Real selling/purchase price for vintage steel bikes in 2018?

[Peachy!]

Re: Re:

Some good points but have to disagree completely with the view on the young, way off the mark!

I agree, all my lad's friends want "a proper bike" after he turned up at the park on his Claud Butler that he restored… I think he rather liked telling them “you can buy one for silly money.. but it’ll never be yours until you’ve built it yourself” :shock:

That’s the 11 year olds, but in the design office at my place of work, the beardy well-coiffed cool twenty somethings all buzz around the workshops on steel fixies in various guises.

 

[nonowt]

Re:

I think prices have generally dropped quite heavily over the last 18 months or so. Hetchins, flying scot, mercian, etc. Seem to have held their prices but factory marques (say a 531 framed Raleigh) and less prestigious makes say Ribble or a Harry Hall go for very little (around £100). 2 years ago you could often see gas-pipe Peugeots go for £150+.

I guess it's just fashion. Here in heart of ridiculous fashion, east London, the trend seems to have moved on to motorbikes, carbon bikes and most noticeably gravel and adventure bikes. Pretty much only couriers dress like couriers and ride fixed now.

 

[spitball]

Frame snobbery also comes into it, I really can't see why people go so mad for sbdu frames, please correct me if I'm wrong from my understanding these were built made to measure for people. But having looked at the frames they are no better finished (I mean attention to detail on brazing etc) than any other higher end frame. So, unless it was built for you I can't see why they fetch such a premium price.

As for 531 Raleigh frames I think there are so many Road aces etc (supply and demand) Then there so many other Raleighs advertised as 531 when in actual fact it's only the three main tubes that are 531 and people have paid silly money for them in the past thinking they were full 531 and still want silly money.

 

[jordic1968]

Interesting discussion... what do you thing about the place&promotion factor ? For example, business like steel-vintage bikes seem to go pretty well (nothing to do with them) while pretty nice bikes advertised here or in local ad sites stay listed forever ....

Maybe the target audience is different; while some sites are full of people (like me) that prefer to spend time ,as a hobby, finding the right piece or info for our own builds, people interested in buying a collectible piece go directly to these specialized shops ?

 

[baronsouthside]

Re:

I like my frames to have a story but others don't share the same feeling. Others may value the component parts more. Therefore what i would be willing to pay for component parts will be different from others. Its not impossible to get a deal but its getting harder and personal time spent trawling online auction/sale sites is not costed at all (unless your vintage-steel or other retro shops). Finding a frame with a story under £100 is near on impossible as people are more knowledgable. I suppose vintage-steel and other shops have to source parts just like the hobbyist therefore this maybe pushes prices up for for everyone as part sellers know there is a premium market so hold on for premium prices. There will always be millionaires who can afford to buy a ready made wall hanger. There will always be the businesses/profiteers who see this as an opportunity for a profit and there will always be the (almost professional) hobbyist who pay the same prices for frames and parts but who's work is undervalued when it comes to selling as its a private sale. Most people on this forum I suspect value the build factor. Ive been lucky buying a few bargain bikes that i stripped down and sold on as component parts for profit but this profit is lost when i buy premium priced spares for the bikes I value. So using this strategy I try to break even although my wife will disagree on that point.

 

[jordic1968]

we could open another thread on wife's disagreements that's also interesting !

 

[Fifthgrace]

Interesting discussion... what do you thing about the place&promotion factor ? For example, business like steel-vintage bikes seem to go pretty well (nothing to do with them) while pretty nice bikes advertised here or in local ad sites stay listed forever ....

I'm not sure that these specialists get their asking prices, but I guess there is an audience that feels reassured they are getting a bike that's been professionally inspected/prepared. They do get some high end "niche" brands though, which means they must be searching their local ads/ have good trade contacts because these bikes don't come up that often on eBay eg. Berardi/Paratella/Picchio. I often discover new brands from their listings, so it has its uses!

 

[dirttorpedo]

My 2 cents. Ebay.com prices are in the stratosphere and reflect a premium price expectation from vendors. I have purchased at the bottom end of the range in the $275 USD range for a full bicycle with quality Japanese parts in good condition. There are a few bicycles in Ebay.com priced at over 1000 USD, but I doubt they sell quickly or often at those prices. There are only so many wealthy collectors out there looking for museum quality vintage steel road bikes.

Local used prices vary widely depending on the demand. In a place like Portland, Ore. prices for good quality good condition vintage bikes will be higher whereas that same bike in Lincoln, Neb. would be $20-40 USD.

 

[fignonFlyer]

I too have noticed frames getting cheaper, however still heathy prices on ‘team’ liveried frames. So much so there have been a few repainted frames made to look like Team Raleigh. As for SBDU frames, I think for U.K. peeps it may be because in the the 70’s and 80’s there were Raleigh dealers everywhere and the pinnacle of your aspiration would be the SBDU 753 frames in the back of the catelogue. I mean you could have a frame that the pro team used, but if you only had the income from a paper round then they were not obtainable. Then when you could afford it, SBDU was closed down.
I had one nicked

 

[fignonFlyer]

I had one nicked that was my training bike, but have recently lucked in with an SB 531 that was not advertised as an SBDU frame.