# Value of My MTB



## aserota (19 Nov 2008)

Hi all,

Some of you have followed my recent purchase of a MTB from ebay around 3 months ago. I bought a bike which was 'almost' complete, but turned out needing a fair bit more work then originally suggested.

Here is the link to the original ad;
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180281938551&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

I agreed a price of £755 including delivery which seemed like a good price for the bike (imo).

When the bike arrived, the bike looked brand new. All parts were in excellent or brand new as listed, however there were some compatibility issues with the bike. I spent just over £250 getting the bike up and running; new headset, chain, casette, labour etc.


I am now thinking of selling the bike and moving to XC bike, as i do not like the riding position of my current MTB. The problem is that i do not want to make a large loss on my current bike. 

How much should the bike be put up for sale for? It is in 'as new' condition and rides fantastically (happy for people to test ride etc.). There are some lovely parts on the bike; full xt groupset, xtr carbon brake boosters, spin carbon wheels etc.

Pics can be provided if necessary

thanks all


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## e-rider (19 Nov 2008)

Buying a bike from eBay for this amount of money is a huge risk, and I wouldn't trust anyone who doesn't know the difference between 'bought' and 'brought'! If the reserve wasn't met, never offer significantly more as the max bid gives you a good idea of its value.

Carbon Spin wheels are pretty 'old skool' and not to many peoples taste. Unfortuanely, once components leave the shop and their packaging they decrease in value significantly. 

Bad news (IMO) - I feel that you are going to make a fairly large loss. If you were offered £600 I'd go for it without thinking twice - and learn from the experience!

Unfortunately, I'd be very surprised if you even manage to get £600. Remember, you paid more so someone else might too; and it's now a complete working bike! Good Luck!


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## e-rider (19 Nov 2008)

As an additional note; I tried to sell my 'ARGOS' road bike on eBay a while back, the bike cost about £2000 and was/is in excellent condition; the max bid was £300 - luckily I'd put a reserve on it and didn't sell it - I felt as though it would easily make £600 - £800. The frame alone was worth £700 new and it was as good as new!


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## simon_adams_uk (19 Nov 2008)

Ditto the above advice - £600 and you'll be doing well.

At the heart of the bike is a no-name unknown-quality alu frame... for £600 on eBay you will be up against some stiff competition! 

S


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## jay clock (19 Nov 2008)

It is only worth what someone will pay. As mentioned in the original post http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=21226 my view is that the no-name not particularly expensive frame will make it unattractive to most possible buyers. I also find the wheels very unattractive and assume (possibly entirely wrongly) that they are not suited for off road riding, which limits the purchasers.

I would take whatever you can get. You may get more by stripping it and selling the parts.

added: I just looked again. The original owner said it was £175 frame. Hard to see how that could ever be the basis for a £1300 bike.


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## aserota (19 Nov 2008)

thanks all for your responses and to be honest they are as i expected.

It was a risk buying the bike originally, the only concern i originally had was the frame, which turns out to be rather basic.

I was tempted to go 2nd off ebay after purchasing a trigon race bike around 7 months ago, which is pretty much perfect in everyway.

I guess theres two ways forward; strip and sell or alternatively, i could look at a new frame and rebuild the bike as a project.

If i go for the latter, can anyone recommend a carbon frame for a 6ft 2"er?


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## e-rider (20 Nov 2008)

I wouldn't spend anymore money on this bike by replacing the frame - cut your losses and sell it, if you don't want to ride it as it is. Don't make the same mistake twice!


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## Jinjrich (20 Nov 2008)

second tundragumski. As for a new frame...Scott Scales are lovely if you can afford one.


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## RedBike (20 Nov 2008)

I thought you said you liked the way this bike rode? Whats changed your mind?

To be honest it's very hard to value this bike. If you get offered £600 then snap their hands off. As I originally posted I wouldn't value it at anything like that. 

If you were to split the bike I would GUESS you'd be looking at:
XT groupset £150 
Bontrager stem £30
Bars £10
Bar ends £10
Forks £40
Frame £20
Wheels £150 (Very hard to value being 'old school' and carbon)
Tyres £20
Brake boosters £10
Ti bolts £10

I make that about £500. 

I don't know what your budget is but if you're after a carbon XC bike this is worth adding to your list http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s2p1690

If you're going down the carbon route for comfort off-road then you might (depending on the terrain) be better off looking at a full suspension bike like the Anthem instead http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p1750

Switching the frame (and the fork) could work out seriously expensive. You'd be looking at £200+ for the frame and £200+ for the forks found on most branded £1k bikes. You'd probably want discs too (Another £100/£200). Then you'd have to pay for someone to change over all these bits


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## Kirstie (21 Nov 2008)

Redbike's advice is the best.
Definitely split it and sell the individual components. Pace RC31 forks are still very popular - I sold mine a couple of years back for £115 on ebay, but it depends which version they are. You'll get more by selling the parts individually, particularly in the current climate where people don't want to splash out.
Nobody in their right mind would touch those wheels though, and unbranded, the frame is pretty much worthless imo.


