Bike Flipping 101
07-26-15, 11:06 PM
#426
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sold it last december in seattle to a young man for $630. it had a new brooks, nos mavic wheelset and new paselas. nice bike.
09-28-15, 01:17 PM
#427
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What are peoples views on buying bikes in Bulk. I was recently offered to buy Bikes in Bulk for 20 each.
Seller Said " have 30+ vintage road bikes with rotted tires and neglected chains/gears/brakes that need a new chain and everything needs to be oiled and the tires are starting to dry rot but the components and frame are in quite good shape Brands such as: Schwinn, Nishiki, Puch, Raleigh, Panasonic, Miyata, etc.
Seller Said " have 30+ vintage road bikes with rotted tires and neglected chains/gears/brakes that need a new chain and everything needs to be oiled and the tires are starting to dry rot but the components and frame are in quite good shape Brands such as: Schwinn, Nishiki, Puch, Raleigh, Panasonic, Miyata, etc.
10-03-15, 07:46 AM
#428
Still learning
What are peoples views on buying bikes in Bulk. I was recently offered to buy Bikes in Bulk for 20 each.
Seller Said " have 30+ vintage road bikes with rotted tires and neglected chains/gears/brakes that need a new chain and everything needs to be oiled and the tires are starting to dry rot but the components and frame are in quite good shape Brands such as: Schwinn, Nishiki, Puch, Raleigh, Panasonic, Miyata, etc.
Seller Said " have 30+ vintage road bikes with rotted tires and neglected chains/gears/brakes that need a new chain and everything needs to be oiled and the tires are starting to dry rot but the components and frame are in quite good shape Brands such as: Schwinn, Nishiki, Puch, Raleigh, Panasonic, Miyata, etc.
10-07-15, 03:30 PM
#429
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My problem is that when I find a very nice bike at an excruciatingly cheap price, then I get it
all clean & tuned, I can't bring myself to flip it cuz it's so damn cool! I guess it's a sickness,
but I'm running out of places to put 'em & the wife"s running out of patience. The only thing
that saves me is pointing out how much more she spends on gardening & garage sale knickknacks.
(pearl of wisdom)^
all clean & tuned, I can't bring myself to flip it cuz it's so damn cool! I guess it's a sickness,
but I'm running out of places to put 'em & the wife"s running out of patience. The only thing
that saves me is pointing out how much more she spends on gardening & garage sale knickknacks.
(pearl of wisdom)^
10-10-15, 06:48 PM
#430
Senior Member
My problem is that when I find a very nice bike at an excruciatingly cheap price, then I get it
all clean & tuned, I can't bring myself to flip it cuz it's so damn cool! I guess it's a sickness,
but I'm running out of places to put 'em & the wife"s running out of patience. The only thing
that saves me is pointing out how much more she spends on gardening & garage sale knickknacks.
(pearl of wisdom)^
all clean & tuned, I can't bring myself to flip it cuz it's so damn cool! I guess it's a sickness,
but I'm running out of places to put 'em & the wife"s running out of patience. The only thing
that saves me is pointing out how much more she spends on gardening & garage sale knickknacks.
(pearl of wisdom)^
Same thing happens to me......I fix them up, and darn it they are too beautiful to sell. I have a Gitane TDF, Reynolds, Stronglight cranks, Stronglight headset, Stronglight BB, Campy Record Deraileurs, Dura-ace 1st gen brakes.....the bike looks great. Awesome color, blue. Dang it if the bike isn't even my size. I just cannot part with it. Well, maybe for the right price, maybe.
10-22-15, 09:21 AM
#431
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Really depends on your goals. I am not going to do a part out for $75. Too much work, too little return. Some of the low end Chicago Schwinns can be parted out: one piece crankset, stem shifters, stem, and a few odds and ends do have value. But if the paint is good, they will bring more as a complete bike.
Myself, I aim higher. In 2015 I started doing something different. On mid grade mtbs from the 1980s to early 1990s, I've started parting them out. In the past, I would often see such MTBs for around $25 (garage sales, thrift stores, whatever). Refurbishing these bikes was a non starter. Most needed tires, tubes, freewheel, chain, pedals, saddle, cables, bottom brackets. That's $75 to $100 in parts. When I was finished, I had a bike that would sell for $100 to $125 max. Breakeven or worse. Even if the bike was free, the return was pathetic.
Meanwhile, part outs avoid the $75 to $100 in rebuild parts. Triple cranksets, thumb shifters, cantilever brake calipers and levers, derailleur sets, and some wheels all have value. If it has vintage bear trap pedals in good shape, those have value too. I've done 5 or 6 of these this year. You just need to make sure the bike does not have a riveted crankset, and the parts are rust free. And some of the left over parts make good bin filler: stems, headsets, seat posts, and so on. Some vintage MTB stems and seatposts have value. Ditto bull moose bars. So a $25 vintage MTB that needs love can yield a $250 part out.
