Looks really nice that
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Pale Rider
Legendary Member
That's interesting - hadn't considered the possiblity of demand / interest falling in general. While this is a shame I guess it's not so bad if it's more a correction following a surge of public interest rather than a drop from a more stable long-term norm
I'd agree that upgrades don't tend to add a lot of value; in addition to the originality argument I guess a lot of upgraded components are wear-parts so you don't know how much longer they'll last anyway. In addition I think many only upgrade once the original bits have worn out; raising further questions about the amount of use the bike's had / the extent to which it's been maintained.
I think the argument for used bikes isn't just that people can't afford new ones; it's also that you can get so much more for your money due to the depreciation. For example my £450 got me a "used" but never-ridden Tiagra-equipped CFRP road bike, while new it would have only stretched to Sora on an ally frame; which a year down the line would have dropped in value to maybe £250-300 and further south after that.
All this news doesn't appear to have reached the Croix De Fer sellers though.. There's a 2015 CdF 20 on ebay up at £500 starting bit and £750 BIN.. admittedly it's apparently low mileage and has a few extras but the BIN is insane considering an extra £250 would get you a brand new example of last years model with much better components. The massive gap between what the seller expects and what people are willing to pay is illustrated by the fact that even with a starting price of 2/3rds the BIN it ran for a week with no bids, but it's still be re-listed. Realistically worth about £450 perhaps..?
There are numerous others on there hanging around at stratospheric prices too, but the owners don't seem in a hurry to shift them.
I agree there are some buyers who genuinely make their heads rule their hearts and buy second hand on value grounds.
Seems to me such buyers are very much in the minority, and will often be found hanging around internet forums - you sound like such a buyer.
Another illustration of this theory is the extremely low resale prices of children's bikes.
A combination of pester power and parents not wanting their child to be seen on a second hand bike means one will only sell for very little money.
Yup; I'm certainly one of them - currently driven by the necessity to feel less bad about spending money on toys that I probably shouldn't, although I'd probably be similar if loaded as I hate wastage.
I think the kids bike thing is probably due to a number of factors; kids are probably exposed to bikes in shops, maybe parents don't want the hassle of potentially having to fix faults with used bikes or the fear of / lack of accountability in the even of safety-related problems. They're cheaper new too and probably a lot less common, so more of a pain to source used.
davidphilips
Phil Pip
- Location
- Onabike
What you only have one shed full Steve? You really need another few bikes.
Looks really nice that
It was, but wasn’t easy to sell. The problem is they’re not really one thing or another, very limited market
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Many people have been brought up to believe it is somehow sinful to spend money on anything other than necessities.
That is often linked to poverty, but not always.
My mother, who is neither poor nor rich, has such an attitude.
A wealthy businessman I know, who was from a similar ordinary background, told me he found spending the fortune he made almost harder than making it.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Is the private sale of a bike virus restriction compliant from the point of view of both parties?
I think the seller may be OK, but it's hard to see the buyer's journey to view the bike as essential.
The seller might be thought to have some general responsibility to not encourage rule breaches, which they are by offering the bike for sale.
I think the seller may be OK, but it's hard to see the buyer's journey to view the bike as essential.
The seller might be thought to have some general responsibility to not encourage rule breaches, which they are by offering the bike for sale.
- Location
- London
Don't know the percentage - not necessarily the raeson though.
They might not want the suposedly latest best advances.
Experienced cyclists can grab a bargain, will have no worries replacing bits that are closer to wearing out.
and they might not be much closer to wearing out than a new model.
I could have got my Hewitt for under half the price with hardly any wear at all.
There are lots of second hand bikes around more immaculate than any new bikes entrusted to my careless hands for a couple of weeks.
In my experience the paintwork on old bikes is often far better than new as well.
PaulSB
Squire
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
Yes I think that is very true. I will be buying in August but only because of a frame issue with my old winter bike.
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
My thoughts too. I have a circa 2012 carbon ribble, cost including the wheels £1300. It's well used but well maintained and clean and was considering selling it, OA has finished me with unassisted riding ...but given the current climate, i cant even be bothered to clean it (which I was going to do In preparation of selling it)
I might be wrong but even getting someone to venture out to have a look with a view to buy is unlikely...and currentlynot very sensible.
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
I'm far from certain you would be doing anything against the restrictions by continuing to offer bikes for sale, but you are certainly doing the morally responsible thing by withdrawing them.
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
Cant remember
..I'm circa 5ft 10SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
Look no further than the C2W scheme for the market becoming saturated with nearly new and recent stuff. Because people have got into the mindset that they are getting a bargain, because they can get the Taxman to subsidise their purchase, they are buying bikes more frequently than they would do otherwise, and this has flooded the market.
Cycling is very much a minority activity, and the vast majority of the population are not even looking for adult bikes, either new or used. That means you've got the same pool of cyclists out there, but the pool of bikes is being constantly added to by repeated C2W purchases. The demand stays the same but the supply increases, so you get price falls.
As one of those value-oriented buyers myself, there are several reasons why I buy secondhand. The obvious one is price, even though I can easily afford to buy new.
Other reasons are the types of bikes I like, or rather don't like, which restricts my choice new. There is also a perceived hassle factor with secondhand, in case the bike needs attention. However, judging by a lot of postings on here, new bikes are, if anything, likely to be worse in that respect than old ones costing a fraction of the price!
Kids bikes are generally at the low price end of the market, and are perceived as too cheap to be bothered with trying to save money on by many buyers. I always rode secondhand ones when I was young though, until I got my first new racer.
I can certainly agree with those comments, having bought some really nice lugged steel machines for just a few pennies in the pound of their original cost. Sometimes, before actually collecting a bargain bike, I have wondered why it didn't go for more, and expected to find issues - but my purchase experiences have been positive overall.
Raleigh paint from the late 80's and 90's was certainly very tough (usually stoved powder coat, AFAIK), and my Dawes MTB and road frame finishes have also held up well. Have got an early 90's donor Dawes with pretty poor paint though (but it cost peanuts). Raleigh quality was probably more consistently good, Dawes seems more variable.
