nebrider

So recently I have been going on long rides with my friend's dad who is trying to get me into road cycling. I really enjoy riding all the bikes he has (vintage Stella, Specialized Allez, tandem etc.), and I have recently decided to purchase a bike of my own. My dad went ahead and purchased a Centurion LeMans RS (red and white, excellent condition) from our LBS for $300. It is correctly sized for me (5' 9", 119 lbs, 16 years old) and i enjoy riding it and have put at least 150 miles this last week and a half, but I really just want to know if my LBS hiked the price of the bike up to take advantage of an unknowing teen. Thanks!

Matt Gaunt

Firstly, welcome to the road cycling forum.

Secondly, Google is your friend. I just did a search (while you're a newbie, don't get used to it ) and it turned up an RS in Monterey on Craigslist for $125. That's not to say you got ripped off, yours might be in much better condition than that one. Point is, only you can compare your bike on price as only you can see what it's like in the flesh.

If you feel hard done by after your search, just don't use that LBS any more. Remember also that if your bike had work done to it and if the LBS is knowledgable and will help you in the future, this is not worth losing a relationship over. LBSs WILL help you and need your business far more than online retailers with no overheads. They might charge more but you will get a service whenever you buy from them, not just a package at your door.

Hope that helps.

Rowan

If you enjoy riding it, and it fits (which is vitally important) and it works well and you are happy... it's worth every cent paid for it.

If you try second-guessing the price on anything, you will always be disappointed.

Matt Gaunt

+1.

Pedaleur

Do a search for "Pcad" and "bike schwag". People drop $300 on shoes in this sport.

But seriously, $300 of (your dad's?) money is money well spent to get started. There's _always_ a better deal somewhere else -- but if you keep trying to find it, you'll never get anywhere.

green814

As was mentioned: The biggest thing about a bike you may find on craigslist is that it will need a FULL TUNE UP which that alone before parts cost no less than $100.00, if not more at the lbs depending on what all is needed. Headset, bottom bracket, hubs, cable replacement, new bar tape, etc... It sounds like you got a good deal for BOTH parties. Maybe not the best price you could find, but a GOOD price, same for the bike shop. PLus, as mentioned, a good relationship with the lbs is PRICELESS.

Congrats! Now get out and ride!
Chris

Richard_Rides

Does it look something like this, does it have downtube shifters?

Stallionforce

The fact that you're 16 and concerned about getting ripped off is a very good sign. I'm 37 and still consistently getting ripped off....Ride the bike and enjoy it!

merckxxx

both you and your dad did great.. you have a bike.. .. and he got to get it for you .. (I am a dad.. I know about that stuff.. ).. the more he sees you ride.. the more he will enjoy spending the 300.00 ... ride it until he realizes.. that the bike would have been worth spending 3k on.. .. ride hard .... rip into yourself.. its time to find out...what bicycling can do for you.. .stay in each moment.. make the work your passion. enjoy the wind.. ... you are 16 dude.... wow.. ..

sfcrossrider

I would pay 300 for that in great shape.

Spin Cycle

Purchase price only hurts once... getting the wrong/poorly fitting bike is what hurts forever.

chipcom 

Wanna buy a watch?

SSRI

not the best deal, but you get the LBs support and I am sure you get tune up etc. not bad for 300, most important the bike fits..

I had 1 model up (in pastel green and white with shimano light action) from yours back in 88 and i recall i paid a little under 550. and yours back in 88 was under 400 bucks.

but at 300 you wont be able to get a new bike that can even come close to this quality.

enjoy it

merlinextraligh

You can't get a really nice pair of shoes south of $700.

urbanknight

That vintage of bike varies greatly in price based on condition. $300 is probably fair since coming from a bike shop means it is most likely in good shape and doesn't need any immediate attention. I used to race on a similar bike (Centurion Ironman Master) in the early 90's and it was a great bike. Enjoy it and get a more modern bike when/if you get more into it.

ivan_yulaev

You may have been able to get it cheaper in similar condition off CL. But there is uncertainty in buying any used bike from a private seller, which is why they go for less (same as cars). So, in that sense, you got a fine deal - a good-looking bike with a high probability of not being crap.

I can't believe no one has said this yet - PICS!!!!

redspoke

The answer to these threads is always YES with one exception... It would start with "My neighbor with Alzheimers had a garage sale"

Patriot

nebrider,

If it's in excellent condition, that means your LBS got ahold of it as a trade-in, spent some time cleaning it up, rewrapped the bars, greased everything, and gave her a good tune up. All this is labor which is most likely what you paid for. That, and it's actually a nice bike. I have an old '89 Centurion as well, for commuting. I doubt I'll ever sell it. For $300, I think an Exc. Cond roadie like that is poretty worth it.

Besides, now you get to claim a bit of retro status.

caloso

You only got ripped off if you don't ride it.

Pedaleur

Shhhhh...let's not scare anybody here...

CardiacKid

When I buy an old bike, I usually have to replace the tires and tubes, replace the cables, housing and bar tape, grease the hubs and bb, true the wheels and spend several hours cleaning the bike. If you were to have all of this done by an LBS, it would probably cost you $250. If all of these things were done before you bought it, you probably got a good deal.

Brian Ratliff

1+

The way I see it, you were sold a $200 bike (if you got it from a private seller on Criag's List) along with a $100 full tuneup from the bike shop. Not a terrible deal. My first road bike was used, from a private seller on the University campus, for $300.

I think mine was a worse deal than yours because within a month, the rear brake cable snapped (a sh*tty cable housing splice was covered up by electrical tape), and within the year I found out that the chainrings were extremely worn, the rear derailleur was near the end of it's life and froze up when a bike shop mechanic was trying to work on it, and the derailleur hanger (Al, non-replaceable) was bent. In addition, the front wheel was potato chipped at some point and retrued (so that two spokes were slack); the bike had obviously had at least two previous owners, a lot of miles, and had been crashed pretty hard.

You likely got a better deal than I did.

crydee

5'9" and 119 lbs seems absurdly skinny.

Camilo

It's funny - to me - that people search Craig list and then make an opinion on whether the OP got a decent deal or not.

As many have pointed out, an LBS sale is a TOTALLY differnt thing than a private party sale. Not a good comparison at all.

Secondly, the ONLY Craiglist sales that are in any tiny way relevant are Craiglist sales in the OP's own town. CL sales anywhere else are totally irrelevant. All he can compare to is similar bikes available at that time, in that town. Any other conditions aren't even worth considering.

To OP: there is no doubt in my mind that your dad got a fair deal on that bike. A well running bike from a local shop that will back it up (for a while anyway), that requires nothing to get it on the road (no tires, no oil, no tune up, etc.) and requires no expertise or research by the purchaser is worth $300, in my opinion.

theextremist04

+1. I'm 5'9" and 130 and I'm still skinny.