Which titanium bike brands holds its value the best?
 

Hey guys.
I'm looking for a titanium road frame to ride with a group but would like to buy a brand that has good resale value.
Background: I currently ride a old 90s Trek with old 90s parts and am the ugly duckling in the group.
This bike will be my biggest investment to date because I plan on putting aero wheels and a new groupset onto a titanium frame.
If possible I'd like to stretch my purchasing dollar on a titanium brand that holds its value over several years in case I plan on selling.
Titanium is nice because it is the most durable material besides steel on a bike and the bikes seem to hold its value longer than carbon or aluminum.
Question: Can anyone help give me tips about which brands to buy?
I've gotten mixed reviews from other forums from other people feeling something more unique like titanium/carbon seatstays from Airborne, or something made by a veteran frame maker like K Bradford, or something more common like a Lynskey for more name brand recognition will have a higher resale value.
Any advice is helpful at this point.
:fight:

Moots, Baum, Firefly seem to hold their value well.

You will need disc brakes and wide tires compatibility until something changes. With this said I would buy a good bike. All these are.

Moots, except the Psychlo X.

buy a used moots, lynskey e.t.c disc road bike and you won't lose as much when you flick it on. . Chances are you might crash it anyways so investing in a primo bike doesn't make much sense if you want to ride it like it was designed to be ridden.

poke around sold listings on ebay...

i have the impression that moots retains value well, if you buy it used. Any titanium frame new is likely to depreciate by at least half in short order, possibly more if custom and a bit unique.
If it has modern provisions (1 1/8 head tube/rim brake) you probably could buy well used and sell for nearly the same if you got a moots for example.
however technology is changing rapidly.
some people don't want rim brake frames, or disc without thru axles or clearance for only 25s etc. so you cant count on any bike as an investment, or even as a predictably depreciating good. market is very soft now which is good for you as a buyer, but not so much as a future seller.

Some of the aforementioned brands will likely have a higher resale value, but also come at literally double the cost of some others (i.e. Moots vs Lynskey), or more. So while a Moots may have a higher resale value, why does it matter if you paid $5k for it, and then sell it for $3500? You can score a new Lynskey for some crazy prices these days. Let's say you buy one new for $1400, and turn around and sell it for $700 - then your net loss is half that of the Moots. In fact, you would come out $100 ahead, versus the Moots scenario, by simply giving away the Lynskey vs reselling it. It's hard to rack and stack the kind of impact depreciation may have, and my numbers can be debated.

Buying used can help defray the depreciation hit. That way you are paying fair market value right off of the bat and not absorbing the initial loss like the first buyer.

Either way, a bike is a poor investment. They don't hold value, and even vintage collector pieces do not fare well compared to other types of gear like guitars or automobiles.

I wouldn't buy a bike based on possible resale value. Or to put it in another way, it would be a very minor consideration for me. The market is volatile, and there are more flavors now (disc versus caliper on road bikes, i.e.). My advice is to buy what you love that fits your budget.

I was about to post the same. If this is your biggest purchase to date, then fit, finish, ride quality, etc. should be your priority. Not resale value. I’d rather lose several hundred $ on a frame that I love to ride than losing several seasons of riding on something I’m not totally in love with, despite its excellent resale.

And frankly, if it’s a frame you love, then resale won’t matter.

Don't Try To Flip, Try To Buy Cheap Now
 

The new and used bike market has been and is saturated. There's more options than ever too, disc, electronic shifting, gravel/road. It has made for a great secondary market to buy, not so much to sell.

Buy used. Look at every site you can that has used titanium bikes. You'll see pretty quick that someone's dream is now a steal. Buy that person's financial mistake and save your money.

Season is coming to a close, you'll see quite a bit for sale from now till spring.

Moots
 

Moots by a long shot in terms of ti bike value. Especially a stock Moots.
The more custom a bike is, and the smaller and more esoteric the builder is- The bigger the drop vs. retail price paid and secondary market price.

You mean as a percent of it's value.....or just the dollar amount it depreciates.

If a popular $4000 frame loses half it's value, you lost $2000.

if a $2000 frame loses half it's value, you lost $1000.

If a $1500 Lynskey frame and fork loses down to $500.....you still only lost $1000 and only had to spend $1500.

Or a $1000 Ti frame and fork (and headset) from Bikes Direct .com made by Ora Engineering for Motobecane loses all it's value.....the purchase price is all you lost. And these are pretty nice frames.

I've purchased two Ti bikes (Serotta, Lynskey) on this forum's classifieds. Both are outstanding bikes.

