Nick Bain

BBB is hella low in a lot of cases because it seems to just use an equation based off of original MSRP and yearly depreciation. For example take my 2000 raleigh m80. In its best case they say its worth 75-100, 125 if I put a new front shock. There is no way this bike is worth less than a crappy wal-mart bike which butt it would kick over and over for years even with worn components. It is also worth noting that the description of the high price basically says the bike is new old stock. They also say my 2006 caad 8 is worth only 300, which is what I could spend replacing all the worn components to new and make it just as good as many new road bikes. At the very least with a majority of wear components replaced with new it should be worth about half of what a new comparable bike is.

It is clear that while reading BBB's website they are overrating themselves and acting like the end all be all of bicycle pricing. Their pricing model leaves much to be desired and their attitude and presentation is deluding peoples perspectives. IMHO

I do agree more closely with their value of my 2010 tarmac however which leads me to believe they model works better with newer bikes and is failing with older models.

Canker

At a certain point everything hits beater value and KBB for cars or BBB in this case doesn't work. Your raleigh has hit that point where it really isn't worth much but if somebody needs a decent bike it has some value. I drove an 89 dodge caravan beater for years and KBB value at the time on that was like $300 lol. Try and buy a running car with working a/c for $300. Your raleigh is a running driving 89 dodge caravan .

My old 2000 ironhorse flagstaff has a BBB value of $61 in like new condition. Mine actually does have a newer fork and it is a fairly highend but older air fork, needs new seals, and a few other nice upgrades. I'd be happy to get $100 out of it rightnow. It is missing a seatpost and rear shifter and it is just in my way. I bought it off ebay for $120 shipped 10 years ago as my first real mtn bike. It had already hit beater value way back then.

I said it before but I'll say it again. Road bikes hold their value better than mtn bikes once they reach OLD age. An old road bike frame really isn't much different from a new road bike frame and you can pretty much upgrade to current standards. An old mtn bike frame though wow so many new standards and changes in geometry. There is only so much you can do.

Nick Bain

I get the point of outdated technology, but the comparison to cars doesn't work because with cars it becomes extremely un feasable and labor intensive to keep it running when it gets to a certain point while even a bike that has been abused can be brought back to life. And really the bottom line is that a used bike shop mtb in like new condition should never be worth less than a crappy walmart bike that is barely upgrade-able.

Canker

and I agree to a certain point but walmart sells mtn bikes from $75 to $400+ now. I'm not saying I'd rather have one of those $400 walmart bikes but I wouldn't pay $400 for your raleigh or my Ironhorse either.
Raleigh 26 Inch 24 Speed Mountain Bike
Just looked in my local and found that. Yeah it is a step down from your raleigh but it looks to be in good shape for $80.

jamisFan

I sold a bike based on what the BB said as well as similar bikes priced on ebay. The final end price was $13 less than what I had asked, which was a couple hundred bucks of what I paid for the bike new a year and two months before. I was very honest on my assessment of the bike.
I think the BB ois a very good starting point, but you can't make out a price just based on that.

Retro Grouch 

Are you more interested in acquiring the bike or making sure that you get a good deal? In this case I doubt you're going to be able to accomplish both.

RidingMatthew

fyi I did not buy the bike though I appreciated the guys offer. thanks for the input and advice.

Maelochs

Bicycle Blue Book is too low if you are selling a bike and too high if you are buying one. So ...

BBB ignores the local market, but i use it as a reliable guide, because whether or not it is precisely accurate, it is consistent. Also, you can print he BBB page and bring it to the seller to help in bargaining.

If the bike was $900 new in 2007, then it is a nine-year-old bike and is certainly worth no more than half new. You can look art condition and decide ... it could be that this guy maintained the bike so well it is better than new now ... more likely every part had almost a decade of wear on it. Headset, bottom bracket, wheel bearings ... might be good for fiver months or five years. Derailleur springs?

$236 seems a bit low, but the bike is nearly ten years old. it is a decent brand, but is it a good bike from Bianchi's line? What components does it have (drivetrain/brakes.cockpit)?

Even if the guy maintained it meticulously, how hard did he ride it? Sometimes the guys who ride hardest do the best upkeep, but they still pounded their bikes.

I'd say that IF: you are absolutely in love with it, it fits you better than a glove, the wheels are true, the tires are good, the chain is not stretched, there is minimal wear on the rings/cogs, the cables feel smooth in action, everything shifts absolutely perfectly, the thing is clean (if a person is smart enough to clean the bike before selling it is is rarely a bad sign,) if the saddle is not worn out, if the forks spin effortlessly, if the pedals spin effortlessly, if the brake shoes are not hardened ..

