Stucky

^This is spot-on!

The minute one rolls that bike out the LBS door, it becomes just another used bike; worth no more than any other used bike of the same age and model. Why pay a premium for NOS, when you can get a barely-ridden like-new used one and save a lot more money? Of course, if the deal is good on the NOS...then the NOS would be desirable.

redfooj

Last year's paint scheme is slower

dtrain

Hold on though. NOS is worth more than the same year and model would be used if it comes with the frameset warranty and other LBS support. Little to no difference in resale value, I'll concede that. But if you get a basic fitting, quick tune after the cables stretch, and a warranty?

Phil_gretz

OP posted this yesterday over in the SS/FG forum:

"Pulled the Plug and Bought an Older Motobecane Track

Hi,

Thanks for all your help!

BikeIsland had a slightly scuffed yellow in my size so I bought it. Its an older model and details are below. It appears to be the exact same bike as listed here: https://www.motobecane.com/track/trk.html which should weight just under 22 pounds stock."

...which, at least, provides some context for the original question. I'd wonder why he/she didn't just come out and ask directly about the Motobecane Track. Maybe he/she meant to avoid triggering the BikesDirect/BikeIsland antibodies, or didn't want the discussion to drive into multi-geared versus fixed.

Anyway, strange method to this one...

TrojanHorse

Standard 41 post: Hey, I just bought a bike, did I get a good deal?

And I guess bike #2 came from bikes direct too. Maybe the yellow makes it a halo bike.

Darth Lefty 

Whatever curse kept it from getting sold will now accrue to you.

Stucky

I don't think that that had anything to do with this subject. That had to do with OP's curiosity about single-speeds. I don't think anyone would worry about a bike being a little stale when buying from BD/BI...most of their bikes are "old" when they leave the factory; and they sell many older models- but since they are not name-brand bikes and are cheap to begin with (and often a few years behind the big brands anyway) no one cares.

I think OP was more concerned with bikes like the NOS '13 CAAD10 105 he saw for $700. (Which sounds like a good deal to me).

Kudos to OP for being inquisitive and adventurous, and wanting to experience different facets of the cycling world.

Stucky

Wouildn't matter to me. I can turn a screw myself (Ditto doing a basic fit); and unless one is dealing with a really fragile bike, the frame warranty is pretty much useless- I think modern bikes are to the point where they are not going to break unless they suffer a crash or impact- in which case, it would only be a matter of the crash replacement warranty- which are usually silly, as you can often buy a new or used replacement frame for a lot less than it would cost to do so under the replacement warranty- especially with a bike which is a few years old.

For most of us, with older NOS bikes, it just becomes a purely economic issue- strictly a matter of price- and the fact that the bike being a few years old and still on the shop's floor, is proof that it is priced higher than what anyone is willing to pay for it.

WalksOn2Wheels

Old inventory and 10 speed 105. But either way, I'd pay that. That's a little more than half off retail and well under cost. I think 11 speed 105 is a lot better in terms of shift quality, but 10 speed works great and as someone already said, won't make a difference in your average speed.

dtrain

Okay - not much difference to you personally in the value. But (hypothetically) are you really going to spend $650 on a used 2013 CAAD 10 5 on craigslist when there is a NOS 2013 sitting at the LBS for $700? I sure wouldn't. I think the value difference has a cap in that scenario (maybe ~$200?), and I certainly agree that it varies based on someone's experience in the sport/hobby, wrenching skill-level, condition of the used bike, etc. Maybe that bike wouldn't be worth $100 more to you (from the LBS); probably would be to me.

loky1179

Fixed it for you.

growlerdinky

I once bought a seatpost that was 2 weeks past it's "sell by" date. It worked out fine.

dagray

It really depends on the shop. The shop I deal with buys a few high end road bikes (Bianchi, Felt, Orbea) to see if they will sell, but they stock the Bianchi and Orbea that are the lower to mid range of the price spectrum. Sometimes they clearance a bike if it has sat for a couple years, and sometimes that bike sells new.

I picked up a 2013 Orbea Orca 60cm frame with the 105 10 speed groupset for $1700.00 which to me was a great deal. I have since changed pedals, saddle, chain, and rear cassette, but I plan to keep the bike for a long time or passing it down to my oldest son.

If the deal was good enough and it was what I wanted I would buy a bike from a bike shop floor that was a few years old just to save money, unless I needed or really wanted the latest and greatest in technology. I don't need electronic shifters, and I am not light enough for the carbon wheelsets.

I would like to add that my saddle I purchased for 1/2 price (Selle Itallia Flite Kevlar)at $100.00 as it had been hanging on the shop wall and not sold; this saddle is probably a 2012 or 2013 model.

