9/25/14 4:44 PM

My wife and I bought Brompton folding bikes around 15 years ago. I used to use my for multi-modal commuting on the Boston commuter rail. Hasn't been used much for the last few years although it's fun to zip around town on. Decided to sell on Ebay--bought for $800 something in 1999. Sold today for $964!! Crazy!

David

9/25/14 4:52 PM

I'll buy a bunch of them for my retirement plan!

Ha ha I've got numerous old bikes and I have no idea what I could get selling them, but my guess is I would not cover what I paid for them. Which is fine, because I don't really want to sell them anyway. I'll figure out some place to leave them and they will be their problem.

9/25/14 7:12 PM

Speaking of which, what will I be able to get for my 1998 Litespeed Vortex with Time fork and Chris King headset? Included would be a Litespeed Ti 130 mm quill stem and a Litespeed Ti seat post.

9/25/14 7:33 PM

What size, Kerry?

(56, I think.)

9/25/14 8:21 PM

Condition?

Litespeed Titanium 6/4 Vortex frameset and King HS - $1500 (Seattle)

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/4678443806.html

9/26/14 7:03 PM

I think the only thing that can get dinged up on a Vortex is the decals, and they are in decent shape. 6/4 Ti is really tough stuff. Size = 59 cm (57.5 cm top tube).

I would be stunned if I could get $1500 for that frame - just today on a long ride I was thinking maybe it should just be my roller bike, where the crank arms bottomed out and a loose BB wouldn't matter.

Funny story though: I was sitting at one of my regular snack stops a few weeks ago and a kid (mid-20s?) gets out of a car to pump gas. He looks over at my bike and asks what year it was. He says "I hear those frames are awesome!" And he was probably under 10 years old when it was built. Cult following anybody?

9/26/14 7:13 PM

$1500.00 asking. A better gauge would be to look at closed/sold auctions on eBay.


I think $900.00 is more realistic perhaps...

I paid $1150.00 in 2012 for a new in the box 2005 Blade with fork and headset.

I don't this it was the deal of the century, but when do they come up NIB/NOS really. New/Unused, never built in the box, and clean or perfect condition used are two different things.

But I would bet there are more potential Vortex buyers over Blades by a long shot.

He wanted $1600.00, slightly less than 1/2 of the invoice he showed me. I convinced him it was the best I would do, and he let it go.

9/26/14 7:40 PM

I'll probably list the frame after we move and see if I get any nibbles. Not sure where it becomes worth it to just keep the bike set up on the rollers vs. capture a little cash and throw away some heavily used Campy Record parts.

9/26/14 7:53 PM

Where are you moving to? Out of MI?

9/27/14 6:49 AM

I'd have to concur with Sparky. I think the Vortex probably means more to you than someone hunting for a bargain on eBay, especially in this era of carbon.

Story: I used to be into MTBing back around the turn of the century and had a '99 M2 Stump jumper with the bright green paint. A few nasty injuries later, I'm not much into MTBing for the last 7 years or so, but still have the Stump Jumper and take it out for a non-aggressive ride in the woods every now and then. Last year, I stopped at a junction where some riders were resting and a mid 20 something kid says to me: "REALLY cool retro bike dude... I love the look". I just laughed and said thanks. (at this point, I'm not spending money on a new MTB as I just don't do it that much anymore)

9/27/14 2:46 PM

quote:

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...just today on a long ride I was thinking maybe it should just be my roller bike, where the crank arms bottomed out and a loose BB wouldn't matter.

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9/27/14 3:12 PM

I've been watching used ti frame prices for a while and have learned the following.

Moots and IF hold their value better than most anything else out there. That said, they still lose a lot of value.

Framesets that take a 1 inch head tube bring well under 1K. More recent framesets that use 1 1/8 headtubes bring about $900-$1300. Moots and IF would be somewhat higher.

The most common question now is "What size tire will it fit"? Lots of demand for gravel grinder fatter tire bikes,less for traditional skinny tire road bikes.

9/27/14 7:08 PM

quote:

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Where are you moving to? Out of MI?

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quote:

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Lots of demand for gravel grinder fatter tire bikes, less for traditional skinny tire road bikes.

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9/28/14 5:42 AM

My son wanted a folder and the Bromptons are stupid priced. He found fBike and is VERY happy with his.

As a chef in downtown Charleston, SC, parking is a pain. He parks in free areas of the city and then pulls his bike out of the trunk to ride to the restaurant. His bike is not racing spec at all but for a towny folder it works perfectly. He feels much safer riding to his car in the middle of the night instead of walking also.