plumberroy

My first good bike was a Surly Steamroller like new condition with a few upgrades. I found it on craigslist ended up paying $300 it was my first good bike. Honorable mention goes to an old steel Raleigh C-30 for $10 it needed cables and a tire . Money was tight back then I eventually replaced wheels tires cables rode it thousands of miles. A co-workers daughter is still riding it around campus

beng1

What makes one used bike a better deal than another? There are multiple reasons. From my point of view, which also happens to be objective reality, the best deal would be my Huffy racing bike I got for $3 a few years ago. Besides being my racing mount, it has given me thousands of miles of reliable transportation over recent years.

Koyote

You have a rather healthy ego.

AdventureManCO 

In a genuine interest to answer OP's question, I've found that getting to know your local co-op if you have one is a great way to find some great deals. That's how I picked up my PX-10 for $40. That was probably one of the better ones I've found. A Gitane TdF for $45. Also thanks to our awesome and valuable Clang who posted the 1983 Trek 600 for $50 that I got from the original owner.

Old stuff, that needed work, but that's part of the fun.

Then there's the guy in C&V that was given a gorgeous vintage Cinelli SC. Next level.

Wildwood 

I like to buy vintage framesets and build them with quality parts from their era (muchly). What I don't have for components are readily sourced from forum members in C&V. Framesets usually cost me $100 - $200.

Belgian in SLX and English/Irish from R531

Dutch with Ishi022

Italia with Oria - was NOS = <$200

Spanish Basque in metric R531

English / Irish in R531

….and the below bikes also started as framesets

German in R531

Italian with Columbus, mostly SL.

Austrian with R531

English with R531c


American from lugged Columbus - custom for me might make it the best deal - measured over it's lifetime of use. (edit = oops, this one was not purchased used)

and more, but hit the 10pic/post limit.

Trying hard to ride the best frames from around the World, affordably!

maddog34

paid $50 for a Gitane Criterium bike in near spotless condition.. it came with a spare pair of tires, the stock parts swapped for lower gearing ones, and a pair of nearly new riding shoes in my size too.
The drillium crank is worth twice my outlay... i lightly chamfered each hole to make them really sparkle.
The ad read: "Old french bike for sale. Needs work".. with no picture...i ride it at least twice a year. The Super Vitus db tubing is firm but forgiving.

and, the most Profitable flipper was a Limited Edition Specialized Big Hit II.. it needed brakes, a new front tire/tube, and a chain, plus i re-cabled it and slid some new grips on... i bought it for $35 with a high end Fox double triple clamp DH fork and a matching Fox Shock on it... I put about $250 into it and the needed parts... sold it for $700, literally before i had it finished... it had been languishing in the back room of a church charity store for over 5 years after someone had donated it... the owner of the shop couldn't see spending what a local shop had said it would cost to revive... it had about THREE ride trips on it... It was used at Whistler BC, Mammoth Mountain CA, and Gumjuac Ridge above Hood River, Oregon.... Whistler and Mammoth were evidenced by Decals..." i know he was a racer" is all i found out... Thank you!

soyabean

Funny, how so many think their lowest purchase price to a deal is such an accomplishment.

They have to brag about it to shine.

I flip a high volume of bikes, my gratification comes from not how cheap I paid for something, but with how high I can sell it.

I pay a lot for quality finds from private sellers. This allows me to restock anytime immediately, spend least amount of time repairing, photographed and flipped a couple of days later.

While other local hustlers hunt meticulously, striving to buy low to sell middle (with ads often lasting weeks or months), I've run circles around them 10x ten times over by buying middle and sell ceiling high. I do it again and again and again while others are reposting ads again and again.

On the chance I see a find is being given away (divorce/breakup/estate sales), I often offer the seller $20 more and tell them I will show up in 20 minutes, just so they bump me to the top of the organ donor list.

Yay capitalism

plumberroy

I was laid off in 2008 due to the plant closing. I bought dozens of old 70's road bikes for $5-$15 and sold them to college kids for $100-$150 without doing anything to them so they could make them fixies.
I was thinking of bikes you used for yourself

