crankholio

A couple years ago, Craigslist was littered with 10-20+ yr old bikes for $50-$150. Now all these same bikes are $300-$500. Anyone else notice this?

bikemig 

There are a lot of threads on this. The pandemic has convinced people it's time to get outdoors and get on a bike. Bikes are disappearing from stores. Supply chains have been disrupted by trade wars. And used bikes have gone up in price.

Deals are still out there but you have to search harder. Also my guess is that there is a bit of a crash going on with used bikes. The demand cannot continue to go up forever. But the used bike market isn't rational. Inventory is a sunk cost, storage costs are non-existent, advertising is free, and belief that you've won the lottery because other bikes are priced high is strong.

50PlusCycling

If you live in an area which as any retirement communities, pay a visit and ask when the next bazaar or sale will be held. These are usually held a few time a year, and you will find great deals on bikes and such. These people don't use computers and don't know what a Craigslist is.

When I lived in Southern California, there was a large community near Long Beach called "Leisure World" (us younger people called it "Seizure World"). Every other month or so there was a large sale at this place, I once got a minty Schwinn 5 speed cruiser with drum brakes for only $100. I got a Honda CB175 motorcycle in nearly new condition for $200. My most interesting find was a Winchester 1901 10 gauge lever-action shotgun (like the one used by the Terminator in one of those movies). The gun cost me $200.

veganbikes

I still have enough project bikes from before the pandemic. If you want to buy some I will let them go cheap.

spike48

I just picked up a 1986 Schwinn Passage for $29 at a thrift shop. Just happened to stop at the shop to drop off some things that we no longer need.

thumpism 

Welcome! What size Passage? Asking for a friend.

Patrick3000

The lead time for new inventory is around 18 months. So it looks like the shortage will run well into next season, 2021.

spike48

It's a 23 inch, just happened to be my size so double win. Sorry for your friend.

unterhausen

If I need a project bike, I just go up into the attic

steine13

I hear that about overpriced craigslist junk. I got lucky in that a friend had a bike i wanted -- a somewhat dilapidated '96 Cannondale R200 -- that was too big for him to ride. I figured if I find him something appropriate, we could have us a trade. Craigs gave nothing, FB marketplace was worse, a nice pair of Specialized Crossroad hybrids showed up at an estate sale and were gone pronto, only to resurface on craigs... but then I found a Marin (REI brand?) hybrid/comfort bike with 26" wheels on nextdoor.com. An older couple was moving out of state and were asking $50 for this thing. I told them they had a deal and picked it up; didn't even ride it first. Seven speed Altus shifter, V brakes, sprung seat post, it's totally not my thing but I was impressed by how well it rode. The upshot is, my buddy has a bike to ride, I've got proper SKS fenders in the mail for him as part of the bargain, and I have a ton of work to do on my old Cannondale. I got the wheels trued enough to ride, the head set tightened, and the tires pumped up... the rest works pretty well but I didn't remember they put handlebars that far down...

Other than being chatty on a Sunday morning, what I'm trying to say is you'll find bargains where everyone else isn't looking. Nextdoor is a full of people selling stuff they know nothing about.. it pays to keep an eye out and every once in a while something comes along. The next "deal" is an early 80s Fuji Monterey with steel rims for the low low price of $150. But for the price of looking once a day, it's not a bad source.

Patrick3000

That is a good idea, Nextdoor, thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely keep an eye out.

sovende

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed the "bike world" (at least in the United States)! The intensified interest in doing healthy activities outdoors is a prominent factor. In major metro areas that are/were "bike friendly", relatively large inventories were definitely beneficial to retailers. I live in a mostly rural area where the bike market has seen little if any growth until this recent issue. Financial factors forced the rural retailers to rely on Amazon styled wholesalers providing rapid delivery instead of any serious level of inventory. With all of the pandemic issues, these businesses got caught with their pants down . The feeding frenzy eventually affected the entire market. Independent entrepreneurs on Craig's List, FB MarketPlace and other social media sales venues saw the increased demand and priced accordingly! It's basic ecnomics.
Fortunately, in many rural areas, not everyone has their finger on the pulse of the bike market! I still see bikes out on the curb on trash day! I guess you just have to live in the right area. Sometime tho, the only thing "right" about those areas is the ability to find "project bikes" on trash day .

Danhedonia

My county landfill has a row of bikes sitting there for the asking. I think it's kind of nice of them to do it, they honestly don't have to. For the low cost of a phone call and trip to the dump, you might get lucky.

Charliekeet

Then again, on Nextdoor as with everywhere else these days, you do get some people who are either clueless or trying to capitalize on the clueless with listings like this one: