Hey guys, this idea poped up in my head this morning, what if i bought an 1/8 scrambler frame, throw in some handlebars, crank with pedals, a seat and some cheap 700cc wheels and then post it up for craigslist for 50 dollars more than what i payed to make it? Fixie/SingleSpeed bikes seem pretty popular right now. Then i repeat the steps with the money i made but this time i make like 5 more and then repeat. Do you guys think this is actually a good way to make money on the side? Would it work? What do you guys think? Anybody ever tried this?

If you can make enough to justify the hours you put into it then go for it.

If you make enough money then you could even get some sort of work location to build out of. You could even have people come in a view the bikes where you're building. You could then hire employees to help you build the bikes. Don't forget about a mechanic for repairs to sold bikes. You'll need a sales staff to help you sell the bikes while you're building.

you are not the first... though most people try to pull this off with conversions... are they successful? who knows, but their bikes are ALWAYS overpriced. how successful you are will be dependent on how many suckers you can find.

what do you estimate it would cost you to build a full bike?

1/8 scrambler frame - 150
Cheap wheel set - 40?
Cheap Handlebars - 20
seat - 10

220 bucks? correct me if im wrong

Are those really the only parts you'll need to build a complete bike?

Things like headsets, bottom brackets, cranksets, pedals, seatposts, stems, etc do cost money, right???

crank?
chain ring?
chain?
bar tape?
pedals?
bb?
stem?

and where are you getting wheelsets for 40?

I had a similar idea pop into my head the other day, only it was to become a porn star.
I thought why not, if Ron Jeremy could do it...but while Ron and I share many similar physical attributes, there is something he has that I don't....experience.
Could I make money at it? Maybe in a certain fat hairy niche market.
Would I be able to compete with Ron? Probably not.
So while the idea sounds good today, stop to think that there are probably alot of folks out there that have had similar ideas and are much better at it than you.
Not to say you shouldn't try, just realize what you are up against.

Enjoy

this

If your looking to make money, i have found that the best way is to buy a bike when you can get a good deal on it, invest in a camera and put up really nice pictures of the bike. Over the past month i have made $500 doing this. First i bought a pista concept frameset for $400, and eventually sold it for $700. Next was my pista which i bought for $450 and sold for $620. Right there i already have made $500 by doing nothing but investing a little time into taking nice pictures, and a nice ad on craigslist. This is the best way to make money imo

Yeah dude - your "idea" is a great one. Attempting to pull it off is the thing that's going to end up being really ****ing dumb.

I know right?
Maybe I'll try to get in shape first.

Enjoy

Wow fixie hustler eh...pretty stupid idea in the first place. With the list of components you are planning to get, all you can build up is an over sized toddler bike.

You need to get the frame and parts at wholesale prices to make any kind of profit. You can add 50 bucks to the total cost of buying everything when you sell the bike but you will only make 50 bucks for spending a couple hundred, and what's that going to get you some gas and beer? It won't get you enough to buy more frames and parts you will end up losing money in the long run. Unless you can buy everything dirt cheap then you can mark up the price of the bike more than just 50 bucks. You would need to buy from a distributer to get that kind of price and I believe you need to be an incorporated business to buy from them but I could be wrong on that.

The bike co-op I was involved with had a QBP account.
I think the terms were you have to spend $X / month to maintain the account.
But it's been a few years.

Enjoy

I've flipped a few bikes for profit, but it's not a very dependable gig. You may end up with those 5 Scramblers sitting in your living room with no one to buy them.

maybe you should build wheels instead?

Yo man, Don't let these dudes discourage you theres a lot of suckers on cl like me that don't know **** that you could overcharge.

think you got your first buyer right there ^^

Isn't this kind of like what the guy that does the scramblers did? As far as I know, its just a guy who had esentially your idea, but more efficient and on a bigger scale.

so, not his idea at all?

why dont you buy old bikes instead and paint them hipster colors. it would be cheaper than buying new stuff.

i just think you are overestimating fixed gear popularity and underestimating craigslist browser's intelligence.

I like to consider any idea that involves cheap components and deception of the buyer as a definite bad idea. You'll be risking your investment for something that will potentially disappoint. Plus the build is very likely to end up costing more that you anticipated, with all the tiny parts/details.

A lot of people like to scope out garage sales/estate sales/thrift stores for nice deals, fix them up, and sell them for a nice profit. I'd say that's a little more honest of an approach.

This.