Ask Pinkbike: How Much is my Bike Worth, Can my Wheel be Saved and What Bike to Ride at Forest of Dean

 Yes PBers sell me your "crappy" 26ers for cheap and run out to drink the new koolaid wheelsizes

 .......except demand dictates sale prices.

 And that's where things start to make sense. Yes, your bike may be in awesome shape. But the average buyer won't know that. And we've all heard stories of great looking used bikes being bought by people who then had to deal with frames breaking, forks or shocks needing complete overhauls, and the expense that goes with that. Which is why people hesitate to buy used bikes whose history they don't know. Economists call it the lemon problem.

 Exactly why 26" wheeled bikes are cheaper.

 @chrisingrassia

.... when coupled with the supply side of the curve of course!

Everyone replacing their 26 with a bigger size (given the limited choices for a new 26, that is more and more inevitable), adds to the supply of 26 bikes in the market which further drives down the prices.

That is where people like me and @rivercitycycles step in and say "Thank you; I don't mind if I do".

 ok…want to buy my dirtbag?

 @ Richard C. - You are a tool of the bike industry's marketing campaign to replace 26in wheels with an arbitrary new wheel size.
#SpandexHero
#SellOut

 Location also factors in... here in the Ottawa/Gatineau area, old XC hardtails command good money still for use as commuter bikes. I'm sure other regions with a lot of bicycle pathways have similar fortunes for such bikes. Most folks would rather a twenty year old 25 pound hardtail for $400 than a new 35 pound hybrid.

Also if its really old (15-20 years) and still in good shape it can actually appreciate in value over what it originally cost retail if its something sought after. I just parted out a rep's 1995 Gary Fisher Grateful Dead Hoo-Koo-E-Koo hardtail on ebay for him, which had all the best trimmings on what was otherwise a mediocure frame with cool decals. The White Industries LMDS shifter/derailleur set on it alone nearly reached $400USD on ebay and it retailed for $300USD in 1998 (and as a rep the owner didn't pay anywhere near retail). A World Cup raced Boxxer 151 fork from a former Balfa Team rider's Bobonum went to $132.50USD and the frame itself went to $134.50USD. That's decent money for a 17 year old frame and fork that had been ridden to multiple canadian national and quebec cup DH championships. Another member of the Balfa's team race clothes, including ripped DH long-sleeve jerseys fetched pretty damn good money on ebay. One chap in montreal bought a whole outfit (two jerseys, a near mint team jacket, and a pair of the rare padded DH "shorts") for about $200USD. Things like Shivers still fetch good money on their own, and I turned a tidy profit on the last one I sold.

 soo many deals to be had from ebay too on 26 inch wheel stuff. not to mention $400 or less wheelset.s Did see a Crankbrothers opium dh wheelset somewhere in ebay for only $380 sans shipping.

ill stick to 26 because they get cheaper!

 Please stop calling them"26ers". Thank you.

 yes they should just be called mt bikes

 @sirwonky there is no arbitrary about it. It is scientifically proven to have non of the benefits of a big wheel u don't want whilst being similar to a wheel size you do wan.. Something like that lol. Your comment about marketing tool made me chuckle

 I bought a new 650b bike when I bought my new bike a year ago. I would have been fine on 26 but I found people were still asking a ton for their 26 in stuff and I really didn't want to haggle and low ball someone. I am not really seeing all these great deals everyone is talking about. Seems like 26 is slowly depreciating like any tire size bike would.

 PS if anyone has a deal on a 26" x-small full-suspension bike with modern trail geometry post me a link, I would love to get my wife a bike on one of these deals everyone says is out there.

 What some guys won't do for an extra 1.5 inches..

 I was in the same boat as Iantmcg, except I chose a 29er over 27 form new bike. I had some money saved for a locally classified ad Santa Cruz Blur LTC for around 1500 USD, to have an easier climbing bike than my 2010 enduro (which I had massively upgraded over the years) that still had a good amount of travel with 140mm. I had about $800 and someone snagged it before I had the dough. I ended up with 120 travel 29er and it definitely takes less energy on the climbs, but I can feel more flex than I would like. I've ended up getting stiffer and wider bars, shorter stem, bigger tires, and it's slowly improving.

