Who’s been left with a bike they can’t sell? Who’s picked up a bargain?

The used bike market seems to be all over the place at the moment…….

There’s some serious gear at really low prices, but even that doesn’t seem to be selling quickly.

Then there’re the five or more year old rim brake road bikes for example, decked out with top end components that were likely 5k+ new, but now appear to be worth next to nothing.

Who’s lumbered with a bike they’re unable to sell, without taking a huge loss?

Who’s picked up a bargain?

Tell me your tales.

Picked up  a nice Colnago World Cup CX bike last year, but £330 was reasonable for a 10 year old bike, and it only needed new cables, pads, bar tape etc to bring it up to very good condition. Needed a bit of a good polish, but it’s been a great bike – most ridden bike after my commuter as it’s so versatile and I had spare wheels, so swap it between off road and road. Great for climbing with the low gearing.

Prior to that, before covid, I picked up a BMC XC full suspension MTB for £300, but it was from a mate. The only issue it was an XS size, so ideal for the wife. Decked out in XT and SLX and came with a brand new, unused Reverb. – List was £2.5k, but again it was 10 years old in great condition.

I’m very tempted with a used Colnago C60 or C64 with rim brakes at some point ! Used prices quite reasonable now, but still premium over other makes.

I recently had a big clear out and I took a hit on most stuff. I had frames, forks and wheels and stuff up for months. I had to slash the prices because I’d gotten impatient and bought the replacements!

Some people got some right bargains.

Still, the idea was to go from 2 meh bikes to 2 awesome bikes which I’m very happy with. I’m done buying and selling for the foreseeable.

These will do me until I’m ready for an e-bike.

PS not a buyer or seller. I keep my bikes. I had an itch for a CX/gravel bike, and the CX made the best sense as all my other ‘road bikes’ are rim braked, and I had spare wheels. The BMC was a one off offer, and MrsF then had an N+1. It’s a bit over-complicated for her needs and she can’t get the hang of she can’t put her feet down whilst on the saddle as the FS rides higher, so uses the dropper, but it means we can do some gentle off road without her hybrid killing her. She loves her old hybrid.

Does picking up a 5 rides old Orange Stage Evo for less than half price count?

(⌐■_■)

2nd hand carbon rim brake bikes are stupidly cheap now

Been trying to sell this Colnago C59 rim brake frameset for a while now with no takers even when sending the watchers an offer of £500 (was 3.5k new for just frame and fork)

Im guessing the chainstay rub and paint cracking around the headtube is putting people off

They havent got any worse in 5 years of me using it but i can understand why some people would be concerned, just wonder how much im going to have to drop the price to actually sell it

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256630832180

Seems ok in my experience.

I recently sold my 2012 NukeProof Mega for £400, and it needed a bit of work (all fully detailed in the adverts). I had at least 6 interested buyers but the 1st one who saw it paid in full and rode it home.

When I bought my Rise, I planned to keep it for the 2 years it was under warranty and then sell it. Then use the proceeds to cover a chunk of the cost of a new ebike on the basis that 2 years would probably mean some development in the lightweight market. Either that, or I’d decide I wanted something more powerful/ longer travel.

I bought it July ’22 at the height of a supply shortage. Paid full RRP at £5k. Within 6 months, supply shortage became oversupply the prices had fallen by 30%.

2 years into owning it, it’s still available brand new for ~3k so worth what, half of that if I wanted to sell?

That’s an obscene amount of money to lose in such a short time so I decided to just keep it and hope for the best with regards to the electronics. I figured a new motor or battery would be ~£900 out of warranty and I’d rather face that bill if it comes than to sell it for peanuts.

Bit gutted but, it still does everything I want from a bike. The newer model has definitely caught my eye as they’ve addressed all of the niggles that I don’t like about mine but I don’t want it badly enough to pay for one just yet. Cost wise, there’s always a chance of some goodwill from Orbea to cover some of the cost if the motor or battery if the worst happens.

