machinist42

As the seller agreed to toss in the bar, I clicked the button. I needed a stem and bars for my Ghibli anyway, and until I can afford to have it chromed, (avoiding hydrogen embrittlement of course), I'm going to keep it black. I did just pay more for these bits than I did the bike.

Thanks for the encouragement, I guess? I was hesitant because I recently acquired a bicycle I'd wanted for quite some time, as a birthday present to myself.

Also, I was fired yesterday, which is not altogether a bad thing. So I guess this is my "I got fired/hooray I'm unemployed and have time on my hands" present to myself?

Headpost

Cool old Bianchi folder (though it probably weighs a ton).

https://newyork.craigslist.org/que/b...946439761.html

the sci guy 

I can't tell if this looks possibly fabulous or possibly a nightmare.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...5656041278748/
What's up with the front brake? No shots of the components really.

jetboy 

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik...943609032.html

interesting paramount...

delbiker1 

I have been fired from jobs numerous times. It has not been a hooray moment every time, but every time it put me on a different path. My path needed changing, I just did not recognize that every time.

machinist42

This series of Raleigh Racing USA bikes were rather interesting riders, for (technically) being Huffys. I have an '85 SuperCourse of 555 and it rides quite nicely. Mine came with the Golden Arrow group, and was made in Taiwan. Nice chrome! I wouldn't expect more than $150 for mine, and it's a step up from this Gran Prix and absolutely pristine.

Then again, it is a Huffy...

Lemond1985

There's a Technium Competition that's been posted on local CL @ $450 for what seems like several years. Some days I'm tempted, but most days, not. $200 might tempt me though.

the sci guy 

How does the price look for what it is and it's condition? My budget is about $150 - think its worth that? Also, it's a Huffy? I tried browsing through the thread you linked by couldn't gleam what you were trying to get at, sorry!

curbtender

I'd have trouble with buying from a guy with that name...maybe if he just called himself "John". $150 would be a decent price.

machinist42

I linked to that thread to footnote my assertion of that Raleigh Racing USA Gran Prix being a Huffy. I find it amusing I own a decent bike made by Huffy, which is know for making BSOs, or Bike Shaped Objects. Also, there's a knowledgeable discussion of the tubing in that thread, and the hierarchy of the Racing USA line.

If you test ride it and really like it, and it fits your needs, and so on, then I guess it could be worth spending $150 for it? I don't know. The C&V market is soft right now; it's a buyer's market. You could do better with your $150, but it might also take some time and effort and patience.

Good hunting!

machinist42

Hah, as I hadn't scrolled down in that panel of FB, I'd missed his moniker. I wonder whether one would have to meet up with him under a streetlight?

machinist42

Miyata Steel 54cm - $80

"Steel Japanese Miyata bicycle frame and parts
Frame size: 54 cm seat tube x 54cm top tube
Currently has 9 speed cassette and derailleur with 9 speed thumb shifter.


To complete this bike, you would need:
- Crank
- Pedals
- Seat
- Seatpost
- Bottom Bracket"

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/d...937440766.html

LesterOfPuppets

$500 OBO Univega Super Strada 60cm. All that Dura Ace. Looks like it's in good shape! Luckily too big for me.

https://tucson.craigslist.org/bik/d/...906425578.html

Clang

Too far north of the cities for me to be seriously tempted.

Bianchi Grizzly - $50 (Cedar, MN)
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...1930821656770/

the sci guy 

So I went back and read it with a little more and realized now that apparently my 84/85 Raleigh Sportif is a Huffy.

Well...balls.

madpogue 

Evidently it will shift itself.... (And evidently it needs two bottom brackets....)

malcala622 

Medici 58cm

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bop...950072104.html

Clang

Diamond Back Apex - $50 (Anoka, MN)

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/a...951229810.html

noglider 

@the sci guy, that Raleigh looks good and well priced. You're hoping he'll cut the price by half? That doesn't seem likely, but if he does, then great for you.

Huffy bought the rights to use the name Raleigh in the US for a period. They contracted with Taiwanese and Japanese makers to make the bikes. They were good bikes. Who cares if it was Huffy?

The brake is funny shaped for no particular reason. Manufacturers were trying to distinguish their products, so they stylized this model. It's no better or worse than others. I think it looks cool.

The seller's name looks Vietnamese. I think it's unkind to make fun of a foreign name. We should expect foreign names to sound foreign. OK sometimes I chuckle, but then I get over it, and I use the name without thinking about it at all. I hope to get over the chuckling phase.

the sci guy 

Anyone know anything about this bike? It MIGHT be a Cannondale - I'm having trouble figuring it out...
Looks like it's got a double on the front, but doesn't have single speed dropouts in the back? So, maybe a hack job? Not sure I could get past the paint job though...
Anyone know what year it might be from or the model name?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...0494016365797/

madpogue 

^^^^^^ Obvious single/fixie hack job. Consistency in (choking on the next word) "style" between it and the poor Le Mans behind it indicates the work of a serial molester. They're both crying out to be turned back in to bicycles again.

noglider 

I see nothing wrong with making a fixed gear bike out of a geared bike. On the other hand, I think riding with no brake is stupid.

madpogue 

Making a fixie out of an old, thrashed, left-for-dead "ten-speed" is one thing. It's analagous to pulling the rotting hulk of an old Model A out of a field and making a rat-rod out of it. Rat-rodding a mostiy original and restorable Model A is another thing (as a Model A club member once told me, "those are fightin' words"). Likewise, that Cannondale, and moreso the Le Mans with its original Miami Vice paint job, appear to have been relatively fresh bikes, and were probably usable in their original config with minor maintenance before they went under the knife. Speculation, yes, but around here, you see a LOT of SS/fixies made from nice old roadies, obviously done by LBSes that probably harvested and re-sold the perfectly usable original components. It's not like there's a shortage of frames more suitable for conversion out there.

The Cannondale looks especially sore-thumbish, with the disused shfter braze-ons exposed for all to see.

(/soapbox)

the sci guy 

Any idea what model year / model it might be? I'd like to look up what it's supposed to look it...
I'm not sure I could get past the paint job though..

machinist42

When I read the caption to the Morton Salt Girl photo the FB seller is using as their picture, it lead me to suspect his moniker is a profane pseudonym disguised as a Southeast Asian name. Perhaps you missed that?

I proudly own a 1985 Huffy/Raleigh Super Course. It rides quite nicely. For a minute I owned a Huffy Aerowind. Not so nice. I'd like to find a Huffy Serrota. I've been on the fence for weeks about a $50 Takara Competition with full Arabesque. The Name matters not. The proof is in the pedaling.