jamesdak 

Hmmmm...... I guess I don't know what to call what I do. I think out of all the bikes to come in and out of the house over the past dozen years I've broken even on exactly one. At least I think I did. I've lost money on each and every other one.

Yet,, for me I don't see it as losing money. I see it as getting to enjoy another wonderful bike for awhile, restoring it to a good condition, and then relishing in the smiles as someone come locally to buy it from me. Heck, I don't know how to do what I do without losing money. It's just not about that. Is it flipping, is it catch and release? IDK....but for the most part it's fun and rewarding so that's all that matters.

Life's good when you can still get enjoyment from a new (old) bike!!

Senior Ryder 00 

Hi folks,
I’m not sure how passing recycled bikes on to another person relates to the fishing term, but here is my practice. When Covid forced me to my volunteer work at home, I frequently would receive badly weather road bikes. Understanding that road bikes are not a big part of the co-op’s sales, I asked the manager if we wanted to put money and/resources into a bike that wouldn’t move. His typical response was for me to find a “worthwhile” use for the useable parts. This instruction I was able to pass several framesets to those who could use them for the cost of shipping.
Prior to Covid, the inventory of old, drop bar, refurbished, road bikes was slow moving & increasing. In discussions with other staff members, we decided that if we converted them to “City Bikes” with upright bars & thumb shifters they would appeal to our customer base. I did the first one on my own & half of my volunteer work is these.
I don’t make any money on these, but get the satisfaction of providing others with bicycle transportation.
Cheers,
Van

polymorphself 

I only work on bikes when I find a vintage bike that I think would be great for any specific friend who has been waiting for a bike and buy it. If I got a super good deal and only need to replace consumables I’ll charge them little to nothing for the bike. If it was a full tear down and refurbish I just ask to break even.

This is how I began learning how to work on bikes as I never wanted to charge friends for not professional work that took me a long time so I saw it as putting some money into my hobby as I would any other.

A handful of years later and this is still how I engage with the wrenching side of the hobby, it stayed with me and I enjoy seeing my friends ride the bikes I helped them get back on the road.

PugRider

I love threads like this, it makes me feel like I'm not alone. In the strictest sense of the word, I have flipped bikes--I sold them for a lot more than I paid for them. But like others, I fashioned myself as a better-than-the-average-flipper because at the very least they got a full tune and inspection, but more often than not they were fully disassembled and refurbished. I guess I was just always nervous the buyer would come back and say something broke or whatever (they never did. ever.).

So I tend to judge other "flippers" by my definition of flipping, which probably isn't fair. I try to look at it more from the "getting people on bikes" perspective rather than the view that "the bike is worth whatever someone's willing to pay." I also just enjoy working on them, and learning about different parts and frames and whatever.

What really has turned me off from the refurbishing/selling game is that selling is a such a pain in the rear. Flaky buyers, truly dumb questions (yes there is such a thing as a stupid question), insulting offers--that is REALLY not worth my time.

jamesdak 

Yeah I can agree with a lot of this. One of the reasons I only sell local and not on the forums like here. I'm not perfect and may miss something. So I want the peace of mind that comes from going over the bike with the new buyer to make sure they see everything and are happy. I'm also willing to take any bike back with in a few days of the sales if it doesn't work out for any reason.

The selling can be a pain in the butt for sure. What seems to work best is listing each upgraded, replaced part, and all other maintenance items as well as my cost for them. Then a ton of detailed pictures. Of course this doesn't take into account my time, consumables like grease and bearings, etc. And timing. Several are listed locally right now including both the Bianchi and the Kawahara I posted threads on here this year. I doubt they'll go until spring but they are advertised locally. Helps also that I don't need the money and don't really care if they sell. I'm just always winding up with an overflowing bike cave. The Kawahara might wind up as this Christmas' donation to the local Coop since I haven't found another bike yet for that annual purpose.

I do have a list of locals that I know will just buy one of my bikes, break it down, and sell it for profit. I won't deal with them knowingly. I want my labor of loves enjoyed by riders!

RustyJames 

🤣🤣🤣🤣