What bike has the best resale value?

[dbnm]

I've been watching some bikes on ebay (and here) and I'm pretty surprised on how low the resale value is.

So what bike(s) has the best resale value?

[colker]

Merckx. De Rosa. Sancineto. Sachs. Fat Chance Yo Eddy 10th aniversary. WTB Phoenix.

[cgolvin]

I would have said (your) Moots ;-)

[yinzerniner]

Easy. A Schwinn - 360% Profit Baby!


https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pee-...ion-42016.html

[doomridesout]

Confente.

[denapista]

expect to take a loss on every frame you buy. These aren't air cooled 911's. The key is to just get what you feel can contribute to your next build dollar wise, and pass on the stoke for cheap.

Moots are the only bikes I see holding a constant decent value. Considering how much boutique frames are new, don't expect to get much in return.

[stien]

Originally Posted by doomridesout

Confente.

Ding ding ding

[kppolich]

I consistently see frames with custom geometry sell for a lower value.

Best resale value that I have seen online would be Stinner's, CAAD10s, Allez's, Moots, and Waterford/Gunnar.

[tuscanyswe]

Its a simple equation.

Timeless good looking bikes with a brand that holds a lot of recognition. Simple as that .)
Then there are the rare ones who are no longer made ofc but different thing.

[hokoman]

Moots and Pegoretti. Those are the Tacoma's of bicycles. The rest are varying levels of Mercedes.

[denapista]

Moots Compact SL from 2009 (10yrs old) can still fetch a pretty penny.

Those frames hover around $2000 usd and that's probably close to what it sold for initially.

[ltwtsculler91]

Serotta Prontos - still fetching 2500+ when they go up for sale and I'm still looking for a 54 to pair with my No22

That said, in my world my No22 Reactor has the best resale, since it would take about 5x what I paid for it to take it off my hands

[glepore]

Dogpile on Moots. Pretty much everything else is a bloodbath. The Peg thing is temporary. Seven's and Spectrums should be in the discussion, but they are "too" bespoke usually to take a flyer on.

[Powerful Pete]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

Its a simple equation.

Timeless good looking bikes with a brand that holds a lot of recognition. Simple as that .)
Then there are the rare ones who are no longer made ofc but different thing.

Yup. Even without going slightly "exotic" using the Moots example - look at the high end prices of a Colnago (for example). Nothing particularly earth shattering on such a frame, but well known, good pedigree and more than good looking. You should never expect to get back what you put in, money wise, but you will be able to sell for more than pennies on the dollar.

As a counter argument, look at the number of excellent frames that are languishing in the for sale section here - nothing wrong with them but they simply don't have the same market recognition.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by dbnm

I've been watching some bikes on ebay (and here) and I'm pretty surprised on how low the resale value is.

So what bike(s) has the best resale value?

There is no general rule.

I think the "value" of the resale needs to be defined: How much off of the initial purchase price?, and then ongoing depreciation from there.
And then the time frame: 6-months resale from new is clearly different from 5/10 years out.
It is not great, in general.
Bicycles are bad financial investments, in general.

So: Very, very few, depending 99.99% on pedigree, condition, and some collector's level of desire, or some rider's level of "need".

So again there is no general rule, and I definitely do not think it is very brand-specific, except for perhaps for a few very rare and "hallowed" names like the mentioned Confente, Eisentraut, etc., or rare one-off, limited editions (and even at that those things sit on eBay at over-valued $15-20K asking prices for years on end; those Colnagos for instance). Even a NOS Moots 26" HT has very little "value" now, unless one finds that one exact buyer at that exact right time.

Bicycle re-sale values in the majority are not at all positive, just as the vast majority of cars, etc are not. These things sure are not Rolex watches or Tiffany diamonds, where essentially an entire category has positive value. These things are more fleeting, like fashion, and I think future resale market predictability = 0.