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Just can't figure folks out sometimes

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Just can't figure folks out sometimes

Old 07-24-21, 11:03 PM
  #1  
oldlugs
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Just can't figure folks out sometimes

Last week a couple down the road was cleaning out their parents old house. The old guy had a garage full of cheap bikes, all were clean, needing mostly just air in the tires and such, and a few better bikes, and a ton of fishing tackle. They asked me if I'd list of help them list the bikes online, and I can have the fishing tackle.
I said sure, so they wheeled all 26 bikes down to my garage. There were 11 Sears Free Spirit bikes, two AMF kids bikes with banana seats, 6 Huffy three speeds, and 4 cruisers, one Rollfast single speed with 26x1 3/8" wheels, one tall, late model Raleigh Sports 23" in amazing condition, and one small frame Schwinn Continental with two flat tires.
I took a group pic of them in the driveway in front of the garage and a series of left side pics of each bike and noted the frame sizes.
I listed them under one ad, $150 each, take your pic. I figured the Raleigh would go first then the Schwinn or Rollfast and I'd drop the price to $50, but I was so wrong.
The first to sell were the Huffy three speeds, I got 30 emails the first night. Then the Murray and Sears three speeds, one guy drove 400 miles to buy a Sears three speed from the 80's. Only one person balked at the price I let one go for a bit less but one by one over the course of the week they all went, with the exception of the super clean Raleigh Sports and the Schwinn Continental. I finally pulled the ad, listed the Continental at $50 but its got no emails at all. I didn't relist the Raleigh since it got no emails and not a single person so much as looked at it. They all went right for the department store bikes. All were fairly clean, none were rusty or anything but if someone gave me the choice between a Huffy, a Murray, or a Raleigh, I'm taking the Raleigh.
Today they brought me four more bikes down that came out of a back shed, another older Raleigh Sports in a 21" frame, a Huffy Santa Fe 10 speed, complete with Positron shifting and 26x1 3/8" tires, a tall frame Nishiki Sport, and a small frame Sun Bikes 10 speed from Japan, Both of the last two have steel rims, low end components and all four are ridable as is. The smaller Raleigh is older, but not bad, but with two broken fender braces and old tires.
I put them up around 4pm as a lot, $100 - your pic. I got 14 emails for the Huffy Santa Fe and it was gone in 20 minutes. They didn't even ask about or look at the other bikes. Another person emailed about the Huffy, but was too late, but they came and got both the Nishiki Sport and the Sun 10 speed for $150 for the pair.
Again, no interest in the Raleigh Sports. I pulled the ad a few minutes ago figuring I'll fix the fenders on the Raleigh or part it out. I got them far more for the lot then they expected, they only wanted $20 per bike. So the two Raleigh Sports and a ton of fishing tackle is free. Plus they threw in the guys boat and outboard since I got them so much out of the bikes.

In the end, I was shocked to see that in every case, people went right for the cheap bikes, despite knowing they were all the same price. Only two bickered about price a bit. And after a week long ad at first, and a one day ad for the last four, not a single person so much as mentioned or looked at the Raleigh bikes.
The taller Raleigh is in really nice shape but they ignored it and ran right for the bikes I'd just as well throw away.

I don't usually flip or sell bikes but this was sort of an eye opener as to what folks want around here.
It realy explains why it took three years to sell a 23" frame Panasonic DX4000 and a 60cm Trek 512 two years ago.
Maybe I should have put Huffy head badges on them.

I was wrong in thinking that bikes being a hard sell here was money related and that it was a matter of them not having cash in hand, but they had cash for the Huffy and Murray bikes. So its not a credit card only thing either. I'm also not sure its a local thing either as most of the buyers drove quite a distance to buy bikes, only one bike sold to someone less than 30 miles away. When I listed my Panasonic and Trek bikes in 2019, I got almost no interest other than a few emails from folks in the city 35 miles away asking if I'd deliver the bike. They would not come look at it or buy it. It was too far. Yet for department store bikes, some drove hundreds of miles.

