Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - trying to price a bike to sell

i have a habit of selling bikes/parts for less than theyre worth so i figured this time id get an opinion beforehand. i have an 06 raleigh rush hour i want to sell. i think new they were about $700. i was riding it regularly for 2 years and it was a spare for 1 more so its got an expected number of paint chips, but nothing crazy. ive seen the used stock, or near stock ones for $500 or so on craigslist. mine has the stock cane creek headset, tektro brake, generic seatpost, truvativ crankset and bb. non stock items are mks platform road pedals, soma double gate cages, reload top tube pad, old school flite saddle, salsa stem, salsa cross brake lever, ourys, race face 1" riser bars, soma everwears, dura ace cog, lockring, and most notably dura ace low flange track hubs laced to velocity deep v's hand built by wheelsmith. obviously the wheels are the only real thing of value which i could probably get $300+ for so im thinking about $800 altogether. am i crazy, right on, a little off?

crazy.

way crazy.

Put some other wheels on it and sell it for 500.

Then sell the good wheelset seperately.

that bike isn't worth much at all, the cranks are garbage and many of the other parts are just blah

If you take the wheels out of the equation, as in sell it without them I would pay maybe $225 for everything but the wheels. With stock wheels_$300
No matter what the frame and parts are they are USED so take the retail value and deduct about 40%.
As is always the case, a used bike is worth what someone is willing to pay for it and it's different by where you are located.
Big cities and college towns should have a higher value on used bikes and sell faster.
Put it on CL for $XXX and if you get no response or plenty of low ballers adjust the price lower.

+1 on DA low flange hubs. I have them and they are blingy.

im not gonna lie $350 i what i paid for it stock off a mechanic who had it 3 months and never rode it. i live in austin though with a lot of college kids and others who think they know a thing or 2. ive seen the used stock ones on the austin craigslist for $500. im well aware the only thing worth a damn on the bike is the wheelset so i guess i shouldve clarified that im just looking for some opinions on the following... do you think some ignorant college kid or hipster who dont know **** other than fixed gears are the new black would be impressed enough by the fact that 1) its a track bike (really a pseudo track bike at best) and 2) its got this wheelset to pay $800?

personally i know better than to pay that much for this bike. just wondering if theres a general consensus whether or not some chump would

Doubtful. You would most likely get flak on craigslist for listing it for so much.

dude I got 500 for a crappy conversion on Austin CL. I bet w/ the wheelset you can get 6-700 no problem. Definitely start with a high price. There are enough idiots out there willing to pay a lot for these bikes. If someone is willing to pay an arm and a leg for that thing, let them...

I wish I could sell my stuff for that much here. I'd make a mint.

personally i know better than to pay that much for this bike. just wondering if theres a general consensus whether or not some chump would

Is that what you're after - screwing someone? Sell the damned thing for a fair price, maybe even a little on the high end of fair, but why screw a fellow (or future fellow) cyclist?

Is that what you're after - screwing someone? Sell the damned thing for a fair price, maybe even a little on the high end of fair, but why screw a fellow (or future fellow) cyclist?

Exactly. You know why every thinks used car salesmen are scumbags? Golfer007 bragged about ripping people off over in C&V and found that we didn't think it was funny. I see he has re-emerged over here but he doesn't post in C&V anymore.

Commie *******s! haha

Guys, there is nothing wrong w/ selling something for more than its worth. If someone is willing to pay a given price, then there is nothing wrong w/ selling a bike for that price. I mean seriously, this is America, it's a free market economy. I don't think my conversion was worth anywhere near what I sold it for, but a guy was willing to pay for the pretty colors.

IMO, the only thing that could be immoral in a bike transaction is if the seller lies about the bike. For example, selling a frame that has stripped out bottom bracket threads or is cracked would be wrong. Selling a perfectly good, nice bike for more than its worth is not a big deal.

