[Closed] Is my bike obsolete?

A friend has recently been trying to sell his 26" wheel trail bike and despite it being a very nice bike he has struggled massively. The newer wheel sizes do seem to be selling better.

[i]Priced at half what people want for plastic V10's and Demo's.[/i]

drop to a third?

what bike is it ? Im probably putting mine up soon and assuming 1/3 rrp.

What is it?

Nothing's obsolete, just sometimes overpriced. I was absent mindedley looking at DH bikes the other day (is it a Large?).

My criteria was:
Easily serviced (not a recent specialized with blind bearings then)
Cheap
Preferably already sprung for a big guy.
If not, preferably marzocchi forks so I can just dump heavier oil in.

Even within those criteria the prices ranged from cheap, to "you're probably taking a big hit, but it's still overpriced". Unless it really is <1 season old the default price seems to be £1000. There's just so much that needs servicing that you could throw £500+ at a bike (£150-£200 each end for a service, tube and spring, £80 on tyres, bearing kit, drivechain bits etc), that looked OK outwardly and you've still got a £1k bike, it's just tuned a bit better (but not worth any more unless the buyer is the same as you), and might still be about to crack on the next run.

I think there is a lot of fear around not getting decent 26" wheels, straight 1 1/8 steerers etc, that combined with the advertising about 'better' wheel sizes, means folk are not buying 26" wheels.

You want to try a 15 year old, headshock'd, five bolt rotor on 165mm disc'd Cannondale that we have in the Oab house for obselete...

On second thoughts it's probably quicker to just show you the bike than answer all the questions- [url= http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1822455/ ]YT Tues[/url]

Yes it's a large. It's got a few weeks of Alpine riding on it. Didn't go away in 2014 so it sat in the garage for almost two years. I've totally fallen out of love with British downhill. Started to really hate uplift days. I know I won't use it again until next summer so it's better off gone.

Saying that, I've really enjoyed the riding I've done on it. It's a properly excellent bike. The Bos shocks are amazing. I'm not desperate to sell it I'm just wondering why I haven't had a single enquiry.

You want to try a 15 year old, headshock'd, five bolt rotor on 165mm disc'd Cannondale that we have in the Oab house for obselete...

And even that is still completely servicable and parts are available!

OP, I bet it's just (sadly) still too expensive for the current market. 2nd hand DH bikes are always a bit of a minefield due to them mostly being shagged, and certain bikes being 'in' at certain times, even if yours is in tip-top condition, if it's not in demand, and on older wheels/standards and there's no shortage of other options around then it'll be a hard sell.

Either drop it down in price and take the hit, split if or parts, or sit on it and hopefully the right buyer will come along, it just might take longer.

Two years old already means it's likely to be worth less than half. Add in it being a DH bike (people are wary of 'hardly ridden') and alloy/26 and I'm not that surprised TBH. Just keep dropping the price until someone bites.

oh and your front wheel tyre logo/valve aren't lined up. Knock another 10% off 😉

plus BOS are a bit 'niche' and will make people a bit wary.

Possibly because you're asking 3100 Euro for a second hand aluminium bike, when YT sell their Carbon 27.5 one for 3299

http://www.yt-industries.com/en/products/bikes/downhill/238/tues-cf-comp?c=93

Two years old already means it's likely to be worth less than half. Add in it being a DH bike (people are wary of 'hardly ridden') and alloy/26 and I'm not that surprised TBH. Just keep dropping the price until someone bites.

This +1.

I suspect you won't get a nibble until you drop to about £1500.

2nd hand is always like that, you're either selling the best (see the prices of retro 7200 dura ace bits) or you're not, (see the value of shimano 600, it has none).

Swap you for my xbox?

Or my sister's scooter?

Possibly because you're asking 3100 Euro for a second hand aluminium bike, when YT sell their Carbon 27.5 one for 3299

Not the same bike though is it? Priced in line with other Tues's listed on Pinkbike.

I suspect you won't get a nibble until you drop to about £1500.

Not gonna happen. Not desperate for the cash I'd rather just keep it as my Alps bike for the next decade. Should last that long easy given the use it gets.

[i]Priced in line with other Tues's listed on Pinkbike.[/i]

have they sold?

if they have what is different about yours?

Not the same bike though is it? Priced in line with other Tues's listed on Pinkbike.

Well on the YT site the carbon 27.5 version of yours is only £2800. Even in trail bikes the rule of thumb is 50% of the new price, and that was before marketing departments jumped on the 650b bandwagon.

Like it or lump it YT are selling a 650b Tues for £1400 at todays exchange rate. It's not got BOSS suspension, but 2nd hand that's an expensive liability compared to the ubiquitous RS. And rightly or wrongly I could view the new one as upgradeable if I wanted nicer forks, shock etc, a 26" bike I'd view as 'ride it till it breaks then buy a 650b bike', i.e. an entry level or stop-gap bike.

