Mint 1998 AutoBike, what is it worth?
 

This 1998 boxed bicycle time-travelled to the present, and now I'm helping someone in selling it. Think I should auction it? How much should I sell it for, and how unique is it in the eyes of collectors?
This 6-speeder features an automatic gearing system.

The 1998 AutoBike Infomercial on YouTube:
PART 1 PART 2
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...abdd2395ca.jpg
Side 1
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e824d53860.jpg
Side 2
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e14a3c7862.jpg
Rear wheel with AutoBike centripetal weights
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...16e1835004.jpg
Front cranks axle
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...88f87fd864.jpg
Hub and spokes of front wheel
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e9c4d9c013.jpg
Front fork and brakes
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f1a9bf7a05.jpg
Hand grip and hand brake
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cc4001e795.jpg
AutoBike owner's manual
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...63e96b61a7.jpg
AutoBike owner's manual print date 1998

I wouldn't think much. It's kinda like the Landrider. I've only seen one of both in my life. I used to want the landrider as a kid.

With the current market you might get $100 for it

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/valu...product/70403/

In all honesty you might have trouble giving it away.

You might want to contact Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh, though I suspect that they already have one (or more) of these.

Sell it now before the "bike boom" dies out. Or it will just be another big box store bike.

That sounds like a good idea, I will aim myself in that direction! Thanks!

And take what they offer..

Since it's mint, maybe there is a collector out there who might pay a bit more, but that quality of every part of that bike is similar to what you find on $80 box store bikes. The 'autoshift' device was a shiny gadget to fool the bicycle illiterate into thinking it would make biking easier. All in all, they were awful machines - the added weight and semi-functional shifting system made these inferior to the $80 bikes with which they share DNA.

Several years ago I got one from the trash that was near mint, very low miles. I used it a few years as a novelty and then sold it to a friend at work for maybe 40 dollars. After the auto shift parts blew up on him I had to convert it over to manual shift!

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...nsmission.html

I had the strong sensation these were inferior, thanks for confirming it! Every time one sees a "feature" on anything, including bicycles, that never took-off, it's because it was inferior. Basic market knowledge.

I'll give you 0.001 BTC for it.

A single person is interested in it already, one single person. They're paying 0.0065 BTC ($100 CAD) for it, so your bid is out the window.
Cheers!

Fair enough. When that other person backs out for no reason (never trust those wily "northern" types, they apologize too much), my new offer will be 0.0005 BTC. DM me your info to complete the sale. You're welcome.

a guy finds a little treasure and shows it to his friends :) everyone looks at it and tells him it's crap :( another day in the year of our plague ...

Yeah, that was kinda sucky. I actually liked the bike, and did use it. Because it is so unique, I do consider it a collectable... especially in brand new condition! :thumb: Someone else will too. If you have the room, maybe just keep it.

It is a Huffy/Magna type bike that they added some complicated shifting to so it is "automatic". I find the truth to be the best thing in life. It may not always be what you want to hear but it is always what should be heard. We have enough lies from all over being thrown at us it is nice when someone is truthful.

Yes it is passably neat that the bike is still in a box and brand new but unfortunately it is not a bike that was ever high value even if scarce.

Certainly though now you can probably get some high dollars for it, the $100 offer is certainly well worth taking.

Good thought, and a cool place.

It'd be fun to try out... once.

I'd think for the novelty of that, and "NOS", you might get a little more than $100 USD.

But, not a mint either.

The guy asked for an honest assessment of what he had and got it. No one put him down or tried to shame him.

Some of us linked useful information to give him a fuller picture.

What did you add to the conversation?

BTW there are charities that take bikes like that and ship them to Africa where people use them as primary transportation. If you can't sell it consider such a donation.

I sold an unridden LandRider that my brother had bought. He must have paid $600 for the thing (who knows?). I got him a net $350 loss when I sold it in 2011 or so. Ugh.

The pictured bike might sell for $150-200 now. Sell.

The only value it has is being NIB. Other than that it's not worth much.. Take what you can get, and hope another one doesn't ever darken your door.

> a sad little epitaph :innocent:

My memories of the infomercial are hazy, but I recall them being around 200-300 bucks on tv. So you netted your bro about 50-200 dollar profit depending on when. I think they had a better system than the Autobike. It used a kinda variator setup and could still kinda be shifted. If I recall it looked like an Eddie Baurer.

Auto Bike Canada
 

I was just telling my son who likes to tinker with bikes I used to own the auto bike he was very intrigued and I said I would see if I could find a good used one. Are you still interested in selling this auto bike if so I am interested in purchasing it.

The OP has not been on the forum in four years.

Closing this Zombie thread.