So… if anyone wants to buy a used Rise for more than they could buy a new one, let me know. I’ll even deliver it for free lol 🙂

The guy who bought/swapped my Trek Fuel ex9.8

It’s done about 300 miles and was £6500+ new.

He paid me just under £3000, it’s at £1850 or best offer now.

I just picked up a very nice Thorn tandem with a mix of XT and Deore, Reynolds 531 tubing and S&S couplers.

New it was a £3000+ machine, paid £300 🙂

I’ve got a liteville 301 mk12, which I’d like to shift. It has marz 44 ti forks and saint/xt everything. I reckon that it’s worth a big bag of peanuts

I got a fantastic deal on a 26″ Nukeproof cub scout, as did the buyer of my lads old 24″…

Unfortunately I can’t shift my Dura Ace rim brake bike at all! 🙁

Its not just bikes. it seems there is a glut of everything right now and its a buyers market. I just bought a PRS Santana SE in mint condition with upgraded Grover lockers and a bunch of extras (stand, hanger, tuner etc ) for £200.  Conversely, i have an almost brand new boxed Orange amp which retails at 110 plus postage (lowest internet discounted price)  which I literally can’t give away for 50 quid.

I believe guitar sales also peaked during the covid pandemic?

I’ve only recently delved into used bike sales as I’m after something that’s steel with discs, for winter hacking.

Just come across this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145947788949

Must be worth a quarter of the asking price, if that, in todays market!

Who’s lumbered with a bike they’re unable to sell, without taking a huge loss?

Who’s picked up a bargain?

Yes to both… But that’s just the situation we find ourselves in right now! It’d be a terrible time to be giving up MTBing, but a fantastic time to get into it… As I am neither, it doesn’t really matter ultimately as the hits I will take when selling something tend to be covered when replacing it!

I believe guitar sales also peaked during the covid pandemic?

I keep waiting for all the nice Squier bass guitars to flood the used market but they’re either hanging onto them or want near RRP. The Fender Jazz that I bought new during lockdown has shot up in price so I might do alright if I wanted to sell but that particular one is a keeper.

The other thing I keep an eye on (because I really want one) is moto trials bikes. They’ve definitely plummeted in price since I first started looking which is good news for me because I haven’t bought one yet. Used models I was interested in for about 3500-3800 are now 3k max.

Got an Orange Switch 6 frame and shock under £500 this spring.

Hope headset and invisiframe fitted too.

Banked a few quid from the sale of my starling frame.

Might have sold my barely used carbon road bike, if prices hadn’t dropped so low though.

Peak STW bike along with owning a wood burner, Volvo and sandvik axe – Pashley Sovereign woman’s bikes* are going for nothing on eBay. Probably all bought in Covid and never used since. I’m idly looking for a bargain local 24.5″ men’s version.

(MrsRNP has one – had some great rides out together with me riding my grandads 1954 Raleigh Superbe)

Specialized Tarmac SL2 carbon road bike, nearly new 11sp 105 groupset, mid range wheels.  £305.

Sadly that was selling, not buying.

Finally succumbed to Yeti Arc itch scratching after selling my Epic Evo for £1450 and getting small discount on frame but free Fox Factory fork!

Comes next week – does happy dance – as moving bits from garage to shiny frame and fork.

It is my only bike for everything.no plus 1 for me and will keep me till ebike time in 1000 years or when legs cannot spin, whichever comes first.

James

Have a bunch of bits to offload including possibly a Gen5 Soul frame, but prices are almost too rubbish for the effort involved. Luckily it’s just that I have too much in the shed and thinning things out. Must resist looking for bargains though!

In: £80 nuke proof cub scout frame ?
In: £900 Orange stage evo frame ?

Out: Oxidised segment frame ?
Out: 14″ one on inbred frame ?

Finally succumbed to Yeti Arc itch…

Picked up my Santa Cruz Highball in immaculate condition for the price of a frame – even had brand new grips and pedals installed. The old chap selling it decided he wanted to try an Arc for his pavement riding instead! (hoping he gives me first dibs on that when he gets bored!)

