Hello and what’s this bike worth?

[Pitstop]

Cheeky first post. Now, I know people who join a forum just to get a value get pretty harsh treatment (well, they do on watch forums) so go easy on me.

Hello. I came to this site after a recommendation from someone on a non bike related site as I was asking about a bike I recently dragged out from the depths of my garage that I bought at a boot sale around 1995. Pretty sure it wasn’t cheap at the time, I seem to think I paid around £100 for it. I’m not really into bikes but I run a training centre for car repairs and recently started a qualification on cycle maintenance. We're using this bike to do some tests on - nothing difficult as it’s just for kids, just removing and replacing wheels, punctures, tyres, brakes, Seat, handlebars etc.

Someone commented that it might be of interest to a collector, hence my question on a bike related post on a watch forum which led me to here!

Had a search on here and all I could find was an advert for a frame with seized forks for £50. Can anyone tell me if it’s worth anything or is it just another old piece of junk? It’s in pretty good condition and all the gears used to work but now the front three are fine but no matter how I adjust the rears, I can only get four gears on the back. Either looking to sell or may even swap for something more useful as, just like the cars we practice on, I can see it getting ruined being taken apart time and time again by kids with hammers and chisels! If it is a worthwhile bike, I’d like someone who is into them to enjoy it. If not, we'll just carry on hammering!

Thanks

 

[jimo746]

Re:

Hi, interesting bike, possibly not one of the more desirable or collectible models, but at a glance I can see there are one or two nice parts on it, which would likely help it's value (often older bikes are worth more for the parts rather than the frame itself).
A photo of the other side of the bike showing the gears etc would be useful, as would a couple showing the hsndlebars/shifters and the wheels.
At the moment I'd have a guess at £50 - £80 , possibly more depending on what the full spec of the bike is.

 

[Pitstop]

Ok thanks. I’m not back at work until Wednesday so I’ll take a few more pictures then and post them up.

 

[RickTheUncivil]

Re:

Looks like mid 90s LX kit from that photo so mid range I guess. No idea about the forks, wheels look mis matched or maybe I'm not seeing the labels on the rims quite right.
Unless the frame is something rare and collectable I would sit it in the same price bracket as the previous post.

 

[Pitstop]

The rims are both the same make, whatever that is. It has a Michelin tyre on the front, now well cracked with age and I changed the rear tyre myself about 20 years ago as it was a knobbly one and it was easier to pedal with a 'normal' tyre on - you can see I’m no enthusiast! I bought myself a Trek bike a few years ago, just started using it but again, changed the nobbly tyres for road ones but in all honestly, if I go onto some dirt tracks at my local country park, I much prefer to use a Carrera fold up cycle with 20” wheels - for some reason I find that a lot easier to pedal. Im ashamed of my lack of pedalling prowess!
This is my Trek, used it about 6 times in 2 years. When I get my helmet and jacket out to go on a ride, my wife mutters something along the lines of ‘All the gear, no idea’. :roll: I got someone to take this picture of me after I’d pushed it halfway up a local hill just to wind the wife up. I like the idea of cycling but unfortunately my arse and thighs don’t!

 

[MR OX]

Re:

The issue with your rear gears could be dry grease in the shifter (it's really common) a good spray with wd40 or a degreaser (my personal choice) & work it several times may get it going. Either that or pop it apart to clean the dry grease out. Then finally a squirt of spray grease & off you go.
Looking forward to seeing some more pics!

 

[Pitstop]

Funny you should say that, I had the same problem a good few years ago and someone who knew a bit about bikes lubed it up and all the gears started working. I tried giving it a good spraying this time but with no luck. I'm a bit chicken about taking the gear shifter apart in case all springs and bits ping out everywhere!

 

[MR OX]

Re:

Depending what type they are you maybe able to just spin them 180 degrees on the bar & remove the bottom cover (now on top) & give them a good spray out & rub with a toothbrush.

 

[Pitstop]

Thanks. I’ll give that a try.

 

[Pitstop]

Re: Re:

Depending what type they are you maybe able to just spin them 180 degrees on the bar & remove the bottom cover (now on top) & give them a good spray out & rub with a toothbrush.

Many thanks for that. I turned them upside down, stripped the cover off and it was all clean inside but bone dry. A few squirts of oil on them, put them back together and all fine now - getting all 7 rear gears and it feels better built than the Trek bike I have.

Here’s a few more pics of parts of the bike that I took today. Now, what should I do - sell complete or break for spares?