lowlux

I hate these ****ing craiglist ads that don't say much about the bike?

$350 for this no ideal what the hell it is... looks some what high end but could be a wal mart bike for all i know.

unworthy1

it's an Aelle frame Topado with some Campy NR stuff...Walmart never sold anything in it's league.
Seems a little high at $350, but depends on location. Definitely worth a look-see.

EDIT: Aelle is Columbus tubing, it's a step down in cost from their top-tier tubing back when made, but nothing to sniff at.
If it fits you and doesn't need a lot to make ride-able, try offering $300, less if it need more work.
Torpados are very nice Italian bikes, this looks to have Campy Portacatena DOs: late '70s or early '80s...

big chainring 

Remnants of a Columbus sticker, and Campy bits. Looks like a good deal to me.

lowlux

The only people who ride bicycles here are homeless.. which most of them are stolen.

how much would you ask for it? I dunno what Campy NR stuff means?

what are Aelle frames? what kind of tubing?

devinfan

I like ads like that! Otherwise everyone else will know what the bike is. A little knowledge goes a long way if you're looking for a steal, and you'll never get one if the seller knows what they have and they tell everyone all about it. What can you tell from the picture? You can tell it's an Italian Torpado for one, and they never sold bikes at Walmart. You can also tell it's made of Columbus tubing, which is a very good sign. Looks well taken care of with a decent gruppo, but personally I think the price is a little high. If you like the bike, try offering $250 and see what happens.

devinfan

Campy NR means Campagnolo Nuovo Record, which is pretty much the gruppo that all high-end Italian bikes came with. Aelle is a kind of Columbus tubing, not the best Columbus had to offer, but still nice tubing.

Andrew F

Dylansbob 

One of the first "finds" I ever found was a Torpado. Someone had attempted to "re"weld something in the BB area. I made a pretty penny selling off the parts.

lowlux

re-ply

Hello,I am not sure of the year,but I think it is a mid 80's bike.The model name is Nuovo Sprint,with a Columbus cromoly sticker that starts with the letter A the rest of the decal is to hard to read.It has an Ofmega crank and pedals,Campy Nuovo front and rear derailleurs +shifters,Corsa bars,3T stem,Lee Chi aero brake levers,Shimano Sora brakes,Ambrosio 19 extra clincher rims with Miche hubs and 6 speed Regina freewheel,Sela Sanmarco Lazer saddle,and Bontrager race tires.From the floor to the top tube is 31 inches.

lowlux

it says 6 speed Regina ? so it only has 6 gears?

lowlux

I think it might be too big for me? I dunno

unworthy1

6 in the rear + 2 at the front = 12 speeds. By that detailed description it's a good mid-level Italian bike with a few "updated" parts and the usual mixed bag of mid-level components.
The crucial thing is that it fits, if it doesn't then go no further.
If it does, then I'd look and check it out but offer the seller less than $350...bring cash.

big chainring 

Before you purchase a bike like this you need to educate yourself on the bike basics. Check out online resources and or books from the library. The questions you are asking are showing you dont have too much knowledge regarding bikes. The Torpado isnt what I'd call a first time road bike. It needs regular maintenance and needs to be ridden with care and finesse. Its not a Schwinn Varsity that can handle curbs and abuse.

theo3000

I've got the same bike on the way from Ebay. It's a Torpado Nuovo Sprint.

The original crank and pedals were Ofmega, and the derailleurs were Campy Gran Sport. On mine, it has a SunTour Superbe Pro rear derailleur. I'm going to "upgrade" with a Nuovo Record I have laying around.



I've been on kind of a splurge. Got an early 80's Merckx on the way too.

Edit: Lowlux already covered the model name and components - sorry

Photo from www.classicrendezvous.com

lowlux

$350 is way to high for a bike, There is no bike market here, Only stolen bikes, since bums are the only ones riding them

this is my reply

I dunno if this bike will fit be me, I ll have to have a closer look, Its a mid to low level bike, When was the last time it was tuned by a shop or the bearings changed? looks like it needs to be torn down, cleaned and new bearings packed in. The most i am willing to offer is $150 cash... its not a collectors bike.. and there not much of a bike market here because the only people riding bicycles are homeless,

atmdad

Well, thats one way to negotiate a price. I can see that going one of two ways,

Ok then

or

A hearty GO F Yourself

lowlux

there is no city, No college with in 200 miles, anything over 200 is a rip off, Its like that one bike i posted that guy was wanting $600 for it, But it was a piece of **** wal mart bike.

devinfan

Lol

rat fink

Where do you live? I bet there is more of a local market for that bike than you are aware of. If you are wanting to negotiate the price down that much then you should at least talk to them in person. Chances are, they will respond unfavorably, or not at all. $350 is not that unrealistic for the bike in question. To a lot of people, Italian + Columbus + Campy = ~ $400.

theo3000

I paid 250 plus shipping for mine, but I'm an easy mark.