PeregrineA1 

This bike was listed a few weeks ago on CL in Orange County. Lousy pic, etc.

I offered little enough that if the answer to the question is "NO", then I am fine. The question is two fold. Should I repair the cracked chain stay and if so, who should do it?

The total haul, 53 CM Medici with a Dura Ace group, 5 sets of wheels. 6 of the hubs are Dura Ace, 2 Specialized, 1 Record, and 1 Hershey Racing. Some clincher, some tubular.

BTW, I'm not liking the new photo deal. I'd just figured out how to do large pics with the old one and now this....


The entire lot.

The crack

gaucho777 

Those photos are pretty small, even when you click on them. Looks like a cool bike. Love the chromed & scalloped stays. Can't get a good look at the crack, however. If you post the photos to an image hosting site such as photobucket, you will get several link sharing options. The one you want is the "[IMG]filename[/IMG]" link. Just copy and paste that into the thread text.

randyjawa 

When you go to load you pictures, click on the URL tab, enter your URL and then unclick the little box under the dialog window. That works perfect, just a lot more steps to make it happen. Progress???

repechage

If the deal is good with the frame as a toss, then it should be good. Seller may not think so.
Medici is an undervalued brand, very undervalued.
It is not worth repairing as a business deal.

PeregrineA1 

The whole lot is mine now. I'm just trying to decide what to do with the frame. If I could get it done in the <$500.00 range I'd do it. If not, it would be a wall hanger.

repechage

In my review, $500. should get you a complete Medici bike without the fractures.

Pay no attention to the ebay offer prices, review the actual transactions.

Maybe one day Medicis will be valued, but not yet. I have one, they are generally good bikes. Their history gets in the way I figure.

PeregrineA1 

I figure as much, just hoping one of the enablers here would push me......

repechage

I am nudging you to not waste your money.
Hang up the frame with the crack strategically covered. 3D art.

An interesting note on ebay completed items listings, those items with a buy it now or best offer that did sell will show a green offer price... that is not necessarily the transaction price.
A pantographed Medici bar and stem combo in black sold for $159. more than I would have paid, but the detail to note is that the item shows the offer price, $300 in Green, misleading one to think that the item actually sold for that, but when one clicks through on the item the true sales price shows, maybe with or maybe not with shipping. Ceritianly not the much larger offer price.

MetinUz

I recently sold a Medici with 600 tri-color group for less than $400. It had a lot of paint chips and scratches, but it was in SF Bay Area where prices tend to be higher.

repechage

I got mine cheap too. They just don't have a following. The earlier bikes before Mike Howard just treated it like a job are pretty good. The economics of making it pushed them to cut corners, buyout forks, no rejects.

rjhammett

So, what do you consider the earlier bikes? What years? I have had my eyes on Medici bikes but don't know a real lot about them. This would help me know which ones to consider. Thanks.

JohnDThompson 

A chainstay replacement is one of the easier frame repair jobs, but it would still necessitate a repaint, which may not be cheap.

Medici is an undervalued brand; IIRC, it came out of the ashes of Masi North America's demise.

PeregrineA1 

I think art is the future of this one. Chain stay replacement plus chrome plus paint. I believe it is a later frame based on the 8 speed and internal cable routing.

Wildwood 

I'll enable, he// it's only a bit of money and with new paint will be super. Not many out there - just do it.

753proguy

I agree, but don't forget that a really clean one (complete bike) sold for something like $1200 on eRipoff a while back. IMO the earliest ones have value (Columbus tubing, painted forks that weren't bought pre-built).
OP, if the chainstay is cracked (at/near the right-rear dropout, I'm guessing?) (and that frame has a lot of chrome), the cost of repairing it properly will far exceed the value of the repaired frame, unfortunately.

753proguy

It gets worse. If I offer someone $100 for an item, and they counter-offer $1000, that $1000 shows (usually forever) as "the best offer!" Total BS. That number came from the seller, not a bidder.

753proguy

1977. Serial number under about 100 or so. SL/SP tubing, painted forks that they made in-house (later frames have purchased, full-chrome (Tange?) forks, plus Tange tubing).

lostarchitect 

Pasting the link doesn't seem to work anymore. You need to use the dialogue box.

repechage

An interesting tactic to urge buyers to spend more in tight times. This would help the buyer pool think the market was not so depressed.
Actually there is an uptick a bit form the dark days, but there is not a universal raising of the tide.

753proguy

Agreed. I will say, however, that people are generally spending again, if they can, so that's a good sign. Since the gov't. can't seem to do diddly squat anymore, consumer spending will (eventually, maybe as much as five years from now?) get the economy back on track.