chintanjadwani

Hi,

I found this bike on ebay and was wondering if you could help me identify it and know its specs (according to bicyclebluebook there were Co-Motion Copilot OR's in '97-98)
Also, how much would this be worth? The S&S couplers are nice but I see quite some scratches and when asked from the seller even if there is rust he said he's couldn't answer any questions and is selling the bike as-is (since he himself purchased it online while he was abroad, is still abroad and hasn't used it).

Any thoughts?

Thanks a bunch.

alan s 

Happy Feet

OTOH, I like to strip and rebuild bikes so that would be of interest to me but not at that price. I can find that grade of mtb with those components in the $20-$100 range, depending on condition. Sure it's got a co motion name but in the end it's an older well used 8speed chromoly mtb. The couplers make it unique but you still have an old rigid bike with older 8 speed components so I might go $200 for the novelty of having an S&S bike. Someone might think such a bike is worth more (value is subjective) but mostly that is because that feature is usually put on more expensive builds over all.

mstateglfr 

its a quality 90s rigid mtb with S&S.
Those sell for $100-300 depending on brand, condition, and location. Probably $150 for this one, given those parameters and the unknown of the seller not giving details.
Add in some $ for S&S. maybe $200?

So $350 total?

Completely varies depending on person, what this is worth.

Doug64

Give Co-Motion a call in Eugene, OR. Ask them what it sold for in the 90s and go from there. Phone number: 866-282-6336.

All Co-Motion bikes with couplers are called Copilot, but they also have a full name, i.e, Cascadia Copilot. I'd check with Co-motion to see if they ever made a mountain bike in the 90s.

Tourist in MSN

An accountant would calculate value based on historic price and depreciation, an economist would tell you value is what someone is willing to pay.

But to you, the value is what you are willing to pay. Would you enjoy it and if so would you enjoy it enough to pay for it?

I saved about $300 the first time I did a round trip with one of my bikes that has S&S couplers. But if you are starting to think about how much the couplers can save you on air travel, keep in mind you would need a case for it. I use the S&S Backpack case, not sure what they sell for these days, I bought mine years ago.

And for domestic travel, a bike in a full size bike box can be shipped for a relatively low cost by BikeFlights.com, thus the S&S couplers are most useful for international travel. I also used my S&S case to take my folding bike on one domestic flight, but that was on Southwest where you get two free checked bags, thus I could take a bike in an S&S case for free on Southwest.

It has been on Ebay for some time. I had seen it before and remembered seeing the listing so I did a completed listings search, it looks like the previous sale had more bidders:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=RARE+Co-Motion+Co-Pilot+Travel+Mountain+Bike+with+S%26S+Couplers+&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Complete=1

Ten years ago I was looking for a frame to build up for touring with 26 inch wheels. I would have considered that bike, but I would have thought long and hard about the higher cost to get the S&S couplings. And it looks like there are no mid-fork rack mounts. Since then, I have built up two 26 inch touring bikes, one of them has S&S couplers, thus I would have minimal interest at this time.

A couple months ago I considered bidding on a Ebay frame with S&S couplers, but decided against bidding when the price started getting bid up more.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-Thorn-...s/254044882305

I however find that the S&S couplers have non-monetary value, in that my S&S case will fit in the trunk of a taxi (most taxis in my community are Prius), and getting a full size bike in a bike box to and from an airport is more of a hassle. Avoiding that hassle to me is just as important as saving the money on shipping. My next trip, I am taking a taxi to a bus stop, riding that bus a long distance to another bus stop, getting on another bus, then taking a shuttle to a motel, then taking another shuttle to an airport to get on a plane, then picking up the S&S case to take through customs, rechecking that for the next flight, then taking another bus to another bus stop, then walking about three blocks to a hostel. All told, that will be somewhere between 30 and 36 hours from leaving home to get to the hostel where I assemble the bike, provided there are no airline delays. That will be a major chore with an S&S bike when I have my camping gear in another checked bag, but it would a HUGE pain in the bum to do that with a full size bike box. Without an S&S bike, I would not do this trip.

My errand bike (no S&S couplers) that I use for grocery store runs, etc., is an early 90s Bridgestone mountain bike, I paid $5 USD for it at a garage sale, put about $50 in parts and new tires, it is a great bike.

fietsbob

Mean when do you dropout from bidding any higher on it.. since you did link to eBay...

djb

750!?

PedalingWalrus

Depends on how you value the S&S couplers. That is $600 just for the couplers.

