The one and only "HOW MUCH IS MY xyz WORTH" thread

[Anthony]

I think the O2 may well be a 97. Depending on what you want to do, it looks like a classic case of the value being twice as much if split and sold part by part as it would be if you sold it whole. I would say £200-250 as a bike, over 400 in parts. The Pro Class fork and the wheels would both fetch more than the frame, while the XT stuff would also sell quite well.

i don't know about the Montana. Would need a photo of the repair in order to say anything.

 

[daddymack]

Sadly, I believe you are pretty close to the mark there, I can't really afford to keep the bike but not desparate so may sit on it and see if I get a reasonable offer, Really against separating things, seems such a waste, but I suppose it would be inevitable, but rather someone else was responsible...
I'll look at that kinda figure I guess.
The other has a weld, you can see in the seat tube, I wouldn't have known if I hadn't tried to lower the seat and looked inside, but then it explains the good paint finish/condition.
it is below the point where the rear for top mounts attach maybe the stays came free maybe the frame? the weld is hard to judge inside and outdide is just a feint rippling on the finish, so guess was done from the inside, I'd say fine for a light road bike but no good for rock hopping.

 

[Anthony]

It is perfectly possible to repair a steel frame and provided a repair is done properly there is no reason to think the repaired frame is any less strong than any other frame. If the entire frame has been resprayed to a high standard, that would have cost more than the repair to the stays, so I don't think you need assume that they skimped on the repair.

On the other hand, you say you can see rippling in the paint - implying that only a limited area has been repainted? In that case, there would be more cause for concern that it might have been an amateur effort.

 

[daddymack]

Sorry, that's my poor accuracy, what I mean is, it isn't a perfect surface cylinder wise, as if the weld wasn't quite taken down to the original profile.
The paint is total and good, no lack of adhesion or sign of flaking etc. in fact, quite an impressive job imho

 

[daddymack]

I'd also add, I'm pretty certain it's not steel, it's featherlite!

 

[Anthony]

It is visibly steel actually - and if it is a Comp FZ, it's a fairly high level True Temper tubeset, so it wouldn't weigh all that much more than an aluminium frame anyway. I find it hard to believe that anybody would invest in such a good paint finish if the frame repair had been dodgy.

I haven't got a clear picture of what you can see. Does it look as though a weld joining a chainstay to the seat tube has cracked, in which case both chainstays would have been detached and re-welded? This could cause some slight swelling of the seat tube inside, but only at the point of the weld. If it's further down, it could be an imperfection when the tube was reamed.

If the seat tube itself had cracked further down, only a nutcase would weld up the crack and then invest in an expensive paint job. If a seat tube cracks, it has to be replaced.

 

[daddymack]

Mmmmm! I wonder!
What I see, is you look down the seat post hole, and just below the maintube there is lots of material on the inside of the tube that is uneven, and restricts the tube diameter as it is pretty much all round inside, and prevents the post going down, I can't imaginre it came out of the factory like that and the uneven (tho only visible under light) outer surface.
I'll try to take a pic....

 

[daddymack]

I think maybe, on closer inspection, the outer imperfection is a paint run/issue, as for the inside???? fek knows...!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43064452@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43064452@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43064452@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43064452@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43064452@N ... otostream/

 

[FluffyChicken]

The external bulging could well be bulge butting near the top to thicken the welding section increase the strength of the clamping part. Many frames have it, some distinct, some smooth.
Anthony knows the tubesets better though.

The inside looks like it's rust and stuff from below where the seatpost has been for many years. A scrape or sand may dislodge it.

Of course I may not be seeing it the way you can.

 

[daddymack]

It's definately metal/weld type material I tried to grind it back to get the post down with limited success, hence my welding guess, It's not rust tho the bottom of the tube IS more muck type!
2nd pic shows it best but not perfectly it definitely restricts the diameter less than the sleeves even.