Sojodave

I was in your boat and one thing to look at is the 22 speed vs. 20 speed. There was a major change with Shimano 105 in 2015 offering a 22 speed and substantial upgrade in shifting.

on the path

Ramifications of buying a year end close-out? You might end up getting a great bike for a great price, and save enough off of full retail to buy a set of shoes and pedals and some other accessories. Then you might start riding a lot, achieve a high level of fitness all the while getting faster, and have the time of your life. That's what happened to me anyway. The horror..

Bandera

I bought my '10 CF Merckx NIB in '13 for less than dealer cost (yes, I saw the invoice).

The higher end bikes are fashion items that depreciate like old fish.
Find a machine that Fits and is equipped as you please and negotiate from a position of strength.


-Bandera

Stucky

No- that's IT- As long as the price is reasonable/close to used...it's good enough- I'd go for the NOS. It's just that, oftentimes, when you see a 2+ year-old bike on the shop floor, the price isn't reasonable, which is why the bike is still there. We've seen it right here on this forum- people mentioning how an LBS has some ancient bike that they can't move....for a few hundred bucks off of MSRP- But that deal on the CAAD10 for $700 is a no-brainer- I'd grab it!

dtrain

^ okay. So you'd pay a little more for NOS vs. lightly used...just not a bunch more. I generally agree, and now I'm not sure why I thought we were disagreeing.

Dan333SP

Rule of thumb for anyone reading this thread with a similar predicament-Just ask the bike shop manager to put the bike in a stand and show you the expiration date on each of the major components. I think frames typically have a longer expiration time horizon than other parts, but it's best to check. If your stem expires within a year, consider asking the manger to reduce the price or swap the stem for a fresher one from his refrigerated display case.

Manufacturers normally print the expiration information in invisible ink in the following locations, so you may need to remove some parts and get a blacklight-

Frame: Inside head tube, below crown race
Fork: Inside steerer tube, towards the bottom
Drivetrain: Typically on the jockey wheel bearings, but this can vary depending on the maker.
Wheelset: Behind bearings in hub
Saddle: Between foam and hard shell, requires removal of padding but it will be worth it for your piece of mind
Seatpost: Don't bother looking, these expire within 6 months of manufacture so you'll just want a new one

I'd be happy to provide more specific advice if needed.

PepeM

Does crabon expire faster?

RoadGuy

If you were to find a NOS 1990s bike with 7-speed Shimano STI 105 brifters, and you bought it, would you expect Shimano to honor the new warranty on the brifters if it turned out they were gummed up, and not operating properly? While this is an extreme example, my objective here is to make a point. Would you expect the bike bike manufacturer to it the cost of the parts? This is why product manufacturers limit the time that warranties are valid.

I'm pretty sure that Shimano would tell you that the warranty on the shifters is long expired and no replacement is possible under warranty. Further, new parts may not even be available. If Shimano was to offer you a trade to 8 or 9 speed shifters, then you'd be stuck with the problem/cost of having to upgrade the rest of the 7-speed parts to work with the newer brifters. This is the same problem that people often face when getting a frame replacement. The bike manufacturer will send the newer frame, but if the fork and other existing components don't fit the new frame, the bike owner is the one who foots the replacement bill.

If you are going to take the chance on buying a NOS bike from a Shop, make sure that the reward/s are worth the risk. Are you willing to take the financial risk of getting a bike without a warranty? Are you getting the bike at a price that's makes it worth the risk? Is the price close to the current street price so you are not risking much, in case you need to unload the bike in a short period of time?

Dan333SP

@PepeM yes, thanks for bringing this up. Generally, expiration dates on alloy parts can be fudged. You don't need to throw that aluminum stem away if it expired last month. You can probably ride it gently for another 2 or 3 months if we're being honest, but I wouldn't take that risk with crabon, especially if the shop has a lot of big windows and the floor bikes spend any period of time in direct or indirect sunlight.

Doug28450

In some cases, the bike store simply over bought a certain make and model. I'm not sure how I understand how this is a curse.

Please expound.

Dan333SP

It seems you've already been afflicted with the curse of a broken sarcasm meter.

Inpd

Holy Cow Phil! I'm guessing your a murder mystery readers looking for twists and turns!

The two threads are unrelated. If you dig a bit deeper in my post history you'll see I was itching to buy another bike different to my entry level endurance bike. I've been looking around a lot lately (lots of fun) and noticed all of these end of year clearance items really cheap.

The track bike I bought because it sounded interesting and different to what I have now. But @Stucky comment got me thinking I don't recall riding my kid's bike with any great fondness ...

So soon I will have two bikes (Endurance and Track) and I will keep on looking to buy a third more racing oriented steel bike.