DanBell

It's a really hard thing to price. It has the couplers, which are costly, but on a bike with older tech that isn't that valuable. It's a Co-Motion, so it's handmade in the USA which definitely has some value, but the value is very dependent on how much that matters to the buyer... It's a very specific person who will pay top dollar for this. You need to have either a soft spot for Co-Motion or MUSA gear, or really want couplers, AND not really care about the fact that it's old tech. Just cause it's rare doesn't mean it's valuable. It's not like it's a Yo Eddy or something like that with a following. I doubt it gets any bids at that price.

PedalingWalrus

I agree. The bike is uninteresting to me because of the old tech at that price but having couplers on some of my bikes is almost essential because I travel a lot. If I got interested I would probably only get the frame and rebuild the rest.

BobG

The "old tech" would never bother me. Heck, my Bruce Gordon cost $900 for the frame alone 25 years ago without couplers. It's still going strong today and looks brand new with fresh powdercoat. The cantilever brakes and quill stem work great! However the pictured Co-Motion I'd eliminate right off for the neglected frame scrapes and rust. My previous tourer's paint developed a bubble on the top tube revealing a structural crack spreading around the tube.

seedsbelize 

My S&S coupled bike is an 84 Schwinn road bike. I already had the bike and paid $600 for the couplers. It has saved me potentially thousands of dollars in airline charges. I say potentially because I have yet to be charged extra for a bike box on an airplane, though I understand it is always their prerogative. If you are moving around by air, with the bike, the couplers are worth paying for, imo. And I would never buy a bike with disc brakes or modern technology. I like to be able to do all the work myself.

fietsbob

In Background information , Co Motion is a small production shop in Eugene Oregon .. USA.

I have no clue as to their used bike depreciation rate in the online marketplace ..

PedalingWalrus

Co-Motion is a premium priced bicycle. I would hope that they do not depreciate too much although nowadays everyone is moving to disc brakes so frames that do not accommodate disc brakes have lost a lot of value on ebay.

Rick

The Co-Pilot package is currently $995. at Co-Motion. I paid $700 for mine in 2013.

Tourist in MSN

Regarding "old tech", two years ago I built up a new Titanium frame touring bike, eight speed cassette, square taper triple crank, bar end shifters, leather saddle, rear hub that uses loose quarter inch non-cartridge ball bearings with a steel axle, etc. I like a bike that has stuff that works well, is robust, reliable, easily repairable and has easily replaceable components. In some ways I like the gearing better on that bike than on my road bike with a 10 speed cassette.

That said, I am not suggesting that an older bike with components that might have been heavily used is as good as new. Only commenting that some of us find that the "old tech" is perfectly adequate.

DanBell

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that the bike wouldn't function, or that the buyer would somehow be limited by it's performance. It's just that I think it drives the value of this particular bike down, especially since the old tech in question looks, well, old and well worn. You can also reach a point where the parts used are no longer standard and it can be hard to find replacements, or the appropriate tools to work on it, but this bike isn't near that age yet.

I have a lot of love for good quality older stuff and 'lower tech' gear. Probably like a lot of us I'm the guy people in my friends group come to when they want to spend some money on a bike and I often try to drive people to good used bikes if I can find something suitable. It almost never works, haha, but at least I try. People want new and shiny in the end.

Happy Feet

It should also be noted shipping is another $100 so it's really an $850 bike starting bid.

LesterOfPuppets

Most of the old tech is a bonus IMO. That rear derailleur can be shifted with existing shifters or some 8-sp road shifters, like some 1055s, for instance. Would need a road triple FD though. Also chains and cassettes are DIRT CHEAP.

Only old tech that scares me is those bars. They tend to snap if ridden on the rough stuff. They're from the early 90s, and kinda on the stupid light side.

1" threaded headset also says very early 90s to me.

Not really a touring rig, just a classic travel MTB, as it says in the title.

I wouldn't pay $750 for it. Might be tempted if paint was a little better and had XT or XTR instead of LX.

LX works great but I dont wanna spend that much on it.

antokelly

that's it Alan let him down gently.

antokelly

ive been trying to sell my 2 lovely pristine bike this past year Thorn Audax and Terry Dolan le tape carbon road bike only about 100 miles on it.bought them from new all top gear on both bikes ,reason i'm telling you this nobody will buy a used bike for some reason they thing a new shiny cheap bike off the rack will be way better than a quality used bike .
oh the fools the fools they know not what they do.lol

btw the way ive a bad back so after a ebike.

Tourist in MSN

Fully agree.

alan s 

treebound