Used car salesman are considered unethical b/c they sell cars that break down 5 miles from the lot. As long as my bike is in good working order, I can feel okay about selling it for a relatively high price.

not long ago i sold an aero flip/flop wheelset with freewheel and cog/lockring, tires, tubes, major taylors w/ a cinelli stem, mks pedals w/ mks cages, and straps for $150 to some dude. he was just getting into fixed gear so i gave him a deal. i dont gouge people but more than once ive seen the stock version of my bike selling used here for $500. why shouldnt i capitalize on the fact that my wheelset could easily push it up more? i dont think if someone paid that id be screwing them. i would think they were a chump bc i wouldnt pay that much since i have enough cycling friends who are always selling something, check ebay and CL a lot, go to bike swaps, etc in order to find sweet deals. $800 isnt screwing someone, its just not a sweet deal. if it makes you feel better i will most likely list it for $725-750 in order to get $700

Commie *******s! haha

Guys, there is nothing wrong w/ selling something for more than its worth. If someone is willing to pay a given price, then there is nothing wrong w/ selling a bike for that price. I mean seriously, this is America, it's a free market economy. I don't think my conversion was worth anywhere near what I sold it for, but a guy was willing to pay for the pretty colors.

IMO, the only thing that could be immoral in a bike transaction is if the seller lies about the bike. For example, selling a frame that has stripped out bottom bracket threads or is cracked would be wrong. Selling a perfectly good, nice bike for more than its worth is not a big deal.

Used car salesman are considered unethical b/c they sell cars that break down 5 miles from the lot. As long as my bike is in good working order, I can feel okay about selling it for a relatively high price.

Ok then, how about new car salesmen? They get the same reputation as slick slimeballs just looking to empty your pocket book. You are right though, there is absolutely nothing wrong with selling something for more than it's worth. The big stink with Golfer007 was not only did he know he was price gouging but he was on the forum refering to his customers as suckers. Now that's just plain wrong, in a karmic sense at least. Sorry to the OP, this doesn't really seem to apply here.

you'll make more if you sell it with a cheaper wheelset. I dunno what austin CL is like, so i'll just pretend like i'm selling on SF CL, which is also often inflated.

with alexrims wheels or equivalent: 550

wheelset: 450

go for maybe 450 on the bike and 380 on the wheels. when they try to lowball you, spout on about reynolds tubing for the frame and NJS stamping for the wheelset.

selling the rushour with the bling wheels i'd say about list 690, get about 650.

OP, great idea for a thread. I've always wanted to ask but never got around to it because I thought it'd start a flame war. Hope you don't mind the threadjack... *ducks*


Anyboy know what's a good asking price for my 87 Bianchi Brava conversion? Here's what it has:
Brooks saddle
CXP22/Formulas with Michellin Eriliums/Shimano freewheel
Velo Orange Milan bars/Cork Grips/Tektro brakelevers
Stock crank/Sugino 75 chainring/MKS GR9s/MKS toeclips/Ale straps
UN54 BB
Tektro brake calipers

I'm just wondering if a bike like this would even get $300 off of ebay or CL. Once again, sorry for the threadjack...I've always wondered what others would offer.

Sure, you can sell things for a lot more than they are worth. A lot of people do that. Take money away from people who are slightly more ignorant than you by playing on their enthusiasm for the scene. Totally fine. It just makes you an a**hole.

It makes you smart. You guys must be a horrible businessmen if you can't grasp this concept. It is not unethical to make money. Get it? Okay, good.

I have flipped bikes for profit as have my friends. I have never once felt that I was doing a disservice to the buyer. Each respective buyer got a nice bike for a price he was okay with.

i would never brag about ripping someone off and i dont think this would be ripping someone off. the days of being able to buy 70s-90s complete road bikes on eBay for less than $200 are gone for now. they go for hundreds more these days bc of the fixed gear explosion. the demand makes it worth more so for me to sell it for less would be stupid.