If you really live in Brooklyn you might get the most bang for your buck buying an "old-fashioned" ti bike with rim brakes and clearance for only 27mm tires with 10 speed group. It's hard to find a hill on Long Island so you don't need disc brakes and 11 or 12 cogs. A nice MOOTS, Serotta, Hampsten, Erickson, Lynskey ti bike will NOT hold you back in the rides you have described and even if you "lost" 1/2 in a future resale it would only be a few hundred bucks at most.

The worst are generally Moots Vamoots SL's in a 54. Terrible value retainer, especially if in great condition. Get rid it now if you have one. Oh and PM me if so, I might know someone who will take it off your hands.

As a machinist I have bought many many thousands dollars of machinery over the last 29 years only thinking of the money that could be made off those machines, never thinking about resale value. When I buy a bike I only think of the miles and smiles I will get from it. If you’re that concerned with resale value I would suggest a Caad 10 with 105 that can be had at a great price and is a great bike ( I realize it’s not Ti ). This is coming from someone who owns 4 Ti bikes and was very surprised with the Caad, it’s a keeper!

Best investment for making you faster and no longer feeling like the “ugly duckling” of your group?
1- bike fit $250
2- 5-10 training sessions. $250-500
3- power meter and head unit to verify gains $400-600 (which you can sell at a minimal loss)

For less than the price of some fancy deep carbon aero wheels you’ll be dusting the others in your group ride with your 90s trek. And any bike you get afterwards will only go up in value since the Merckx of Williamsburg was seen riding it.

Improve the engine before improving the tool.

Bikes are a poor investment. I should know, I currently have 20+, all relatively high end, that I could get pennies on the dollar for. Wouldn’t trade them for anything. Find a bike you like buy it and ride it.


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Brilliant.

Titanium, especially custom Ti, definitely holds resale value better than carbon, unless the carbon bike is special in some way (e.g., Pinarello Dogma). Ti doesn't degrade with time or miles, and it can't have invisible cracks like carbon, so a good strategy is to buy a used but really nice Ti bike. They won't depreciate much.

Buy a beautiful used $3000 Seven Titanium and you can sell it three years later for $3000. Buy a beautiful new $3000 Specialized carbon and you can sell it three years later for $1200. Buy a used Specialized carbon for $1200 and you'll worry whether it will catastrophically fail from a hidden crack the next time you hit a pothole at 30mph.

Brands? Moots, Hampsten, Seven, Merlin, 333Fab...people have various opinions but once you get to a certain quality level these marques are simply different flavors of 10 on a 10 scale. Avoid cheap titanium because...well, life is short and so it should include the sweetness of a top quality ti frame.

I'm new here so I don't want to be too strong with an opinion so just take this as one guy's view.

I also recommend shaved legs - pretty cheap, very pro ;)

THIS.

Life is short, ride what you want because it's fun - and then ride more because you're having fun. ROI should be measured in miles and smiles, not resale value.

Yep buy the one that you can afford and ride it as often as possible!

If you just look at the money buy the cheapest and ride it as often as possible.

I'd have to disagree.

Custom is only custom for the original buyer.

After that, it's just as much of a crap shoot whether someone else's custom fits another potential buyer as a stock frame would. If you're looking at resale value, commissioning a custom frame is a money-losing proposition.



A Ti Lynskey is probably the best bet in terms of absolute minimum $$$ lost on a Ti frame bought new; hunt for their sales and you'll score something. But really, you should buy a used Ti frame (that can fit 28's, with rim brakes), and just go ride the snot out of it. The Ti LeMonds can sometimes be found used for sweetheart deals and they ride great.

And rim brakes worked for generations of TDF mountain stages... Giro stages... Hell, rim brakes are excellent.

A nice Ti bike by Seven, Serotta, Linksey, Can't go wrong. For that matter, Steel can be had for a song and a dance.

Buy an Independent Fabrications TI frame....... you’ll never sell it so you’ll never lose any money.......simples👍

If you are looking at brand new then buy a No22. I have two and they are cheaper than any comparable Moots, Firefly, Baum and Mosaic at around 1/2 to 2/3 the initial cost. They are beautiful with extensive metal work and ride amazing.

The lead time is around 12 weeks and the customer service is great. These guys make a top tier titanium bike welded by Frank who used to weld for Serotta. Hard to beat IMO.

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Not really..Custom Moots Vamoots $4500..No22 road/rim brake-$3700..others about the same..remember, the $3200 $ for a no22 is w/o a fork(Great Divide)..PLUS pretty sure this company as well as others are using off shore sourced titanium tubes. It really means a whole lot of nuthing but it's an 'indicator'..Moots uses US sourced titanium..