I'm getting real sick of the conspiracy theorists trying to rally for a "26" revolution. It's obvious that the general riding public had similar intent to me in 2013 and 2014, and wanted that little bit less rolling resistance on climbs, but without having to compensate for DH drawbacks such as I am riding with. I mean bloody hell, who doesn't want a bike that's better at climbing hills?

 "I ended up with 120 travel 29er and it definitely takes less energy on the climbs, but I can feel more flex than I would like."

And THAT is why Trek & SRAM developed boost hubs and frames/forks employing them... for 29er flex issues. Of course it wasn't ready for release until the 2016 model year really...so of course did nobody any good who bought new bikes the past few years but that's like ALL things that progress over time... but in a few years if you go looking to replace that 120 travel 29er with another 29er... chances are it'll have less flexy wheels thanks to Boost.

 Maybe it will help you sell it?

 they forgot to put that "advertising in a PB article" adds 15% to resale value. I'd bump it up to $7475 OBO.

 I wondered if they were real ads.

 or get a brand new one for the same price...minus the enve's

 @chrisingrassia - Yeah, but now he has to pay RC a 10% cut...advertising in PB articles ain't free, you know!

 @ecologist - well he still makes an extra 5% then. Which, at $7475, is still an extra $300 in his pocket.

 Ahh, i think you just need to loosen a few spoke... should be good

 I agree... I feel like they should have said "not big wheels" or something along those lines because they aren't the biggest wheels, but they definitely aren't that small. (Pardon my grammar)

 Normal size wheels.

 good time to buy if you dont care about wheel size. (which most people shouldn't)

 Its true. My first job(mid 90's) was a min wage food sector one. Although todays poverty earners most likley have a smartphone, cable tv, and a widescreen tv....and yes, add '08ish carbon 150mm bikes.

 Food service professionals = Mcdonalds Employees, More like high praise than a dig

 As a chef (food service professional) I take that as a bit of a hit. I work hard to play hard.

 Yeah, that was shitty.

 maybe he was referring to the low-income food-service professionals as opposed to the high-income food-professionals. I work in corporate software America and I am eyeballing 26-wheel racing bikes. You have to have a lot of disposable income to buy newer bikes without taking on debt.

 Obviously, no one at PB has ever been a bike bum, ski bum, or any other outdoor sports enthusiast. Food service work can get you a job in a sweet area and typically work nights so you can ride all day. Really disappointing of the naivety.

 @jmag not sure if you have ever worked third shift (construction third is 7:00pm - 5:00am) but it leaves you very drained and it makes finding time to ride very hard.

 how about low-income bike shop professionals...too many unfortunately in the bike industry, who can't even afford "trade price" or "staff deals" on the nice shiny bikes they sell to customers

 Funny, that's why I got a food service job when I was a teenager - to buy a high-end 26" wheeled race bike

 I'm a butcher! Work very hard for little play also.

 "Hoarders: Thailand" coming to obscure cables channels near you.

 @davidsimons I can't give enough +props for that comment.

 l wish that l never sold my bridgestone mb-zip.

 Salute, I wish I have a garage that big

 @kawasaki same here. I bought some carbon Sram roam 60 wheels which rock. No cheaper than the other wheel sizes. I see so many bargain prices on 29er forks/wheels/frames

 @kanasasa .... Damn auto correct

 i don't think it stirring the pot.. have you tried to sell a 26er lately, its hard.. no one wants them, simple economics.. much more supply than demand.. that SC Superlight will be lucky to sell for $500

 @billybobzia calling the established norm "small wheels" is definately stirring it... Trying to change people's ideas of what is normal on a mtb like there is something wrong with 26

 Super mike... No offense, I just think the new established norm is 27.5, that's what companies are making, most stopped making 26.. Nothing wrong with 26 in my opinion, I still have one, but just sold my wife's 26, it was hard, very hard and we got very little for it

 RC is just being honest about the current market, especially used market, and my buying and selling experience agrees with him. When buying components for a custom wheelset, it's always gonna be tougher to find bargains unless you find somebody selling the rims you happen to be looking for private sale. For those companies still making 26" rims, it doesn't cost any less to manufacture them then the larger ones, so retailers won't be marking them down unless they stop selling.

