Why arent there more used bike shops?
It seems like a perfect business model since bikes lose so much value so quickly. I want to buy a used bike but need to test ride a bunch to figure out what I might need. I feel like someone could make a lot of money doing this in denver where everyone has multiple bikes.
>>949319
Bike co-ops are not uncommon.
>>949321
>Bike co-ops
whats that?
>>949319
-not that many people want steel bikes, which are the only bikes that hold value
-because buying parts to recondition can cost a lot
-Its impossible to sand/repaint aluminum or carbon frames
-there is a big liability risk with aluminum and carbon frames that have been abused
-there is little profit margin in selling buying fixing and then selling used bikes considering the amount of labor and parts that go into reconditioning a bike
>>949333
>considering the amount of labor and parts that go into reconditioning a bike
how much work could it be? there are so few parts. this seems odd to me as a car mechanic.
>>949325
Non profits where you can pay to restore a bike using a collection of parts that can be donated. They'll help you with anything you don't know. Some also let you work on your bike where you pay by the hour. That's how it is at the one I volunteer at at least.
>>949333
>Its impossible to sand/repaint aluminum or carbon frames
This is absolutely wrong.
Usually for carbon you use a chemical specifically designed to strip paint off of it, but that's because it's way the fuck easier.
>>949343
The bike industry is structured very oddly.
It's a lot more expensive to buy the parts to build a bicycle than it is to buy a bicycle with those identical parts already on it.
Used bikes depreciate tremendously in value. Even moreso than cars.
You combine these two things, and it's quite difficult to turn a profit working on used bikes. You basically have to either get the bikes for free, or perform the labor for free just to break even. Try telling someone it's going to cost $100 to true the wheels on their $20 garage sale find. Customers don't want to pay for parts OR labor.
You can turn a tiny profit if you are able to do a lot of volume, but it's a sucker's game. You can make more selling $5 cups of coffee and running a sideline in bikes - which is not an uncommon business model.
>>949347
no, youre wrong
you cant use paint strippers because it will effect the resin in the carbon
>>949352
You're not listening.
There are paint strippers specifically designed for carbon.
>>949355
Of course there are, but you still cant use it on a bike without effecting the resin
>>949360
>being this dumb
>>949360
THERE ARE PAINT STRIPPERS
WHICH ARE DESIGNED
TO BE USED ON CARBON
WITHOUT EFFECTING THE RESIN
and there is literally nothing wrong with sanding the stuff. This is an advanced aerospace composite - people have been painting and repaint fucking FIBERGLASS airplanes for decades. This whole cult of "hurrr carbon is fragile" is fucking retarded. If you had ever worked with the material, you would know that it is unbelievably fucking durable - vastly moreso than steel.
>>949373
you dont know what youre talking about, sanding carbon will cut into the fibers and weaken it as a stucture, youre part of the cult that believes that carbon is some kind of spaceage wonder material that is not effected by normal stress.
The paint in carbon bikes is embedded into the resin, you dont know what the fuck you are talking about, you are just making shit up that matches your childish understanding of the world
>>949378
You are projecting so hard...
Your ignorance is utterly astounding.
Bye now.
Can you guys please stop saying "effect" instead of "affect" please
>>949381
Er... no. "Effect" is correct in this case.
>>949319
Dutch LBS faggot here
Here,2nd hand bike shops buy up old rusted pieces of shit,which in turn often neeed quite a significant amount of new parts but especially a fucktonne amound of labour hours to make it rideable again,economically wise this is an awfull buissness model,considering competition is fierce(3 new shops opened within a kilometer the last year and a half)
toasted hub/bb/headset bearing,tearing tires,worn out drivetrains you name it.
Bikes often have COMPLETELY seized seatposts,pedals,quil stems so adjusting it is impossible.
Lets see If I remember this correctly
>get bike to restore
>bottom headset bearing has been reduced to dust
>spend nearly 40 minutes getting the seized quill stem and cone/locknut loose with help of b0ss(with a big-ass vice)and replace the headset bearings
>replace drivetrain,gear cables(nexus shifters are often shot too)and sometimes but less lommonly the brake cables
>spend my elbow grease on freeing up seatpost(ofc checked if it was able to move prior to starting work on the bike).Penetrating oil can do fucking wonders
>replace at least one tyre or tube
>truing the rear wheel,ofc all spoke nipples are seized af(PENETRATING OIL YIPIEEE)
>If it has derailleurs,bend them back into place(all no-name shit anyway)
>If it hasnt got shimano hubs,the cup/cone and balls are ALWAYS pitted and fucked up,being corrupt jews we just adjust it so it doesnt have any play/
>lube up the most likely worn out chain covered in sand with heavily contaminated engine oil(yeeey grinding paste)
And then we can sell it for not too much because all the fucktards completely fucked up their frame coatings by riding it with heavy unprotected chain locks banging against their frames,and customers basically only care about looks.