I've got a couple of $100 MTBs in ready to ride condition that I will probably disassemble (refurbishing them was a mistake). Sad, but its either lose money on the finished project, or make a nice profit. I cannot afford to continue to lose money on MTBs, so its part out. Crankset and thumb shifters alone will bring what a completed MTB sells for in my area.
Myself, I aim higher. In 2015 I started doing something different. On mid grade mtbs from the 1980s to early 1990s, I've started parting them out. In the past, I would often see such MTBs for around $25 (garage sales, thrift stores, whatever). Refurbishing these bikes was a non starter. Most needed tires, tubes, freewheel, chain, pedals, saddle, cables, bottom brackets. That's $75 to $100 in parts. When I was finished, I had a bike that would sell for $100 to $125 max. Breakeven or worse. Even if the bike was free, the return was pathetic.
Meanwhile, part outs avoid the $75 to $100 in rebuild parts. Triple cranksets, thumb shifters, cantilever brake calipers and levers, derailleur sets, and some wheels all have value. If it has vintage bear trap pedals in good shape, those have value too. I've done 5 or 6 of these this year. You just need to make sure the bike does not have a riveted crankset, and the parts are rust free. And some of the left over parts make good bin filler: stems, headsets, seat posts, and so on. Some vintage MTB stems and seatposts have value. Ditto bull moose bars. So a $25 vintage MTB that needs love can yield a $250 part out.
I've got a couple of $100 MTBs in ready to ride condition that I will probably disassemble (refurbishing them was a mistake). Sad, but its either lose money on the finished project, or make a nice profit. I cannot afford to continue to lose money on MTBs, so its part out. Crankset and thumb shifters alone will bring what a completed MTB sells for in my area.
11-10-15, 04:15 PM
#432
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a note about craigslist searches for sellers and buyers
i always have a parts listing on craigslist. recently, i noticed craigslist searches on certain words i knew were in my ad would not return results to include my listing. i immediately thought it was a conspiracy. B^)
i finally realized the failure was due to either html or punctuation butted next to the terms in my ad.
for example, if i use the craigslist search for "suntour cyclone" it will not return results if the ad reads "suntour cyclone." with the period in the ad immediately following the word, "cyclone."
or if there is html to bold a phrase in the ad, like "<b>suntour cyclone</b>" the search results will miss the listing completely.
the craigslist search ****ion does not seem as robust as the most simple of databases.
so, for sellers, place a 'search key' at the bottom of your ad to include all those 'naked' terms without any punctuation that you want available to potential buyers. it might look silly, but it doesn't hurt to repeat yourself here.
for buyers, be aware that you may miss a great listing through your craigslist search due to punctuation, misspellings, and html.
good luck!
i always have a parts listing on craigslist. recently, i noticed craigslist searches on certain words i knew were in my ad would not return results to include my listing. i immediately thought it was a conspiracy. B^)
i finally realized the failure was due to either html or punctuation butted next to the terms in my ad.
for example, if i use the craigslist search for "suntour cyclone" it will not return results if the ad reads "suntour cyclone." with the period in the ad immediately following the word, "cyclone."
or if there is html to bold a phrase in the ad, like "<b>suntour cyclone</b>" the search results will miss the listing completely.
the craigslist search ****ion does not seem as robust as the most simple of databases.
so, for sellers, place a 'search key' at the bottom of your ad to include all those 'naked' terms without any punctuation that you want available to potential buyers. it might look silly, but it doesn't hurt to repeat yourself here.
for buyers, be aware that you may miss a great listing through your craigslist search due to punctuation, misspellings, and html.
good luck!
Last edited by eschlwc; 11-10-15 at 04:24 PM.
11-11-15, 06:47 AM
#433
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a note about craigslist searches for sellers and buyers
i always have a parts listing on craigslist. recently, i noticed craigslist searches on certain words i knew were in my ad would not return results to include my listing. i immediately thought it was a conspiracy. B^)
i finally realized the failure was due to either html or punctuation butted next to the terms in my ad.
for example, if i use the craigslist search for "suntour cyclone" it will not return results if the ad reads "suntour cyclone." with the period in the ad immediately following the word, "cyclone."
or if there is html to bold a phrase in the ad, like "<b>suntour cyclone</b>" the search results will miss the listing completely.
the craigslist search ****ion does not seem as robust as the most simple of databases.
so, for sellers, place a 'search key' at the bottom of your ad to include all those 'naked' terms without any punctuation that you want available to potential buyers. it might look silly, but it doesn't hurt to repeat yourself here.