Over the past few years I read a few posts about cheap bikes selling better than higher end bikes but this week really surprised me.
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Old 07-24-21, 11:47 PM
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That's probably due to the power of brand name recognition. Sears and Huffy are familiar names to folks who aren't really into cycling. I doubt any non-cyclists would connect Panasonic with cycling, and nowadays some Panasonic-branded electronics have degraded so badly in quality that I doubt most younger people would even associate that brand name with quality of any kind.

Most familiar beer brands have been cruising on that kind of name recognition for decades, not because their beers are particularly good.
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Old 07-25-21, 12:15 AM
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Originally Posted by oldlugs
I said sure, so they wheeled all 26 bikes down to my garage...
Holy crap! (literally.)
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Old 07-25-21, 04:46 AM
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I wrench one day a week at an LBS and am, slowly, learning that I am NO ones target market and I cannot fathom what makes people tick. I rarely meet anyone who likes the old steel that we here do and I've tried to quit figuring out people. Cheap junk that people pay us hundreds of dollars to make just rideable. Huge saddles that feel like they are groping me on test rides. Monstrous heavy cruisers with monstrous cheap components that will not respond to maintenance. High end components with clock works deep inside that are not maintainable. Cables buried in the frame to prevent lubrication. Twist grip shifters that, in top shape, require Popeye arms to operate. I could go on and on but what's the point. Live and let live.

Its the same with cars. I told my wife recently "I no longer worry about someone stealing my car. They could not drive a 5 speed and if they did they could not sell it. No one else can drive a 5 speed."

Garcia: Sometimes the light's all shining on me, other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me what a long strange trip it's been.

Rush: Kids these days they don't value a dollar
Don't like chewing but they sure can swallow
Wasn't that way in my younger days
There's something wrong with kids these days

Get off my lawn 😊
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Old 07-25-21, 07:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Prowler
...and am, slowly, learning that I am NO ones target market and I cannot fathom what makes people tick...
Yes, yes, yes! Our co-op is bursting at the seams with interesting old road bikes, but if I had a nickel for every person who gets scared away by "those skinny tires" I'd be rich. Also, multiple times I have handed over meticulously refurbished bicycles to people, only to have the first question out of their mouths be "where's the kickstand?" People want what they want, and it's remarkably hard to change their minds once they're made up. After a while I just sort of came to accept it. On the plus side, I've gotten very good at replacing grip shift cables, and huge 26-inch box-store MTB tires are very easy to take on and off!

Last edited by PugRider; 07-25-21 at 07:03 AM. Reason: typo
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Old 07-25-21, 07:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Prowler
I wrench one day a week at an LBS and am, slowly, learning that I am NO ones target market and I cannot fathom what makes people tick. I rarely meet anyone who likes the old steel that we here do and I've tried to quit figuring out people. Cheap junk that people pay us hundreds of dollars to make just rideable. Huge saddles that feel like they are groping me on test rides. Monstrous heavy cruisers with monstrous cheap components that will not respond to maintenance. High end components with clock works deep inside that are not maintainable. Cables buried in the frame to prevent lubrication. Twist grip shifters that, in top shape, require Popeye arms to operate. I could go on and on but what's the point. Live and let live.

Its the same with cars. I told my wife recently "I no longer worry about someone stealing my car. They could not drive a 5 speed and if they did they could not sell it. No one else can drive a 5 speed."

Garcia: Sometimes the light's all shining on me, other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me what a long strange trip it's been.

Rush: Kids these days they don't value a dollar
Don't like chewing but they sure can swallow
Wasn't that way in my younger days
There's something wrong with kids these days

Get off my lawn 😊
Wait until it's been a decade or more of watching clueless customers. The bike industry has become so vapid and the typical consumer is so clueless, I'm still stunned at how expensive a lbs entry level bike has become. Is it because of taxes/tarrifs? Is it because of all those shipping costs to bring together parts from around the world?
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Old 07-25-21, 07:25 AM
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I've seen the same thing happen at police auctions where people paid near (or over) retail for shiney department store bikes.