Don't take me wrong the idea of restoring bikes CAN be amazing and environmentally a good choice,but people fuck their bikes up so much it usually isn't worth it.
>>949319
Shop labor costs about 50 times as much as Chinese factory labor, and the labor to remove broken parts is often times just as expensive as the cost of a cheap part, so there's little reason to disassemble a part to fix it when it would cost less to just make a new one.
I work in a bike shop that deals in used bikes (and new ones), and so much of what has already been written in this thread is true.
We buy used/offer trade in values that are generally about 25-50% of a what a bike might go for on the local craigslist, don't offer any extra money for vintage/cool factor, only take complete bikes that don't need too much labor, and refuse to buy crappy Walmart-tier bikes. And after all of that we STILL never make as much profit on a used bike as we do selling even the cheapest new ones. The only reason we bother with used at all is because it brings customers into the shop and it's a kind of community service because we recognize that lots of people want to ride but just don't have the funds to buy new - but from a pure business standpoint we'd never make enough money to keep the lights on if used bikes were all, or most, of what we sold.
![o-DAWSONS-CREEK-REUNION-facebook-500x375c[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/rtFJddx.jpg "o-DAWSONS-CREEK-REUNION-facebook-500x375c[1].jpg")
>>949402
>mfw my b0ss bought a wallmart tier MTB BSO for 140 euro 2nd hand when the price for a new one is....you guessed it 140 euro
Thanks b0ss!
>b-but the real derailleur says shimano!
Yes and nothing else on the bike has any name written on it,oh wait the front derailleur has a sticker with "pro" on it,and not the shimano subsidiary? kind.
>>949391
but in america, bikes just sit unused in the garage for ten years till its time to move.
Most used bikes here have less than 100 miles on them.
What could wear out in 100 miles?
>>949488
I do accept that fact
In the usa used bikes are generally a better deal(comparing raigslist to our local equivelant[marktplaats])
>>949402
makes me curious as to how much the mark-up is on new bikes - any idea ?
>>949505
Don't know much, but most of the markup on the brick and mortar end is in the service and labor, plus a modest markup.
>>949333
>steel bikes, which are the only bikes that hold value
>Its impossible to sand/repaint aluminum or carbon frames
>there is a big liability risk with aluminum and carbon frames that have been abused
Bullshit.
>there is little profit margin..
That's about the only thing you said that is even remotely true, the rest is utter and total uninformed bullshit, STFU and GTFO.
>>949536
Regardless of whether used crabbon is or isn't safe, there is a public perception that it's dangerous. This is probably based on the fact that damaged crabbon is sometimes impossible to distinguish from good crabbon without expertise and sophisticated equipment.
Stop being so butthurt over facts, fred.
>>949940
So they are cheaper?
a pawn shop near me always has relatively nice bikes way underpriced- got a stolen rockhopper for $80.
>>949946
Don't support fencing you dumb downtuber
>>949947
its not like i stole it- someone else woulda bought it anyway. Quit snitching and lick my log cutter.
>>949942
Basically anything used is cheaper unless it's a collectible full suspension 90s MTB.
The problem is that with stuff like used crabbon, fair market value is hard to guess because most of of the perceived value is based on the trust relationship between the seller and the buyer, rather than some universal set of valuation criteria.
>>949948
Principal and ethics are foreign concepts to you huh?
When you support fencing you are literally funding the same thieves that will steal your bike one day
>>949319
Try test riding a bunch of new bikes at a LBS (don't tell them you're planning to buy used, they'll let you test ride if they think you'll buy from them), find out what you like, then find a used one.
>>949333
>-not that many people want steel bikes, which are the only bikes that hold value
You just went full downtube. Most people don't know enough to care about frame material, and among the people that do, steel is extremely popular for non-racing, non-mtb purposes.
>>950023
>(don't tell them you're planning to buy used,
This seems dishonest desu
>>949391
I thought that when people in the Netherlands didn't want a bike anymore they left if unlocked somewhere or threw it in a canal? On the other hand, if you need a new bike don't you just buy one from a junkie for 20 Euros and file the serial numbers off?
