To Sell, or Part Out, That is The Question
 

My apologies if this is the wrong place for a question like this.

Back during the pandemic, I bought a 70s Peugeot U-08 that needed some work. Cosmetically, it was a little rough, but the frame was solid with no rust-out and all the parts were present. I did some maintenance, replaced all of the cables, and cleaned the bearings and greased them with Park Tool grease. The only downside now is the wheels. They're steel, and while they seem true enough to use, we all know about how steel wheels have trouble stopping in the rain. I was thinking about lacing a new set of maybe 700c alloys, but decided I wanted to focus less on French bikes and more on Schwinn and Raleigh. So, I put the bike up for sale on the marketplace.

Since then, it seems like I'm getting nickel and dimed half to death about it. I priced it pretty low and everyone's trying to make me go lower. The last offer I received was for $40. I was tempted to take it since $40 is $40 and the bike would be gone after that, but it irritated me a bit and got me to thinking. At the time I bought the bike, something was wrong with whatever rear derailleur it had, so I put a period-correct all-metal Simplex RD on it. Getting offered $40 for the bike made me think that I could probably get around $30 or even more for the Simplex RD by itself. That's kind of a maybe, but I've seen some other older RDs on eBay and other places fetch similar money.

So, in a case like this, is it better just to practically give the bike away, or should I try and part it out and see if I get better results that way?

The Cv market is funky. I believe you could make a smidge more for the brakes if they are racers, and the rear derailleur and shifters. Then again, they aren’t selling that much anyhow.

But then you are left with a carcass of a bike. And the frame and wheels won’t likely sell.

In general, parting out a bike will net more money, but take more time and effort. If it was me, I would take the $40 and be done with it. But I know many others would go the parting out route. So it all depends.....

If you have valuable parts, then part out. Particularly if you have a complete groupset. Unfortunately on a UO8 with steel rims I doubt there are any valuable parts. You might be able to get $30 for the rare RD, but you would have to list it on Ebay for over a year to wait for that one guy who just needs that one part.
Just take the $40.You rescued a bike from the landfill and now somebody on a modest budget is able to enjoy it or use it for transportation. So you did a good deed. It wasn't a wasted effort.

Sell for $40 or so. Most of my bikes are money losers, even if I got a screaming deal at the time of purchase. All the parts needed and the consumables like tires, cables, brake pads add up to more than I could sell a bike for. You have to ride your bikes to get your money’s worth. Ride your bikes and make up all the difference in gas you didn’t need to purchase. I ride my bikes everywhere so that I don’t need to purchase a car. What a money loser that would be.

I'd suggest removing the valuable RD and keeping it for a future build, then donating the rest of the bike to a local bike coop.

Maybe the metal simplex RD is worth $x dollars to someone; maybe not. Sell the bike for what you can get for it. Old bikes are small scale money pits; you get your money's worth by enjoying the hobby.

If you have a spare RD that's functional, switch it in and keep the Simplex.

How much were you asking?

Unless you need the $40, I'd find somebody who could use the bike for basic transportation and give it to them. Helping someone have a reliable way to get around is worth a lot more than $40.

this is what i would do, and have done with other older frames and bikes that need a bit of work or parts before they are ready for a new rider.

As much as the UO-8 has loyal fans, it's an entry level bike, there's literally millions of them and the market is flat as a pancake. Take what you can get and 'invest' in something higher up the food chain.

Remove the brakes, Levers, and rear derailleur. The hubs are cool if the cups and cones are good. The saddle might be compatible with your butt? Maybe keep any other French bits since you have a TDF. None of that takes much space. Put the rest at the curb.

Yeah I just bought on a whim an old Denton touring bike in need of some TLC. I made the mistake of putting a nice tall Nitto stem on it when rebuilding. Now it’s that much harder to part with the bike.
If you really like that derailleur then I’d keep it and put a different one on. More effort but then you don’t have to worry about losing it for cheap.

What's your objective? Money or enjoyment? I don't believe the two intermix. Like oil and water.

Sure they do. You need money to purchase things that provide enjoyment.

This discussion is about the OP selling, not buying.

Sell the bike for $40, which basically pays for the RD plus a small premium. The time it would take to remove the RD and try to sell that individually is not worth it. Selling the whole bike also means you have one less bike to deal with, and someone will get a good deal on bike they are ride into the sunset. I wouldn't stress too much about trying to maximize profit because we're talking about a difference of $20-30$, assuming you call sell parts individually for $60-$70. Your time is worth more than that. Sometimes folks forget about the time and effort it takes to sell something, even if priced fairly, it likely won't sell right away, especially in this "flat as a pancake" vintage market, thank you clubman for that simile.

This exactly!!!

If it were me and I was getting frustrated at the offers but I was also looking for a project I'd see what trades are available locally. I've acquired a number of nice frames and parts by trading one of the cheap and functional commuter cluttering my garage for their basket case with more potential. Just be wary of thieves trying to offload stolen frames they've stripped.

Basically, it's worth less than you thought. The only good components on that bike are the brakes, and the levers might be unsuitable for small hands. The frame is nice enough for a low end bike but the French threads and diameters make the bike hard to customize.

Yep, U08 is a basic bike (I had one back in the day), they were basic then, and basic bikes were really basic. Cottered crankset, no one wants those, plastic derailleurs with plastic shifters, no one wants those either. The all metal Simplex RD is a plus, but I'd just take the $40 and move on.


The secret to getting alloy rims is not relacing the hubs with new rims and spokes. Instead, it's about finding a donor bike with a set of decent wheels and doing a swap.