Need some advice about a Colnago

[tamh]

Hi,
I have a Colnago Master bike that was given to my father-in-law as payment for a plumbing job. I want to sell it, but I have no idea what it is worth. I wrote down some of the info on the bike and was wondering if anyone out there could point me in the right direction for pricing it. There is a sticker that says Gilco Design Columbus, profilo S4. It has Wolber rims on the tires and a Kegal Girardi seat. The bike is in good condition and is silver.
Should I try to sell it to a bike shop or on Craig's list? Also, is there more info that I need to tell people?
Any advice you could offer would be appreciated. Thanks!

[rePhil]

You could sell it to me! There is so much we need to know. A lot can be answered initially with some detailed photos. Can you post some?
If there is any real value to it, Bike shops and Craigslist won't get you it's value. Ebay would be the best bet, and selling the frame and fork together in one package, components in another, wheels in another will yield the most $$$
To sell it you need to do a little homework and find out what you have, and it's size.

[tamh]

The picture file size is too large to upload. Any suggestions?
I can also take more photos of the labels if I know what stuff would be helpful.

[Ahneida Ride]

just use any photo software to resize and then upload and post here.

i am sure the members here can help ya out.

[tamh]

Thanks. I will give it a try. I will also take some more detailed pictures, because it sounds like I will need them.

[tamh]

Here are two pictures of the bike. I am going to take some more. Thanks for your help.

[cmg]

pretty bike, take off the time trial bars and sell them seperately. List the components and frame dimensions. try to get about $700 on craigslist or the RBR and Serotta classifieds as a complete bike. if that doesn't happen a 10 day run on ebay in June with a $500 reserve. Clear brightly lit focused photos, nothing by camera phone in a basement with a single light source. depending on the components and condition of frame should be able to get above $500- $600.

[tamh]

Here are some more pictures.

[texbike]

It's tough to see all of the components but the crank and seatpost is definitely C Record which was Campy's top group at the time. It also has the C Record/Cobalto brake calipers. Given the components and bike details, I would guess it to be around a 1987/1988 vintage.

Texbike

[tamh]

That's great to get info about the year it was made. Thanks!

[michael white]

if you just want to make money on it, send it to Cycleart and pay for the refinish. This is really good stuff and you should not be hasty.

[tamh]

Hi,
Thanks for th info. What is Cycleart and about how much would it be to refinish it?

[Dan Le foot]

Cycleart is in Vista,Ca (N county San Diego). We just got a quote to refinish a De Rosa that is in pretty nice condition. Total came to 1,000.00. This was for there cat 2 paint and decals. The Cat 2 paint job starts at 350.00 the price goes up as they charge to mask the dropouts etc. Was pretty shocked when all the little items were added up. We've decided the original paint is actually really nice and can improve resell. Unless your frame is in very poor condition you might want to rethink painting as you won't get it back in the resell market.

[michael white]

google.

you won't like the price but it's the right advice.

[tamh]

Hum....
I don't want to do too much work and driving to San Diego would be a long trip. Interesting advice from all of you.

[kestrel]

I was always under the impression that the Cobalto brakes were actually pretty rare. I think they were only made for a short period of time while the Deltas were being refined for the public. I'm sure there are people on this forum that know more about it than I do.
I certainly wouldn't be hasty in selling the bike.

Unless you need 400 dollars fast and want me to write a check.

[tamh]

Do you recommend waiting until spring to sell? Should I keep the bike together or sell parts separtately?
This is all very complicated. Thanks for your help.

[texbike]

CycleArt is a great place. However, Im not sure that you would recoup your investment in the cost of a repaint.

I'm not sure where you are located, but my suggestion is to post the bike on your local Craigslist if you are in or close to a major metropolitan area.

Determine the exact measurements of the bike along with the crankarm length, # of teeth on the chaingrings, the # of speeds on the rear cluster (and the gear range). Post as much info as possible in your ad and list it for around $700-$800. This would be the quickest, easiest way (no shipping headaches or ebay fees involved) to maximize your return on the bike and get it in the hands of someone that will really appreciate it.

Good luck with the sale. This was a top of the line bike back in its day and a wonderful, classic machine.

Cheers,

Texbike

[rePhil]

Simple but complicated to someone not in the know. As for waiting for spring, a potential buyer might be looking for a winter project, but then again maybe not. I have noticed a slowdown on e bay, and pricing has come down.
I believe you have a nice bike, but not something worth a lot.
You would get the most parting it out, but do you have the experience to do the work?
Would you be able to box the bike up if it sold on e bay?
Where do you live? Perhaps someone here would be willing to help?

[tamh]

I live in Moorpark, CA. I am about 50 minutes north of LA. I like the idea of using Craig's list as I really just want to get the bike sold and move on. Do bike shops charge you to get all of the specific measurements that were listed in the previous posting?

[texbike]

I live in Moorpark, CA. I am about 50 minutes north of LA. I like the idea of using Craig's list as I really just want to get the bike sold and move on. Do bike shops charge you to get all of the specific measurements that were listed in the previous posting?