TimArchy, no one said anything about selling for a lot more than its worth. i paid less than $800 so in that sense id be selling it for more than its worth, but i got it in portland where deals are easier to find. a few years and a few miles later, here in austin its worth $500 for the stock bike and as LupinIII points out the wheelset is worth about $450 (research having the same wheelsmith set built and im sure youll find that to be true). getting $800 is neither ripping anyone off, nor does it make me an ass hole, but to not get as much as is reasonable without cheating someone would make me a fool.

no worries. i already have a pretty good idea of what i wanted to know. in response to your question... i see youre in LA. if youre in the echo park/silver lake/ los feliz/ etc area id say you could get at least that much. i was in los feliz for "2 weeks", turned into to 2 months so i bought a temp bike. it was an 80s conversion with a bunch of generic parts, but an awesome paint job. before i came home i put it on CL and got back the $300 i paid for it in 2 days.

doesnt sound like theres anything too amazing on the bike but its better than generic. being a Bianchi, esp if its the typical celeste green could be beneficial. being a Brava though might work against you. a lot of people see a celeste bianchi and are impressed, but a knowledgeable buyer might try to talk you down since its only a Brava, depending on what your price is. obviously its hard to say for sure w/out living in LA myself but based on my LA CL experience id say you could easily get $400, more if it looks good.


OP, great idea for a thread. I've always wanted to ask but never got around to it because I thought it'd start a flame war. Hope you don't mind the threadjack... *ducks*


Anyboy know what's a good asking price for my 87 Bianchi Brava conversion? Here's what it has:
Brooks saddle
CXP22/Formulas with Michellin Eriliums/Shimano freewheel
Velo Orange Milan bars/Cork Grips/Tektro brakelevers
Stock crank/Sugino 75 chainring/MKS GR9s/MKS toeclips/Ale straps
UN54 BB
Tektro brake calipers

I'm just wondering if a bike like this would even get $300 off of ebay or CL. Once again, sorry for the threadjack...I've always wondered what others would offer.

ok i just looked at austin CL and saw someone trying to hock a leader 721 with formula/veeps for 850

listing your bike complete with snazzy wheels for 800 is not nearly as ridiculous as i thought. your main competition are pakes and leaders...



oh, as for that conversion in LA i'd say list for 350. the bianchi name is big with people looking to buy and has some insane markup. normally i would say probably closer to 275. you can probably get full price

im not gonna lie $350 i what i paid for it stock off a mechanic who had it 3 months and never rode it.

do you think some ignorant college kid or hipster who dont know **** other than fixed gears are the new black would be impressed enough by the fact that 1) its a track bike (really a pseudo track bike at best) and 2) its got this wheelset to pay $800?

personally i know better than to pay that much for this bike. just wondering if theres a general consensus whether or not some chump would

this makes you an *******.

My dad, who was good at stlling stuff, used to tell me to "Pull a number out of the air as your asking price." "A month from now, if you still have it, the price is too high. If you sold it, the price was too low."

youre pretty naive, esp if that "Archy" is for anarchy, but it would explain a lot. just because i bought it stock for $350 does not mean i kept it that way. many parts i got for $10-30 here or there made there way on it. even if i hadnt put those parts on, and even if i didnt take good care of it, and even if people werent willing to pay more for this bike than they would a few years ago, and even if austins prices werent inflated and i only sold the bike for what i paid plus what the wheelset is worth that is $800 right there. that is what its worth PERIOD. i think only a chump pays "sticker price" though even if that is what its worth. if theyre willing to pay that without bargaining im certainly willing to take their parents money and know that i didnt scam anyone. if youre trying to say you havent done the same yourself, i think that makes you the ass hole and a liar


this makes you an *******.

Interesting. Thanks for the opinions guys.

I don't enjoy selling my stuff. If I buy it, it means that I really wanted it and I don't intend to give it up for a long time. I've got three bikes and two other frames waiting to be built. I can't imagine selling them. They truly mean something to me. I've sold one frame and given away one frame in the last 6 years. The first frame I sold for well under market value to a friend (and under what he personally was willing to pay). The second one I gave away even though I could have sold it for probably $200. If I really needed the money, I would have sold the second frame as well. But I didn't really need the bike or the money. My bikes exist outside of the financial realm. I can't assign them monetary value because they mean so much more to me than that.

