bike worth
 

Good Afternoon,

I am trying to get a little info. on an older bike. The head badge says American Flyer, the tube says A Fe Sport, and it was made in Japan (wierd). Its my fathers old road bike, I don't have a clue what brand this is (maybe Kawamura?) and am not sure if its worth the money its going to take to get it back on the road. Does anyone know anything about this bike?

Thanks

Pictures would help :)

As to value, about $3.50 or whatever the local market will bear

Getting it on the road with a tune-up, grease, and new tires is probably almost always worth it. Investing large sums of money in component upgrades won't be worth it on low-end bikes.

Pics will be for anybody here to evaluate where the bike falls on the "value" continuum. Things to watch for will be the tubing material, the dropouts (stamped or forged), and the components and wheels (steel or alloy). The closer the bike is to low-end, the more you will want to invest in the basics-- a tune-up, grease, and new tires-- and avoid the fancy upgrades.

Its gonna need new tires and all around tune up....I'll get some pics up as soon as possible.

If your intent is to get it on the road so you can ride it, the investment will be worthwhile. If your intent is to get it on the road so you can sell it and make a profit, the quality level of the bike will be the determinant of the investment value.

I plan on riding it to work and I kind of want to fix up an older road bike for that purpose, but I don't want to spend more than the bike was originally worth doing this.

Come on!!! It is your dad's old bike... surely that makes it worth the cost! ;)

Seriously though, if nothing serious needs replacing, many vintage bikes can be made better than a modern cheap bike for less money than buying a modern cheap bike.