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Mtn-Rider

· Give it a crank
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
You've probably seen used bike for sale ads with expensive upgrades being advertised before. Sometimes these ads will have what seems like an ok price but just don't seem to sell easily.

It seems like a bike with upgraded components doesn't necessarily result in a better resale value. If so, why would that be?
 
#2 ·
a lot of people are guilty of looking at the frame pretty much exclusively. if the frame is older than just a couple years old, or it's an otherwise budget frame (think catalog house brand, BD frame, box sporting goods store), it will get overlooked by a lot of people as having a "worthless" frame.

to some degree, there's value to that position.

and partly for that reason, I am unlikely to sell my 03 Stumpy. I have put a good number of upgrades onto it and I'd get more money by parting it out. but it's worth more to me as a complete bike, anyway.
 
#3 ·
The speculation game....

Mtn-Rider said:
You've probably seen used bike for sale ads with expensive upgrades being advertised before. Sometimes these ads will have what seems like an ok price but just don't seem to sell easily.

It seems like a bike with upgraded components doesn't necessarily result in a better resale value. If so, why would that be?
Click to expand...
If I were going to buy a used bike, I'd be a little more wary of upgraded parts vs. stock. All of this is speculation and generalization but my thought is that a stock parts bike would be more likely to have been hanging in a garage.

A bike with upgraded parts means someone cared enough about riding to invest in better parts. The bike would be ridden more with more wear on everything. Which would mean more maintenance to bring it up to riding shape.

In addition, people will add $ for upgraded parts. And unless someone is really in to bikes, they're shopping deal sites for the best price, not the best components. They want a "name brand bike" and don't care that one has a Fox and the one has a Suntour. They buy the bike with Suntour because it's cheaper.
 
#4 ·
I posted this in another thread today. Seems relevant.

"I was just ripping my friend (giving him a hard time) over text, about his most recent purchase of a Crackandfail Phrophet 2.. He tells me:

"I bought a bike! The guy that sold it to me said it was $2200 new, I got it for $600 and it's a Cannondale! Those are good right!? The guy that sold me the bike said he only rode it once or twice!! I'm going to take it into the LBS to get it tuned up, they said it would take about 5 days to get it back. When it is finished, we HAVE to ride!!"

Dang. Another guy goes out and buys the first big brand name bike he sees on Craiglist, dumps $600 too much into the purchase, and proceeds to tell me (a starving mechanic) that he's taking it across town to have some random work on it then spend $100 in cables and sh*t he dosent need, and wants to ride with me when he gets it back.

Yeah, he's got new bike sike.. I have to give him that. Dude has a new bike and he's stoked on it. But talk about brand loyalty/brand penetration! He saw Cannondale, bought it, and everything just went blurry from there.. No I'm not shocked per-say, but dang.. I'm not good at faking sh*t, so it will be hard to support him in his choice of bikes knowing he bought the thing based off the name and not the parts group, the fork, the head angle or the upgrades that the former owner took pride in. As if the bike was just changing hands from one Fred to another!"
Upgraded bikes are a good sign that the previous owner took pride in the bike to begin with. Or just needed something to spend money on.?
 
#5 ·
It has to be a real upgrade to make a difference, I have seen a lot of upgraded seat, grips, tires, and pedals. In my mind those are all personal choice items. When I see things like headset, fork, hand built wheels those are upgrades. Drive train wise I want to see clean with little to no wear on crank arms, I don't care you added an XT rear as long as it all works great.
 
#6 ·
yeah, i have to agree... most people look at frame. which i guess is good for us, because its a lot better to buy a bike with valuable components than with a decent frame and worn components. my current bike, i bought a donor bike specifically to strip, and threw a nashbar frame on it to keep the cost down. its actually a good frame, i like it a lot. i wouldn't take it downhill, but for what i do its perfect. then, i sold the donor frame for 75 more than i paid for the whole bike lol.. but with that sale, it took me a year and a half to sell it, after reposting it god knows how many times on cl. but eventually, you find somebody who wants it. i don't see many parts on there in my area, which is surprising because we have a pretty decent mountain bike community here.
 
#7 ·
Good observation by the OP. Upgrades are not a good way of getting more money for a used bike.

You can look up a used stock bike in Bikepedia to find out what it originally sold for. That is a big help in deciding what to give for it.

A non-stock bike requires much more experience to value.
 
#9 ·
Sickmak90 said:
When I bought my Rush I was just star struck because it had a Fox fork and shock. I didn't care that it was a Cannondale... I will ride anything long as the components are good.
Click to expand...
I actually know more people that "must have Fox" over the actual frame itself. Maybe that helps explain why they charge an arm and leg for a fork.

If I had a $1 for everytime I've heard "Fox is the best". Not knocking Fox. Simply choose not to ride them due to the hype and cost.
 
#10 ·
Mojo Troll said:
I actually know more people that "must have Fox" over the actual frame itself. Maybe that helps explain why they charge an arm and leg for a fork.