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## Kirstie (21 Nov 2008)

Ah yes looking again at the photos the forks are the much older version of the RC31. They're going to be at least 7 years old.


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## Tim Bennet. (21 Nov 2008)

It's a complete 'donkey's breakfast'. It doesn't have any obvious use or purpose as a bike, so to sell it complete you will have to either sucker a complete novice or hope there is a third person on the planet that thinks that ad hoc collection of bits represents a bike of some perceivable value.

So either break it for bits or get the frame / wheels you want and transfer the parts.


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## Kirstie (21 Nov 2008)

Actually I take it back about the wheels. I looked on mtbr.com and they actually have quite a cult fanbase. And people like them, although they will be ancient by now.

If you want to sell them link to the review page on mtbr.com and post it with a big retro cool tag. Someone on singletrackworld might have em.


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## User482 (21 Nov 2008)

You'll get more interest in the old school stuff on www.retrobike.co.uk


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## aserota (21 Nov 2008)

think i may break it then...

The bike does feel very nice to ride; i.e. groupset runs really well, but the riding position isnt right for me.

I'll start stripping it in the new year.


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## e-rider (21 Nov 2008)

Before you start, I would attempt to sell it complete first, but be realistic about the price - most people here agree that £600 is the absolute max you will get!

Selling the components separately is a lot of time and effort with postage and bad eBayers, expensive eBay/PayPal fees etc. 

If you're set on building your own bike rather than buying off the shelf, probably the best advice would be to sell the frame, forks and wheels and a few other bits and keep the groupset etc. (as you stated that it's new) and start a new build.

Judging from this situation, you might be a person more suited to buying an 'off the peg' bike! There are some great bikes about for the kind of money you spent on this thing (£1000). Try a few in your LBSs - you'll be amazed how much better they are than you're current ride.


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## e-rider (21 Nov 2008)

...and, I could be tempted by the front Spin wheel - would look great on my commuter. I remember back in 94/95 dreaming about a set of these wheels (or was it a nightmare)


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## Steve Austin (22 Nov 2008)

Not happy to continue the miserable news for you. Its not worth very much at all. The frame is a bog standard ally frame that you can get for £40 brand new, and as this is the basis of the bike, its going to shape every potential buyer.

Cut your losses. split it all and put on Ebay. Bad time of year to sell though 

The spin wheels 'may' sell for lots if you get some weird retro collector after them


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## aserota (22 Nov 2008)

Thanks for all the comments, this 'honesty' is what i was after. I have been thinking over my options and have come up with the following;

90% of my cycling is done on the road with my road bike. Financially, i am under no pressure to sell my current MTB, as i am happy to be without a MTB for the time being. 

Excluding the frame and forks, there are a selection of parts currently on my MTB which i could transfer to a new bike in the future, these being;
- brakes and boosters
- handle bars and ends
- full xt groupset
- spin wheels
- carbon seat post and saddle

I feel it would be worth giving the bike a good clean and storing it away for a few months. I will readress what is to be done with the bike once i have finished training for my road cycling next summer (LE to John De Grotes and other smaller rides). 

If i want to get the bike up and running at virtually no cost, i can sell the current forks and get a set of Kona Project 2s. I have spoken to my LBS and they are happy to strip the bike and rebuild it, adding new forks and recabling the brakes and gears (as i am not happy with their current setup, costing £31 for all labour). 

So there are a few options; switch to kona 2 forks with a rebuild (which wont cost a penny), or store the bike away and readdress when i look into getting another MTB later on in the year (next year). I will lose money with option two, but with a lot more testing of MTB and a frame fitting service, i will have something more ideal. I will have to be a little more wary with ebay and used bikes when i am unable to test ride them!


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## RedBike (22 Nov 2008)

If you're serious about riding XC (I would assume anyone spending £1k on a bike was) then you'd be well advised to have a bike with hydrallic disc brakes and front suspension. When you start to ride more technical trails you'll soon find out exactly why these parts are very desirable.

I wouldn't suggest spending a penny more on that bike before you actually try a few QUALITY mtbs on some dedicated MTB trails.


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## aserota (26 Nov 2008)

*Small Update....*

I have now got a set of new Kona P2's (cost £39.99 delivered).

I am stripping the bike and cleaning it tomorrow. It will be taken into Northwood cycles to be rebuilt, re-cabled and forks fitted (this costing £31).

This means the bike should be finally sorted and i can enjoy the used of my MTB.

As mentioned in previous posts, i am concentrating on my road cycling and have the use of a imagic turbo trainer, race bike and soon a fixie as well....therefore the MTB will be used as more of a 'toy' then a serious off roader.


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