robnol

i recently bought a bike on ebay ..it cost 5000 brand new it is carbon fiber in pristine condition with high end components...its 9 years old ..its more bike than i could afford when it was new. i bought in a auction on ebay for 1000 dollars and 100 for shipping...i ask myself why people shell out mega bucks for new bikes when they can buy it for pennies on the dollar later....there are alot of high dollar bike deals on ebay...buying new seems like a waste of money

Slightspeed

True of almost all consumer items, cars especially, TVs, cameras, you name it. It's called "life".

zarbog

Used furniture, used clothing, used cars, and on and on. You must spend a lot of time asking yourself questions.

puma1552

Ok. I'd rather not wait 10 years to get the bike I have today for "pennies on the dollar" when I bought it brand new for 50% of MSRP anyway. Big difference in components after 10 years. I'll happily sell you my bike in 10 years for pennies on the dollar after I've enjoyed it for a decade.

robnol

i will buy it for pennies on the dollar... u shell out the mega bucks and i will enjoy it just as much knowing i wasnt dumb enough to buy something that loses its value faster than an american car...

MarcusT

Somebody has to buy it new or there would not be used to buy later.
I have bought new and I've bought used and...
If I can afford it I will buy new

robnol

nothing wrong with new...if u have the funds to do so,alot of people dont

mstateglfr 

I dont understand why you consider buying a new bike to be dumb. Each person's priorities and wants are different in this hobby- it shouldn't be difficult to understand and respect that.

I dont understand why some people are willing to pay various amounts for products I dont find the same amount of value in, but I dont consider the people to be dumb- I just consider our priorities and what we value to be different.

Example- to the core, I cant grasp why someone who is just an enthusiast riding 2000mi each year would spend $1200 on a wheelset. To me, it makes no sense because I dont value wheelsets in the same what some others do. But i dont think they are dumb just because i cant see what they see. They view that wheelset as worth the money for their goals/priorities/experiences.



And this is coming from someone whose 4 person family has owned probably 35 bikes in total, has 13 bikes currently, and only 2 of those bikes were purchased new.

If even I think you are being extreme, I cant imagine what those who only buy new think.

robnol

when buying a bike the companies will charge whatever they feel the market is willing to pay...the 1200 dollar wheel set probably cost 300 to make

mstateglfr 

Yes I am aware of how consumerism and supply/demand work.

What's your point with this post?

robnol

you dont have to spend 5000 dollars to get a high quality bike...be a smart consumer

Darth Lefty 

Road bike? Sure. Classic steel MTB? Ok. Modern MTB? No way... unless it’s pretty recent. They are changing fast for the better

MarcusT

Being a smart consumer means getting your money's worth, which can be very subjective.
Many people (myself) do not buy certain things thinking of resale value. I expect to keep my bikes until they fall apart or I am cold.
I see resale prices in North America and Europe and the UK, IMHO has by far the highest prices for used bikes. When I see a used 30 yr old bike sell for marginally less than a new similar quality bike, I shake my head.
In the end you bought a 10 yr old bike for 20% of it's value new. Who can say if you got a great bargain? People can start to nitpick re; frame, components, wheels, tires.

You feel did did great, again that's subjective. I, personally would not buy a used carbon frame because of the risks involved.

gregf83 

Because they can. And to those who can a bicycle doesn't seem like 'mega bucks'.

mstateglfr 

1- I was asking what was your point of telling me you think it costs $300 to make a wheelset that sells for $1200. lots of products in life are priced at 4x the cost. Heck, many products we use are priced more than 4x the cost.

2- a smart consumer to you is one who waits almost a decade to buy a used version of what they want. A smart consumer in another person's eyes is someone who weighs their options and decides that they would like to enjoy a product now instead of waiting the better part of a decade.

Neither approach is wrong. Neither approach is dumb. Again- it's simply priorities.

smashndash

You’re attempting to use logic with someone who is being irrationally defensive due to his inferiority complex. He can’t afford a $5000 bike like all his buddies in the group ride, so he calls them “dumb” or gullible or whatever.

I ride a $1300 (new) bike in a group where the average bike price is close to $10,000. I have never, ever felt the need to belittle others for the choices they have made. Instead, I understand that different people have different economic situations, and nobody has to denigrate each other for it when we can just get along and have fun riding our various bikes.

Leisesturm

I don't understand the purpose of an unsolicited rant shaming total strangers for making it possible to get cool stuff at fire sale prices. Is 'ingrate' a fitting word for such a cad? I think so.

downhillmaster

Poor, cheap people with bad typing skills need bicycles as well

Machka 

Yep.

As with anything ... because we can.


And really, when you've got a bicycle you love and you've logged 50,000+ km on it over the past decade ... who cares if it has "lost value" according to someone else.

robnol

im not poor.just not a fan of paying more than i have to...

robnol

for that same 1300 dollars you could have bought a bike that sold for 5000 new with high end components....new is a placebo...a nice one but a placebo none the less

indyfabz

Sometimes you have to pay what you have to to get what you want.

indyfabz

This isn't the OP's first foray into "You don't have to spend a lot to get quality" territory. I'm just playing along.

downhillmaster

My bad. You just have bad typing skills and are cheap.
I was two for three though

mstateglfr 

This might be the first time I have seen bikeforums be called like minded. Threads devolve into a puddle of cess multiple times a day due to arguing over what is actually totally unimportant stuff in life. But apparently this place is likeminded?
All I have seen is that so far everyone has disagreed with you. If this continues, it would probably be the first thread where there collective agreement forms.

Why post here if you dont enjoy it?