I don't keep track of most of the things that I sell (largely because I don't think they're rare enough or of high quality). But I did sell a couple of frames and a bicycle within the last month or so, that I think would be recording. I just hope I won't be reading this post later and regret selling these (or the prices that I sold them at).
The first is a 1991 Miyata Seven21 frame. I believe I bought this as a part of a bulk lot of bicycles at a police auction. It's probably an upper-entry level bike, but I think it's somewhat rare. When I brought it home, I realized that the fork was slightly bent inward. I was contemplating whether to use one of my spare forks to build up the bike, but I decided to sell it because the frame wasn't as light as I hoped, and I couldn't remove the bottom bracket cups. It was sold to a guy who modifies the rear dropouts into a track bike dropouts by welding on small plates of steel, then cutting the backside of the dropout. The interesting this is that he keep the derailleur hanger on there so that the owner can switch from single-speed/fixed to geared. I'm not quite sure why one would need to do this if the frame already has a horizontal dropout, but maybe it's more for looks. Anyhow, the frame was sold for $35.
The frame does have a few cool specs. It's got bonded aluminum lugs, got internal cable routing, and has a single hole drilled on the bottom of the down tube. That single hole is supposedly for a CO2 cartridge holder.
1991 Miyata Seven21 (12/20/11)
1991 Miyata Seven21 (12/20/11)
1991 Miyata Seven21 (12/20/11)
1991 Miyata Seven21 - Head tube; Internal cable routing (12/20/11)
The other frame I sold is a 1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE. I have actually kept this frame for a while, and have mentioned it in at least one previous post. Before I found my Univega Alpina Ultima, I was going to turn this into a commuter/tourer. But since I've built up the Univega, this one's been just sitting and taking up space.
This one looks a lot like the 1985 frame, with the same colors. The seat lug and the bottom brackets are lugged, while the head tube joints are fillet-brazed. It doesn't have the lowrider rack braze-ons on the fork like the '85 model, but it has the lugged fork crown (which I've kept). It came with Shimano Deore components, with Sugino AT triple crank. The front wheel was Araya RM20 laced onto Suntour XC Pro, but the rear rim was a cheap generic one. It also had Nitto stem/handlebar and Suntour XC Pro seatpost/pedals. It had significant scratches, especially on the right chainstay from chain suck. There was also a broken bolt in one of the rear dropout braze-ons. I put it up for $5 because of the condition it was in, and coincidentally, the same guy who picked up my Miyata Seven21 ended up with this frame also.
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Fillet brazed head tube (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Schwinn Chicago head badge (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Decal (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Bit of surface rust (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Seat lugs (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - (Fancy) Schwinn Chicago decal (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Bottle cage braze-ons(1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Bi-Oval tubes (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Bottom bracket (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Bottom bracket cable routing (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Serial number (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Good amount of wear on the drive-side chainstay (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Drive-side rear dropout (1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Broken bolt inside one of the dropout braze-ons(1/16/12)
1987 Schwinn Cimarron LE - Rear rack braze-ons (1/16/12)
The last record-worthy bike I sold was a complete 1990 Diamond Back Interval. It was fully-lugged, with Tange 2 tubing, and with Shimano Exage components. Because of the small size and the clean condition it was in, I was originally thinking about putting on better components selling it to my friend for very cheap. So I actually overhauled the whole thing, even applying Boeshield T-9 and waxing. During the process,I felt like the brazing of the lugs looked somewhat sloppy. Since I know nothing about frame-building, I figured I would just sell this one, and wait for a better bike to turn up for my friend.
Here are the specs.
Frame: Fully-lugged; 50cm; Tange 2 Champion No. 2 tubing; made in Taiwan
Fork: Unicrown; Super Radius Cr Mo blades
Crankset: Shimano 400EX, 165mm; 42-52 Biopace steel chainrings
Shifters: Shimano 7 speed SIS downtube
Derailleurs: Shimano 500EX
Hubs: KK front; HG-50 rear, 7 speed cassette
Rims: Araya 700c, single-walled, presta valve
Tires :700x25c Specialized All Condition Armadillo
Headset: some Taiwanese brand
Handlebar: alloy (Kalloy?)
Stem: alloy (Kalloy?)
Brakes: Shimano 500EX; dual-pivot
Brake levers: Shimano 500EX
Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo Bernard Hinault (tear on the left-rear of the saddle)
Seatpost: Kalloy?
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Drive side (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Centurion handlebar (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Shimano Exage 500 EX brake levers (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Head badge decal (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Head tube lugs (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Shimano Exage 500 EX dual-pivot brake (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Super Radius Cr-Mo fork blades (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - "Centurion Designed" (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Seat cluster; Tange Cr-Mo(1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Bottom bracket (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Shimano Exage 400 EX crankset (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Shimano Exage 500 EX rear derailleur (1/17/12)
1990 Diamond Back Interval - Rear view; Turbo saddle (1/17/12)
During the last couple of months there's been some changes in my stable of bikes. I recently sold the SR Apine Sport for $125. I returned it to its original 12 speed, using the original Shimano Altus LT drivetrain. The buyer was quite happy about how clean it was. Here are some pictures I took for record:
1980 SR Alpine Sport - With the gears and the derailleurs added back on (4/11/11)
1980 SR Alpine Sport - Shimano Altus LT rear derailleur (4/11/11)
1980 SR Alpine Sport - Shimano Altus stem-mounted friction shifters (4/11/11)
I also sold the frame, fork, and a few parts of the 1991 Trek 6000 for $35. I was thinking about turning into another single speed, but decided to sell it because there was a big scratch on the drive-side chainstay from chainsuck. I kept the Suntour XC Ltd parts and the wheelset though.
