Raleigh marathon frame 68cm
 

I have a lead on a 68cm marathon frame, with a few extras, probably early 80's? The frame's lugged, in good shape but not perfect. I'm tall, I ride a 67 AHH, so I always keep a eye out for big frames since they aren't too plentiful. I'm looking to build up a commuter/do-everything bike to replace my too small-too long tt MTB I'm currently riding to work, errand, pulling kids, etc.

The guy's asking $150 for it which seems way high to me. However, like I said, these big frames don't come along too often so I may be willing to pay a bit more than it's worth. I'm considering offering $100.

Based on what little I've been able to dig up on the marathon, it appears to have more of a touring geometry which seems like it'll suit my needs. But what about the price? I'm fairly new to the vintage bike scene so I'd appreciate any thoughts (about the frame and the price) from you folks who have more experience with older bikes. Thanks.

Most of these large-size older touring bikes don't have particularly long top tubes. I have a 69cm (c-t) Nishiki Olympic 12 that has a 61cm (c-c) top tube, so even though I normally ride a 61 or a 62, I can ride it no problem. So I doubt the extra cm will be a problem for you.

Yeah, that's my thought as well. I'm more unsure about the price. Even $100 seems a bit high.

I live in Los Angeles, so bike prices tend to be a bit higher than a lot of places, but I'd definitely consider $100 to be a reasonable price. It's very rare to find a decent bike for any lower than that here. I've gotten a couple of bikes at Goodwill for $40, but those are somewhat uncommon, and I got them back when I had the time to visit the same store on a daily basis.

I wouldn't hesitate to go after a complete bike for $100, but this is just the frame, bb, headset, and bar....and the guy's asking $150.

That's way too high of a price; the Marathon was not a high-end bike by any means. If you want a large Marathon complete, I suggest contacting this guy and see if he's sold his Marathon yet. He's in Tucson. He're his 68 cm Marathon.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6zdwhxCLOE...0/100_2631.JPG http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6zdwhxCLOE...0/100_2628.JPG

The Marathon was not high end, but my 63 cm Marathon rides great.

To learn more about Marathons, click here.

$150 for a frameset--it better be a very high end frame like a Reynolds 531 quality.

Yep, too high.

Marathon is a 502 frame.