LeMond Zurich - restore or not worth it?

[bettybeige]

Had this bike in my shed for years, I “traded” it years ago with a friend for a mountain bike but never really got into road riding. Lovely bike and rides well.

I believe it’s a LeMond Zurich from about 1995. It has 58cm Columbus steel frame and fork, with mixed Campagnolo Athena/Veloce components, Campagnolo hubs too.

It’s a well used 30-year-old bike and there are lots cosmetic marks and signs of age but could be restored easily.

Question is, what do I do with it? Restore it? Are these going up or down in value? I’d imagine it’s a niche market?

Any advice welcome.

 

[DCLane]

Older bike values have collapsed in the last couple of years in the UK, not sure about elsewhere. Any value is in the components.

It looks OK apart from the paint. My suggestion would be to touch that up, rather than an expensive re-paint in today's market, and use it

If selling it's probably £100-150 because of the saddle as it's a Selle Rolls.

 

[Drago]

Restore it because you want to, not through any expectation of retiring on the proceeds.

 

[Mr.B-Campag]

Lovely bike - what tubing is it? If you want to maximize money for it then sell the frame and fork and parts separately on the 'bay. Seems a shame though.

 

[Drago]

Is that a Columbus decal?

 

[wafter]

Is it financially worth restoring? Probably not...

Should the financial angle be used as the sole means of assessing something's worth? Absolutely not..

It looks like a nice, honest, decent-quality frame from the end of the mainstream steel era and at that glorious, short-lived crossover point where integrated shifters were briefly available with such a frame material.

If you don't want to do a full resto how about a mechanical / oily-rag recommission, or just bang it up for sale on here so someone else can enjoy it / give it the attention it deserves..? Don't expect to get a lot for it though..

 

[biggs682]

@bettybeige make it a reliable ride if it's the correct size and use it you will not be disappointed

 

[Rusty Nails]

Restore it because you want to, not through any expectation of retiring on the proceeds.

I have a couple old bikes plus boxes of parts and have two options:

1. Build them into two nice bikes, just for the fun of doing it, and sell them for not very much at all

2. Sell everything; parts, wheels, frames, for probably more money but put myself through the extra hassle of listing, packing and posting a lot of stuff.

I think I may go down the first option.

 

[bettybeige]

Is that a Columbus decal?

Yes, it’s a Columbus frame

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Looks beautiful. If it were mine and I intended it to be a keeper, a full respray would cost less than a horrible BSO from Argos and I would regard it as money well spent.

The market value wouldn't bother me in the slightest, some things can mean much more than pounds, shillings and pence.