In a message dated 10/6/07 11:12:47 AM, gholl@optonline.net writes:
> What's the real objection to a price guide?
>
As one who compiled and "sells" (for $3 to listmembers) a Used Bike Buyers Guide (without prices), I can tell you that pricing is very difficult if you are expecting the level of detail of similar guides to used cars, guns, guitars, and the like. Not only did you have many models within a single year from a single builder, but you also had changes in tubesets from year to year and parts packages that were at the whim of the buyer or seller for bikes that sold initially only as framesets. I tried once to gather pricing data for what I thought just the frame/fork was worth, then to sumarize what various parts packages might be worth. But, it isn't as easy as that. You don't want to mislead the reader and without all the little nuances that can drive up cost--say that first edition Super Record rear derailleur or a 50th anniversary model stem--it is easy to over generalize. I have literally thousands of makes listed in the Used Bike Buyers guides and thousands more models under those makes. I hazard a guess, but I'd bet there aren't half a dozen listmembers who have even heard of half the makes, let alone have seen them for sale so that they can add a price point to them. I think I could summarize a pricing guide fairly easy for low, mid-range, and high end bikes from Italy, France, UK, Japan, and the U.S. But, then you get into the condition (which is VERY important at the high end), including whether restored, dented, rusted, original parts and price goes up and down accordingly. If there were a market for such a guide and you could say, sell 10,000 copies every year, then I think someone would write one, just because it would be a money maker. I have a blue book of Bicycle Values that I picked up about six yeas ago. It covers bikes mostly from the 90s. And, it wasn't published very long because I suspect the writer didn't find it to be in as much demand as originally thought. George, good idea, hard work. It would be "nice to have", but I don't think it would be easy to do in the detail needed by the collector. For a beginner, relative pricing is the best thing and Ebay, the listmembers, and swap meets are the best way to find out what something is worth. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL USA
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