Older Bridgestone first flip?
 

A local consignment shop has a Bridgestone for $20 and I wonder if its worth buying and overhauling to flip.
It's a lugged 4130 frame, about 58 cm, with a Suntour VX RD, Sugino Custom crankset, SR seatpost, Suntour Powershift stem shifters, Diacompe sidepulls, suicide brakes, 27 x 1 1/4 rims (one Araya, one Weinmann). Ser # LO13508.
I'm guessing its from the pre-Petersen late 1970s. There is script lettering on the top tube that reads "Spi..." (Spirit? Spice?). It would need tires and tubes, bar tape, surface rust cleaning, clean, lube and adjust all the bearings etc...
Anyone know anything about it and d'ya that's a worthwhile project for a first flip?
And sorry, no pix.

Tough call. Tires, tubes, tape, and cables could add up to almost $50. Or far less if you are creative. But at $50, that makes for a $70 investment (not counting time and grease). I might guess that the bike would be sold for approximately that much money, so little or no profit.

On the other hand, I am a big proponent of buying inexpensive bikes because a need always seems to find them. Perhaps as parts. Perhaps as a complete sale. Or perhaps to keep as a backup? If I found it, I would buy it. But I would not really think of it as a business decision.

jim

If you like to tinker sure. It's always parts you could use or you could gift the bike on a pay it forward.

Yeah, I hear you. I also need a runner to the train station. Or a fixie/SS?

Settled then. Buy it.

That model name would be Spica. During that period they named their bikes after stars.

Thanks on the Spica. I see a mixtie in nice shape sold for $60 on e-bay, and there was a Spica listed on Austin CL for $250, which seems pretty high. Don't know if it sold. I took the bike for a spin in the parking lot and the frame felt pretty nice. Flat tires and all.

Slap a cheap fixed rear wheel on it sell it for $150.

I had a Spica once. Cosmetically rough but in nice mechanical shape. I had no trouble getting $130 for it, last year or so.

For $20, it's a no-brainer........ :)

Ok all you enablers, I bought it. Uploading pix to Photobucket as we speak. It's an SR crank, not Sugino. I must say I like the geometry -- it's bigger than my regular rides at about 24" c-c X 22.75" c-c (61cm x 58 cm). And there's the Blackburn rack. I sprayed WD-40 down the seat post flutes and up the steering tube and prayed.

We are good for that, aren't we :D ?

East Hill

And the pix:

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...C_0446copy.jpg


http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...C_0445copy.jpg


http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...0441copy-1.jpg

(That's a thread, not a crack, on the top tube. There was a band of cloth between a pump bracket and the tube)

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...0444copy-1.jpg


http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...0447copy-1.jpg



http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...0448copy-1.jpg

Oh, man.... what a pile. Who told you it was a good idea to buy that?!?!


:D :D :D :D :D

"For $20 it's a no brainer," he said! :eek:

It's gonna be juuust fine.
:)

I drink a lot, when I'm not smoking pot. It takes the edge off when I'm out of crack, but it makes my judgement a tad bit questionable..... :D

Seriously, take off all the little rusty bits and toss them in a pie plate or foil roasting pan filled with a hot water/Oxalic acid solution. Let soak overnight (or for a day or two, depending) and you'll be amazed at how shiny those little bits get without any effort on your part.

After you shine that bike up, you should be very pleased with the results of your $20 investment coupled with the sweat-equity!

Hey thanks for the tip. You think I could get fenders onto that? With the rack, the chainwheel guard and the reflectors, it might make a nice commuter. I've got a pair of Shimano 600 levers, so I could lose the "suiciders." I've got an old Avocet saddle too.

Be careful how and whare you say spica . could be politicaly incorrect depending on how a person heres it.Looks like a good find for $20. Why are those shifters called suicide? Seems to me taking one hand off the bars and reaching for the down tube would be more of a suicide move, on motorcycles the shifter on the tank is the suicide shifter.I used that same kind of back derailer to convert an old schwinn to 21 speed , it worked very nice.

"spike-a" I presume?

It's the brakes that are called suicide, and it's because they don't give you a lot of leverage. Somehow I associate them with teenagers with redhead afros. Very 70s.

Speeka.

That's what I called the speakers by the same name (Spica Angelus . excellent speaker btw).

Marty