... Then maybe $500 would be a good deal. Ultimately, you will be riding a bike, not an entry in a ledger, and if yo like the bike it is worth what you paid, even if you Maybe could have got it for $5 less.

Last bike I got off CL, I paid a tiny bit more than BBB suggested for "As New" condition but because the bike was right, and everything worked so well and I liked it so much, I feel like I got a deal.

For a nice 9-year-old bike in really good shape ... versus what you could buy brand new for $900-$1000 nowadays, with a warranty and lifetime tuneups, and knowing the entire history of the bike ...

depends. (Am I not helpful?)

Agent Cooper

I can't speak to how accurate the pricing is on BBB.

But - having bought and sold a few bikes in my time - I am very glad that somebody is finally doing this. The used bike market is long overdue for some sort of agreed-upon standard.

I'd say BBB is a good start at that.

Retro Grouch 

In the end it doesn't matter what the book says:

If you're selling you have to find a buyer who is willing to pay a price that you can live with.
If you're buying, you have to find a seller who has what you want at a price that you're willing to pay.

You can point to the book price and scream and yell all you want but, if you can't find the buyer or seller that agrees, you simply aren't going to close the deal.

Maelochs

Couple things .... First MTBs, the issue isn't geometry, it's suspension. You have no idea how abused the fork or shock might have been, and no idea unless the guy has documentation, if either have been serviced (usual response "Serviced?") The bike might last for another couple years no problem, or longer .... or the seals could blow and leave you without a ride two days from now ... and new forks are not cheap. even the worthless cheap ones.

As with KBB, BBB is a generalization. If the bike is well-maintained, has been upgraded, is really clean with newish tires and cables .... but even with a 2007 Bianchi, you have to do the math ... is that bike That much better than a brand-new entry-level major manufacturer bike? With a used bike, the guy could have ridden it without ever lubing anything, ever ("Yeah, the wheels have always made that grinding noise ever since I got it") or could have crashed at speed and bent it back with a 2x4----so it is straight, but is it still strong?

Could be a great bike, could be a beater ... BBB has to split the difference. And yeah, it would be better if they looked at brand names .... Most people who would buy a Bianchi would likely take care of it better than someone who bought a department store bike ... Maybe.

Just like KBB, BBB is a guideline .... if everyone thinks they are low, that is its own sort of accuracy, no? So long as they are consistent.

intransit1217

I've put my 2013 Dual sport on CL and had very few actual bites. Mostly bots. But today I had someone ask about model number or if I could find it on BBB. Since it's paid for, I can wait for the right buyer and decided to "bite" and go see what bbb had to say. 425 au natural, 535 with the upgraded fork and rear wheel. I have it listed at 650 negotiable.

I replied to the buyer and told him what I found, saying I hope it helps and thanks for looking. I have yet to have a reply back.

The funny thing is, when you go to buy a bike, you never know what extras the seller might have to go with. bbb can't account for that. Lost is the art of the haggle I guess.

Maelochs

Smart shoppers use all the extra stuff---either on the bike or outside info--as tools. I hate to haggle, in the trasditional, you tell me a price, i crap on the bike and low-ball you., you tell me how good it is and drop a little, I crap on the bike again and hit you a little less low ... that is crap.

I research as much as I can, and before anyone mentions money I talk about the positives and negatives. naturally i mention the points which for me, establish the value I see the bike as having. If I mention BBB (and I did last time) it is to show that I did the research and cannot be swayed by opinion because I trust my own information.

I used to make an offer, take it or leave it. last time, I modified a technique a poster here recommended, and made an offer, then upped it $50 and said, "That's all the cash I brought. I have it in my pocket---it could be in your pocket today."

I seemed more flexible without having to flex much.

Not sure about the "Art of Haggling" which I always felt was dishonest and disrespectful.

intransit1217

I'm actually looking forward to the day we all realize that everything we buy has no value whatsoever and we stop buying and the markets crash and crash and crash.

Maelochs

Yeah ... particularly food.

chrislee99777

The color is so strange.someone will see blue and others will see green.It looks like vintage bike.But just you like is best.

speedyb

Bikes are like Golf Clubs...

RidingMatthew

Well I sold my 2007 road bike last week and I included water bottle holders, saddle bag, and cycle computer... we were able to agree on 10 less than my listed price.

I feel like he got a great bike and I have the start of my new road bike fund.

