Newbie Craigslist question
 

STELLA: 15-speed racing bike, royal blue in color, light-weight aircraft aluminum man’s frame, 41-inches axle to axle, 24 and 1/2-inches from center of crank to top of horizontal pipe, 29-inches to 36-inches from center of crank to top of saddle at lowest and highest position, “Campagnolo - Velox” rear derailleur, “Simplex” front derailleur, “Simplex” shifters, “California Road” ergonomic power-crank (3-gear Sprague), “Weinmann 610 - Vainqueur 999” braking system, “PIVO” gooseneck and handlebars, “MAVIL G-40”, 27-inch x 1 and ¼-inch alloy wheels, “KENDA” 27-inches x 1 and ¼-inch white-wall tires and Kabuki saddle. Everything was manufactured in France for flat-out racing. Bicycle is in excellent mechanical condition and ready for use. Price = $100.00. Bicycle is for a tall person, 6-foot tall or taller.

Is this as good of a buy as I think it is? I have a single-speed right now that I'm using for city riding and I am looking for a lighter frame and maybe some nicer components, would this bike be a good candidate to strip down to single-speed or is it nice enough that I should leave it in one piece. Also, how big of a deal will it be if it is too big for me (I'm about 5'11")? I'm meeting the guy around 5 so any input would be great!

It does sound like it will be too big for you unless you have long legs.

I don't know the bike, but it sounds interesting...

Probably not high end, since most 15 speed bikes aren't, so it may not be worth $100, but that is just a guess based on 15 speeds... There are exceptions to almost any rule. :D

If it's truly "ready to ride" as in good cables, tires, chain, and brake shoes then it's worth $100. But it's probably as big a bike as you could want @ 24.5", maybe too big.

note: wheels should read Mavic g-40, not Mavil, which I think are reasonably valuable?

Stella made some nice bikes, and some middle of the road ones. This one, with campy Velox, sounds middle of the road. I found one at a yard sale a few years ago with Columbus tubing (3 main tubes only) and campy NR stuff on it. Not a bad bike at all. It would be good to know what that tubing was made from, and what the dropouts (where the wheels attach) are. If they say "Campagnolo" or "Simplex" or most any name right on them, indicates a better bike then if there is no name. Also, if there is a "built in" rear derailler hanger, as opposed to just a slot for the wheel axle on the drive side dropout, that is usually a good sign on these older bikes also. In fact, it is fairly rare to see a drive-side rear drop out that has a name on it and does NOT have a built-in derailler hanger! Mavic rims are generally good rims, no matter what number is on them.