650b Mountain bikes holding their value?

[8mph]

I've recently seen a 2016 Specialized Chisel 650b going for £250 and a GT Elite Avalanche frame and forks going for £70. Both bikes were in superb condition. What's with the crazy low prices? I never see 29ers fetch this little second hand.

 

[Drago]

No better or worse than any other wheelsize.

29ers can be difficult to punt on - people's opinions are even more polarised about them, and in smaller sizes the geometry can be compromised in in order to fit the big hoops in, so they can and do go for low cash on occasion. I had a bit of trouble punting my Carve 29'er on, and took less that I felt it was worth just to finally get it out the door.

 

[8mph]

No better or worse than any other wheelsize.

29ers can be difficult to punt on - people's opinions are even more polarised about them, and in smaller sizes the geometry can be compromised in in order to fit the big hoops in, so they can and do go for low cash on occasion. I had a bit of trouble punting my Carve 29'er on, and took less that I felt it was worth just to finally get it out the door.

I'm not finding any cheap 29ers
(I shouldn't be looking, I had to sell two bikes this weekend just to get the count down to four!)

 

[Blue Hills]

Cheap second hand bikes seems good to me.
I have been led to believe that a lot of old steel things have fallen in price.
Maybe as folk move to the "latest thing" and ebikes?
And anything non triple?
No probs, bikes are for riding.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Well im selling an absolute bargain Marin in the FS section and elsewhere but no intrest, the spare wheels and tyres would set you back 450..there ya go, and its a 1.5k bike for 600

 

[Drago]

I'm not finding any cheap 29ers
(I shouldn't be looking, I had to sell two bikes this weekend just to get the count down to four!)

Several very quickly appear on eBay. I've got them in all 3 sizes, so I'm guaranteed to lose out when selling any of them

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Cheap second hand bikes seems good to me.
I have been led to believe that a lot of old steel things have fallen in price.
Maybe as folk move to the "latest thing" and ebikes?.

The uninformed masses don't want steel. Steel is rubbish they say. Steel isn't high-tech. It's all aluminium and plastic, I mean carbon fibre now. Steel bikes are soooo heavy and old-fashioned. And who in their right mind would design a frame made of those skinny tubes that look like they will snap in half if you dare to ride over a tree root on one?. Then there's the archaic practice of sticking them together with molten brass - I mean, who has ever heard a more ridiculous idea?
26" rigid MTB's are rubbish too. The wheels are too small and there's no way a fork without at least 100 mm of suspension travel will be able to cope with really demanding terrain like gravel paths & loose stones.
I think it's great that the masses are shunning steel and shunning 26". It's what enables me to pick up nice 531 bikes for £20/40 and 26 ers for the price of a couple of pints. Long may the ignorance of the masses continue....

 

[8mph]

The uninformed masses don't want steel. Steel is rubbish they say. Steel isn't high-tech. It's all aluminium and plastic, I mean carbon fibre now. Steel bikes are soooo heavy and old-fashioned. And who in their right mind would design a frame made of those skinny tubes that look like they will snap in half if you dare to ride over a tree root on one?. Then there's the archaic practice of sticking them together with molten brass - I mean, who has ever heard a more ridiculous idea?
26" rigid MTB's are rubbish too. The wheels are too small and there's no way a fork without at least 100 mm of suspension travel will be able to cope with really demanding terrain like gravel paths & loose stones.
I think it's great that the masses are shunning steel and shunning 26". It's what enables me to pick up nice 531 bikes for £20/40 and 26 ers for the price of a couple of pints. Long may the ignorance of the masses continue....

I just sold a Specialized Allez (alloy) which I bought at the recycling centre because it was so dull to ride compared to my Carlon Cyclone (531).
I was very surprised when I weighed the two bikes to find there was less than half a kilo difference.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I just sold a Specialized Allez (alloy) which I bought at the recycling centre because it was so dull to ride compared to my Carlon Cyclone (531). I was very surprised when I weighed the two bikes to find there was less than half a kilo difference.

I'm not that surprised about the weights. When you compare a lot of modern stuff to steel road frames of yesteryear, the alloy tubes and stays are very often twice the size of the old steel frames, thus negating much of the weight saving from using aluminium. They are deliberately designed to be stiff, because if they flex they crack and fail prematurely. There's a place for light alloy on bikes but it isn't in the frame!

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Well im selling an absolute bargain Marin in the FS section and elsewhere but no intrest, the spare wheels and tyres would set you back 450..there ya go, and its a 1.5k bike for 600

Problem is there are more people like me who just don't see the value in cycles, I think they are overpriced for what you get. For the £600 you want for your bike I can get a car or a motorbike which clearly has far more moving parts. I'm not saying it's not a good price or that it's worth what you are asking, I just don't see the value in them, the depreciation on a cycle just plummets & then goes down further.

 

[8mph]

I'm not that surprised about the weights. When you compare a lot of modern stuff to steel road frames of yesteryear, the alloy tubes and stays are very often twice the size of the old steel frames, thus negating much of the weight saving from using aluminium. They are deliberately designed to be stiff, because if they flex they crack and fail prematurely. There's a place for light alloy on bikes but it isn't in the frame!

I ride a steel Cove Handjob xc off road which is often a couple of kilos lighter than the alloy MTBs which turn up at the dump. I haven't had a chance to ride a decent modern mountain bike yet, as you will know the stuff that crops up at the dump is usually 15 years old or Apollo type stuff.

 

[fossyant]

Modern MTB's are very much different from old stuff, very. Totally revised geometry that goes up, and is amazing down. My old 26er is OK for the flat and uphill, but scary as hell down (no suspension, steep angles and poop brakes).

 

[8mph]

Modern MTB's are very much different from old stuff, very. Totally revised geometry that goes up, and is amazing down. My old 26er is OK for the flat and uphill, but scary as hell down (no suspension, steep angles and poop brakes).

I used my 26er on a bike tour and while it was great for exploring it was slow going on roads and obviously you get less of a view. Basically, I need about 6 different bikes or I'll never be happy! I'm kind off gagging to have a go on a 29er and see if I like it, 650b, less so.

 

[johnblack]

Now that I have a 29er I can say I'm glad of the extra inches, who knew the difference 3 inches could make.

 

[Drago]

I'm a fraction under 6'4" and feel just as home on my 26er, 27.5er as I do on my 29er.

I've always been a roadie in parallel to being a mud plugger and I often wonder if the lack of excitement for me is because I'm thoroughly used to 700c and 27x1 1/4 wheels anyway.