Carlton Corsair - worth it?

[RichardB]

I'm looking at this bike on eBay. I don't know why, as I don't need another bike really and can't afford one anyway, but it's the exact model and colour of the first decent bike I bought with my own money. I toured it and commuted it round East Yorkshire for several years, but it disappeared during the divorce and I have no idea what happened to it. I'd quite like to own one again. This one looks in reasonable condition and is largely original (front derailleur changed, but little else). The only thing is the price. I have no knowledge of this particular market, but £400 seems very high. Perhaps half that on a good day?

Any thoughts welcome. Thank you.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/raleigh-carlton-corsair-reynolds-531-racing-bike/124206094403

 

[midlife]

Working bikes are selling well so maybe £250? Seem to recall they came with mudguards and a rear rack.

 

[RichardB]

Working bikes are selling well so maybe £250? Seem to recall they came with mudguards and a rear rack.

Thanks for that. Yes, they originally came with chromoplastic mudguards in a matching champagne colour (not silver) which I binned long ago! And a nice alloy rack. I guess it wouldn't be too hard to source something similar.

Funny thing is, I didn't much like the two-tone bronze when I had the bike and eventually had it professionally resprayed in plain navy blue. 38 years later, I am quite fond of the colour scheme

 

[RichardB]

Incidentally, I love how he says the wheels are made in Normandy, France. No, they are 'Normandy' hubs, mate.

 

[roadrash]

seems way overpriced to me, maybe the seller is hoping to cash in on the fact that more people have been buying bikes during lockdown, what ever the reason its a nice bike but overpriced imho.

 

[MarkF]

Working bikes are selling well so maybe £250? Seem to recall they came with mudguards and a rear rack.

Right now if you want it you'll have to pay a premium. I spent 6 weeks looking for a bike for my son and got nowhere, too many traders and chancers are on the ball. I got lucky on CTC, so lucky that I want to keep the bike! I looked again yesterday, nice Trek FX near to me, just the job for my son but £100 more than it cost brand new............7 years ago......

If you want it and it costs you £100 more than you want to pay, but you get years of pleasure from it, isn't it then "worth" it?

 

[carpenter]

I think it is expensive - but if that is the way prices are going, then the contents of my bike shed are looking like a good investment at last

 

[midlife]

Right now if you want it you'll have to pay a premium. I spent 6 weeks looking for a bike for my son and got nowhere, too many traders and chancers are on the ball. I got lucky on CTC, so lucky that I want to keep the bike! I looked again yesterday, nice Trek FX near to me, just the job for my son but £100 more than it cost brand new............7 years ago......

If you want it and it costs you £100 more than you want to pay, but you get years of pleasure from it, isn't it then "worth" it?

Last year a mass produced 531 main tubes only bike would have probably gone for 80-120 on ebay so the £250 now is still 130 more.

 

[carpenter]

If you want it and it costs you £100 more than you want to pay, but you get years of pleasure from it, isn't it then "worth" it?

I have just bought a mountain bike for more than I had hoped (bidding war over several days by another couple of people - I just waited until the end).
I have justified the extra expense in terms of the condition of the bike and that it is what I wanted.

 

[MarkF]

Last year a mass produced 531 main tubes only bike would have probably gone for 80-120 on ebay so the £250 now is still 130 more.

Quite a few similar bikes are on Gumtree around £300-£350 right now. Recently I've rung to buy, that is set off with cash, not haggle, only to find bikes listed minutes earlier have sold. They often reappear the same day with the same pics from new sellers at vastly inflated prices. If I hadn't found a bike on CTC I'd still be looking.

Edit:- I had a bid on a 1984 Raleigh Classic 531 1984 tourer, converted to flat bars. It may have been a tad too large so I wasn't too disappointed to miss out. It's just finished at £228 with bits and bobs needing doing to it.

 

[midlife]

Bit of a sellers market at the moment. Local bike shop only seeing by appointment

https://palacecycles.co.uk/pages/covid-19-updates

2 week wait for an appointment last I heard....... Still managing to sell way more bikes than last year

 

[biggs682]

I'm looking at this bike on eBay. I don't know why, as I don't need another bike really and can't afford one anyway, but it's the exact model and colour of the first decent bike I bought with my own money. I toured it and commuted it round East Yorkshire for several years, but it disappeared during the divorce and I have no idea what happened to it. I'd quite like to own one again. This one looks in reasonable condition and is largely original (front derailleur changed, but little else). The only thing is the price. I have no knowledge of this particular market, but £400 seems very high. Perhaps half that on a good day?

Any thoughts welcome. Thank you.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/raleigh-carlton-corsair-reynolds-531-racing-bike/124206094403

Seems overpriced to my by quite margin .

Good time to sell bikes .

 

[Cycleops]

Seems overpriced to my by quite margin .

Good time to sell bikes .

I think Biggsy is trying to tell us he’d just ordered a new Range Rover

 

[RichardB]

Thanks all. I was pretty sure it was overpriced. but wanted confirmation. I realise that it's a seller's market at the moment, but I would have thought that was more for modern, mainstream bikes - the stuff people see in Halfords on a Saturday afternoon. I won't pay £400, but I might be interested in a punt at half that. I might try a silly offer and see if the seller bites. He has lots of other bikes on his profile, so he's a dealer not a private seller. Trying his luck, I guess.

 

[Paulus]

Thanks all. I was pretty sure it was overpriced. but wanted confirmation. I realise that it's a seller's market at the moment, but I would have thought that was more for modern, mainstream bikes - the stuff people see in Halfords on a Saturday afternoon. I won't pay £400, but I might be interested in a punt at half that. I might try a silly offer and see if the seller bites. He has lots of other bikes on his profile, so he's a dealer not a private seller. Trying his luck, I guess.

Try a few cheeky offers and see what happens. You know you want it really.