If I had a $1 for everytime I've heard "Fox is the best". Not knocking Fox. Simply choose not to ride them due to the hype and cost.
Click to expand...
When they first came out in the early 2000's, nobody else was in the same league. The competition is much tighter now and Fox has pissed me off (and my LBS) by requiring their new shocks to be nitrogen charged at the factory.

My 03 Floats are awesome. Might get them Pushed to add compression damping but otherwise no complaints. If buying new now, I'd look elsewhere
 
#11 ·
rebuild

I tend to be one that likes to clean and rebuild my front fork. By the looks of Fox's schematics. It would be diffucult to rebuild while drinking beer and watching college football. Nitrogen, really? Yet another reason not to own.

Exactly why I prefer a HT. Got tired of sending rear shocks back to be rebuilt. (In fairness. Rear shocks and suspension designs have improved greatly since 1995)

To stay on topic. What I look for when shopping used is frame, wheelset, front fork (remember, I ride HT's), and to a lesser degree, brakes. Brakes can be somewhat of a personal preference. All things mentioned are the most expensive. Pedals, stem, handlebar, saddle, shifting etc.... all fall into fit/personal preference.

If a particular frame has a less desirable wheelset. That is diffinatly factored into the overall price. Nice wheelsets are pricey. On the other hand. A blingy wheelset would persuad me to overlook the hard to rebuild Fox front end. :D
 
#12 ·
I've found that keeping your factory parts and then putting them back on to sell is the best option. When you sell with upgrades you generally lose your butt on them, where as you can sell your stock bike for just a little less, and either transfer your stuff somewhere else or sell it individually for a better return. I'm so picky I pretty much just buy frames and pieces now and assemble them myself.

Either way buying new at retail prices is losing money, I shop around alot for used parts, or New Old Stock deals.
 
#13 ·
Some people believe that if a car business has its name on a bike it has to be great and some are truly good. Nowadays, there are a number of bikes that have come out bearing the name of vehicle companies and it gets to show that car branded bikes indeed have more positive feedback from consumers.
 
#14 ·
Mtn-Rider said:
It seems like a bike with upgraded components doesn't necessarily result in a better resale value. If so, why would that be?
Click to expand...
Sometimes I think sellers overstate the value of their upgrades. Sure that XT crankset upgrade may have cost $250. But if it replaced an SLX crankset, then the net upgrade is only $100 or so, and even then one must factor in that the part is now used, and it might even be outdated. I also often see upgrades listed at full MSRP rather than at street prices.
 
#16 ·
I've bought bikes just for the upgraded parts..... Cook RSR cranks on a Mongoose Amplifier, Kooka Cranks and Red Precision Rear Der. on a vintage Balance. Parts worth more than bike in that case + Sell parts online = free hardtail and vintage dually for me.
 
#17 ·
i recently sold my '04 S-Works Enduro for $1450....

but it had:
circumcised XTR M960's, Crossmax SLR's, new Fox BrainFade, freshly PUSH'd TALAS RLC, Thomson bits, Easton carbon bars, XTR M975 brakes, new bearings everywhere (ceramic where applicable), and a 'hard to get' HBC front ring (running 1X9)...

think it weighed 25lbs....



damn...now i miss that bike :(
 
#18 ·
jonathangennick said:
sometimes i think sellers overstate the value of their upgrades. Sure that xt crankset upgrade may have cost $250. But if it replaced an slx crankset, then the net upgrade is only $100 or so, and even then one must factor in that the part is now used, and it might even be outdated. I also often see upgrades listed at full msrp rather than at street prices.
Click to expand...
+1 ^^^^
 
#19 ·
somewhat off-topic -

I almost exclusively build my bikes with parts bought used or traded, with the exception being rims and forks. I am not lucky enough to have access to BTI or Quality to make direct orders so I choose my bought new products carefully.

Having said that, I always cringe when I hear people talking about buying used parts. There are so many bad deals, clapped out parts, and general mis-information out there to purchase.

For people new to the used bicycle market, research is your friend. Don't make impulse purchases. If you see a used bicycle for sale and your interested in it, make a list of the components and what each is worth to you, taking into consideration product condition. If that price adds up to the price tag, or near it chances are its a fair deal. Don't be afraid to ask questions or counter offer.

There are basically three main parts to a used bicycle that you pay for - frame - wheels - fork (if suspension) There can be red herrings in there - like high end brakes - or whatever, but generally look at those three and see if they dictate the asking price.
 
#20 ·
Never put new tires on a car you are about to sell and expect to get the cost of them back. It just doesn't work.

Bells and whistles are what a car salesman uses on the showroom floor to bait and then to hook. Years later it is just a used car. That $1500 rear suspension package now adds only $400 to the value of your used car.

Your dentist suggests that you new crowns will be better in gold and the expense is worth it. then it falls out of your mouth or has to be replaced for some reason it is nearly worthless.

I have a rule; never buy used camera equipment from a pro. It always looks good on the outside because pros take care of their stuff but it is worn out on the inside form professional level use. Yet a Craigslist buyer will see the word Nikon and the price and see only "deal."

So people often blow by nice details and don't value them because the concept of what they are buying is more iIlusionary. At the other end new markets and professional salesmen and used markets amorphous interactions are simply different.
 
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