Help with old wheelset value...
 

Hi guys,

I need some help pricing a lightly-used wheelset I'm selling. They are from '86, Maillard hubs with helicomatic sprocket in the rear. 36 hole single-walled brushed alum rims with eyelets and 700x40 touring tires (in decent shape).

Any idea what I should be asking for these? Can sell the rear wheel tonight for $20, but that seems low considering the cheapest of cheap rear wheel new will run you anywhere near $30.

Thanks,

Andrew

Helicomatic is a big turn off. In my experience, the best way to get value out of spare wheels is to put them on a bike, build up a frameset, and sell the finished product. Or use them to upgrade a bike that originally came with steel rims, and sell the finished bike. Or use them as trade bait, trade them for something you need.

If you have a set to sell, I would not sell the individual wheel, as then the front wheel becomes an "orphan" with even less value.

Freewheel and skewer are probably worth that $20 price tag.

the guy buying the wheel doesn't need the freewheel... he is tossing the wheel on a bike that has a motor and will be hooking up some kind of cog on of his own. i think i'm going to sell him the wheel and then hold on to the freewheel, lockring, and tool to sell as a package on e-bay (there's a freewheel on there going for $50 right now).

as for the front wheel, i'll hold on to it and sell in due time.

Yes Helicomatics earned a clouded reputation as it did not really solve enough problems to make them worth it, specially if it reulted in less than proper bering sizes that made the hub bearings wear out prematurely (mine did). Not entirely unusable for most but certainly not bullet-proof in any way. but surprisingly I have noticed some resurgence in intrest on the Helicomatics in the second hand market, thus a little bit of a rise in the market price on the Helicomatic, specially NOS sets, but I suspect that it's more of people trying to replace what they had already and not really knowing that they can do much better with a more standard design like the Maillard 700 hubset in the long run.
JMO.

Chombi

you should try and seel the complete wheelset. someone may want them for their old tourer.

does you potential buyer know this wheel has a funny freewheel system? to the best of my knowledge there is no way you can't put a regular cog (like a track cog) on that hub only the heliomatic FW

+1 Unless that motor is going to be a front wheel drive bicycle, the guy will be totally screwed. He will need a freewheel, and he will be surprised (and not happy) when he can't find one.

+1 Post the wheelset on your local Craigs List: vintage bike wheelset. Shoot for $75 for the set.

That $50 freewheel on ebay is NOS. The used ones bring about $10.

Does he understand how the Helico freewheel attaches? He might have to fabricate an attachment for a non-Maillard sprocket or single freewheel.