mack_turtle

I have an itch to scratch: I'd like to build a fun monstercross bike out of something like an early 90s mtb or hybrid. the problem is bikes are in high demand and sellers know this. bikes that are totally clapped out and unrideable are selling listed for 2X what any rational person should pay for them, considering how much work they need to get rolling. anyone find a better technique for finding older bikes for tinkering lately, but at reasonable prices? estate sales maybe?

edit: I don't need to be told how high demand is right now. I am well aware of it! what I want to know is if there are any back-channels where I might find older bikes without making a full-time job out of driving to every thrift store in the county every day looking for them.

Mr. 66

Hi Mack, people here can certainly assist you in your search. Where are you located? Perhaps there is a coop, or current listing near, the bikes at the second hand stores are going quick but they are still there.

mack_turtle

Austin, Texas. the local co-op, Yellow Bike Project, is closed to the public indefinitely. they started doing short Saturday sales of refurbished bikes, but I strongly doubt they are going to have what I am looking for and it's a pain in the butt to drive to that location.

my alternative plan is to volunteer at the co-op when that is allowed again—which could be weeks or months from now—and use their "earn-a-bike" program to slowly build that project bike as I work for it. I am sure my skills will be appreciated there.

I've been on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for weeks now. everything that interests me is waaaay overpriced right now because of bike demand. the kind of bikes that should sell for $100 are listed at $300, for example. I am trying to find the alternatives that I might not have already thought of.

tricky 

There's no magic to it. Garage sales, estate sales, Goodwill, thrift stores. Also start watching OfferUp. Get a list of models and makes you want and set a bunch of alerts. You'll need to jump on good deals and be willing to pick them up fast. It's like your normal bike market, but 1.5-2x prices.

katsup

Patience. Just enjoy the bikes you have an be happy that more people are enjoying the hobby.

Any bike that is listed at pre covid prices will sell fast so you have to be on top of it. Component prices have also gone up so you may have to wait for parts even if you do find a bike.

bikemig 

Also old road bikes (think 70s) can still be found at reasonable prices. Those are built around 27 inch wheels and can take a pretty fat 700c tire (at least a 35c and some can take a 38c).

noobinsf 

If you can wait, the COVID buying boom will rear its ugly head when things improve, so there will be a surplus. Crossing fingers for next spring (for reasons other than cheap bikes).

nlerner

I've had a 90s Jamis Exile rigid mtb for sale on Boston's CL for several weeks now with no bites. Where's that strong demand everyone is talking about?!

bikemig 

Yeah I think @noobinsf has it right in that the used market is likely crashing but that may not have much impact on prices. Trade wars disrupted supply chains and Covid pushed up the demand for bikes. So used bikes went up in price as new ones disappeared. But that growth in demand cannot continue to go up at this pace and it will eventually start to flatten. But that may not change used bike prices much. Sellers think they are sitting on valuable inventory and there is little reason to lower prices since their inventory is a sunk cost and the cost of storage is zero other than the space they take up in a garage. The used bike market is not a rational one since sellers are not really in a business.

2old

In socal Craigslist prices are crazy high IMO. Some individuals are listing prices higher for 90's bikes than they sold for originally. I scour the pages even though I don't need/want anything now. There are occasional decent deals, but they don't last long. I've sold four bikes recently, but, paradoxically, my GT Zaskar, that I thought was priced very fairly, didn't attract any offers. Nevermind, it might make a good cruiser when I get around to it.

ryansu

OP I feel your pain and I actually sold a bike recently because I knew I could (and did) get good $$ for it. I too see stuff going for crazy prices BUT I also found a nice Univega Via Montega Hybrid for $40 a month ago, it was missing a rear spoke and needed some shifting sorted but with patience and persistence deals can still be found but you have to act fast on those I was trying to find a bike to rebuild for my Nephew and missed out on a number of sub $100 bikes due too extended communications before buying the bike. I finally learned and bought a bike and gave my nephew first right of refusal knowing I could sell it if he was meh on it. Good luck. Also I expect as we get into to fall prices will probably come down. Good luck.