>>949505
I partially manage a shop, and new bike margin from 500-1000 CAN is around 25%. After labour, store costs, shipping, and the time spent selling a bike the margin is typically less than 10%. Margins are progressively lower on more expensive bikes.
The money is made on labour after the fact and accessories. There's not much money in selling a bare new bike.
>>950491
Surely you could beat that with a used bike then
>>949319
We have one in Philadelphia. Via Bicycle. They're some of the coolest people, but their bikes are $300 for a used steel bike with bottom-line tires/cables/etc
You'll be 100% sure the bike is set up properly though. And they're awesome if you need an obscure part and don't want to wait for an ebay dweeb to ship it to you
I take all my bikes there to have headsets installed since I don't have a press
Meanwhile, every time I go to the hip shop, Bicycle Revolutions, they fuck something up.
> Terrible bar tape installation with the brake cable in the most uncomfortable spot
> totally fucking up a problem solvers Travel Agent and setting up my road brakes to short-pull full size V-brakes
>selling me a Kenda tube that flatted immediately
> telling me my 9-speed SLX RD wasn't compatible with 8-speed because they don't know anything
Via bikes employs crust punk nerds who do it right, Revolutions employs 23 year olds during the busy season that don't know what they're doing. One sells Schwinns, one sells SURLY/Salsa/Electra. oof
Revolutions has its use. You can busy Soma stuff and nice tires / components
>>949953
He's a MTB bro. The ruthless frat boys of cycling.
DUDE LMAO BURN1 THIS SHIT WAS $80 NOW FOR SOME BLUE ODI GRIPZ MAN!!!
>>950630
>but their bikes are $300 for a used steel bike with bottom-line tires/cables/etc
You say that like it's a bad thing. I literally have a subreddit open in another tab where people are telling a guy to get a department store fixie for commuting since his budget is $300.
>>950632
Link noaw
>>950631
10/10 anon this is so accurate im fucking dying of laughter
probably because craigslist is completely free to sell and buy with. used car dealerships work because people are nervous buying a 3K-10K vehicle from a private owner, and buying from a dealership adds legitimacy. most people aren't so nervous about buying their $150 schwinn.
>>950650
I am not brave enough to just go to some guys house :(
>>950632
>browsing reddit
>>950630
Hey there. I get the feeling I'm one of three regular posting philly /n/ bros. Via sells way overpriced rustpiles. Never thought there'd be more to it than that. It turned me off from buying a bike years ago when I lived on south st, practically on top of that place.
My friend took me with him to Bicycle revolutions to get some service on a bike he was selling. Could not believe some of the LBS prices on shit like tires and pedals. I could swear it was $75 for a regular gatorskin. They also seem to sell Orbea which is somewhat less common and cool.
tl;dr Back on topic, it seems like it's pretty much impossible to sell used bikes all day for used bike prices and not be selling trash. There's not a good middle ground between co-ops and new sales because there's hardly a business to be had.
>>950377
That's pretty true.
Usually we give it to a family member or so. I frequently just went to the Central Station and checked the bike storage there for unlocked bikes.
>>951247
Forgot to add; once I take an unlocked bike I just place it somewhere else for the next lad to use it.
There was a movement in the 70's called "De Witte Fietsen" (white bikes).
The whole point of it was "Share a bike, save money."
Basically, white bikes were placed around the city. If someone needed one, they could just take one, bike somewhere, then put it somewhere so someone else can take it.
Bike-sharing, no locks.
It failed.
>>951247
neger gedetecteerd
>>951265
>No lock bike sharing
I work for Google in the SF Bay Area. Google has a "GBike" program for employees - brightly google-colored shitbikes for employees to ride around between buildings. Walk out of a building, pick one up, ride it to the next building, leave it outside the next one unlocked. Super convenient.
IIRC security said they lose ~50% of the fleet every year.
>>951265
>Basically, white bikes were placed around the city.
yeah, they do that where i live
oh wait...
>>951247
That's pretty much my plan for when I'm in Groningen this summer. Take an unlocked bike and ride it while I'm there then put it back where I got it from or just buy one from a junkie and ditch it when I go home.
>>951183
Hey philly bro. Yeah I started posting here ~6 months ago
The bike shops here helped push me into being a home mechanic.
Just installed a headset with a hammer. Hell yeah