 @ecologist that's exactly the point, retailers won't mark down 26 inch stuff unless it doesn't sell. Which they haven't been because it does sell. Because people want 26. Of course there are still many 26 inch bikes people are still repairing or upgrading but if all the talk of no one wanting 26 was true then we would be seeing these big discounts on 26 parts. Which we are not. Are you?? Tell me where and I'll buy!

 We see decreased demand for 26" in the form of fewer options and almost no new releases, particularly for higher end products. I agree that the 26" rims and tires still being made will keep selling. And 26" stuff is definitely devalued on the used market relative to bigger-wheeled parts. Used market is mostly where I shop, and I do find some killer deals, sometimes on new stuff, but rarely on new rims. I agree he was taking a dig with his "small wheels" comment.

 Yup, it's like a porn star with 9" dong telling us our "small" (normal) ones are useless from now on and we are silly if we try to have fun with it.
Different plugs for different holes I say.

 If there was new product releases in 26 would they sell? If you take away the option it's gonna give a skewed image of what demand is

 Good question, and good point.

 well shoot all those broken bikes and parts in my shed are worth a fortune then!

 Wait and see how long those items sit in PB Buy & Sell. If you have a million things listed, maybe you can afford to have higher priced items, but if you wanna make some change from your no longer needed gear then its easier to list with a low price and get rid of it fast.

 There's a lot of delusion as to a used item's worth out there. Same with anything, really - cars, houses, bikes. There's pride of ownership (who would admit to themselves that their baby is not worth much?). There's denial (people often justify prices they pay on new bikes with what they think their old bikes should sell for, so they're overly optimistic). And lastly, people still don't get it through their head that buyers look at them as strangers selling them a bike with uncertain history. If I know that your bike is in great shape; if I can show me receipts for all the parts you've replaced lately, and all the maintenance you've done, and I know you and know you to be trustworthy when you tell me the frame's never taken a direct hit, sure, I'll be willing to pay good money for your bike. But if I don't know that, because I'm in some other place and can't inspect it and we don't have friends in common who vouch for you and all that - well, I'll want to pay a little less, so I have some reserve budget for when things go wrong.

Of course, that's one side of the story. The other is that there's so much shameless bottom feeding in the buy/sell, you have to set your price high to get people to perceive your bike as worth anything at all. That's not just a pinkbike thing - I get that with classifieds for anything. Put up something at $1000, with tons of pictures and supporting info as to why it's worth that - you'll get shitloads of people pinging you with stuff like "I only have $300" or "Want to trade for [insert random piece of shit gear here]".

 Whatever you price your "good" shit at people will always try and low-ball you. So you always have to leave some wiggle room and hope that your dealing with people with real money not pipe dreamers.
I'm trying to sell an amazing "good shit" bike with 26' wheels and I'll dig up the receipts and stuff like you said g-42. In my mind its the best looking bike ever made, but I had to go by a 29er so now I have to sell it cheap.
When they re-introduce 26" wheeled bikes they won't even resemble the ones were selling now.

 G-42: I'd never buy a bike off someone I know. At least buying off a stranger there's a chance it could have been looked after

 I sold a parts only cracked super 8 frameset and boxxer fork to a guy in germany on ebay lastweek for $262.50USD+shipping (which was $310)... there are people out there who want that stuff still. He was bidding against a guy in australia for it.

 There's always the "I'll buy the ti spring off it for $50" peeps too, not my faves. Also, why are so many people trying to trade me a BMX for a DH frame(or any frame/bike really?) Is there some scam I don't know about, are these things stolen or something? It seems too common for something to not be up with that.

 @groghunter that is part of the bmx bike owner's code, you have to vow to offer to trade it for a downhill bike every chance you get.

 My belief is that you have a better chance of selling your gear if you price fairly and stand firm rather than start overpriced and hope someone will haggle. I don't want to haggle and so don't mess with items that are overpriced. Therefore, you miss out on some potential buyers by doing this.

However, I do agree with g-42 that the psychology of seeing a higher price leads some people to believe the item is worth more. If you compare it to new items and other items listed on buy/sell, you can make a fairly informed decision.