Still waiting on a brand new Rocky Mountain to arrive for my youngest lad ($4.5k reduced to $1.9k). Having waited 3 weeks for it I decided yesterday if I could pick it up from stock at another bike shop i’d cancel my order from the LBS. But shop 2 said they couldn’t price match as I was getting it for $200 less than their cost!

Meanwhile, the whole world of FB loves the look of my Ti Hardtail frame but no bugger has even made any enquiries… not even an offer of an Xbox or drone!

I’ve never been a serial bike swapper, so haven’t done too bad

First MTB around 1989/90 was a second hand Scott that I bought for a few quid and an eighth of dope. Can’t remember what I did with it when I moved it on

Second was a ’97 Lava Dome which I still have and doubt I’ll ever sell

Then a Spesh Enduro Expert – sold for pretty much the second hand market value at the time

After that, I built up an S-Works Enduro – eventually swapped most of the bits on to a Production Privee Shan and gave the frame to a mate

The Shan cost <£500 with the frame, the bits I swapped over and some new bits. Still have it as a bikepack/shopper. Wouldn’t really be worth selling, but will probably let it go at some point when I run out of space

At the same time, had a ’16 YT Capra CF from new. Sold for decent s/h value when I got the ebike

Spesh Kenevo bought in 2019 and still going strong, but has had new 38’s, wheels, gears, finishing kit, motor refurb (as a precaution), spare battery and just bought a range extender. Bike was £5.5k and probably spent close to £3k on it. Market value would be around £2-2.5k if I could even sell it. Could take the forks off though and put the old Lyriks back on. Occasionally think about a new one, but this one has been so good and with the money I’ve spent, will probably run it for another couple of years and see where the tech is at the time

Ragley Big Al – Chain Reaction fire sale plus a few nice bits, cost around £1800, but is so good, will keep it for a good while unless I ever get the itch for a blingier HT

Boardman ADV gravel bike – bought at a reduced price and will keep that for a good while unless I get bored of it

In Spain with work just now, tried to find a second hand hardtail, but prices are silly high for what’s available. Ended up buying new from decathlon.

I’m genuinely astonished that people have swallowed the kool-aid so badly to be giving away some of the rim brake road bikes and components I’m seeing right now, it’s not like any of them look like the sorts of bikes you’d ride through the winter anyway so I guess it’s either serial bike swappers, or people so dedicated to aero gains that they must have the latest breed of disc only aero wheels?

Just wish I could capitalise but I don’t have the ready cash, saw some glorious DT shallow section carbon wheels on 240 hubs, my dream wheelset right there I reckon!

Also doesn’t bode well for the rim-braked franken-CX bike I’m probably going to sell, someone will be getting a ridiculous bargain!

I’m stuck with one bike and two frames I haven’t bothered to try and sell due to the low demand.

The bike (an old Ragley blue pig) I should probably build back up and sell or donate.

The frames are a Stanton Switchback, which I tried selling for £300 but didn’t even get a sniff of interest, and it’s such a nice frame I’d rather hang it on the wall than sell for nothing.

The other is a Switch9er FS which I bought second hand during the peak, so I’ll lose a chunk if I sell that.

Best stealth ads ever!

I don’t sell bikes.
I keep them so long that they are worth nothing, so give them away or store them.
Keep them until they break.
Keep them to pass along to kids (who then break them).

I also can’t flipping stand the mouth breathing imbeciles who populate the used bike market.
“I’ll swap you a PS3 and a skateboard for it” is just the tip of the iceberg.
I’d rather have an attic full of slightly out of date parts and frames that i can donate/pass on/swap with mates.