As I said before, nothing's obsolete, just overpriced. The unfortunate fact is, 26" bikes are worth a heck of a lot less than they should be. I've still got several i'd like to sell due to lack of use/suitability, but they're just not worth enough to bother anymore!

sharkattack - Member

Not the same bike though is it? Priced in line with other Tues's listed on Pinkbike.

No, it doesn't have as high a spec in terms of parts - but it's brand new, and it does have a carbon frame, 27.5 wheels, and a warranty - all things yours does not have.

There may be others priced the same, but unless you're lucky enough to find a fairly naive buyer, I suspect the won't sell at that price or anything close.

Finding a buyer to appreciate the BOS spec, whilst at the same time being happy investing that amount in to 26" wheels is going to be very difficult.

Somebody looking to buy their first downhill bike (such as myself) can go to the YT website and pick up a brand new carbon model (running 650b don't forget) for almost the same price yours is advertised at. Or even an aluminum version for £300-800 less!

Unfortunately wheel size has had this impact on bikes, I've a 26" trail bike so would be in the same boat, if I wanted to sell it that is.

Everything will sell at the right price, as mentioned already mind, that's probably somewhere south of £1,500. So keep it and enjoy it.

I was in the market for a large tues recently. Your model is by far the best colour scheme I recon. However I was extremely wary of bos suspension, 26" wheels are fine & I specifically didnt want a carbon bike. I would have paid approx £1700- £1800 for yours.
As it turned out, the ones local to me sold fairly quickly so I bought a brand new 26" pro for £2250 from YT when they had their 300euro sale on, which does make your £2200 look expensive.

Id only sell if you are either in desperate need of a small amount of money or in desperate need of a small amount of garage space.

If yes then put it on ebay at 99p and you will realize its true value...
whatever that may be.

If not then keep it and enjoy the benefit of having a bike with indistinguishable performance to the latest model.

im in a similar boat insofar as I hardly ever use my dh bike and can't be arsed with uplift days anymore; the only places outside of Scotland and the alps I enjoy riding my DH bike are Llangollen and Revo and they're both big days out and never have time for them now.

I've decided to just keep hold of it rather than make a big loss; it keeps me in the DH game but its the very definition of an expensive indulgence/luxury item

only problem is as long as I have it I won't be able to add a 29er HT to my quiver of bikes

eBay > completed listing > search "YT Tues"

See what comes up and price accordingly. May well be easier and also make more by stripping it for parts if you've time/can be bothered.

To me the spec looks perfect, unfortunately a lot of people spout second/third hand rubbish about Bos. I'd happily take it over the latest offerings from RS/Fox.

In answer to your question, yes it is obsolete. Just because others have placed the same value on their 2nd hand obsolete bikes as you doesn't mean you are all correct. It's only worth what people are willing to pay and as you have found out thus far, that threshold is less than you are asking. They don't make even a similarly spec'd 27.5" bike to yours so the only ali version to compare it to is £1900-ish for a brand new bike using the current standards with a full warranty. i know which one i'd buy.
If you're in no rush to sell it or don't need the cash then keep it and ride it. But it will only keep on reducing in value so you either need to re-evaluate what you think its worth or be prepared to keep it and lose even more money in the long run.

Suggest you give renton some money, he'll get you a good price 😉

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/whats-my-wifes-bike-worth-please-giant-talon

Feel for the Op, it's always crap realising that your spendy kit is worth far less than you hoped. I sold some forks for £180 recently which cost me over £700 only three years ago!

edited
stick with it op, you might get lucky

And I'm still looking at more spendy forks for the new bike. It seems I'll never learn.
Bikes eh?

As other replies have said already, the BOS suspension is a turn-off for lots of buyers despite good reviews (fear of the unknown, reliability, cost of servicing etc), add in 26 inch wheels (which wouldn't bother me at a cheaper price point) but if I'm paying more than 2k for something I want it bang up to date....a lot of people suggested the direct sales firms would harm the conventional MTB manufacturers but apart from slightly more realistic pricing from Spesh, Giant and Trek etc I don't think that has happened....what has happened is that the arse has fallen out of the 2nd hand market due to YT, Canyon etc....after all why pay 2k for a used bike when you can now buy a brand new one for less?!....it's a no brainer really.

Keep it, ride it, enjoy it....its a truly great DH bike in 26 or 27.5 variety, enjoy the attention the BOS suspension gets and enjoy cheap wheels, tyres etc in 26 inch guise....I've managed to bag wheels, forks and loads of tyres recently as CRC, Wiggle etc seem to be scared of unsold 26 inch stock!....ridiculous really, 26 inch bikes didn't become crap overnight.