Maelochs

Tiger Woods' wife would have had to freak out a lot differently if he was a cyclist ... can't beat an SUV with Trek quite so easily.

Sy Reene

Wasn't the original blue book (ie for cars) created so dealerships could make out on a good buying price for trade-ins they take from new car buyers?

TheLibrarian

It says my 2-3 year old $450 Giant Roam is only worth like $250 or less. I wouldn't sell it for that. I also have a 30 year old guitar that was never very good, an ex got it for $30 and had it repaired 20 years ago total around $100, probably worth nothing now but I wouldn't sell it for $200. Not sentimental, just couldn't rebuy a working guitar for that price. Besides these bluebook numbers is what its worth to you and what other options do you have to buy, supply and demand.

corrado33

I know this thread is way old, but there would have been no way I would have paid $500 for the bike in the OP.

Old bikes are just that... old. It doesn't really matter how nice they were when they were new (to a point.) All bikes with an MSRP under $1000-$1500 will depreciate to ~$150-$450 dollars. That's just how it works. Bikes get old. They get outdated. Unless the bike has something special on it worth a decent amount of money, it's not going to bring a premium. The bike in the OP was a decade old (almost.) Do you really think it should be bringing 66% of it's MSRP? Anything above $500 and you can buy a new (bottom of the line) name brand bike. The thing is, generally the things that made old bikes expensive have been replaced. Forks generally don't last decades, components are also on the verge of being replaced at that age. A frame itself is only worth so much (unless, of course, it's a well known/well built/well riding frame.)

I think BBB is ok. It gives realistic numbers that you could expect if you were selling a bike. Sometimes you may get lucky and get someone willing to pay more (as referenced by the stories above) but that's not always the case. BBB is also not great for really expensive bikes.
I tend to use BBB to look at original MSRPs. I then price used bikes based on that and age.

MRT2

Don't know about forks. The Volpe came with a steel fork so unless it was crashed, the fork should be fine. I do agree though that components likely need to be replaced, so I would factor that into my offer. Chain, chainrings, cassette, derailleurs, shifters, bottom bracket, wheels, tires, brake pads, cables, etc. Hopefully not all, but for sure some of these things need to be replaced. And the 2007 Volpe is an Asian made frame, so fairly common and not particularly desirable. That is why a 10 year old Volpe sold by a private party wouldn't be worth more than $250 or so. Once you get into the cost of an overhaul, the cost will rise to $450 or $500. If you pay $500 or $600, then overhaul it, you just paid more or as much as you would pay for a new bike.

That said, if the bike were already overhauled by a shop or mechanic I trusted, I might consider paying $450 or $500 for it.

FWIW, I passed on a used Volpe last year selling for $350.

Maelochs

You sure wouldn't, considering what $250 can buy on Craigslist. No one would buy it.

Your case is valid but equally, extraneous. You won't sell your bike for a fair market value because you simply don't need to sell it. That doesn't mean the market value is too low; it means that you place a higher value on your personal possession for personal reasons. BBB is more for folks who have decided to buy or sell.

Same with the guitar. It is barely worth the cost of an ad in terms of sales potential, but it is still a working guitar and while no one would pay much for it, that only means it isn't worth selling, to you.

Think of it a bit objectively. I buy a bargain-basement Giant, a $450 bike. It is a solid bike but absolutely the very bottom of the line of stuff worth buying for any price. I ride it pretty hard for a few years. I maintain and I don't abuse it, but every part of it is worn. Now I want to sell it. How much would You pay?

Would you really invest $250 knowing that right off the top you will need tires and cables, and very likely a chain and cassette, brake shoes ... Also considering that for $450 you can get a brand-new bike, or a better bike, older but not in significantly worse shape, for the same money on CL.

After all, a three-year-old bike isn't much different than a six-year-old bike. Headset and BB are still probably functioning, hubs are probably okay ... and the consumables (tires, tubes, cables) will surely need to be replaced. Derailleurs and shifters and brakes are probably fine, but need adjustment, and new brake shoes ... on either bike.

Then look not just for six-year-old bikes, check C&V fodder ... there are a Lot of decent bikes on CL for $250 which I would argue a Lot better deal, and offer more potential, than a bargain-basement Giant Roam.

At least, that's how I see it.

DIMcyclist

Without any empirical measure of the condition & ownership of a bike- such as those that odo. readings, VIN numbers, service records, accident records, & recall notices provide for a car- the very idea of a bicycle 'Blue Book' is a complete & meaningless absurdity.