General Cycling Discussion - Depreciation/Trade In Value...

OK, bearing in mind that right now I have no bike, I do not have the option of sitting on my cash pile & watching it grow-

I'm considering buying either a Cannondale RoadWarrior 400, or a Specialized Allez A1 24 as a first roadbike (havent cycled in three years). However, I'd ideally like something at more than twice the cost.


Would it be worthwhile (or even possible) to arrange a good P/Ex deal? Something along the lines of- "I'll buy my Allez with you, if you promise to give me a great trade on this bike when I want to P/Ex it for my dream bike, again, with you".

Now, I'm going to take time to get my fitness up, regardless of what I ride. So, would I be better trying this plan, or would I be better buying as cheap a bike as I can tollerate (even if it weighs a ton) while I continue saving for the Big One. Afterwhich, I can throw away the heavy one, or convert it to a traffic buster, and be nice & fit for my featherweight uber-bike? Opinions?

Look for an inexpensive USED bike of quality and don't bother trying to work a trade in deal. There isn't enough profit in new bikes for a dealer to make such an arrangement. Besides, the wear and tear you would put on the bike would make it impossible for him to resell it and break even on the deal.

USED bikes are readily available at affordable prices --even if you have to do some maintenace before riding.

I'm not sure how many shops would take the old bike as a trade. You could probably spend less money on a decent used bike and save for the bike you really want later. And, like you said, the used bike you bought first could be your "rainy day, traffic fighting, lock it up with no worries" bike.

I've found its great to have two bikes just for those reasons. Many people here on the forum have multiple bikes for different situations.