"Buy It Now" or Make Offer?

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

Interesting little offering at eBay...a 1939 Raleigh Gents Superbe Safety Tourist in claimed new-old-stock (NOS) "all original & unrestored" condition. Hmm. The seller says "I have merely serviced it mechanically, and lovingly cleaned it to reveal its original condition". Uh-huh.

Wouldn't the tires on a 74 year-old bike show more signs of age? I've been able to store spare tires in a cool, dry place in my garage, double-bagged in air-evacuated plastic garbage bags and they were still okay after 10-20 years, but after 74 years?!? -- "...obviously a perfect storm of the right conditions for preservation - the right humidity, temperature, lack of sunlight, etc".

It is certainly a fine-looking example.

For a fun read and some lovely photos, go to: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-1939-Raleigh-Gents-Superbe-Safety-Tourist-NOS-Factory-Original-Condition-/190802082588?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6cb0bb1c

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

is he having a laugh.

[Andre Jute]

I wonder if any bicycle museum has that much money. -- AJ

[JWestland]

There's some stupid prices asked for vintage bikes on e-bay...70s racers with full Campy often start $1000 and up.

But hey you can't blame people for trying 

[il padrone]

Don't know about the price, but that certainly seems to be an exceptional bike  Staggering that a bike would be left as-new, unused for such a time. Re the tyres, it's possible. My old road bike was kept in a garage and later under the house, virtually unused for 17 years. Certainly not kept in ideal conditions, but pretty good. When I pulled it out and cleaned it up the tyres were still in excellent condition. One of them was an original from when I first bought the bike, and at that time 26 years old (the bike had been my Audax ride and not ridden a lot at all). I also had two spare tyres - folding tyes, still in their boxes - which were in great, brand new condition. The major killer for tyres and other rubber or plastic components is UV.

[il padrone]

There's some stupid prices asked for vintage bikes on e-bay...70s racers with full Campy often start $1000 and up.

But hey you can't blame people for trying  

I'd hardly regard a 1970s full Campag racer at $1000 as a stupid price. It would have been sold for pretty close to that in the 70s when new. If it's at all in good condition, the classic value of such a bike would have to value it as at least as much, maybe twice that price. Remember we've had an awful lot of price inflation since then - the quality of bike I would have bought for $300 in the 70s today will sell as a new bike for $1500.


[edit]A whole lot more photos of the bike here (470  ). Plus some Raleigh documentation.