Used Bike Value Calculator (What’s Your Bike Worth?)
Used Bike Value Calculator
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to assist you in determining the value of your bike. Additionally, we’ve developed a bike value calculator that can quickly provide you with an estimate of your bike’s worth.
An approximate resale range for this bike is:
How to Use the Calculator
To get an estimated value of your bike, just fill out a few quick and easy questions on our calculator. Keep in mind that the calculator is only designed to give you an estimated value, so we recommend reading this entire article to help obtain a more accurate valuation.
Understanding Your Bike’s Resale Value
In order to sell your bike, it helps to understand its resale value. The main factors affecting the current value of your bike are its Age, Purchase Price, and Condition.
However, it is natural for used bike prices to fluctuate, and ultimately the value of your bike is only what someone is willing to pay at a certain time and in a certain place. So, other external factors may also impact this value. These are some other factors that may need to be taken into consideration:
Brand Appeal
Some brands are perceived as more desirable than other brands. Two bikes with the same initial spec, and the same initial price, could both depreciate differently depending on the brand appeal of the bike. Similarly, if you are selling a bike made by a small niche manufacturer, you may find it harder to sell and end up reducing the price in comparison to a well-known brand.
New Model
Most brands tend to run a bike model for a few years. There is generally a different colour scheme for each year but the same overall frame and suspension design. A new model may have an upgraded frame and suspension design, or a new wheel size. This can have a large impact on the value of older models even if the bike is only a year or two old.
Upgrades
Adding upgraded components to your bike can impact its resale value. The value of the upgraded components doesn’t always translate well to a similar increase in the resale value. The impact of the upgrades on the resale value of the bike will vary according to the age of the upgrades, and the quality of the upgraded components. Some upgrades, such as colourful components, may not always have a positive impact on the resale value!
Time of Year
In general, the demand for bikes is much higher in the spring and summer months. This means bike resale values tend to be higher during this time as increased demand generally leads to increased resale values.
Item Location
Where you are located can have a large impact on the resale value of your bike. Most people would prefer to collect a bike in person to check it over before committing to a sale, particularly for more expensive bikes. If you live in an isolated location, or a location without a population of people who ride bikes, this can have a large impact on the resale value. It is possible to overcome this location factor by advertising a bike as being able to be shipped, however, this is not always recommended for high-value bikes due to the large number of shipping scams that currently exist in most countries worldwide.
Global Market Factors
Other external market factors, such as an undersupply of bikes and components, can have a large impact on the used bike market. When there has been supply chain disruption in the past, the resale values of used bikes have increased significantly.
You may also like to look at this guide: How to Buy a Used Mountain Bike | Buyers Guide
How to Assess the Condition of Your Bike?
The condition of the bike you are selling has a large impact on the resale value. Mountain bike terrain can be very rough on bike frames and components; mountain bikes need regular servicing and maintenance to keep them in good condition. The condition of used mountain bikes tends to vary much more than used road bikes of similar ages.
How much a bike has been used is not always the deciding factor with bike condition. A bike that has been ridden every day, but stored and ridden carefully, regularly serviced, and very well maintained, could be in very good condition. While you could have a bike that hasn’t been ridden regularly but crashed, not maintained, and incorrectly stored and transported.
Mint
This is a used bike that has never been ridden or ridden only very few times. There should be no obvious signs of use. It should look almost identical to if you ordered the bike brand new from a shop.
Excellent
This is a used bike that rides as it would when it was new. It may have been ridden numerous times, but has been very well maintained, and there is no noticeable wear to the frame or components.
Good
This is a used bike that still rides well, but there may be signs of use starting to show on the frame and components. There should be no frame dents, but some superficial paint scratches may be visible. The bike should have been serviced and all components should work seamlessly. There may be smaller components, such as the bearings and drivetrain, that are starting to wear out and may need replacing shortly after the sale.
Fair
This is a used bike that rides noticeably poorer, and may not have been consistently well-maintained or serviced. The bike should still be able to be ridden without large noticeable issues, and none of the components should be broken. There may be issues such as brakes not working efficiently, bearings and drivetrain that haven’t been replaced, and larger scratches or dents on the frame.
Poor
This a used bike that has significant problems and has likely been ridden a lot with very little effort to service or maintain the bike. There may be some dents in the frame (no cracks), the suspension could not be working correctly, and the wheels may not be running true. An old bike that hasn’t been ridden very much but hasn’t been stored or maintained correctly could also fall into this category.
Other Ways to Check a Bike’s Value
Looking at bike listings, there is not always a consistent strategy that sellers use when deciding how much to list a bike for. Unlike the used car market, a seller will often price a listing very much on feel. This leads to some sellers severely over-pricing bikes and other sellers severely under-pricing bikes.
We recommend using our used bike valuation tool to get an idea of your bike’s value. You could cross reference this value with these other methods that can be used to calculate the value of a used bike:
eBay
eBay can be a great tool to work out the current value of your bike. It is possible to look at sold listings on eBay and see what the final sale price was. If you have a bike from a common brand, you should be able to get a good idea of the bike’s current value by looking at the finished listings of bikes similar to yours.
Local Classifieds
If you don’t have access to eBay, or eBay is not very popular in your area, you can use local classifieds to gauge a bike’s value. The problem with using classifieds such as Facebook Marketplace is that you can only know the listing value of a bike and not the true sale value, but it can give an idea for ballpark figures.
Should I Price Higher or Lower?