for buyers, be aware that you may miss a great listing through your craigslist search due to punctuation, misspellings, and html.
good luck!
i always have a parts listing on craigslist. recently, i noticed craigslist searches on certain words i knew were in my ad would not return results to include my listing. i immediately thought it was a conspiracy. B^)
i finally realized the failure was due to either html or punctuation butted next to the terms in my ad.
for example, if i use the craigslist search for "suntour cyclone" it will not return results if the ad reads "suntour cyclone." with the period in the ad immediately following the word, "cyclone."
or if there is html to bold a phrase in the ad, like "<b>suntour cyclone</b>" the search results will miss the listing completely.
the craigslist search ****ion does not seem as robust as the most simple of databases.
so, for sellers, place a 'search key' at the bottom of your ad to include all those 'naked' terms without any punctuation that you want available to potential buyers. it might look silly, but it doesn't hurt to repeat yourself here.
for buyers, be aware that you may miss a great listing through your craigslist search due to punctuation, misspellings, and html.
good luck!
11-11-15, 11:38 AM
#434
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Figured I'd just copy this and put it in all my CL ads...
"58 Raleigh Lenton Reg Harris Grand Prix, 62 Raleigh Lenton Blue Streak, 62 Raleigh Gran Sport, 72 Schwinn Sports Tourer, 72 Schwinn Super Sport, 80 Raleigh Super Course, 81 Miyata 1000, 81 Austro Daimler Vent Noir II, 85 Bianchi Veloce, 85 Tommasini Prestige, 87 Team Miyata, 88 Schwinn Ontare, 91 Tommasso SL-56, 92 Bridgestone RB-1, 93 Bridgestone XO-1, 92 Gazelle Champion Mondial AA, 93 Tommasini Super Prestige, 05 Pinarello Surprise"
"58 Raleigh Lenton Reg Harris Grand Prix, 62 Raleigh Lenton Blue Streak, 62 Raleigh Gran Sport, 72 Schwinn Sports Tourer, 72 Schwinn Super Sport, 80 Raleigh Super Course, 81 Miyata 1000, 81 Austro Daimler Vent Noir II, 85 Bianchi Veloce, 85 Tommasini Prestige, 87 Team Miyata, 88 Schwinn Ontare, 91 Tommasso SL-56, 92 Bridgestone RB-1, 93 Bridgestone XO-1, 92 Gazelle Champion Mondial AA, 93 Tommasini Super Prestige, 05 Pinarello Surprise"
11-11-15, 11:48 AM
#435
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figured i'd just copy this and put it in all my cl ads...
"58 raleigh lenton reg harris grand prix, 62 raleigh lenton blue streak, 62 raleigh gran sport, 72 schwinn sports tourer, 72 schwinn super sport, 80 raleigh super course, 81 miyata 1000, 81 austro daimler vent noir ii, 85 bianchi veloce, 85 tommasini prestige, 87 team miyata, 88 schwinn ontare, 91 tommasso sl-56, 92 bridgestone rb-1, 93 bridgestone xo-1, 92 gazelle champion mondial aa, 93 tommasini super prestige, 05 pinarello surprise"
"58 raleigh lenton reg harris grand prix, 62 raleigh lenton blue streak, 62 raleigh gran sport, 72 schwinn sports tourer, 72 schwinn super sport, 80 raleigh super course, 81 miyata 1000, 81 austro daimler vent noir ii, 85 bianchi veloce, 85 tommasini prestige, 87 team miyata, 88 schwinn ontare, 91 tommasso sl-56, 92 bridgestone rb-1, 93 bridgestone xo-1, 92 gazelle champion mondial aa, 93 tommasini super prestige, 05 pinarello surprise"
01-26-16, 01:42 PM
#436
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I lived in tucson for the past few years and supported myself primarily on flipping. It's a tough market to say the least but a big university definitely helps. It all comessages down to time management in my opinion. Bikes take ALOT of work even single speeds and fixies. It's always something. I found that with selling bikes its kind of similar to the used car market where there is a sort of floor price. For a basic running car it's usually $500 for a running car $1000 for a truck. With bikes I feel $100 Is the floor value of a bike that may not have all the bells and whistles but doesn't need anything to be able to ride. And upwards from there.
