Old bike on Columbus frame

[CarolineJS]

Hi, I wondered if anyone would be able to help me establish what the bike is and how old it would be.
It has been in an outbuilding of mine for approx. 10 years, but is not in bad condition considering.
I can see it has a Columbus badge on the frame, and all the mechanical parts have the brand names on them.
I know nothing about bikes, so really am looking for advise before I sell it.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[sjcprojects]

It's certainly good quality - the gears and brakes are Shimano 600 which was one step down from the top level of Shimano components.

Definitely late 80s-early 90s. It will be hard to ID the maker without a serial number (under the bottom bracket where the bottom of the tubes all meet). Even then it will be tricky without any obvious defining features. I can see a black sticker on the back of the seat tube - might be a clue there? Also, what else does it say on the Columbus badge? - there were different levels of tubing used, so that could make a big difference to the price.

Based on what I can see, and without a definite name/make it's worth about £150-200, though it could take a while to sell in the current climate. With a well known make, it would be more, but I do think establishing that could be hard.

Where are you based, out of interest?

 

[CarolineJS]

Thank you so much for your knowledge. When I get chance, I will look for a serial number on the frame. Have attached a couple more pictures.
I am in Hertfordshire.

 

[sjcprojects]

I thought it might be Columbus SLX - good news, because bikes made with SLX are definitely more sought-after due to their lightness, so that puts it easily the £200+ mark I would say. Also, it all looks very original. The fact it has no name on it suggests it may have been resprayed at some point, though the colour scheme is very much of the period, so it's hard to say if that's the case.

Anyway, it's a lovely bike!

 

[CarolineJS]

Thank you. I have just looked at it and I can not see any serial numbers anywhere on it.
It does have to word leader on the back of the frame.
Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing if there is not a serial number?
Thanks again for the info

 

[sjcprojects]

Interesting – it's certainly unusual to not have any number at all on a frame, although it's not really a bad thing, it just means that it's very unlikely you'll be able to find out who made it - although you never know, there are some people on here much more knowledgable than me who might have an idea based on the paint scheme, perhaps. I've just noticed this thread is in the MTB section, so if you do want a better chance of getting more info/more opinions, you could post in the "Road" section instead:

Retro Classic Road

Forum dedicated to classic road bicycles and components. Also includes cross and track.

www.retrobike.co.uk

In terms of selling, you will probably get most on eBay, if so make sure you mention the SLX frame in the listing title. There is of course also a dedicated section for selling on here as well, which avoids any fees, though you have to specify a price to sell anything so you might want to get a few more opinions first!

Road For Sale - Complete Bikes

Road, Cross and Track For Sale Classifieds section for Complete Bikes only.

www.retrobike.co.uk