I have a question for those of you who may be into bicycles. I have a 15-year-old mountain bike I want to sell. On the one hand, it’s not the “latest-and-greatest”…we’re talking about 15-year-old technology here. On the other, it’s in nearly new condition…other than some minor oxidation marks on the handlebars, it’s in nearly the same condition as it was when I wheeled it out of the store (let’s just say that I discovered some facts when I bought it, one of which is that it truly IS possible to forget how to ride a bicycle. I’ve ridden it maybe three times, total). The problem is, I have no idea what to ask for it. It cost around $250 new, back in the day (it’s a Specialized “Hardrock”). If I can’t get at least $100 for it, I might as well just donate it to some charity. Any thoughts?
FWIW, I’m saving to buy a lap harp, which is why I’m trying to sell off some things I don’t really use.
Your best bet would be to try to trade it for something you want, because a 15 year old MTB is worth very little, the technology has been advancing so quickly.
As an example, I bought a Gary Fisher Sugar 2 in 2001. The list price was around 2 grand, and I think I paid about $1500. That same bike is probably worth around $400 today And that’s a full suspension bike with nearly top of the line components.
Mountain Bikes are perhaps one of the worst “investments” you can make Good thing they’re so damn much fun to ride
So in other words, it’s not worth trying to sell it? It’s money I need…I can’t think of anything I want that it’s tradeable for.
No fun for me to ride, I’m afraid. I bought it hoping I might enjoy it, but my sense of balance was so far off, even then, that I couldn’t even really ride it around the block. I probably should have sold it then, but I kept hoping…
On the other hand, we paid nearly $100 for my daughter’s cheap “kiddy” bike, so one would think this would be worth that much at least, as basic transportation for someone…(?)
I recently bought a 5-year-old mountain bike in excellent condition for $30 at a garage sale. You probably can get $20 to $75 for your 15 year old Specialized, depending on how much time you want to spend selling it.
Here are some FOR SALE listings from the SF Bay area Craigslist. I would guess most of the bikes listed are a lot newer than yours.
Feb-24 Mountain Bike - Specialized HardRock 21-speed - $125 (San Francisco) pic
Feb-24 2002 Specialized Hardrock Sport Good for anyone 6"+ - $199 (napa) pic
Don’t give up, red! Check out http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html for your closest location (I’m a bit weak on CA geography), clean it off, take some pics of it outside, and put it up for $150 or best offer, or something. Listings are free, if you don’t get any responses after a week or two, relist for a different price.
As a counterexample: I bought a $100 men’s bike from Wal-Mart in summer of 1999 to get around campus while working and taking a class. I sold it in Seattle in spring of 2004, and included a bike pump, seat cushion, and new lock. I believe I got about $60-70 for it!
This is a great time of year to buy a bike, and people will be looking for deals. Just make sure you include pictures in the listing, and if you need some hosting space, let me know.
Does your area have any of the free “Shopper” type classified ad papers? Why not put it in for $100 bucks OBO and see if anyone wants to buy it?
Don’t just throw it away - any local charity can no doubt find any number of poor kids or college students who’d love to have it even if it is elderly in ‘bike years’.
We have a newspaper here called Want Ad Digest. The ads are free to run, and you pay only if you sell your merchandise. As I recall, it’s a %age of the asking price–pretty cheap. It’s sort of an honor system… if you sell, you owe that percentage of the asking price even if you sell for less. I’ve had great results with it over the years. Look at news stands, grocery checkouts, etc for something similar.
Seriously, if it’s in like new condition, don’t simply dump it, that’s a total waste. Might as well put an ad up somewhere, ask $100 and be willing to take $50-$75, or donate it to a charity and take a $100 tax deduction.
I know its too far to drive, but our local bike shop, the Pedaler, donates bikes for needy kids and would never like to see you waste a bike. They have generous trade-ins, which in turn go to part of their community effort. You might have a similarly-inclined shop down on your way.
Hey, if its 15 yrs old, it might be a collector item!
I might donate it at some point, if I could be sure it would go to a needy kid (emphasis on kid). The trouble is, we have a lot of bicycle kamakazis here, so I wouldn’t put it out there with a charity that might give it to an adult…I don’t want the next time I see it to be when some punk is power-tripping me downtown! I would much rather trash it than see that happen.
The main reason I asked though, is that I’m trying to raise money. The bike is well enough for now, I guess, sitting in the garage.
And that’s a full suspension bike with nearly top of the line components.
Good thing they’re so damn much fun to ride 
