Buy it, convert it, flip it?
05-26-07 | 04:58 PM
#1
Buy it, convert it, flip it?
I was at a hospice thrift shop today and they had a Univega Gran Turismo touring bike there for $30. It's obviously seen a lot of miles, but was in good condition. Double butted chromoly, ~55cm frame, randonneur bars, nice dia-compe brake levers with hoods (no suicide levers), shimano downtube shifters mated to a full shimano 15sp drivetrain, Sakae crankset (with really tiny BCD), MKS AR2 pedals with clips...even came with a frame pump and rack. The thing has cantilever brakes (meaning it could be a great winter fixie with knobbies) but could also run calipers.
I have an urge to buy it, convert it, and flip it to a friend or craigslist. Maybe not as a fixie but at least as a budget SS (running the 5sp freewheel in a single cog). I don't know...is it not even worth it? I keep seeing great old road bikes that could be so sweet with some time and a little money. I can barely afford keeping up the bikes I already have.
Here's a similar Gran Turismo, only taller and bluer:
I have an urge to buy it, convert it, and flip it to a friend or craigslist. Maybe not as a fixie but at least as a budget SS (running the 5sp freewheel in a single cog). I don't know...is it not even worth it? I keep seeing great old road bikes that could be so sweet with some time and a little money. I can barely afford keeping up the bikes I already have.
Here's a similar Gran Turismo, only taller and bluer:
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05-26-07 | 05:39 PM
#3
N+1
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,310
Likes: 8
From: Ann Arbor, MI
Bikes: A few
I would say fix it up as original and flip it. The Gran Turismo was a nice touring bike. I bought one locally last year for $20 and sold it for $100 less than a week later without doing anything to it.
05-26-07 | 05:49 PM
#5
Originally Posted by gargiulo.mike
lol i just bought this
What are you planning to do with it?
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05-26-07 | 05:55 PM
#7
Originally Posted by barba
I would ride it as is- well, I would add racks. Touring bikes make great commute bikes and even better camping bikes (obviously). It does look a bit bigger than a 55 though.
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05-26-07 | 05:57 PM
#9
Originally Posted by gargiulo.mike
just joshing dude, i jsut wanted to freak you out haha sorry, but definately capitalize on that deal!
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05-26-07 | 07:26 PM
#10
Those look like center-pull brakes, assuming those brakes are similar to the ones on the bike your speaking of.
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This is Africa, 1943. War spits out its violence overhead and the sandy graveyard swallows it up. Her name is King Nine, B-25, medium bomber, Twelfth Air Force. On a hot, still morning she took off from Tunisia to bomb the southern tip of Italy. An errant piece of flak tore a hole in a wing tank and, like a wounded bird, this is where she landed, not to return on this day, or any other day.
05-26-07 | 09:42 PM
#11
Originally Posted by dobber
Those look like center-pull brakes, assuming those brakes are similar to the ones on the bike your speaking of.
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05-26-07 | 09:42 PM
#12
hunter, gatherer
Joined: Feb 2005
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seems like a bit of a waste.. looks like a nice triple setup with good quality parts..
go climb some hills...
I have an urge to buy it, convert it, and flip it to a friend or craigslist. Maybe not as a fixie but at least as a budget SS (running the 5sp freewheel in a single cog). I don't know...is it not even worth it? I keep seeing great old road bikes that could be so sweet with some time and a little money. I can barely afford keeping up the bikes I already have.
Here's a similar Gran Turismo, only taller and bluer:
go climb some hills...
Originally Posted by blickblocks
I have an urge to buy it, convert it, and flip it to a friend or craigslist. Maybe not as a fixie but at least as a budget SS (running the 5sp freewheel in a single cog). I don't know...is it not even worth it? I keep seeing great old road bikes that could be so sweet with some time and a little money. I can barely afford keeping up the bikes I already have.
Here's a similar Gran Turismo, only taller and bluer:
