Guidance on '85 Merckx Corsa, full Campy, etc.

[taylor_walker]

Hello Paceliners, it's been a while. I have a buddy who wants to sell the following and I'm looking for pricing guidance before I put it up for sale in the Classifieds section on his behalf. Thanks in advance for your help.

Eddy Merckx 1985 Corsa, 56 cm, SN 6c-1809 Z

Columbus SL Tubing, Campy Super Record Group with Ambrosia Rims and Vittoria tubular tires.

A number of the components are NOS. Frame purchased on the Bay in '14 with fresh paint, my friend put all the parts together, etc. He's never ridden it. An Eroica project that never went to Eroica ;-)

I'll tack on a few pics below.

Thanks again,

Taylor
SF CA

[zmudshark]

Look at this listing for what I think is a gorgeous bike, and go from there.

Good time to be a buyer of classic steel, lousy time to sell.

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=238563

[Spaghetti Legs]

If he bought it in 2014 he will unfortunately take a loss on it. That was probably a peak in vintage steel prices (ask me how I know!). That is a nice looking, well equipped bike but unfortunately I think it might only command about $800 at best now. The monochromatic Merckx bikes don’t command as much attention as the team color ones in the example above. Repaints can actually lower the top end on a bike as the people paying the most for these now are looking for good condition original paint.

The usual recommendation if looking to max return is part out. Campy Super Record bits in good condition still command decent prices.

[jtakeda]

Unfortunately I'm going to have to agree with above. In most cases a repaint doesnt help the value of the frame.

How much to price it at really depends on how quick of a sale your friend wants. a 56 should sell quickly for 600-700. Anything more than 750 and youre playing the waiting game.

[ultraman6970]

If priced right that bike will sell bike quick. If priced wrong will stay there for a long time.

[19wisconsin64]

Hi, you have a beautiful bike there!

In order to get the highest price I'd say to take off water bottle cages. Also switch the bar wrap to that shiny Bennoto blue bar, or white. It will show better. Also adjust the handlebars to the bottom of the drops are parallel to the ground.

Then take some photos of the bike "posed" in a beautiful setting.

You are selling an object of beauty, so maximizing what someone sees online will maximize the price. Also, sell on eBay, you'll get a higher price.

Keep in mind shipping, possibly by BikeFlights, will be expensive, so post the price of shipping in the listing.

Price-wise, do some research, I'm thinking $1K to $2K. That's nothing to the rich old folks who will buy this bike for a one day L'Eroica ride.....and it's got the name (Merckx), and it's all dialed in with top shelf Campagnolo Record parts and stunning paint job. Sort of a no-brainer for someone looking for a vintage mint 56 cm.

These used to (well, they still do if you look at the vintage cycles websites that showcase high end bikes like the Alfa Romeo's of the bike world they are) sell for $3,000 to $4,000.

[rccardr]

Agree with the photo and prep suggestions (although I think the bar tape is fine as is). The bottles, bag, etc. can be pictured separately if they go with the bike.


Also agree with the earlier pricing estimates above. It's pretty & has the desirable flat crown fork, but otherwise not a particularly collectible Merckx. It's a popular size and nicely fitted out (for those who like friction Super Record) but as a complete bike maybe $800. Parted out, more like $1000-1200, although that would require someone wanting tubular rims (I've been giving away my tubular rims).

[daker13]

Hi Taylor! (I bought a groupset from you a couple years ago.) That's one sweet bike. Seems a shame to take less than a grand for such a bike (although I could see that happening). Your friend put it together with care, and it seems reasonable to me that there are probably fastidious buyers out there who would appreciate it. If your friend doesn't get any bites at the price he wants to get, might be worth sitting on it for a while and seeing what happens...

I had a pink Colnago Superissimo that I rode for a few years that used to garner me some funny looks, bought for around $400; when I moved on from it I got around $800-900 for it on eBay, and I honestly think I just happened to tap into a 'classic Italian early 90s retro pink bike' craze without really knowing it.

[patchdog]

Wow!!!

[kiwisimon]

nice looking bike, not the most desirable model and with a repaint anything north of $800 would be a good sale.

[WNC rider]

Nice bike. I miss my Merckx of that same era.
One thing that might keep the value lower is that there are no Merckx pantographed parts. The NOS parts that are on it are no longer NOS, but mentioning they were NOS prior to installation will help a little.
Is that a white Impero pump on the rack behind the bike? Is that included?

There are three specific "issues" that bother me, some of which have been touched on in posts above. These may, or may not bother a potential buyer, but they are easily addressed, and would help finish out the detailing on an otherwise very clean looking bike.

- The mismatched tires. Looks cheap, and like the owner didn't care about that rather noticeable detail, or that the spare was on there and got a flat and wasn't attended to after the flat. Does the spare match either of the other tires? Make the ones on the wheels match. What the spare is won't matter at that point (or remove the spare entirely and just mention that there is a spare included with the sale).

- Level the handlebars, and perhaps level the saddle a bit more.

- The bottle cages look acceptable to me, but the bottles themselves look too modern and out of place. Remove them, or replace them with period-looking bottles. Or remove them entirely, as mentioned, and include them by themselves.

[buddybikes]

Think i would find a more matching saddle than Brooks and part that out, nice saddle should be worth something

[retrofit]

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs

If he bought it in 2014 he will unfortunately take a loss on it. That was probably a peak in vintage steel prices (ask me how I know!). That is a nice looking, well equipped bike but unfortunately I think it might only command about $800 at best now. The monochromatic Merckx bikes don’t command as much attention as the team color ones in the example above. Repaints can actually lower the top end on a bike as the people paying the most for these now are looking for good condition original paint.

The usual recommendation if looking to max return is part out. Campy Super Record bits in good condition still command decent prices.

This.

[velomateo]

Early bird registration is open for Eroica CA ‘20. Why not air up those tires and get it out on the road?

[mtechnica]

I don’t see how it’s only worth 800 when the super record group on its own is worth close to that, but I guess bikes aren’t moving. That said there weren’t a lot of merckxs at eroica, someone would definitely want it I’d think, hard to imagine selling it for less than 1k although I’d change the saddle and adjust everything to look more aesthetically pleasing and take good pics, get matching tires, etc... with the right presentation it will sell.