A big problem in any highly populated bike area (especially Tucson) is bike theft. And when your I. The used bike business you have to be very very careful. You know what they say, if it appears to be to good to be true it probably is (stolen that is)
A big problem in any highly populated bike area (especially Tucson) is bike theft. And when your I. The used bike business you have to be very very careful. You know what they say, if it appears to be to good to be true it probably is (stolen that is)
03-28-16, 11:37 PM
#437
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I wish I could settle on one or two bikes! I have flipped many bikes and enjoy the variation of rides. Sometimes my favorite is a very basic bike....currently tuning up a very nice '89 Schwinn World Sport (looks like it was garage kept). I guess I like the feel of riding a vintage bike among the carbon frame crowd. The Peugeot will have to go. Flipping bikes has basically made my bike shopping a free hobby!...actually a nice profit. It's also a learning experience when dealing with all the older systems and parts. I remember finding my first automatic shift bike with the weird (and heavy) counter-weighted rear wheel. Worked like a charm though.
My off road biking is currently on a Trek 7000 ZX aluminum frame bike. Lightweight and very capable for most rides.
Anyway...road bikes, trail bikes, folding bikes, autobikes, unicycles, etc.......restoring them to use is a fun way to spend time. I am definitely NOT a bike snob and always wondered how some folks claim that some bikes are "trash"...yet they have remained on the road and trail for well over 30-40 years! The other factor is the emphasis on the weight of a bike. Sure, you want it manageable...but which cycle would have less weight pressing down on the wheels?....a 23 pound featherweight bike with a 230 pound rider or a 35 pound bike with a 150 pound rider(just a math problem for pondering)? Cumulative weight would tend to make that topic relative.
I have some tires to buy in the morning.
My off road biking is currently on a Trek 7000 ZX aluminum frame bike. Lightweight and very capable for most rides.
Anyway...road bikes, trail bikes, folding bikes, autobikes, unicycles, etc.......restoring them to use is a fun way to spend time. I am definitely NOT a bike snob and always wondered how some folks claim that some bikes are "trash"...yet they have remained on the road and trail for well over 30-40 years! The other factor is the emphasis on the weight of a bike. Sure, you want it manageable...but which cycle would have less weight pressing down on the wheels?....a 23 pound featherweight bike with a 230 pound rider or a 35 pound bike with a 150 pound rider(just a math problem for pondering)? Cumulative weight would tend to make that topic relative.
I have some tires to buy in the morning.
07-13-16, 10:01 AM
#438
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Has anyone here had any experience flipping vintage mountain bikes with drop bar conversions, etc. in cities or urban areas as good commuter bikes? If not what sorts of areas do vintage mountain bikes do well in? I was thinking about picking up a lot of bikes that had a few in them and was wondering how hard they would be to move, Thanks in advance
Last edited by Austj42; 07-13-16 at 10:06 AM.
07-13-16, 10:34 AM
#439
Still learning
Has anyone here had any experience flipping vintage mountain bikes with drop bar conversions, etc. in cities or urban areas as good commuter bikes? If not what sorts of areas do vintage mountain bikes do well in? I was thinking about picking up a lot of bikes that had a few in them and was wondering how hard they would be to move, Thanks in advance
Suburban Phili - no experience
Conversions are not inexpensive when you factor in stem, bars, bar wrap, levers, hoods, cables, shifters. Not likely a money maker.
07-13-16, 10:46 AM
#440
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Yeah that was the part I wasn`t sure on since I have never build one myself. The market I would be mainly focusing on would be both suburban Philly as well as in the city since I have had a good amount of sales from people in the city. I might have to try and build one and just test it out in the market, and hey if it doesn't sell I`ll just keep it for myself
07-17-16, 06:26 PM
#442
Still learning
Start up a bike non-profit?I would assume treating them with respect and offering beer, cerveza, dinero, fast food gift cards or greenbacks work too.
07-18-16, 07:06 PM
#444
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07-19-16, 05:27 AM
#445
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Depends on the bike...if its an entry level bike go to your LBS and buy the least expensive tire they have. Paselas are way too much money for anything but a very expensive high end flip. Heck, my expensive high end racing bikes don't get expensive tires. There's no ROI....
07-19-16, 06:33 AM
#446
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Continental Ultra Sport II (700c & 27-inch)
Vittoria Zaffiro 27" Tire > Components > Tires > Pavement Tires | Jenson USA
07-19-16, 09:33 AM
#447
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At 16.50? Ok, I'm not putting them on beaters, but they are a selling point.
07-19-16, 12:32 PM
#448
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I try to keep my tires in the $10-12 range. They may seem cheap but i only buy tires on sale.
07-19-16, 07:26 PM
#449
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We differ, $10 bucks is a cheap upgrade for a superior tire.
07-25-16, 06:49 AM
#450
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Anyone have experience with doing built to order bikes for people? After doing a few flips, and having some go to friends, their friends wanted me to build bikes for them. The problem I`m running into is I don`t have any bikes that are what they want so I have to purchase more bikes on top of all the projects I already have in the works. Are there any other pitfalls of doing built to order from anyone who`s had experience doing it in the past?