J.Higgins 

I mentioned in another thread about how bike prices up here are so bad, we got people making Craigslist ads just to complain about it. Here is another good example:

https://westernmass.craigslist.org/b...171044599.html



For what its worth, I sent him an email through the CL mail system, thanking him, and commiserating. Do anyone of you ever see these types of ads on CL in your areas? Post 'em up!

EDIT: It occurs to me that I didn't include the D on the end of "Used" in my title of this post. Gah!

sykerocker 

This has been a very frustrating summer for me, with the 21st century Bike Boom in full swing I could be spending a lot of my retirement in my newly built and functional workshop fixing up bikes like I was 10-15 years ago. Except for two small details: 1. As you've noticed, there aren't many bikes out there, and the ones that are for sale are going for the kind of prices I usually sell a finished, refurbished, bike. 2. There is this little matter of a 15 year part collection lost in the fire. Other than having put together what I need for maintenance of my fleet, I've got little to nothing to work with, and it's going to take a few years to rebuild the parts department.

francophile 

Atlanta CL has several right now in the $600-800 range which would've been lucky to pull half that before the pandemic. I haven't bothered to look, but still have a few keyword triggers go off here or there, which is how I'm seeing many of them. One in 20-30 will actually be well-priced but it has to be stuuuuuupid cheap for me to buy. I'm still expecting strong potential for layoffs Oct/Nov across multiple industries, dunno if I'll be spared or not so I've been offloading everything I can before then.

I've sold a few bikes in the last couple months. Purged at least half what was in my stable. All CL sales, and I'm pricing about 10% higher than pre-pandemic and giving respectful, no-hassle-no-haggle buyers $20 off with every sale, just as a "thanks for not being a dick" gesture.

I still need to get rid of my too-small 56ish mint Italvega Gran Turismo. I think it's the last complete bike that needs a new home at the moment. But I honestly can't be bothered to list it on CL. After my last round of listing that one specifically, I can't be hassled to deal with the tire kickers. I bet I could get the money out of it in today's hyper-inflated market, though.

bOsscO

I chalk it up to simple supply and demand relationship. Demand is high (primarily due to COVID-19) so supply is low. This doesn't only effect used bike but also new. My LBS has little to no new stock currently and is taking orders that "may" be filled in February.

SurferRosa

Ad is complaining that he can no longer afford to flip bikes. The simple solution is to ride more. Worked for me this summer. I feel like I'm in the best shape I've been for the last decade or more. And I still got to fully overhaul two really nice mid-level bikes. I missed out on only one I shoulda bought. The increased demand allowed me to sell three. I'll list another this weekend. No complaints here. Got my health!

ryansu

I sense in Seattle that the crazy market is coming to an end, I see bikes staying listed for weeks at a time that in May were going like hot cakes. I actually delivered a bike I was selling this week, which I never do, simply because I wanted to strike while I could still get $200 for a bike that will probably be going for $150 in October.

sykerocker 

The one good side I see out of this mess, is that the bicycle shops are busy. The last time I saw business like this, I was working in a shop - and that's 45-50 years ago. Lord knows they're overdue for a good market.

bOsscO

See....this is the right attitude. Right on.

clubman 

Not to be political at all but the numbers aren't suggesting the market will weaken. With so many people earning less, the market for a solid used bike should remain strong.

HeyPapa

You may be correct and I hope you are. However, winter is approaching and that may put a damper in some regions. It is possible that many who had an inclination toward cycling acted and now own a bike, the pool of buyers may be shrinking.

I saw a NY Times article about guitar sales during the epidemic. Chart busting sales numbers. Hopefully there is a silver lining for some businesses during this mess.

J.Higgins 

Oh indeed. Its most-definitely the flippers whining.

I'm happy to hear that your health has improved. My physical health has remained in the "okay" spectrum, while my mental health has declined rapidly. PTSD and TBI will do a number on you. Thank God for fresh air and drugs.

katsup

I've been doing the same as SurferRosa, put down the tools and ride more. I did sell off all the bikes that I didn't love and even found one I've been looking for back in July.

I've also found that I am not looking for new projects as much as the prices are higher. But when I do look, I see more reasonable prices for the low / mid level bikes compared to earlier in the year. This makes me think that demand has plateaued and prices will stabilize soon.

francophile 

I can relate to this far too well.

scarlson 

I've benefited some. A wide network of friends know I'm the guy to call when they want to get rid of a rusty hulk left behind by a roommate. I had five or ten for a time. Perfectly functional bikes I couldn't give away before are now selling for like $60 to grateful friends-of-friends without any of the usual list/search/flake game.