 Totally ridiculous. We all know that only black or neon-green really push resale value. Blue is so last decade.

 Apparently you don't know about enduro blue, & how it's the new hotness

 Your absolutely right. Wheel size isn't the only standard we have been seeing in recent times. Weight, a heavier "bombproof" bike I.e. Santa Cruz super 8, have all been faded out and made "obsolete" by the marketing divs, in favor of lighter, weaker variants. I think the 26" bombproof framesets will hugely appreciate in value once everyone realizes they are the perfect donor frames for high end ebikes....

 I purposely sought-out a 10-year old, made in Arizona frame and rebuilt it just how I wanted it, including a modern 2x10 clutch drivetrain. If you have the patience for the classifieds and the mech skills to rebuild then it's definitely a buyer's market out there for 26" stuff!

 

 in resale value, but hey, it's worth smiles for days

 Only a week until I head south to ride there and still unsure on whether to take the trail or DH bike. It's looking more like the DH bike every day because I'm booked on the uplift so why the hell not?! It does have some standards to live up to though I'm afraid mk3gt as I'm not long back from both Antur Stiniog and Bike Park Revolution and they both rocked.... I'm expecting less gnarl and more flow from FoD i reckon though! Fun times ahead!
I read recently as well that there are some major plans afoot for new trails and upgrades (not to mention repair work), so will be interesting to ride it and go back after a while!

 Hmm if your booked on the uplift then you may aswell take the dh bike. Saying that the trails will run quicker on a 160 trail bike. It doesn't really compare to revs or stiniog as they are a different style of trail. The hill side is smaller so runs are short but definately flow nicely with plenty of jumps and drops to keep you happy! Also there are quite a few new scratched in trails that will keep you on your toes with off camber roots and loamy soil. Enjoy!

 Look for a trail called Bottle Opener, it is fairly new buts it's so much fun.

 Awesome, not sure I have heard of Bottler Opener, its not on their list of trails so many thanks @deli-hustler .... this another red or blue? Hopefully nice and technical!

To the tube of you i go!

 It's only a month or two old. It's a 2 spot dh track.

 Agreed. I came to realize that upgrades to a bike don'st up the price on your bike in a harsh way. Certainly upgrading parts is mostly a waste of money, if you are looking at them as investments I mean. A Gen 2 Nomad with CCDB wil sell for a very similar prive to non CCDB.

 you guys know that the majority of people upgrade parts because the stock ones break and they replace with better

 Or, stick with the bike you bought, upgrade it, and proceed to ride it into the ground. If i get 5 years out of my Nomad, it can retire on the wall in my shop, and will have been well worth the 4 grand as far as I'm concerned. Plus, there's a certain bond that i feel when I really know my bike. 26" and all.

 Hard not to get attached to the rig that has helped me generate so many awesome adventures and memories. I'll cherish her to the end of her days 3.

 ...Or just ignore the industry nonsense. I'm happily rockin some 20mm axles, 9sp drivetrains, and glorious steel frames, and the industry can't come up with anything better that isn't more delicate.

 @smoothlandin : *slow clap* Well said.

 @NorthcountryAM - sure, if you have a couple grand to throw at a bike every year. Me and the aforementioned food service professionals most certainly do not!

I'm with smoothlandin, plus I start with the standards leftovers for dirt cheap.

 @ecologist, you are right, I have been fortunate to be able to provide for my family as well as have that luxury of flipping bikes on a yearly basis. But, just to clear up my point... For me it was strictly a cost analysis. I apologize if I came across as elitist, that was never my intent.

 I could never sell my bike, we're family. I'm planning to be the crazy old guy that sits in his garage taking to his old bikes about the good times. And you damn kids keep off the grass! Isn't that right NoMada...

 I also get a new bike every year, and it isn't that expensive. Don't think about the price of a new bike, but the changeover cost.

