asindc

A friend of mine is being offered a 2014 model bike that is new from the factory and equipped with SRAM Red for a killer price. He would prefer either DA Di2 or DA Mech. How much should he expect to pay for either swap? This should not devolve into a SRAM vs. Shimano pissing contest. He simply prefers Shimano because that is what he currently rides.

softreset

So let's say $1450 for a new SRAM Red 22 group set from a place like Merlin. The same site sells DA 9k for $1250 and DA 9k Di2 for $2245. That's a good starter point/range finder.

So the first thing you'd need to find would be to find someone who wants to buy your 'take off' SRAM Red 22 group set.

asindc

He would asking them to keep the SRAM Red and simply do a swap.

GlennR

I'll give him $100 for it.

Sreiously, do the swap yourself and save on the labor. Then he'll only loose a few hundred on the swap

softreset

This assumes the bike shop wants a full SRAM Red group hanging around the shop.

GlennR

that's assuming he sells it. The bike shop will give him pennies on the dollar.

TrojanHorse

I'd attribute this to the eternal optimism of a new guy, but you've been registered for almost 10 years.

So we'll go with "Hope springs eternal"

rms13

Did the shop offer to do that? Unless they offered I would not assume they would do an even swap. So I would assume purchase price of group and $75-150 labor to do the swap.

asindc

1) He doesn't do his own wrenching.

2) it would be the factory, not the shop, doing the swap.

rpenmanparker 

If the shop wants to charge him to exchange for a cheaper group set, ebay will fix his problem with no muss or fuss. I would buy the Dura Ace on ebay or Merlin, make changing it out for free a condition of the sale, and then sell the Red on ebay. He should do okay.

Andy Somnifac 

I'll throw $105 at it.

But really, if someone offered me a take off Red 22 set for a good deal, I'd jump on it. Many people would. Though if this is an option from the factory, I'd be looking at complete bikes online to see the average difference between the two on the same frameset. It shouldn't be more than a couple hundred dollars, max.

rpenmanparker 

And more for the Red 22 if I am not mistaken. That's why he should do okay with the swap. But paying anything to put on weight is something I just can't get behind.

topflightpro

My guess is the manufacturer isn't going to be open to the swap. It's too much work on their end. The bike is probably already built up with the Sram stuff and there is little incentive to do the parts swap on a NOS bike.

And I doubt many LBS would be willing to hang on to a complete Sram Red group unless they have a customer in mind who wants one. In most cases, those tend to be special order items.

rpenmanparker 

The bike is last year's model, already in stock, so a custom build at the factory isn't even the issue. No, the best way to handle this is as I described above. Buy the Shimano on the cheap at ebay or Merlin, ask for the switch for free, and then sell the SRAM. Expecting that the shop wants to get rid of this last year's bike, I would be surprised if they won't make the free switch given the parts.

GlennR

Buy the bike, buy the gruppo on the cheap, either install it yourself or pay someone to switch it and sell the Red on CR or ebay.

If the math doesn't work out... don't buy the bike.

asindc

The incentive is that the bike has been sitting at the factory for nearly two years now (it's a 2014, not a 2015, and the 2016s will be out in August) and is a hard-to-sell 63cm. As I mentioned before, it would not be the shop doing the swap, it would be the factory. The factory notified its retailers that it still has the bike and is trying to get rid of it, hence the steep discount. My friend's LBS approached him, not the other way around. If the factory doesn't want to go for the swap, my friend is prepared to walk away and let them sell to someone else.

rpenmanparker 

My mistake. I did not think new from the factory meant new from the factory. Go figure.

rms13

so if it's really as great a deal as you say, why not get just get it with Red. Exactly what bike are we talking about and how good is the deal? I've seen EVOs with Red at LBS going for close to $2k for 2 year old models. Screaming deal would have to be $1500 or less at which point buying it, parting it out and rebuilding would be a break even

tekhna

Just buy it with the SRAM and ride it. If he likes it, keep it. If he doesn't, buy DA, take off Red, sell Red.

himespau 

The factory is not going to want to be stuck with 2 year old Red are they? Have there been 0 changes to it in the last 2 years such that they could install it on a new bike? Its not like they can sell it themselves separate.

bt

maybe have the factory come mow your grass for a year as well to further sweeten the deal.

rms13

yeah, nothing about this story makes sense

asindc

If it was that simple, he would not have asked me the question. He doesn't know how to do his own wrenching and has already decided to not buy the bike unless they are willing to do the swap.

rpenmanparker 

I'm telling you: the shop will get a profit from the sale. Have your friend buy the parts and make the shop do the swap inorder to get the sale. No extra charge. The labor isn't a big deal for them. Then sell the Red. It isn't that hard.

asindc

This bike is the 2014 Cannondale Super Six EVO Hi-Mod Red, Racing Edition, which had an MSRP of $5,999: Cannondale 2014 ? The Bicycle Link



He is being offered $3,800. Are you saying that you've seen 2014 models in this MSRP price range going for close to $2k? That would obviously change the conversation.