Pricing a bike at the higher or lower end of the resale guide value is a personal choice, and depends on the factors discussed in understanding your bikes value as well as how quickly you need to sell the bike.
We would recommend pricing between the middle and upper values given in the resale guide value. It is often better to price a little bit higher, as buyers will often try and negotiate a price down, and it helps to have this negotiating wiggle room.
Pricing High
If you are not in a rush to sell, pricing high can be a good strategy to achieve a high resale value. However, you run the risk of not having any interest and missing a key sale time in the year. If your bike takes too long to sell, the bike will continue to depreciate in value, and you may end up with less than if you had sold quickly at the right price. We would not recommend increasing the listing price of your bike more than 15% above the highest end of the resale guide value.
Pricing Low
Pricing low can be a good strategy if you need to sell your bike quickly. How low your price is depends on how quickly you need your bike to sell. Pricing at the lowest end of the resale guide value should be enough to help a quick sale, however, you may need to decrease this significantly more for a very time-limited sale.
Should I Sell it as a Whole Bike or in Parts?
You can often make more money if you choose to break your bike into parts and sell the parts individually, but this takes considerably more time than selling a bike as a whole unit. You may need to factor in an extra 2 full days of time to break down a bike, photograph, list, and ship the components individually.
Selling your bike in parts could be a good option if you are struggling to sell your bike because of the location factor. Splitting a bike up for sale in this instance could make it much easier to sell as smaller parcels are easier to send. Splitting the sale up into multiple parts minimizes the risk of losing the whole value of a bike in a shipping scam.
If you do decide to split your bike into parts to sell, we would recommend making a spreadsheet that lists the resale value of all components individually. This way you will have a good idea of how much you should get in total for all the individual parts, before splitting your bike. eBay can be used to find the resale values of the individual bike components.
Where is the best place to sell a bike?
Once you have decided on a resale value for your bike, you then need to list it for sale. Advertising your bike locally, and finding a local buyer is the easiest way to sell. Take a look at this other article for more details on how to sell a used bike: https://bikefaff.com/how-do-i-sell-my-mountain-bike/
Places to sell your bike:
- PinkBike
- Ebay
- Craigslist
- Facebook Marketplace
- Forums
- Local bike shops
- Bike Exchange (US)
- Bike Soup
Questions and Answers
What Is the Average Lifespan of A Bicycle?
On average, a high-quality bicycle that’s well-maintained can last anywhere from 10 to 20 years or more. However, this lifespan can vary depending on several factors, such as the level of use, environmental conditions, and quality of construction.
A well-made bike that’s regularly used and maintained can last for many years, even decades. Regular maintenance, such as keeping the chain lubricated, adjusting the brakes, and cleaning the frame, can help prolong a bike’s lifespan. Additionally, storing a bike in a dry, sheltered area and avoiding exposure to extreme temperatures or harsh conditions can also extend its lifespan.
On the other hand, if a bike is heavily used or abused, or if it’s exposed to saltwater, extreme temperatures, or other harsh conditions, its lifespan can be significantly shortened. Low-quality materials or poor construction can also lead to a shorter lifespan.
Which Bicycle Brands Have the Best Resale Value?
Some popular bicycle brands that are known for their high resale value include:
Trek
Trek is a leading brand in the bicycle industry, and their bikes are known for their quality, durability, and advanced technology. Their bikes have a high resale value due to their reputation for excellence.
Specialized
Specialized is another popular brand that is known for its innovative designs and advanced technology. Their bikes are highly sought after, which means they retain their value well.
Giant
Giant is a Taiwanese brand that is known for its high-quality bicycles. Their bikes are built to last and are designed to perform well in a variety of conditions. As a result, they have a strong resale value.
Cannondale
Cannondale is a brand that is known for its innovative designs and high-quality materials. Their bikes are popular among serious cyclists and have a good resale value.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a California-based brand that is known for its high-end mountain bikes. Their bikes are built to last and are designed to perform well in rugged terrain. As a result, they have a good resale value.
Pinarello
Pinarello’s bikes are known for their innovative designs, advanced technology, high-quality materials, and association with success in professional cycling. These factors have helped the brand maintain a strong resale value over time.
Canyon
Canyon bikes are known for their high-quality materials, advanced technology, and modern designs. They are also known for offering good value for money, which has helped them gain popularity among cyclists.
Brompton
Brompton bikes are known for their unique design, high-quality materials, and excellent portability. Brompton bikes are designed to fold up into a compact size, making them easy to carry and store, which is a big selling point for city dwellers with limited space. Due to their popularity and reputation for quality, Brompton bikes tend to hold their value well on the used market.
Additionally, there are many lesser-known high-quality bike brands that often have a cult following among cycling enthusiasts due to their unique designs, high-quality materials, and excellent performance that cater to specific niches in the cycling market. The dedicated fan base of these brands can help maintain a strong resale value as their bikes are highly sought after by enthusiasts who are willing to pay a premium price for a bike that fits their specific needs.
How to Increase the Value of A Used Bike?
There are a few simple and cheap things you can do to increase the resale value of your bike. First, replacing old tatty handlebar grips, and ripped saddles can have a big impact on how the bike looks which will affect the resale value. Next, ensure your bike is sparkling clean, and then polish it with a silicon spray, don’t forget the tires! lastly, get incredible photos with a good camera (with a clean backdrop and plenty of natural light).
Final Thoughts
The used bike market is constantly changing and is fairly complex. So we designed our calculator to help provide you with a reliable starting point for pricing your bike. This combined with the rest of the information in this article should give you a good idea of what your bike is worth.
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