1. Lower the purchase price via a great relationship with your LBS (the same one you buy a new bike from year after year). 2. Look after your bike. Clear tape everything. Service it well. This ensures a higher resale value. 3. Factor in how much you would need to spend on a bike after two years, because after one year you should only have needed a new chain or two, and a few fork rebuilds (you do do it yourself, don't you?), but after two years of going hard, you may be up for a new drivetrain, new bearings etc etc. 4. Buy early in the season, and sell early in the season. For example, in a few month's time when the 2016 Giants come out, I will be selling a 2015 model. That is very attractive for consumers. The problem comes when the bike is still in stock and the LBS is marking it down - so talk to the LBS and figure out which bikes will sell out.

I can get a new $4k or $5k bike every year for between $500 and $1000 changeover. I have never had a complaint from any buyer.

 I should of led with that ^ well said

 Northcountry I see your point, but even selling new bikes seems to be a pain. When the initial prices are so high off the showroom floor by the time you go to resell it's hard to find people willing to take a risk and buy something so expensive that's already been "yo-bused" brah. Or just maybe it's as hard to sell a 29r as a 26, for me anyway.

 @imamamodel: that is the point why people don't pay good for used bikes. They may appear to be well looked after (or maybe they even are), but they may also be a ticking time bomb. And then theres the typical "only riddem twice" scam. If you rocked your bike for two years, be honest about it - the wear is there, even when you put clear tape on it. That just protects the paint.

 im with smoothlandin on this; ride your bike into the ground, when its fit for the knackers yard - strip the components off then either mount the frame for posterity or build a new bike for your son or use it as a rattle on hecklers hill. Im exactly the same with cars - can't be bothered with buy/sell nonsense all the time.

 Kaiser, I use clear tape as it is easy to see cosmetic damage that has no relationship to more serious damage. Why would a buyer want a scuffed up bike? People who buy my bikes know my name and can see on strava exactly how many kays on the clock. I agree with your point that you never know the true history, but a good inspection can tell if the seller is exaggerating or telling any lies. And if you find one lie, assume there are more.

 @Northcountry - no worries...I was trying to make light of it, but I admit it's a dead horse around here. I completely get your point that there are some economical ways to always be on a new bike. They say the same about autos: own from about year 3 to year 5, typically the flattest part of the depreciation curve and before major issues start coming up. Economics aside, props to you for having the patience to do that every year or so, not sure I would. @iamamodel - as to clear tape, I've done that business once and hell if I'm gonna mess with that every year.

Out of curiosity, you folks keep a nice wheelset that you use on each new bike and put the stockers back on to sell, or do you just run whatever comes stock on each ride?

 @ecologist I have jumped from 275 to 29 and back again. Unfortunately wheels just go with the bike and the last few years have been some nice wheels

 @ecologist, I run my bikes stock so that when I talk to people out on the trails what they see is what they can get down at my lbs. Maybe a shorter stem.

 This right here! Who cares what you're riding. Get whatever makes you smile like a goon, and ride the piss out of it.

 a 7k wonderbike has seen 1k/yr worth of use, i'd hope. If not... it's hard to pity people who by expensive garage ornaments.

 agreed, I say it's people who flip every year/couple of years that are getting burned on trying to sell 26" bikes, 7k bike worth 3k after a year, because 26".

 After they get off work they will be hucking and whipping up a storm on your local trail systems tightest trails.

 Yeah it's a bit wide of the mark I reckon. Imagine: Two of the same bike, same price... One with some choice UPgrades... Which one do you want? No brainer.

 Straight up. Even if you have to replace seals. Or if no major maintenance is needed on the fork and pivots and such than it can be a steal of a deal for what it's really worth.

 On the other side of the women's specific coin - I recently bought a barely-used BMC Shiver frame, a "women's" bike for about 50% less than the going rate for the men's equivalent BMC Fourstroke frame. In this case, a women's large = men's medium in all respects except for a 3mm shorter top tube. 3mm! Fantastic bike, nothing remotely female-specific about it. So yeah, "women's specific" is nothing but value-killing hype. Bad for sellers, good for bottom-feeding buyers like me.

 Damn!

 Could be more a representation of what people are willing to pay for cb wheels...? Just saying...

 If that were so they would go out of business.

 You still have your job in a bike shop though. Might be Maccy's if it wasn't for the 'industry'

 I work in the car industry Paul, I've never worked in a bike shop lol!!