So we obviously have different views concerning the value of a bike. I view them as cherished tools whereas you, to some extent, see them as possible profit generators. There's a good chance that we're not going to come to an agreement any time soon.

As to my naivete, I fully understand the workings of the business economy. I simply choose to believe that we don't have to operate according to the principals of profit and loss in our personal transactions. I have sold things for more than I would have paid for them at that time, but I have never sold a personal possession at a price which would cause me to view the buyer as a "chump". Nor do I desire to. I have more respect for people than that.

i dont enjoy selling them. in 10 years ive sold 4 bikes... one i already mentioned. the others were all to friends and all at a loss and all because they borrowed them then basically begged me to sell it to them. in college i would fix broken bikes and give them away.

i dont enjoy selling them, but my computer and bikes are the only things of value i own and sometimes i need to pay rent and eat. its awesome for you if youve never had to make that decision because it sucks. i wish i could buy what i really want and never need to sell it. the fact is many of us buy parts and frames to make due until we can upgrade and get it perfect. i would love it if i could afford to give frames away and sell them for under market value like you seem able to do, but i cant. so if i need to part w/ one when i dont want to im certainly not going to do so for less than its worth, at least not to anyone but a friend.

and fyi, im selling the bike bc im scrambling to cover what i can for the $1k i spent on another bike ive wanted for 10 years, despite the fact that i cant afford it if it was $100. that $1000 is worth it to ME though no matter how much the seller profited and may think im a chump. wanting to make some of that $1k back doesnt mean i view bikes as profit generators. i wish i didnt have to sacrifice one for another, but i do.

Like I said before, making money does not make you a jerk. I have flipped a lot of bikes myself at a price that I thought was market value. However, my business plan never involved finding an "ignorant college kid or hipster". I do think viewing potential buyers as suckers is just plain wrong.

You can do it, I never claimed you couldn't. I make a lot of sales from references because the buyers have been happy, you can't discount the effect of honest business.

PedallingATX, chill out and don't get so personal. We grasp the concept, but we also don't agree with you on whether it's right or wrong.

Bluebird, I personally have no clue what your items are worth. I am not debating your prices, but the thread does bring up this other topic.

$800, or even $700, for a second hand bike on C-L is definitely in pricey territory. I've done a LOT of buying and selling on there, and had a hard time getting more then $400 out of anyone locally. It's worth saying that I lived in an affluent market with a good bike culture. I think a lot of the bikes priced higher then $400-$500 end up on eBay or are sold for much lower then the asking price. High end stuff locally is tough because most buyer's don't know enough about them to justify spending much, and knowledgeable buyers will try and steal them from you, otherwise they will just buy them themselves. If you can get $700 cash for that bike, you'd be doing great in my opinion. I agree with the consensus of putting on a cheaper wheelset and eBaying your nice ones will yield the most money.

if its the fact that i view a potential buyer as an "ignorant (not dumb) college kid or some hipster" let me clarify. in believe these groups are often more concerned w/ the fixed gear as an image. that you can buy a brand new fixed gear in multiple color combos for less than $400 from urban outfitters illustrates this pretty clearly. im not discouraging them. its just not for me. since a well-informed cyclist would most likely have a greater pool of resources and like-minded friends to be able to find great deals they are much less likely to be buyers in this case since im not in a situation where i can deal. i know despite what its worth i could get this price down if i were buying it or id walk away bc i could use one of my other bikes or easily piece something together from friends. the aforementioned groups tend not to have the same ability or resources and are therefore more likely to just buy for the asking price. whether its dead on for value or well below what its worth i think anyone who pays sticker price does so bc they didnt do their homework and so that makes them ignorant and a chump in my opinion.