I could love a bike like that very easily.

Great buy, nice looking bike. Now that bike is worth $95 but a Miyata (and I love Miyata's) 210 is not worth $250, $95? yes, $250? no.

One rule I have is NO 3 Speeds. My market just doesn't respond to 3 speeds, so I avoid them.

Then I see this pair of 1969 Raleigh Sports, all Gold Edition. Almost all complete (racks and pumps even), very little to no rust, etc. Drove way to freakin far to pick these up.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/9...36eb3b14_b.jpg

If it's in like-new shape like this one, I would think it's worth $250, easy. If you can find one.

+10

Great score, Lascauxcaveman! Beautiful soft pearl pink color, too. I agree with you and Bill re the value. If I were selling that bike in the Bay Area I wouldn't accept anything less than $300 (and would ask for more) and I would expect it to be sold almost immediately. People are willing to pay a premium for immaculate condition.

AWESOME find.

I'm finding more and more that my market is VERY receptive to three speeds. They've gone from something I gloss over to something I'm paying a lot more attention to. Even a brooks mattress saddle has the same allure to the layman.

We can disagree and still like one another. The 210 was nothing special, sure it had triple butted tubing but so did other low end bikes, and the 210 was equipped with low end components on top of it. Just saying I, that's me, myself, and I, would never pay that much money for a bike like that. Keep in mind I own two Miyata's so I kind of understand them. They used really low end Shimano Z204 series of derailleurs that were rated far lower than Suntour Vx series which was just upper low end on the Suntour side, and you can buy the Z204's nos for $20 on E-bay.

I'll admit my ignorance of the 210 model; I've never run across one in my frequent CL searches and I've never seen one in the flesh. But I see Miyata 310s and up go for very good prices in my market (Seattle area, which is high on any decent bike). Is there much difference between the two, other than component group? I've often seen the Univega Nuovo Sport compared to a 310 with a somewhat better component group, but mostly just here on BF, I think.

Since I know Miyata's and since this is just my personal opinion, I would not buy a 310 either for over $100, it's only a tad better in the components over the 210 but has the same frame. I wouldn't buy any Miyata that didn't have the triple butted splined tube set, but again that is simply my opinion. Of course if the price was $100 or some such close figure and I needed a cheap reliable commuter bike I wouldn't pass up a non splined Miyata frame if the bike was in good shape.

I know people will disagree with me and that's ok, like I said it's just my opinion. Just as it is my opinion that there are some bikes, I don't care if they were in mint condition, that I wouldn't buy regardless how low it was priced, like Schwinn Varsity's, Continental's, Suburban's and the like. I was alive and well when those bikes came out and they were junk when they were new not to mention extremely heavy.

They were heavy, yes. They were junk? No way. It's damn hard to kill a Varsity, the world's most durable bicycle. I'm not a Schwinn guy, but the damn things last forever.

Actually they didn't last forever, they just never got rode a lot thus even a Wallmart bike would last forever under those conditions. I can't begin to tell you how many broken frames I saw on those bikes, but setting the frame aside, the components and bearings were pure trash, they shifted like schit, and needed constant maintenance and replacement. I hate to say this, but I've had less problems with Walmart bikes I bought in the 80's and 90's for my kids than I had with Varsity's and the like. That doesn't even put into consideration the steel chromed wheels that wouldn't stop if they got wet, and all kids sooner or later will have to ride in the rain, so what's the modern answer to that? replace with aluminum rims, so now you have more money in rims than the bike is worth.

Sorry if I sound so down on those bikes, but I vividly remember those bikes and they weren't good memories. I even had a Traveler when I was in college for my commuter bike, and that bike is a day and night difference from the Varsity and the others I mentioned, and it was a piece of junk from the factory new which I would never buy another one, but when I was in college I didn't care if it was a piece of junk because it could have gotten stolen.

I guess my definition of "junk" is different than others here.

Raleigh Carlton Competition
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=333771http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=333772http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=333773

I have been lucky with 3-speeds also. Only thing is that it takes a little time for the right person to see them and come get them. i sold my next to last one last week. A college student bought it for commuting. Last remaining is a Huffy Sea Trails. Think I am out of the 3-speed market for now though.

That bike is in beautiful condition. Can we see more pics please?!?!

I finally got around to posting them on its own thread.

I was at the scrap yard the other day where people leave good items on display for free pickup and found a really nice 83 FUGI 18spd 27in wheeled bicycle. It had the front wheel, saddle, and handlebars missing and the rest was intact with a nice blackburn rack to boot. It has mostly all alloy components including an Avocet crank and BB. Sugino chainrings, suntour and shimano sora group set. The frame had the original paint and decals but scratched here and there and some rust spots. Its a prime candidate for a restore and I have made the plunge and started this one. I will post pics when complete in a month or so. Anyone have any input on the FUGI brand. It looks like an excellent quality build with lugged frame etc.

Loaded Trek 520 (CL find).

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps60d87f9d.jpg

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps68ab0f15.jpg

(Reynolds decal is torn & crumpled but appears intact.)

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps58a7693c.jpg

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfd368903.jpg

I sold a 1960's English three-speed to a 24-year-old woman. She had never seen a 3-speed before. She swooned when she saw it. :lol:

:thumb:

Gaucho, all you need is a bell and whistle... nice find!

^And to grow about 6 inches. It was a great deal ($150 for everything). The paint is still in excellent shape. Made arrangements on Thursday but seller couldn't show the bike until yesterday. I kept expecting the deal to fall through. Only drawback is that it has those oft-slandered heliocomatic hubs.

Glad you were the one to get it, I was right behind you :lol:

Good deals go fast around here! There's some stiff competition between you, Joe Englert, and the other bay area hoarders...errrr, I mean, collectors. I don't hoover around CL all that often, but when I do it seems that you're often already on the case. ;) I'm still ruing having missed out on the deal for a nice C-record equipped Vitus w/ extra wheelset Joe snagged a few weeks ago when I was second in line.

I like this bike very much, and all the bags. This is the kind of bike I need with some of those bags.
Found a 93' 520 a few years ago but it was a 25 Inch frame. Got good money for it but i would have loved to have kept it. I paid $40 for it.