50PlusCycling

1984 Pinarello Record with a Columbus SL frame, and a full Super Record kit for $30.

squirtdad

1984 Team Miyata $125 from a neighbor, who later got in trouble with Significant other for not giving it to me

Ubie

$20 for a 2001 Trek 2200 on ebay. Needed a couple hundred bucks of "stuff"(pedals, new saddle, sensors, pro tune up, etc), but there's a good chance I'll never *need* to buy a road bike again.
Want is another story

rumrunn6

Wifey was out of town & I needed a cheap road bike, my size, any rideable condition, as a project, drove 2 hrs for a $25. bike, offered the seller $20 & he was pissed cuz he was saving it from his childhood in the '70s, but it was going to a good home & I reminded him I drove 2 hrs for it. so I got it for $20, fixed it up & used it as a commuter for my 34 mile round trip commute

dedhed

these 2 words are incongruent

Herzlos

I bought a Voodoo Limba for about $300 and sold it 6 months later for $600, around the same time I bought a Carerra Zelos for $200 and sold it for $250.
I got my current road bike for a bit under 50% retail, and whilst it'd sat around for a while it was pretty much unused. I doubt I'd get my money back on it now though as the used market has collapsed.

Beyond that I've lost a small fortune on pretty much every other deal

Broctoon

Quote:

Originally Posted by beng1

What makes one used bike a better deal than another?

I think "better deal" is a way of saying a more favorable value-to-price ratio. But value can be intrinsic or extrinsic, and it is very context-specific.

For example, jewelry grade diamonds don't actually have much intrinsic value, but market forces drive prices up very high. To someone stranded in a jungle, a machete might be among the most valuable commodities, and he might be willing to trade a large diamond for one. Suppose I'm in the right place at the right time and I'm able to buy a two carat diamond for $300 (a small fraction of what you typically have to pay). Meanwhile, my brother is in the wilderness struggling to survive. There's no practical way to rescue him, but we can airdrop him a machete, a water filter, some matches, and a tarp, all of which will cost less than $50. The price of hiring a helicopter to deliver them to him is $3000. Did I get a better "deal" on my $5000 diamond for $300, or did he get a better "deal" on his $50 supplies for $3000?


False. If the bike has great usefulness to you, its value for you is high, almost regardless of the price you paid (assuming there is not a similar bike available at lower cost).

To someone who wants to ride long distances over steep passes, your bike might be completely worthless. Likewise to a mountain biker, or someone who wants to compete in world-class road racing events. Because the other racers are on 14 pound carbon fiber bikes with 2x12 drivetrains, good aerodynamics, and excellent brakes, a guy would unquestionably fail to be competitive on your bike. Their $20k bikes are a better deal than your $3 bike for the intended use. A third world peasant, on the other hand, would find the modern race bike almost totally useless. Your bike might be slightly more valuable to him, but what he really needs is something with very durable tires, low gear ratio, minimal maintenance requirements, and big cargo hauling capacity. The $20K carbon wonderbike and your junky 1970s steel 2x5 are both less valuable to him than something with single speed drivetrain, solid tires, and huge racks. A bike like this for $100 would be a better deal than either of the other examples.

So the "objective reality" is that a bike's value is very dependent on context. The intrinsic value of any bike is actually quite low. Usually just a few dollars worth of steel or aluminum. Using that intrinsic value to make a judgement on the merits of the "deal" is only valid if you buy the bike for the purpose of selling it for scrap, and even in the scrap market, artificial forces come into play. Likewise, claiming to have scored a deal simply because the purchase price was low and the bike suits your purpose is only valid in the case of your purpose.


Then it was apparently a good deal, especially if it has also brought you joy. I would be embarrassed to ride it. I get joy from owning and riding some bikes that cost me several hundred dollars; I consider them a good deal, although some other forum member might be embarrassed to be seen on them, or might refuse to allow them in his garage.

Claiming that the things you buy for a few dollars or pick out of trash piles are good deals for you is fair. When you make general, universal statements about them, you are wrong.

plumberroy

The $300 like new surly Steamroller was good value at about 1/3 what it would have cost new. The fact I can't wipe the smile off my face while riding it triples that value . The $10 Raleigh, cables cleaning up and lube got it rideable I eventually replaced tires even a wheel I rode it thousands of miles and I didn't pass it on until I had 2 Surly's

Wildwood 

Framesets are my best value, 'cause I get to build them the way I like them. And I'm a little picky. By the time they are finally ready for the road, it's almost like we are old friends (I work slowly).

edit: Value can only be ascertained after defining what one seeks, and the urgency and need coefficient associated with the specific purchase. Case in point: Having ridden vintage lightweight framesets from nearly every major cycling country in the northern hemisphere, I was lacking a German example. And after pursuing a 1959 specimen with bottom bracket rollers for the shift cables, when it became available the coefficient of need and urgency was so high because of the uniqueness of the 'package' that the price was almost inconsequential to the value it would bring to the equation. Especially after assembled with era appropriate Campa Gran Sport ders&shifters, Universal brakes, Galli levers, etc.



