SHaterius

Ok I am looking to get my first roadbike. I have looked at used and new bikes. The thing with some of the used ones is I don't know how much they are worth. I know with cars people can usually tell you how muc (what %) they are worth after so many years. Does anyone have a guess on generally what a bike is worth after 1 year? or 2 years? if it is generally kept in good shape. Do they keep their value well or does their value drop in half after it is a year old?

55/Rad

There are no rules but a formula I often use is 50-60% of original MSRP after 1-2 years.

Example - bike X is $2000 MSRP and customer pays $1700 for it new. After 1-2 years, it should bring $1000-1200 on the used market.

This of course, can vary widely based on the type and manufacturer.

55/Rad

cs1

I agree. It seems that mass produced aluminum framed bikes don't hold their value well at all. This is especially true of lower level bikes like Tiagra/Sora. These can be picked up for a song used. Campy equipped bikes seem to hold their value much better.

Litespeed's on the other hand, seem to hold their value very well. Plus their owners really take very good care of them.

Tim

baj32161

How old is your Tete Rad?

macca123

if youre into performance look for an aluminium bike. Try and avoid an aluminium bike that has already been ridden 10000km's i picked up my vivace for $1000 ozzie dollars and had only been ridden 25km's. I have ridden it about 7000km's and wouldnt expect to sell it for anything over $800 even though i know its been very well looked after and is still in near new condition.

patentcad

The only item on the planet with lamer resale value than bicycles are used condoms. Forget about it.

toThinkistoBe

https://www.vintage-trek.com has price listings from '77-'96.

55/Rad

The Tete is an '04. The MSRP of the frameset was $3500, though they could be had for 3 grand pretty regularly at the time - spring '04. Some even for $2700.

I bought mine used. It cost me about 10 hours of my professional time and $30 for shipping.

Care to take a guess as to how much I'm paying for the paintjob?

55/Rad

alxra

Pick a bike you like, sign on to ebay with your account (register if you don't have one), do an advanced search for the bike you like, look on the left side of the page and check the box for completed listings, and click the "show items" button. This is pretty useful in finding a general market price. Make sure you are comparing bikes with the same components, wheels, and any extras they might be selling with the bike.

fogrider

good point, its all about supply and demand. there are plenty of cheap mass produced alum. bikes but there are also many good ones. how can you tell? name, weight and parts on the bike is a good clue. there are always certain brands that are in high demand and this will drive up the price, but there are many good bikes that are not in high demad and good deals can be found. But the most important thing to look for in a used bike is the correct fit. so many times someone buys a bike on ebay because it was such a great deal, but the frame was a little too small/large...so now it goes back on ebay!

56/12 and 22/28

Asian made frames seem to depreciate faster than frames made elsewhere. Boutique frames, even if used, will still fetch most of their retail price.

For example, a 1995 Colnago C40 frameset will still sell for over 60% of its retail price on ebay. While a Giant or Specialized from the mid 90's will get maybe 20%-30%.

CardiacKid

On ebay, use the advanced search feature. Check "completed listings only", and you can see what that particular bike has sold for recently.