PLUS no22 consumer direct so they are getting a much bigger margin compared to a dealer sold frame..

No22 uses triple butted USA sourced titanium if I am not mistaken and is more in line with an RSL than a Vamoots. Moots makes a great bike as well, but an RSL is significantly more expensive.

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this is such a weird question thats been answered a hundred times over and the answer rarely changes. moots hold value best, but who cares? if youd like to invest in something, i have this bridge...

Shameless Plug
 

These hold their value!

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=241100

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=241278

Just sayin.

Well sorta..RSL also has 6/4 titanium bits. And the walls of the Vamoots essentially the same thickness as the thinnest parts of the No22 tubes. Really tough to compare. Butting more often than not on ti frames for marketing rather than any 'performance' items. ..

Both great frames..But the OP is looking for resale $, which I don't think should be part of the decision, but that's just MO..

Ride, fit, customer service..things like that..not how much is it worth in X number of years..

I would look for a Moots with rim brakes. Unless you ride the mountains and ride in rain often, disc just isn't needed. (Count the rim brake bikes in the last TdF).

My 2 cents having gone through this process getting a titanium race bike.

Did a lot of research and went with Dean. Great bike at what I consider great value.
Originally was going to get a stock, contacted them in the end got a fantastic custom El Diente.

Simply put, incredible bike. My greatest compliment is that I don't even notice it when I ride (or race).

Contact Johannes at Dean.

Are you buying used or new?

I buy a lot of titanium bikes. I have 4 full bikes and 6 frames right now, and I've sold about two dozen in the last two years.

A used rim brake titanium bike (assuming you properly negotiated price) basically can't go down in value. They hold up better than any other material, typically had a top of the line group from when it was new, and are going to last forever. I'm also in Brooklyn, I can help you find one.

If you have to go new and want the absolute best $$$/performance ratio, a Lynskey frame for $800 is incredible. They come up straight from Lynskey with their full proper warranty a few times a year. You can even get the nice modern thru axle disc brake stuff which will hold value even better (rim brake is donezo)

If you go new from any other manufacturer avoid rim brake, it will not hold value. Even a moots.

All things considered I haven't seen too many No22 on the used market yet, but I would bet that they retain as much value in the sold Market as a comparable Moots. They just haven't been around as long or produced as many bikes yet.

I have owned a Vamoots, a newer RSL, Routt and Psychlo x. I currently own a Drifter and a Great divide. I didnt lose any $ when selling the second hand Moots bikes and they were all top notch.

The moots finish is very industrial with $$ options to make them a bit flashier whereas the No22s get polished masked and then blasted included in the price.

I did forget about the RSL getting 6/4 seat stays. The overall ride between the RSL and Great divide are very good. Smooth, stiff, snappy while retaining a very comfortable ride. Either bike is an excellent choice.

Time will tell if No22 holds its value as well. I hadn't checked out the pricing recently as they have gone up a bit since I purchased mine in 2017. Looks like the frame is around what the framesets were a few years ago? Attachment 1697983678Attachment 1697983679

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22's hold value like a Seven, maybe Mosaic/Firefly if it's a nicer model - moots is just a whole different level of crazy.

Moots seem to hold their value the best. I have bought a few used here and none were steals but both great bikes. As already mentioned in numerous posts get a bike that fits and enjoy it.

I just did a little research and it further proves my point. Go to adrenaline bikes and have a look at No22 frame and frameset prices. They are literally half of a comparable Mosaic, 2/3 of a comparable Moots. I couldn't find actual pricing on the Seven website for just frame/frameset.

I don't see them losing too much value comparably if they hit the used market since the company has only been producing bikes for around 5 years. I know I seem biased since I own a couple of them, but dollar for dollar they are the best deal going for high end titanium bikes IMHO.

A Lynskey is a bargain if you can find them on closeout new, but its been around two years since they were blowing out new frames for $800 and they do not have the same level of finish or details as most others without extra $$$. Still likely the best deal going for a great riding titanium bike that you can pick up new for less than one would lose on almost any high end titanium bike.

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https://lynskeyperformance.com/premier-road-frame/

They still offer deals.

I'm not a big Lynskey fan, but $900 and no silly dropouts..

There's an XL on eBay w Enve fork and Cane Creek 110 HS for $799 obo.

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I agree when we're talking about custom dimensions. I should have been clear that I was talking about custom-builder quality. There are good reasons that a used Hampsten sells for far more than a used Lynskey or LeMond or Performance-Douglas.