Name recognition also is a factor, especially for the generation brought up on this:

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Old 07-25-21, 07:48 AM
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I suspect that most people are looking for a user for themselves or their kids, and view the fancier ones as more esoteric stuff for a specialty market, not "users". From the angle of someone who rides to get around efficiently, I've never understood the appeal of cruisers, etc,, but I'm not trying to saddle a family of people who are looking for a toy that the whole family can enjoy. The toy market is huge compared with the commuter, racer, distance market.
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Old 07-25-21, 07:54 AM
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I like The bikes that came out of Sears. Some had a wow factor, others were no jewels but they got the riding done!

But yea, people are hard to figure out...
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Old 07-25-21, 08:38 AM
  #10  
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Old department store three-speeds are reliable as heck, not finicky to adjust, and work well in all weather. Derailleur bikes tend to get jammed up with snow/ice, especially when parked outside after being ridden in the slush. (like when I used to ride to/from school 50 years ago)

BITD, I rode the heck out of my dad's 1960 Sears Austrian-sourced Puch/J.C.Higgins three speed and then later my own 1969 Sears domestic-sourced 26" three speed 'English Racers'. Yeah, in snow and ice during Cleveland winters.. Thank goodness for the coaster brake three-speed hub! That latter frame finally rusted through in a rather unusual place - the rear end of the toptube!

Recently I had picked up a late '70s vintage women's Sears three-speed in pristine condition at a yard sale for $35 - just needed new tires. That one should make for a nice 'town bike' for the Wife...
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Old 07-25-21, 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Prowler
I wrench one day a week at an LBS and am, slowly, learning that I am NO ones target market and I cannot fathom what makes people tick. I rarely meet anyone who likes the old steel that we here do and I've tried to quit figuring out people. Cheap junk that people pay us hundreds of dollars to make just rideable. Huge saddles that feel like they are groping me on test rides. Monstrous heavy cruisers with monstrous cheap components that will not respond to maintenance. High end components with clock works deep inside that are not maintainable. Cables buried in the frame to prevent lubrication. Twist grip shifters that, in top shape, require Popeye arms to operate. I could go on and on but what's the point. Live and let live.

Its the same with cars. I told my wife recently "I no longer worry about someone stealing my car. They could not drive a 5 speed and if they did they could not sell it. No one else can drive a 5 speed."

Garcia: Sometimes the light's all shining on me, other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me what a long strange trip it's been.

Rush: Kids these days they don't value a dollar
Don't like chewing but they sure can swallow
Wasn't that way in my younger days
There's something wrong with kids these days

Get off my lawn 😊
my wife totaled our 5 speed Rav.
we got more money for it as it WAS a stick.
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Old 07-25-21, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by onyerleft
I'd be interested in hearing more about the fishing tackle. There's a synergy between bicycling and fishing - just ask Shimano.
And was the outboard a vintage? That is another of my hobbies.....
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Old 07-25-21, 12:31 PM
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A lot of people want what they had, or parents and older siblings had, as kids; which makes me surprised about the Schwinn.

Department stores, hardware stores were where people got bikes. It brings back memories for them.

