General Cycling Discussion - Anyone been to a bike auction before?

The city of Minneapolis is having a bike auction tomorrow, which I plan to go to. Has anyone ever been to one of these? It says it's a "property and evidence unit" auction. I called and the guy said the auctions start at $5 and then go up from there, depending on the bike. I hope to get a good deal, since we still haven't had luck getting one from craigslist, but I am worried people might be willing to go higher than we are able to...

Here is a link to photos of the bikes:
http://auctionadvantagemn.smugmug.com/Other/Bike-Auction-May-24th/23133631_L57FL3#!i=1863545914&k=bh9xT9j

And a link to the list:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0ArO8eKWPTTvRdFJBaDMyUGFpR1BQdlNvV1hnQjcxZ3c&gid=0

They don't include the frame measurement so I guess I am going to have to check that during the "viewing period." I have my list all set to go!

Is there a question in there somewhere? Yes, I've been to a bike auction. I've bought a bike and I've been outbid on a couple.

Is there a question in there somewhere? Yes, I've been to a bike auction. I've bought a bike and I've been outbid on a couple.

I was just mostly wondering if it's a good place to get a nice deal on a bike or if people are willing to go quite high and will outbid you. Would the deals generally be better than what's offered for used bikes elsewhere, like craigslist for example?

I haven't been to one myself, but I did hear from someone who went to a police auction, that people seemed to get excited at it, and were paying too much.

I suppose that's what drives the economy, or maybe it was just his opinion.

I haven't been to one myself, but I did hear from someone who went to a police auction, that people seemed to get excited at it, and were paying too much.

I suppose that's what drives the economy, or maybe it was just his opinion.

I hope that's not the case...I don't want to go there and leave empty handed. :( I have about 16 bikes that I would be happy ending up with, hopefully one of them will work out.

The one time I went to one I ended up with a spraybombed Schwinn World Sport for $50. Not a terrible deal, but not great either. Probably depends on how popular bikes are in your area, and what you are after. I imagine if I went after an old MTB, I could have gotten a much nicer bike for less.

Looking though that, I'd keep my eye on the SS Redline MTB, the red/white Centurion Accordo, Trek 930, SE Quadrangle, and the Klein road bike. The Cannondale MTBs and newer road bikes will probably go for a lot, but definitely go for them on the off chance they don't.

The city of Minneapolis is having a bike auction tomorrow, which I plan to go to. Has anyone ever been to one of these? It says it's a "property and evidence unit" auction. I called and the guy said the auctions start at $5 and then go up from there, depending on the bike. I hope to get a good deal, since we still haven't had luck getting one from craigslist, but I am worried people might be willing to go higher than we are able to...

Here is a link to photos of the bikes:
http://auctionadvantagemn.smugmug.com/Other/Bike-Auction-May-24th/23133631_L57FL3#!i=1863545914&k=bh9xT9j (http://auctionadvantagemn.smugmug.com/Other/Bike-Auction-May-24th/23133631_L57FL3#%21i=1863545914&k=bh9xT9j)

And a link to the list:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0ArO8eKWPTTvRdFJBaDMyUGFpR1BQdlNvV1hnQjcxZ3c&gid=0

They don't include the frame measurement so I guess I am going to have to check that during the "viewing period." I have my list all set to go!

What is your budget? Does one need to say/warn you to stay away from the BBS bikes i.e. the Huffy's, Magna's, Murray's, etc.?

Also keep in mind that you will more likely than not be the only one who is interested in a particular bike.

theres a couple of nice bikes in that listing, a whole lot of crappy ones too but a few nice roadies. good luck if you're looking to score.

What is your budget? Does one need to say/warn you to stay away from the BBS bikes i.e. the Huffy's, Magna's, Murray's, etc.?

Also keep in mind that you will more likely than not be the only one who is interested in a particular bike.

No Huffy's, Magna's, or Murray's on my list! :) I've got the Cannondales, some Treks, Marin, Specialized, Raleigh, Diamondback, and a Giant. My husband narrowed the list down to 13 that he likes, so as long as we get one of those we will be happy!

And our budget is $80-100, considering we are probably going to bring it to a LBS for a tune-up.

Thanks!

theres a couple of nice bikes in that listing, a whole lot of crappy ones too but a few nice roadies. good luck if you're looking to score.

Thanks! I'll let you guys know what I end up with! Viewing starts at 4 pm (central), so I will be leaving in a couple hours!

The one time I went to one I ended up with a spraybombed Schwinn World Sport for $50. Not a terrible deal, but not great either. Probably depends on how popular bikes are in your area, and what you are after. I imagine if I went after an old MTB, I could have gotten a much nicer bike for less.

Looking though that, I'd keep my eye on the SS Redline MTB, the red/white Centurion Accordo, Trek 930, SE Quadrangle, and the Klein road bike. The Cannondale MTBs and newer road bikes will probably go for a lot, but definitely go for them on the off chance they don't.

$50 would definitely be acceptable for me. Our "nice" max is $80, but our "max max" is $100. Lol, don't know how else to write that...

Yes, some of those are on our list. We are looking for a MTB though. The Cannondales look to be some of the most expensive ones in there, but I will grab one if I can! The one my hubby likes most is the Marin Kentfield FS (#53, pic #55). Thanks!

No Huffy's, Magna's, or Murray's on my list! :) I've got the Cannondales, some Treks, Marin, Specialized, Raleigh, Diamondback, and a Giant. My husband narrowed the list down to 13 that he likes, so as long as we get one of those we will be happy!

And our budget is $80-100, considering we are probably going to bring it to a LBS for a tune-up.

Thanks!

That's good, but with the Raleigh be sure that you're getting a LBS and not a BBS Raleigh.

Good luck, I hope that you get what you're looking for.

That's good, but with the Raleigh be sure that you're getting a LBS and not a BBS Raleigh.

Good luck, I hope that you get what you're looking for.

How would I know the difference?

$50 would definitely be acceptable for me. Our "nice" max is $80, but our "max max" is $100. Lol, don't know how else to write that...

Yes, some of those are on our list. We are looking for a MTB though. The Cannondales look to be some of the most expensive ones in there, but I will grab one if I can! The one my hubby likes most is the Marin Kentfield FS (#53, pic #55). Thanks!
Assuming it is the right size, I'd definitely have your sights on the Trek 930 in that case (Or the Redline if you want a SS), unless you can snag a Cannondale.

I went to a police bike auction here in Denver about a month ago. Here is what I noticed. the box store schwinns and the like were selling between 80-150 dollars. The nicer bikes such as Specialized were selling for 100-250. the most expensive bike sold for 425 and was an orbea with 105 gear. At the auction I attended there were about 12 nice bikes and all went at a good price for what they were. I personally picked up a 2005 Specialized rockhopper for 100+taxes. The bike needed new cables brake pads an a new cassette all of which cost me 60 for parts and I did the work myself. I looked up the bikes msrp and it was about 400.

Yeah, I think the OP is not going to score any of those nice bikes for $100.00 dollars. Trust me, there are quite a few people who know about bikes and they attend those auctions. What she'll end up getting at her price range will be those box store bikes.

How would I know the difference?

Sadly, that I do not know. But I am sure that there is someone here who would.

Regarding Raleigh: Talus is crap; Mojave is entry level bike shop; Technium is good. Hopefully someone else can check off some of the others.

Motiv is one of the exceptions to the rule; originally sold by Costco, but good quality frames with solid entry level bike shop components. If it looks interesting I'd still say keep it towards the low end of your price range, but as a less known brand you may get a good deal on it.