First final build pictured in post #6.

cycleheimer

The best I did was a Trek 520 in my correct frame size for $20 at a garage sale. It was in immaculate condition. I also found a $10 lotus touring bike in my size at another sale. It had racks, panniers and a handlebar bag included. I actually stopped at the sale because I noticed fishing equipment. I only noticed the Lotus as I was leaving. I thought somebody had just parked it there after a ride. Nope. It had a price tag on it. They were actually happy it found somebody who appreciated it. Just be careful accumulating this stuff. Life's too short. Get out and ride more.

skidder

1977 Schwinn LeTour III (?) for free. I spent $150 on a single-speed wheelset and made it into a 2 x 1 (RD works as a tensioner). Rattle can red paint job for the frame (I was listening to Sammy Hagar tunes when I made that decision ), bought and installed a new sealed square-taper bottom bracket for it for $20. Of course I put new tires, tubes, cables, and a seat on it. Still have it and the fork makes it a really nice ride even though the gas-pipe steel frame is quite heavy.

Juan Foote

A couple of different mentions here.

What, at the moment, I thought was the best deal I ever got on a used bike was an older Schwinn World Sport with mixte frame. My mother bought me a World Sport back many previous years before and I rode the heck out of that bike. She always appreciated the look/color of the bike, so I came across one that was her size and in that black and gold livery. I got new tires tuned it up and make it ready for her to let it sit in a garage for the next decade plus. I don't think she so much as touched it out of my sight. Some years later she asked me to make it gone. I sold, read as pretty much gave it, to a friend of mine and the years were not kind. Most notably, the wheels came apart from spoke failure on the first and second ride he attempted with those parts. He has a lower spec 'Traveller' (IIRC) and took components off the World Sport in an attempt to upgrade and lighten it.

What turned out to be the actual best deal I ever got was an old Cannondale. I really can't recall much about it now. It was well outfitted with 9s drive train, old brifters that wouldn't ratchet any more. I learned the 'dump in a whole can of WD-40' trick and got those freed up. The bike was a bit small for me but had purchased it for someone else to ride, and they did. Decision was made after some other small mechanical issues to buy them another bike that they still have to this day so far as I know. Sold it to another fellow in the club and all he ever did was source NOS brifters and replace one of the wheels.

When I purchased myself and the wife some trikes, the first one I purchased was a nice deal and local. The second one was located using the forum over at Catrike and was not only a bit farther away, but ended up having some front end issues that went long in repairing. Luckily, at that time, there was a dealer/service place at the Silver Comet Depot (now defunct) and was able to get it fixed, but I (over)paid for it.

rsbob 

Bought this Ultegra equipped Orca from a friend (friend discount?) for $500 when it was 3 years old with less than 1000 miles. Originally $3,500. Added new saddle,pedals, bar tape, tires, bike bag and light/computer mounts.

Ironfish653

Best "price paid -v- book value" deal would probably be the KLEIN Pinnacle I stumbled across at a flea market for $100. Cables, chain and lube, and I probably could have got 4-5x that easily; but I always wanted a Klein (although not that particular model) so I kept it.
An 80's MTB wasn't really what I was looking for, but it's turned into the "Fat-Tire Fun-Bike". It gets a lot of rides, and a lot of attention.

Usually, I buy bikes to keep, so resale value isn't part of the equation; but I've also bought bikes as "parts donors" that I've built back up from take-offs and sold back out for equal or nearly what I paid for them. Sure, I might have "lost" $100 on the resale, but that $100 put a new wheelset and 3-generations newer, upgraded gruppo onto my current project bike, so I consider that a "net gain"
Likewise any accessories that one comes with; unless it's something I really want/need; they go back out, too; that money goes back into the builds. That's how my everything -but-the - paint job update on my SoftRide only cost about $50 out of pocket.

Making money is always good, but bikes are a hobby for me, not a business.

georges1

It has to be this mountain frame which was cheaper than what I paid for my Kona in 2016 that I bought today, the 1999 Trek 6700SLR handmade in the USA for 105€46

My cheapest roadbike frame is a 1994 Pinarello Stelvio paid 374€

Mojo31

Ain’t nooooobody beating the beng on this one!

VegasJen

Maybe not a great deal in and of itself, but I picked up this K2 for $260 a little over a year ago. I added the aero bars like I do to all my bike but as it sits, tool kit, aero bars, pedals, bar tape and all, I'm into it for just over $300. Carbon fork and seat stays and 105 brakes and shifters. All in all, what I have into it may only be about what it's worth, but this has turned out to be my favorite road bike.