Second hand bike price

firsttimer

I have been quoted 450 euro for a second hand Giant FCR 2 (2007 model I think) - is this too much for this bike and would I able to find better deals out there?

tunney

firsttimer wrote: »

I have been quoted 450 euro for a second hand Giant FCR 2 (2007 model I think) - is this too much for this bike and would I able to find better deals out there?

Too much. Its 700 euro new.

thebouldwhacker

have a look through adverts for ideas around bikes and their prices. Dont be afraid to haggle:D
If in doubt have a look on the manufacturers web site for a spec list etc to work out value for money.

The guys and galls here are pretty friendly for questions too,

Best of luck with the hunt:D

blorg

I'd say it depends on the condition, a rule of thumb used to be 50-66% of the new price and that is 60%. Ultimately though it is all down to what someone is willing to pay for it, so it will either go at that price or it won't. Check out the condition and certainly try to haggle.

firsttimer

Thanks for the replies - really helpful for a newbie! I had been thinking about buying the FCR 4 new (499 euro) until he showed me the 2nd hand FCR 2 - Would I be better going for the new bike? Want it for generally riding around and possibly things like gaelforce as well.

Will haggle the 2nd hand price though!

boniver

The second hand price of a 07 FCR2 is probably a victim of how much prices have fallen for the 09 stock i.e. at the time it was bought the bike was possibly close to E800 and thus the second hand price based on that purchase price, would be fair. BUT, prices have dropped, a new FCR2 now is E679 rrp before any kind of discount. AN FCR3, which would still have the carbon fork is E599 rrp. This makes the E450.00 seconhand price too high but it will still be a better bike than an FCR4, where the fork is steel, provided the3 condition is good.

So, haggle hard on the second hand price - given the prices above I'd be thinking nearer E350.00 would be good, OR buy a new FCR3?

blorg

Another thing to bear in mind is the components- many manufacturers downgrade the components on a given bike from one year to the next, while dropping the price. Trek and Specialized in particular are notorious for this. So an earlier year bike can have better components and be more comparable to a higher up bike in this year's line. As such you are better off comparing on components than the name of the bike.

A quick check shows the 2007 FCR2 had a Tiagra rear mech, while the 2009 FCR2 is Sora (cheaper part.) Having said that in this case that is a very minor change and the newer bike looks better (to me) and may be a bit lighter also.

short circuit

I'd say the 50 - 60% guideline for bikes is fine for higher end bikes ... but at the price you are talking about, its potentially a commute hack which hasn't gotten all the love and care ....

So for something 2 years old ... I would not be paying more than 30 - 40% of the price ... also considering that prices have some down and I believe the newer tiagra groupset is much better than the 2007 version (though I could be wrong in this).

Churu

It is not that straightforward. Have a look at the bike. It might be two years old but maybe the owner didn´t use too much.... and suddenly you have a new bike in half the price.

blorg

That is a fair point Churu makes, condition is all important, a 2007 bike could be near new, a wreck or anywhere in between. I am getting the feeling that you are buying second hand from a shop? That can often be a good thing, if they have serviced the bike before sale, and are willing to offer some support after? I bought my first road bike second hand from Cycleogical and it was maybe two years old but in very good nick, €450 for a bike that was €800 new (threw in a pair of SPD pedals.) I have bought other bikes that have been in perfect condition simply because the owner had good intentions but never really got into the whole cycling lark.

firsttimer

Yep buying from a shop and they are servicing it before sale. Also got them to knock some more off the price so hhink I'll go for it! Thanks for the advice