$40 Univega

Bikerider007

Its tough out there. I am not in buying mode but do some watching. Popular or valuable items sell very quick. More people are watching and learning for sure. Many sellers listing on Offer Up (now merged with LetGo) at a reasonable price, but are actually holding and waiting for the highest offer. They used to take less than the listing.

The craziest is that guys are flipping brand new big bmx for as much as double retail, its super hot. Old school bmx still is too.

BFisher

What seems to have happened where I'm at is that lots of folks hit up the big box and LBS's, but the used market stayed exactly the same. Nobody seems to want to buy a used bike. They often require work that most folks don't care to have to do. Was in a bike shop recently and the technician was explaining why a customer's tire likely went flat. The guy seemed completely baffled about it - no idea how or why a puncture could happen. He just wanted to ride his bike.

The same stuff has been for sale around here forever. Some are pretty decent. But the average user isn't shopping used.

mechanicmatt

Look for 95-ish or earlier Mongoose, Univega, Kona, Nishiki, Fuji, GT, or Diamondback. Off brands will set you free. Find the thrift store by the nice part of town.

jon c. 

The selection on my local CL seemed to be drying up well before Covid. I saw a lot more promising offerings 5 years ago than I did a year ago. All Covid did was raise prices a bit on an already lousy selection.

AngryFrankie

I'm in a big city and when I get the itch, I'm sure to look within a range that might take me on a short road trip. Most of the millenials, college kids, etc..who are fueling a lot of the bike craze, aren't willing to do that. I LOVE taking a drive out to the country to grab a cool bike. They tend to sit longer. Try for one of the early hybrids, like the Schwinn cross cuts, Specialized crossroads, and Trek 720/750 early trek hybrids. Many of those are really great frames with great 700c tire clearance, canti mounts, and brazes for everything.

SurferRosa

Have you checked the obits?

joesch

I like the fact that you can find many of them out on the roads in use today. Sometimes the riders do not even know how coveted some of these old classics are, like a kid riding his dads old Masi road bike.

mack_turtle

someone posted a 1995 Gary Fisher Tassajara that had been converted with a drop bar and shifters yesterday for fifty bucks. the seller thought it was an old piece of junk that no one would want. they were so suddenly bombarded with offers within five minutes that they had to take the listing down and just put it on ebay. a few hours later, it's at $69. I am sure they'll get a few hundred for it.

gthomson

This has been the theme song of the summer and really peaked back in April in May when everyone was trying to find a bike or repair a bike and the bike shops were all sold out, people started pulling rusted out old hunks of steele from the shed and listing them for hundreds of dollars as "vintage classic".

Around where I am things are starting to return to normal now as I'm seeing bike prices drop and anything unreasonably priced is not moving. That being said, the other day my friend pointed out a listing on FB for a mint condition Concorde 80's road bike with all high end components for $100!!! Of course it was gone in less than an hour.

I cried all weekend long for missing this deal.

kross57

There are still bargains. You have to watch craigslist, FB marketplace and ebay religiously, and jump on anything quickly. Be prepared to pay a little bit more, but nothing crazy..

2old

One aspect evident in socal is an enormous increase in MTB, possibly because so many other exercise activities (pickup basketball, soccer etc) have been curtailed and those individuals need an outlet. Some trails that used to be devoid of riders are inundated now. Since the bike shops are depleted of lower-priced inventory, the used market is healthy.

greg3rd48 

I had a low-end Schwinn which I flipped and sold at COVID prices in less than 24 hours. The emails kept coming.

Glennr134

I just bought a 1987 Schwinn super sport for 100 dollars on letgo 2 weeks ago. I have had very good luck buying and selling on that app. Bike is in pristine condition. Still had original Schwinn labeled tires on it.

krakhaus 

There's a guy here in Palm Desert that somehow has dozens of bikes, and wants offensive amounts of money for them. $1200 for an old Specialized FSR in crappy condition, and $500 for bikes that were maybe $150 new. He doesn't seem to know anything about bikes either.