I've had a couple of those TS IVs, neither my size. Be careful with the chrome fork crown, you really need to consider OA on that one.

Thanks Bill! Thankfully this bike is my size!

What looks like rust is really dirt and grime. I've done an initial cleaning, and the bike looks very good. I'm very excited about this one.

However, with that bike, I have 22 vintage bikes in my garage. I sold three last week, and almost replaced them immediately.

That's the problem. Once you figure out how to find bikes, you can find them faster than you can fix them (at least that is my experience).

Plus one to that!

And another +1 to OA. The beauty of OA is that you can use it in almost impossibly weak solutions. There is no fuss or danger in these super-weak formulations. It works its magic slower but if you can soak the item in pure water without hurting it then a weak OA solution isn't going to hurt it either.

This came out on the local CL for 2 franklin's and 10 minutes away from my home :thumb:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ee/photo-1.jpg

That Surly is way cool!!

I don't know if this is classic or vintage, but I picked it up at my local Goodwill last weekend for $30.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7...451df379_c.jpg

Judging by the condition of the bike (very nice under the filth) I'd guess someone bought it, rode it a couple times then left it in the garage to quietly rot before donating. I have too many bikes as it is, but I couldn't leave it. And it's just my size.

Whaaat?! I'm never shocked by free or cheap vintage bikes but these sell for $1800 new and they haven't been available for that long. Stock certainly doesn't include a Thomson seatpost ($80) and if the owner put that on the bike they know something about bikes. It's hard to believe that someone who purchased this bike could let it go for only $200. Are you sure that it isn't stolen? I mean, I hate to ask but...

First question I asked :). Guy with money, he bought the bike to commute to work but now worked from home and was just tired of looking at it in his garage

All I can say is that you killed it on that deal! The seller clearly has more money than brains :-) Reminds me of a guy who came into my shop (when I worked in one) on a beautiful Della Santa in amazing condition. I don't remember the parts but they were suitably high end. Anyway, this guy's neighbor, the former owner was just putting it out with the trash. The bike was custom built for this original owner so he knew how much it cost and should have had an inkling of the value and how special it was but he didn't feel like putting it up for sale so into the garbage it went. Throwing out a 30 year old, low end (fill in the blank) is one thing but this was just offensive. Anyway, ride that thing or sell it - you win either way!

The reason I stopped telling the price I paid for CL bikes was because I was accused (on this forum) of being somewhat evil for being a "Johnny-on-the-spot" with cash in hand for these smoking deals. Especiialy when I spent time and money to clean and service them before flipping them for huge profits on my web site. Congratulations on your superb find! Great buy!

So, I'm waiting for the post;
"You should be ashamed for preying on that poor seller guy. You should have told him what it was really worth and paid him a fair price. It is morally wrong to do this even when you pay the asking price. If I had seen it, I would have emailed the seller and informed him that he was selling it way too cheap. People who prey on unsuspecting sellers like this make me ill. Shame on you."

Someone sells a $1800 bicycle for $200. I'd be inclined to think it was HOT!

DITTO! I stopped putting up prices paid a couple of years ago.

I did buy a Merlin frame, Dura Ace component bike a couple of years ago in Clyde, NC. Now if you have ever been to Clyde, you would not expect to find a Titanium frame racing bike. And the price was low, silly low.

So I head on over there, but I want to make sure it is not stolen. The seller had a new Mercedes in the driveway, a beautiful Kestrel bike in addition to the Ti bike. The house was modest, but in talking with him, it was his vacation home in the mountains.

So why did he sell it so low? Who knows, sometimes people just want stuff gone, and $$ is not that important to them.

I like to say:"Its easier to spend money, than to find more of it." So I guard my spending (and selling) closely, to maximize my use of my meager budget.

+1. Just look at some of the bikes folks find at the dump. I once found a nice Trek 320 with an 8 spd 105 STI group at our dump. It was in good shape but had two flat tires and apparently the owner didn't want to be bothered with fixing the flats. Around here, put the right price on a bike and you'll get 10 replies in 12 hours and the bike is gone. If you want a fast, simple, no hassle sale it's the way to go. If you're not in a bike crazy market like mine I imagine the prices need to be even lower.

On the other hand, maybe the seller is a Big Dummy! :p

I didn't save this bike from the dumpster but I did rescue it from Goodwill. I found this at GW last weekend for $19.99. It is a 1985 Trek 520. It has full Shimano 600 components. I haven't touched it yet since I have a million other bike projects going on but I think it will clean up nicely. I plan on selling it so I can add to my bike fund.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259189

you've gotta remember we all love bikes here. To the rest of the world, it's old exercise equipment. Add to that the fact that some people either don't need the money or would rather just have someone haul if off than have money, and it makes sense for some of the screaming deals we find. It takes all types to make the world go round, and that seems normal to me.

+1 - well said!

I have the same bike. Yours look to be all original, including the rear rack. Check the Vintage Trek website for the sales brochure on this model. They were about $500 new in 1985. Some people are asking that for them now, so you should be able to add a nice chunk of change to your bike fund. Brake hoods still there! Amazing!!! If you get a chance, take a look at the Kenda Kontender 700x26 tires Nashbar has on sale for $10.99. They will fit, and look pretty decent.

Good save. It would have been a shame if that bike would have ended up at the land fill.

Thanks. I will check out the tires.

Picked this little folder up yesterday to match the car...

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259277http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259278

Here are some pictures of the Vitus 979 I picked up on Wedhttp://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259327http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259329http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259330http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259332

--caveat emptor, the buyer beware, but the seller be aware also.
I did not feel bad flipping the Miyata 615 gt I got for 80ish dollars, for a cool 700 on ebay.

Caught this one this afternoon. The seller was about 4 miles from me. I have done some research but still don't have a lot of information as to the frame material and how many models were made.

The Dura Ace AX has some odd looking brake calipers. The FD is Campagnolo and not sure about the seat post yet. Record hubs with Mavic rims. Someone has ridden it pretty recently, the tires are fairly new. It has some rust spots but no dents. I think it will be a fun project and it's my size.:love:
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/z...ensho/Side.jpg
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/z...ensho/Rear.jpg
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/z...Rensho/Lug.jpg
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/z...akecaliper.jpg
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/z...3Rensho/BB.jpg