Spesh Kenevo bought in 2019 and still going strong, but has had new 38’s, wheels, gears, finishing kit, motor refurb (as a precaution), spare battery and just bought a range extender. Bike was £5.5k and probably spent close to £3k on it. Market value would be around £2-2.5k if I could even sell it. Could take the forks off though and put the old Lyriks back on. Occasionally think about a new one, but this one has been so good and with the money I’ve spent, will probably run it for another couple of years and see where the tech is at the time

almost the same, though a 2020 Levo SL. Fox 38, AXS shifting and dropper, hardly used and new motor last summer. Bike has less than 1500 miles use in total  and still on original chain etc. Cost £7500 and probable spent a total of 10k on it. Just not worth selling even though it only gets very light use these days.

I bought its road stablemate, a Creo SL at the same time, also £7500, sold it last week for £2500…. I hadn’t used it in a year so I reckoned taking the hit was best option. A proper bargain for the buyer, a lovely recently retired lady from Dundee, so good to see it getting used again.

I don’t sell bikes.

I keep them so long that they are worth nothing, so give them away or store them.

Keep them until they break.

Keep them to pass along to kids (who then break them).

My first MTB, I gave away to a local Youth cycling club, they had a fleet of “loan bikes”. Admittedly mine was a fairly entry level thing but it had been extensively upgraded. However it was old enough that it was worthless from a cash point of view.

The bike was a 1994 model, I think I gave it away in late 90’s / early 00’s as by then I had at least one other, much better, MTB.

which I literally can’t give away for 50 quid.

Mmm indeed. However that is nothing to do with COVID or the used bike market. It is simply due to the strictures of the English language.

@13thfloormonk is that the Rourke cx that you had built?

I’ve picked up an XXXXL Radio Helium race BMX for £250, apart from the frame literally everything on it is brand new and never ridden. Only thing is now I have 2 BMXs and apparently need to sell one.

The downside with rim brakes for me is the tyre clearance. I don’t think I could go back to 25mm tyres with my weight and 110psi.
Saying that I have a set of FFWD carbon 50mm very light very aero tubs I was considering building a bike around (I have an ultegra rim groupset) so I’m still tempted if anyone is getting rid of a fancy medium lightweight frame. It would be a summer bike to use on good roads- so wouldn’t get much use. Rim brake road bikes also look better.

Must be worth a quarter of the asking price, if that, in todays market!

This is the antonym to this topic, people advertising average bikes for nearly new selling prices. I’m on the look out for a steel Genesis DayOne at the moment, (where have all the medium frames gone? They’re all either tiny or massive) and £450 seems to be the starting ask. Collection only too. £200 + postage is about what I’d pay for a fair condition one.

If anyone has one in 54 or 56cm in the north west or north midlands they’d be willing to part with, please PM me.

The market does seem really odd at the moment, some really good stuff going stupid cheap if you are in the right place at the right time.

There are also some people who still think we are in the middle of the pandemic and are trying to sell a 5 year old bike for 90% of RRP having done zero maintenance since buying it and not even washing it for the photos.

@13thfloormonk is that the Rourke cx that you had built?

Wash your mouth out! The Rourke is going from strength to strength, think I’ve got the contract points and position dialled for the sort of big days it’s really designed for.

Splitting and selling the Kinesis CX1 that it replaced which was a great wee bike but needs various monies spent on it that I can’t really afford.

The downside with rim brakes for me is the tyre clearance.

Agreed, and I guess I haven’t checked tyre clearance of a lot of the bikes I’m seeing going cheap. My Basso has (true sized) 28mm GP5000s on it right now and I’ve got 30mm GP5000s waiting to go on, that’s through a set of current generation Ultegra callipers.

I’m genuinely astonished that people have swallowed the kool-aid so badly to be giving away some of the rim brake road bikes and components I’m seeing right now

I would literally rather go running than ride a road bike with rim brakes and 25mm tyres again. Just crap in every way.

Also some great insight into the true cost of a posh ebike, and the frankly insane maintenance liability with motor reconditioning etc. (even if it’s for precaution only). Have also noticed crazy asking prices on ebay for stuff, and they never seem to get reduced despite I assume zero interest and listing being there for months…