The money's niceish, I am mostly happy to help them out, but still wish for the before-time when I had a rack of five or ten bikes I couldn't give away, but could still give people hugs and drink beers side by side indoors.

Covid sucks.

clubman 

To be honest, I'm thinking about next year and beyond. I'm not counting on a miracle vaccine for this thing so we've got to adjust to a new normal.

Edit. And now these folks who acted on their inclination to get a bike will now become infected (or at least aware) of the N+1 virus, and we all know how invasive it is and that there is no cure. Most of us just try to manage it.

J.Higgins 

I have no complaints about selling. Last week, some guy who works in a cannabis grow facility up in Maine bought six bikes from me. Wiped out all of my high-end British and Italian bikes and frames. He had "bike fever" for sure. Big wad of cash. Wanted all of my Campy and Suntour components, hubs, wheels, but I decided to keep those for now. No complaints here. More room in the barn now, and the extra cash is going to the registration on my new truck.

thumpism 

True. I was in Pedal Power yesterday for a part and the place was packed, but only about a dozen new bikes. Everything else was in for repair and there was little room for another on the floor. No telling what the storage place across the parking lot looks like. I know that must mean job security for the mechanics but I'd hate to be facing a backup like that when folks want to enjoy the last few weeks (for most normal humans) of riding season. In addition, repairs that get abandoned are a hassle to work around until registered letters go out notifying that they'll be sold (if the shop does this as we used to do).

scarlson 

Self-medication... The high alcohol in this stuff kills the N+1 virus temporarily, but a bottle costs nearly as much as flipping a bike nets!

bOsscO

Lol think i'll stick to $40 bourbon.

Murray Missile 

The boom seems to be ending here. Prices are dropping like the Hindenburg and stuff isn't moving anywhere like it has been, even at the lower prices. There are a few holdouts but they were overpriced on their stuff before all this came about. I've been able to get rid of some of my lower end stuff I bought early on in my bike acquisitions and freed up quite a bit of space. I even got some good deals in the midst of all the madness.

sykerocker 

This conversation brought something else to mind that I'd forcibly put out of my mind: The one place where my shop has been at least semi-busy, besides working on my own stuff, is assembling mail-order bicycles for neighbors and friends of friends, etc. Gawd, have I seen some insane junk come thru my shop this summer, the kind of stuff you can only sell thru a catalog picture because if the customer saw the actual bike they'd go running for Walmart. One more than a couple of occasions I've wanted to scream at the customer to just send the damn thing back and go without. It got to the point that I started refusing to do them while the customer waited, because I didn't want them to see some of the things I was doing to make those junkers runnable (read: hammers). My old service manager from the Honda shop who showed up with the folding mountain bike with the mag wheels was the low point.

Pleasant surprise of the summer: Some of those Walmart Schwinn's aren't too bad a bikes, if you're not weight conscious. Schwinn quality has been rising lately.

Nasty surprise of the summer: Just because it says Shimano on the component doesn't mean it's serviceable. Which shatters a 45 year belief I've had.

curbtender

The shops are busy and the online stores are taking forever to ship. I've sold a few of my keepers to friends. My problem is I got swamped with house projects so my free time goes to riding instead of tinkering. Hang in there. Much more people want than need so you'll see those bikes getting returned to the market.

sheddle

The boom is still having effects here for parts. Thankfully you can get 7 speed chains again, but SPD pedals are rarer than diamonds.

Some used bike parts like 26/27 clinchers were tough for a bit as well.

rgvg

There's been someone on my local cl referring people to bicyclebluebook.com, which in my opinion isn't really reliable in the same way as kelly blue book for cars.

There were a few relatively good deals on cl and fb in the past few weeks (Miyata Triplecross $125CAD, Nishiki International $90, Bianchi Special (japanese tourer) $100CAD).

But I can't find a 1" threaded headset for my frame. Well, none at a price I like. I went to two coops and two shops and called two more. My fork's short so only 1 fit and it has no seal at the bottom. I ordered one from amazon but they cancelled my order (no stock). I think I will end up using the one with no seal.

canklecat

I wonder how consistent this kerfluffle is with people's other views on how the economy works, or should work.