I honestly think that Craigslist would be your best bet given your goals. You wouldn't have to worry about taking it apart or boxing it up to have it shipped.

A bike shop would be able to help you with the measurements. By the way, I've sent you a pm with my contact info. I'm familiar with Campy and Colnagos of that era and would be happy to help you nail down the details for your ad.

Cheers,

Texbike

[texbike]

Also, here is a link to the Master in the 1988 Colnago catalog:

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/colnago-88/14.jpg

Very similar to yours other than the brakeset which was used during 1986 and 1987 while Campy sorted out the Deltas.

Another suggestion is to send those aero bars to a parts box in the sky as soon as possible! :)

Texbike

[tamh]

One more question. What are the aero bars?
Thanks!

[Charles M]

They're the handlebar set in general... Everything attached to the stem.


I love bikes like this but honestly wouldn't spend a dime refiniching it because it may or may not be someone else's cup of tea...


I would take it to a local shop and see if they had a set of Alu road bars and how much the swap would be... If it's a sizable shop they may help you get rid of it as well.


50 bucks for bars and bartape and maybe an overhaul and cables and cleaning...



Then it's a crap shoot.


If someone that's in to it see's it you could get a few more dollars but 500 to 1000 and I would be happy...

[zmudshark]

Do an eBay search for 'Colnago Master', there are a few for sale now. You have C-Record components and Cobalto brakes, that are worth a bit by themselves.

Where are you located, maybe someone can help you out. You may want to post here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=181

The site is down at the moment, but lots of helpful forks there who are into older bikes.

Edit: The small size is the biggest drawback on the frame, but then again, there may be someone looking for a smallish frame, they don't come up that often.

[cmg]

One more question. What are the aero bars?
Thanks!

The aero bar are clipped to what's left of the original handlebars. Looks like the original bars are inverted and clipped with the brake hoods reversed in an attempt to make a set of tri-bars out of them. I'm always amazed at the attrocities that are committed on older road bikes in order to make them into something they not.

[cody.wms]

Lots of great advice so far. My two cents:

Id list it here in the classifieds first. People here are generally honest good people, and many of us have had great luck buying and selling, much more so than craigslist. Craigslist is pretty flaky, IMHO. There is a recent thread about "how to sell" in the general section. Just make sure to list a price, that seems to be a general pet peeve of many, myself included.

Give a local bike shop a call and see how much they would charge to ship it for you. While this is a large forum, and there are alot of people in the LA area, many may want the bike shipped. I see that Moorpark Cycles and the Simi Cycling Center are close by to you, give them a call and see what they would charge. Typically, you can just drop the bike off and they will take care of it.

There are a handful of measurements that would be useful. Measure in millimeters. Ive included a picture to illustrate. The measurements are:

A: CHAINSTAY LENGTH: From center of the cranks to the center of the hole that holds the rear wheel.

B: SEAT TUBE, CENTER TO TOP: From center of cranks to top of the seat tube (where the seat tube and seat post, the aluminum piece that holds the seat, meet).

C: SEAT TUBE, CENTER TO CENTER: From center of crank to center of the top tube, the one that is parallel to the ground.

D: TOP TUBE LENGTH: From center of the seat tube to the center of the head tube (the tube at the front).

E: HEAD TUBE LENGTH: The entire length of the front tube. Measure between the headset cups, the lighter colored aluminum pieces on the front (from end of one chrome piece to the end of the other).


If it doesnt sell here, id go craigslist and roadbike review, then ebay.

Hope this helps, and best of luck with your sale.

[StephenCL]

I would actually suggest that there is a lot more to be made than $700.00 here.

The real question is to what extent do you want to go to sell the bike. The cranks look to be in very good to excellent condition, and while the Cobalto brakes are dirty, they do not look worn. Please don't get overwhelmed by terms you may not know, but we will try our best to help out.

I believe you could get about 1000-1200 for everything here, but you would have to break it a part to sell it.

You would probably get between 500-700 just for the frame and fork. Another 200.00 or so just for the very rare Cabalto brakes.

The other option is to sell the complete record vintage group. You would need to remove the headset and the bottom bracket. With the Cabalto brakes, my guess is the full groupset would yeild between 500-700.

This is just based on my own buying and selling of vintage Campy parts and Colnagos. Colnago Masters hold their value very well for some reason.

Finally, you could post the bike here for sale to see if anyone is interested. However, this group is notorious for trading things among each other for less than the street value of the items. That is why we are all still here and part of this forum.

I don't think you should repaint the bike either. I think the paint appears to be in very good condition given the age of the bike. The patina it has now could not be replicated with todays water based paints.