1991 Trek 6000 - How it looked when I first brought it home (1/16/11)
1991 Trek 6000 - What I sold (2/16/11)
I also bought/sold a few other bikes, but most of them weren't very noteworthy. I did pick up a pair of Suntour bar-end shifters and a few other parts from a beat up 70's Centurion Super Lemans. I also got hold of a 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper. The Stumpjumper is too big for me, so I've taken off the parts and am planning to sell the frame and fork. I'm also planning to sell the Schwinn Cimarron frame and fork. I had planned to build it up to be a commuter/light tourer, but I picked up a 1984 Univega Alpina Ultima that's in a much better condition. I've forgot to take pictures of these bikes, so they will come in a later post, hopefully.
Here are the new bikes for which I do have the pictures to show, though. First is the 1987 Terry Despatch for my sister. My sister's only about 5'3" with not very long legs, so it's quite difficult to find a vintage bicycle that fits her. (And I wanted her to have a lugged steel bike, but I can't really afford to buy her a new one). I already knew that Centurion made some of their Ironman models with a 24 inch front wheel to allow for a very small frame, and had missed a couple of chances to buy one at a reasonable price. I also knew of Terry bicycles made for small women, but I just assumed for that the company wasn't so old. So when I picked this one up for $125 on Craigslist, and was pretty surprised that it wasn't gone by the time I contacted the seller. I was told that it was ridden only a few times, and it seems to be true. There are nicks and scratches, but it's overall clean for its age. It's got Tange 1 tubing, Suntour Cyclone 7000 drivetrain, with about a 27 inch stand-over height. More details on this bike will follow after I give it an overhaul.
1987 Terry Despatch - Drive-side view (4/5/11)
1987 Terry Despatch - Front view (4/5/11)
The second bicycle is the most recent addition, and it's a Univega Alpina 507. I don't quite know the model year yet since I didn't have time to look at the parts' date codes or the frame's serial number, but it's most likely from the early 90's. I picked it up at the Goodwill auction for $71 (although with the gas prices now, it probably cost me more like $100). I bought it because it's a got decent components (Shimano Deore LX/XT), and it had bosses for racks and a third water bottle cage under the downtube. I am thinking I could turn this into another commuter/tourer. From my quick inspection, everything seems to be in a decent condition. There isn't much information on this model on the internet. But from one picture that I managed to find, the Rock Shox Judy XC fork it has on now may not be original. I don't have any experience with suspension forks, so that aspect of the bike will be a new learning experience for me. Also, the rear shifter/brake lever was a Shimano Acera and made for V-brakes, so that will also need to be changed. It's made in Taiwan with Formula 969 double-butted chromoly. I couldn't find anything on this tubing, but the bike seems sufficiently light.
I bought both of the saddles for $11.50 on ebay (although I had to drive out 30 minutes to pick them up). They obviously don't have the prestige or the quality of a Turbo or Rolls, but I think it was a pretty good buy for the price. (Although, I had come across a Turbo Triathlon saddle in the past, but I didn't like it very much and ended up selling it.)
I've read some good things about the Avocet Touring saddles online. I think I read somewhere that some were made in the U.S., but this one was made in Italy. They are supposed to have three levels, I, II, and III, in increasing quality. I am guessing this one is the (same as) Touring I, since it's got vinyl cover with a decent amount of foam padding. The II and III are supposed to have leather covers and less padding.
It looks to be in good condition overall, although there are a few cosmetic blemishes. In the first picture, the little "bump" below the A in Avocet is caused by the long clamp bolt pushing against the plastic. (It's the old style seatpost clamp). I'm not sure if it can be fixed, but hopefully it won't cause any problems in the future. I am thinking of putting this one on my Schwinn Cimarron if I ever get to putting it back together.
Avocet Touring - Side View
Avocet Touring - Rear View
Avocet Touring - Front View
The seller said this Mundialita came off his Miele. I'm not sure if there are ways to tell the different qualities of Mundialita saddles, or if there were any difference in qualities in their saddles. There isn't too much information on these saddles online, but they seem like they were on upper entry level bikes or maybe some mid level bikes. I thought they would look better on my Peugeot PH 501 than the WTB Speed V that's on it right now.
The 1985 Peugeot catalog says the stock saddle is "Mondialita," and I couldn't figure out whether that was a typo or a different maker. (The 1986 catalog spells it Mondialita also). The saddle that came with the bike when I got it unfortunately had no markings other than that it was made in Italy. Hopefully that wasn't a Mundialita because it didn't fit me so well and I had to toss it. If it was, I hope this one has a more fitting shape.
It looks to be in great shape with minimal padding in the middle of the saddle. The back and the nose seem to have almost none. A bit heavy compared to the present day saddles, but I won't care as long as it's comfortable. I am a little worried about the cover material since I read one person complaining that it made him sweat.