A few years ago your bike (if wearing the Specialized moniker) would've been about 5k brand new meaning your asking price of around 2k second hand would've been about right....blame YT Industries, you got a cracking bike brand new but with their entry level stuff starting around £1800 you'll have to swallow hard and think about pricing it below that to sell.

This isn't a criticism of the direct sales companies, I flipping love them, they've opened up top draw specs, suspension, wheels etc to the masses for average money but it doing so they have virtually no residual value when it comes to selling stuff on...I was eyeing up a YT Wicked-150 frame on eBay the other day that was going for literally a couple of hundred quid, couldn't believe it....26 inch wheels too and I've got forks, wheels etc in the attic....only thing stopping me was space and an imminent house move, shame as someone got a great deal.

It's a buyers market now.

I keep thinking about selling my bike but thought I'd struggle to get £850 for it.
An identical one went for £625 on eBay last week, so as much as it will just sit there, I'll be keeping it for a spare instead. Your bike will always be worth more to you than someone else.

plus BOS are a bit 'niche' and will make people a bit wary.

Having recently started using BOS forks, they are the best I have ever ridden. So much so just bought another bike that had F&R BOS suspension.

I cannot be arsed to read all that - but was probs 2600 new, maybe 3000? Its 2-3 years old, can get a new alloy one for 2600 now. Its worth Somewhere between 1300 maybe 1500 if you are lucky.

PS you will make way more if you split it.

Its sucks but if its not selling its because its too expensive.

I've got a Turner 5 Spot, a bike people raved about from a boutique brand

But its got 26" wheela and a non tapered head tube.

If I sell it I'll get buttons.

So I'm not selling it, simple really.

The problem with YT bikes is that because they're such amazing value their resell value will be terrible.
The 26 Tues is a great bike but as said above the new ones are dirt cheap.

Selling second hand Capras is going to be a nightmare. As you can pick up the aluminium ones new for under £2k

Tom KP

The rate at which the early Capra's seem to crack as well, you'd have to be mental to buy one second hand without a warranty.

There is no way I would buy an aluminium Tues with 26" wheels for over £2k second hand. Regardless of spec. I think you're about £700 too high.

As nearly everyone has said, no interest = too expensivel regardless of what you may feel.

If you're in no rush, leave it at that price & hope you get a clueless buyer at some point in the future.

yep, its just too expensive, worth about £1k-£1.3k IMO.

The wheel size thing has really cocked things up the more I think about it....yes YT bikes are cheap new so they'll be naff all second hand but the change in wheel size for trail and DH bikes to 27.5 made 26ers look old instantly.

I ride a 26 inch HT and love how it rides and my next bike will be a DH bike built with the aid of finance and my credit card!....it'll be my last hurrah before I'm 40 and I'm looking forward to it....or I was until the bloody wheel size debacle.

I know it's irrational to fret over something I'm going to be building to my spec and for me only, resale value is not part of the consideration.....but the frame I really want is a brand new Turner DHR....and it has takes 26 inch wheels only....so despite that being my dream bike I'm ludicrously looking elsewhere in order to get 27.5 wheels on my DH bike....why?...I have no idea!....the industry played a blinder with 650b, suddenly rational grown men who should know better will spend more and buy new in order to get 27.5 wheels even if they make bugger all difference to the ride!

Just a thought here, but maybe just maybe it's because the brands have mass produced so many bikes and flooded the market with new rides year on year that folk are keeping their current bikes for longer or/and buying more newer fad model to keep alongside in stable as the deals flood all over the net.

It's not just the price of his bike I reckon but the fact that there are simply too many bikes per person and there are limits to one household no matter how harsh that sounds to some here 😛

Yes and no.

Someone on a different thread wrote about buying a bike costing several thousand pounds for 'a season'....with people around who have this kind of cash the manufacturers do alright I reckon.

Personally 2k is my limit on a whole bike and YT, Canyon, Rose etc facilitate this for me and even then I expect to get 4+ years from it....my personal budget in my world is around £500 a year on MTBing, that's less than £50 per month in finance terms....any more and I may as well buy another motorbike instead.

Only exception would be a credit card build I would keep indefinitely.

DH bikes are always a tough sell, market is tiny and we're nearer the end of the DH / Alps season than the start. I built a beautifully specced Cove Shocker in 2008 for 5k, tried to sell it 2 years later for 2k and didn't get a single message (other than the usual scooter/Xbox/sister ones from Pinkbike) it sat around for another 12 months, until I stripped it and put the lot on eBay and got back about 1200 - and that was before 650b and carbon frames were the norm.

I wish I never sold it 🙁

My most expensive bike is a Marin Mount Vision, retail circa £2k 10 years ago. Worth now't now but probably rides 90% as well as something more modern. All the other mtbs in the house also take 26" wheels, have straight 1 1/8 steerers and threaded BB shells. All of my kit is getting kept to extend the life of one or two of the better 'obsolete' bikes.