" is a modified existing part.


Parts manufactured with milled or drilled features are "parts".

Well, for one is the Zeus 2000 chainset. For certain were a separate milling process on the cranks and the rings drilled. Considered the fashion enhancement of the time and done at the factory.

My point is semantics. Factory manufactured parts are not "drillium".

Regardless of what it is called, factory, manufacturer and skilled craftsman I would like, the picture shown by the OP is a hack job and the value is definitely damaged. LC

I disagree with the above comment, at least comparative to some work I've seen truly defining hack job. The work above is about standard for the period, if not a bit above average.

It certainly doesn't approach the precision and beauty of Otis or DD, but the truth is that almost none of the work at the time did. This is pretty representative, though a bit heavy handed.