dhammy

Hi everyone,

I've been reading bike forums for about a month now and really appreciate all the dialogue provided here as it has taught me a great deal about cycling and bikes in general.

First off, about me. I'm a student living in Ann Arbor, MI and I bought a Trek DS 8.3 last summer as my first foray into cycling. I thought it would be a great upgrade from the department store bikes I rode as a kid, and it was. I put the Ergon Gp5 bar ends on it for more hand positions as well as a new saddle, both helped greatly. I probably put 1000 miles on it last summer doing trips of up to 50 miles at a time and really started to get into cycling. With that being said, I also have used it to ride to and fro on campus. For suggestion purposes, I am 6'2" and 190lbs with long legs (34" inseam) and I consider myself to be in very good condition. Possibly looking to do my first century ride.

Here's the dilemma, I am wondering if the itch to sell my trek DS and buy a road bike is worth seriously considering. With the condition my trek is in I feel like I could get a fair price for it, $500-600. Then, I could find a used but in good condition road bike on craigslist and upgrade/fix anything that need it. It seems that there are some relatively nice road bikes available on craigslists for around $300-600 that would do well. Thoughts? Or would I be better off buying new?

Another concern for me is the durability of the road tires/wheels as well as the rim brakes on a college campus like UofM's that I will be commuting on. I have found that even my 38c tires right now, although have proved faithful to me, seem to take a beating by the roads here. Disk brakes have been really good to me, and so I'm wondering if that difference will affect me.

Sorry for the extremely long post and anything that may be off in my posting (new user here), but I thought it would be useful to have this information from me for anyone that gives me suggestions. Seems like replies to these kinds of posts are always asking for more information.

Thanks in advance!

Doug

dr_lha

I'm curious why you think a used bike that cost $660 new (according to the Trek website), would sell for $500-600? You might be in for a surprise there.

But yes, get a road bike if you want one. People manage to ride on them in all the time, in bad conditions, and cyclists got away without disc brakes for a very long time without issue. I'm not going to get into the whole "disc vs rim", but the fact is for commuting (and pretty much everything else you'd do on a road bike), rim brakes work. As for tires, well they come in all shapes and sizes, and strengths. If you look for some "city" style tires in a larger size (28-32 depending on whether they fit the bike), you'll be fine. I use Vitorria Randonneur Pros for commuting and they've held up well.

dhammy

Ok, $600 may be pushing it, but I think $500 is fair, considering that condition the bike is in and the upgrades I have on it: bar ends, upgraded chain, saddle, frame bag. Also, the reason that it would sell for $500 is that I wouldn't take any lower.

Anyways, thanks for the reply, advice, and reassurance!

bonz50

if you're using it on campus I would not bother with the nicer bike. that said, if you have it in your finances to have a $50 beater for going to campus with and a nicer one for you know, actual riding, that would be the way to go. $500ish get you some nice used entry level road bikes that may only need a little elbow grease to clean up and adjust, save a few bucks on the side for the old schwinn varsity for campus commutes. 5+yr old AL bikes like Trek 1.5/2.1, Specialized Allez, Cannnondale CAAD7-8's, all can be had in great condition in you budget. I don't know your proportions, but i'm 6-1 with a 33" and I ride a 58, can ride a 56 but a ~little~ tight, 58 should be a good place for you to start.

velociraptor

Well then you may be holding on to it for a while.

Here's the thing about bikes: They are not monetary investments. They don't grow in value, much less hold their value.

They are commodities – and there are millions of them.

The only way you'll command such a premium for your particular bike is if someone really wants your exact bike, with the exact component add-ons you've selected.

CL is literally littered with with products (not just bikes) listed by people with unrealistic preconceptions of value that sit for months.

There are 2 types of bikes that sell well on CL:

1. Bikes less than $250 where casual cyclists are looking for a good deal.
2. High-end bikes, 2-4yrs old, that were very expensive (several thousand $$) when new, that are selling at 50%-70% of new MSRP.

Everything else will have a somewhat more limited, niche appeal, and will be much harder to sell.

Those things don't add any market value to your bike – and your bike and it's drivetrain are bottom of the line, entry-level – not high end.

If you want to sell it in the foreseeable future, my suggestion would be:

• Take the bar ends, frame bag, and saddle off; and sell them on eBay.
• Put the original saddle back on and list the bike on CL for about 2/3 of MSRP, perhaps around $435-$450. Be willing to take $375 - $400.

I'm not trying to be harsh – I know this isn't what you want to hear...

But I have years of experience in selling & buying on CL & eBay and I'm just trying to help you manage your expectations – and maybe save you some grief.

bonz50

listen to him dhammy, he's pre-med.

CafeVelo

I wouldn't expect more than $350 for that bike, no matter what you did to it. If you wont take less than $500 you're probably going to sit on it a long time or be stuck with it. When I sell a bike I expect no more than half of retail regardless of what I list it for unless it's a special circumstance or particularly desirable bike. The other time this makes sense is with high end gear that's gently used and resold (like a saddle that doesn't fit me). As far as riding on a campus, I'd budget for two bikes, one nice and one from a bike co-op. Don't spend more than $50 on the second one, and use it for commuting. Since it will get stolen if you don't take it with you, it shouldn't be particularly valuable.

velociraptor

wut

bonz50

do you even Animal House bro???

velociraptor

Well IDK anything about that... But i heard that every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear; and every spring, the toilets explode.

bonz50

Eric Stratton, Rush Chairman, Damn glad to meet ya!!

rms13

Nobody cares about your upgrades. When people are shopping for a used bike they are going to value it based on the msrp of the bike. Upgrades might come into play if they are significant like a $1000 set of wheels or something but bar ends, chain, saddle and frame bag aren't going to drive the price up. If the bike is mint (looks like brand new) I would expect to get $350 if there is a strong used bike market where you live. If the market isn't as strong you might list it on CL for $350 and wait months before selling it or start dropping the price every week or two to sell it.

dhammy

Selling the bike on Wednesday for $500. Looking at a Specialized Sequoia to upgrade to. It sounds like it would be an easier transition to a road bike than others. Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks for the suggestions so far.

junkman71

I second the $50 beater as theft is high on collage campasses I haul off old junk bikes all summer and fix the decent ones with parts from other bikes... I have sold several of my $20-30 bikes to collage students right before fall semester