Quantcast

Is it me, or are used bikes getting super-expensive?

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
I'm currently looking for a new freeridey slopestyley allmountainy downhilly MTB, since I sold my last MTB before I left Salt Lake, and prices seem ridiculous. I'm looking at stuff in the $1500 and lower realm, and very little comes up. I sold my 05 Liquid with a very solid/new part spec for $900 to a guy in Sweden a couple months ago, and at that price I'm buying clapped 6 year old sh!t on the RM and MTBr classifieds.

Is it 'cause the economy is in the tank? Are people even selling bikes at these obscenely high prices? I always thought that unless the bike was top-o-lino when new or was a current-year model, you'd have a tough time selling it for more than $2k. I can't seem to find anything decent for less than that.
 
Last edited:

j.les

Monkey
Jul 21, 2007
474
0
Chicago
I noticed that too, but mainly in the roadie market. This year I've been buying road bikes at flea markets/garage sales and converting them to SS/fixed. I put them on Craig's and sell 'em to hipsters in the city. So I've got a good feel of the market, used road bike prices are going up, and borderline recockulous. I just saw an ad for a Schwinn Continental for $300. Now I know they won't get that much for it, but that's the trend of used road bike ads here.
 

stinkyboy

Plastic Santa
Jan 6, 2005
15,187
1
¡Phoenix!
I noticed that too, but mainly in the roadie market. This year I've been buying road bikes at flea markets/garage sales and converting them to SS/fixed. I put them on Craig's and sell 'em to hipsters in the city. So I've got a good feel of the market, used road bike prices are going up, and borderline recockulous. I just saw an ad for a Schwinn Continental for $300. Now I know they won't get that much for it, but that's the trend of used road bike ads here.
The hipster fixie market seems to be blowing up even here in the desert.

Smart move.
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
The hipster fixie market seems to be blowing up even here in the desert.

Smart move.
I contemplated doing it in Salt Lake. Some asshat was buying beat road bikes from the thrift store for $20, converting, and reselling at $500 on Craigslist. Bikes that didn't retail for that much when new.

In SC the trend seems to be fading...thank god.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
Just a thought... might also be a side effect of newer/better technology being used in bikes and components. Bikes are being made more durable which equals longer life, which would help them retain their value better (in theory).


Or people are greedy.
 

Drunken_Ninja

Turbo Monkey
Aug 25, 2002
1,094
1
Hangin' with Riggs and Mertah
bike prices go up every year regardless of whether the manufacturers have any new technology.

quite honestly the prices at my lbs are so out of my league that i doubt i will be able to ride a bike before i finish college. i just keep piecing together whatever i can get used.
 

denjen

Certified Lift Whore
Sep 16, 2001
1,691
36
Richmond VA
I think part of it is the time of year. Look back this fall or winter and I bet there will be a better seletion at lower prices. I checked for a DH fork for a friend on ebay last night, only a handfull of choices all to expensive. When I looked for someone else ealier this year there were tons of cheap choices