How to price a "Frankenstein" bike

[bowenarrow]

I have a 2012 Trek Fuel EX 9 mountain bike that was kind of Frankenstein'd together with a bunch of random parts. I haven't ridden it in quite some time, so I've been thinking about just tossing it up for sale, but not sure how to price it since it's not a factory set of components.

It's a 26" frame too, which I know is unheard of nowadays, so I'm sure that would impact price.

What's the best way to pick the right price to sell at other than just trying something and see if I get interest?

[msl819]

The fact that it is a 26er will likely kill most of the value. People just don't seem to want a 26" wheeled bike. There is no real way to determine price other than to put it out for the free market and let the market determine the price - which will almost assuredly be less than you think it should be.

I am not kidding when I say this, unless you NEED the money, my suggestion for a bike like this, that should still be a very serviceable bike but not hold much value, would be to look to dump it CHEAP to a friend looking to get into the sport who is hard pressed to afford even an entry level bike or even just give it away.

If you have a local HS MTB team or someone you know who is looking to get active, giving them a sweet deal or even just giving them the bike is likely more profitable than trying to get top dollar. Who knows, you may even get a new riding buddy out of the deal who would have you to thank for their new hobby and health.

The used bike market is SOFT, the used MTB is almost always soft b/c people assume that people beat the mess out of MTBs, and yours is 26er to boot. Unless you want the hassle of parting it out and cobbling together as much scratch as you can from a used MTB, my suggestion would be to do a kind thing for someone else and make their day. What has little to no value in the market just may become some kids prized possession, someone's way to work, a friend's chance to get out a ride.

[josephr]

I concur with msl here....you'd be lucky to find a buyer for a 9 year old, well-ridden 26er. In 2016, I sold my 2010 cannondale FS with a lefty that was a 26er and sold it on ebay for $500+shipping after no bites anywhere for a long,long time.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by bowenarrow

I have a 2012 Trek Fuel EX 9 mountain bike that was kind of Frankenstein'd together with a bunch of random parts. I haven't ridden it in quite some time, so I've been thinking about just tossing it up for sale, but not sure how to price it since it's not a factory set of components.

It's a 26" frame too, which I know is unheard of nowadays, so I'm sure that would impact price.

What's the best way to pick the right price to sell at other than just trying something and see if I get interest?

Asked and answered but throw it onto a FS site, after doing some google-foo of others and see 'what the market will bare'..ya never know, maybe that's exactly what somebody is lookin' for. If no sale, keep or donate..

But whatever, it's not going to be a whole lot..