Hope this helps.

warm regards,

Stephen

[rePhil]

I agree that separating it would bring the most $.And no offense, but I think you would be hard pressed to see the numbers StephenCL suggests for this frame and without some serious cleaning.
Here is a Nice Colnago master with Precisa fork $461:
http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-Frame-and-Fork-Colnago-Master-steel-columbus_W0QQitemZ180317108630QQcmdZViewItemQQptZL H_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item180317108630&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Here is a clean Super Record group that did bring a nice amount$700:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Campagnolo-Super-Record-Super-Leggero-Group-Set-80s_W0QQitemZ320328714281QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item320328714281&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Granted you could clean it up. You could disassemble it if you have the tools and knowledge. You would then need to be able to list, answer questions, and box it up. Are you up to that?
I say put it on Craigslist for $700. I would be willing to bet it won't sell locally for that.
On the Serotta classifieds I would say 500 + shipping, and thats pushing it atmo.
Good luck!

[michael white]

When I suggested Cycleart, here's what I was thinking. A friend of mine, with a pretty severe Colnago disease, just got a Colnago back from them which he bought used on Ebay from Europe, but he wanted it to look new. He is very compulsive, I don't think he'd mind me saying that. They didn't repaint, but what they did was touch up, buff out, and clearcoat. Cycleart can fix and replicate just about everything, decals, chrome, etc. The end result is that it is almost impossible to tell the bike from new. In fact, it is probably better than new since it's a cool old paint job with lots of chrome which would cost an arm and a leg now. It wasn't supercheap, but it was much, much cheaper than a paint job would've been.

Suppose you could get a 20 year old Master to look virtually NOS, then think about what it might bring on Ebay.


I would actually suggest that there is a lot more to be made than $700.00 here.

The real question is to what extent do you want to go to sell the bike. The cranks look to be in very good to excellent condition, and while the Cobalto brakes are dirty, they do not look worn. Please don't get overwhelmed by terms you may not know, but we will try our best to help out.

I believe you could get about 1000-1200 for everything here, but you would have to break it a part to sell it.

You would probably get between 500-700 just for the frame and fork. Another 200.00 or so just for the very rare Cabalto brakes.

The other option is to sell the complete record vintage group. You would need to remove the headset and the bottom bracket. With the Cabalto brakes, my guess is the full groupset would yeild between 500-700.

This is just based on my own buying and selling of vintage Campy parts and Colnagos. Colnago Masters hold their value very well for some reason.

Finally, you could post the bike here for sale to see if anyone is interested. However, this group is notorious for trading things among each other for less than the street value of the items. That is why we are all still here and part of this forum.

I don't think you should repaint the bike either. I think the paint appears to be in very good condition given the age of the bike. The patina it has now could not be replicated with todays water based paints.

Hope this helps.

warm regards,

Stephen

[michael white]

I don't think you should repaint the bike either. I think the paint appears to be in very good condition given the age of the bike. The patina it has now could not be replicated with todays water based paints.

Hope this helps.

warm regards,

Stephen

you have a good eye. I just went back and looked at the photos, and I can't even see any spots of rust around the tt cable guides. Makes you wonder if this bike was really ridden or not.

[shiftyfixedgear]

I want to strongly disagree with the "repaint before selling" advice given earlier by the peanut gallery.

In every case I have ever seen of this, the new buyer never expects to pay but a small fraction of the value of the refinish. The seller ends up eating the difference. I've seen this with cars, motorcycles and boats. Buyers tend to easily decide that it's "not their choice in color" , or decals, or the paint is too thick, too thin, etc. etc.
You'll also get bargainers / "kollectors" who will tell you they would have paid MORE if it had the original finish ! Doh !

Most restorations are labors of love but sure-fire big money losers.

You are much better off to sell "as-is" and let the new buyer decide on what they want to do with it refinish-wise. Even cleaning it up too much is a gamble.
Let the buyer decide what they want to do.

I would guess your bike is probably worth around $1000 - 1200 complete, and maybe $1500 - 1600 if taken apart and sold piece by piece.

The premium in price for the separate parts comes with much time and aggravation with Ebay listings and such.
Craigslist is full of flakey tire-kickers and low-ballers who will often waste your time.

I sound pessimistic, but you'll probably do just fine. It's a nice bike in many ways. Good Luck !

[Sunangel]

Edit: The small size is the biggest drawback on the frame, but then again, there may be someone looking for a smallish frame, they don't come up that often.

Indeed, I am always interested in tiny, upper end bikes. Your Colnago sounds and looks perfect for me.

Send me a PM, please!

East Hill

[Marcusaurelius]

Smaller frames are tougher to sell than say a 56cm or 58cm but colnago's are a much sought after brand. If you're not in a hurry to sell, you would probably sell it for more in the spring.

Ebay has fees and paypal has fees and shipping a complete bike is an onerous task but things can sell for incredile prices ( just do a search on 10 speed chorus alloy shifters).

I think local sale or Serotta classifieds would be fine but Ebay could net you the largest return if that's what you want.

[tamh]

I am very thankful for all of your advice. I never realized how many bike enthusiasts there were out there! I am going to take it to a bike shop tomorrow and have them take the measurements that you all recommended. I will also find out if they ship bikes and how much they charge. I think I will either sell through this site or Craig's list. Thanks again!