John
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Old 07-25-21, 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by markk900
And was the outboard a vintage? That is another of my hobbies.....
Dad had a 50s vintage Mercury Mark V. water-cooled. 2cyl-2stroke. That went with our 16' sailboat when dad sold it it 1974, and the idiots left it outside in the winter and the lower cracked because the water in the lower froze because of ice... I'd be surprised if it had 150 hours on the motor...
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Old 07-25-21, 04:14 PM
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I've found that if it doesn't have index shifting or if it has drop bars and narrow tires, 99.9% of the buying public doesn't want it. Back when I had a guy bringing me bikes of interest he would also give me any cheap bike that needed a little work. He'd buy a truckload of bikes at auctions for next to nothing, pull out the box store bikes that didn't need work and bring the rest to me to see if there was anything I wanted. I got a few real gems that way and quite a few cheapies that I could fix easily and flip. I could sell WalMart MTB's and cruisers about as fast as I could get them done and actually make some money on them. C & V stuff? IF I could sell it I usually barely broke even. I sold a few last year and got fair money out of them but earlier this year I tried selling a REALLY nice '86 Fuji Del Rey and a 1990 Diamondback Interval with full Champion No. 2 tubing that had been ugraded to 3 X 7 with brifters and I started the pricing below what I had in them because I wanted the room in my garage for better stuff. I dropped the prices twice on each one until I was at half of my initial asking price. Not a nibble on either one of them, not even any lowball offers. I finally pulled them and they'll go back on the hooks for now. Since then I have been watching a couple other nice road bikes go through the same thing and they've been on for weeks with the prices slashed well below what they would have sold for a couple years ago. The C&V market here is absolutely in the toilet. great time to buy but if you need to sell one to raise the funds for the new project or make room you may be SOL.
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Old 07-25-21, 04:23 PM
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I can only guess that that the Dept store bikes cannot be found anywhere now so people will pay top dollar for used stuff that they now can’t find in stores at the same price.

Anyway, well done OP!
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Old 07-25-21, 06:48 PM
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"Raleigh...is that from North Carolina?"

I hear that a lot more as time marches on.

Even though this has nothing to do with buyers - and as much as it pains me to admit it - the '80s Free Spirit 3-speed Raleigh clones are more likely not to rage a modern LBS mechanic who's used to department store crap. Even the Shimano 333 bellcrank will feel familiar to someone who's worked on Nexus 3's before. Not everyone is ready for Whitworth everything.

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Old 07-28-21, 02:16 PM
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You have to remember, most people who ride bikes are doing it for transportation or recreation, and don't want something that can't carry a load or go off-road. Drop bars and their aggressive riding position are also intimidating to casual riders, and they think they're just for racers. One last factor; you're men, and probably tall, selling tall bikes, which narrows your potential buyers even more. I wish more people would understand and appreciate classic bikes, but it is what it is.

Also, kickstands are massively useful for most riders.
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Old 07-28-21, 02:41 PM
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23" Raleigh sports would be very cool to me.
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Old 07-29-21, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by 52telecaster
23" Raleigh sports would be very cool to me.
And look where you just said that. Proves my point.

(It's a very nice point, I keep it polished and sharp.)
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Old 07-29-21, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Korina
And look where you just said that. Proves my point.

(It's a very nice point, I keep it polished and sharp.)
I just scored a 23" triumph. Essentially a Raleigh sports from 1971! Been looking way too long.
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Old 07-29-21, 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by PugRider
huge 26-inch box-store MTB tires are very easy to take on and off!
It's even worse for 20" wheel kid's bikes. And if they aren't centered on the rim when you inflate them: BLAM!
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Old 07-30-21, 03:00 PM
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A few years back I bought a used Miyata Seven Ten for the whopping sum of $30.00 Canadian from a fellow outside of town who sold used bikes.

That Miyata Seven Ten had a Shimano 105 6-speed hub on the back and the matching 105 hub on the front. It also came with brand new Serfas Seca tires with the card still wrapped around them. I mounted one of the tires on the rear wheel so I could tow the bike home. It also had a Campagnolo rear derailleur, headset and brake levers.

The guy told me that where he was no one wanted to buy a bike with a dropbar.








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Old 07-30-21, 06:23 PM
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I remember when MTBs were first becoming mainstream. A lot of people liked them due to the upright riding position but more importantly for those people was the fact that MTBs could handle broken pavement and/or potholes a lot better/easier than a road bike could.

What it all boils down to is different strokes for different folks. The market for old department store bikes might be quite high in one area and non existent in another nearby area. Ditto for any other type of bicycle.

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