Anyone here Mountain Bike? Got a ? for you...

[geno]

I used to be into it much more, and had a nice bike (at the time). But I was wondering what the bike was worth now since I'd like to sell it. It's a Trek 800 and it's in good condition, I doubt it's worth much, but it's better than letting it sit around and collect dust. I checked around and couldn't find much. If someone could point me in the right direction or give me a vague figure - it'd be much appreciated Thanks!

 

[Napalm381]

(1) How much did you pay new?
(2) How old is it, and in what condition?

 

[geno]

I think it was somewhere around 300-350 (I'm leaning more towards 350) brand new. I've had it for around 5 years I think, it's clean and been taken well care of

 

[RossMAN]

I just called Bob's Bicycle Center here in Portland, Oregon which sells high end mtn bikes and they said assuming it's in good condition with little signs of wear and tear ... "In the biking world, a used bike in good shape is worth half of what you paid for it brand new". Makes sense to me.

I wish it would stop raining here so I could take my Mongoose Alta out for a spin.

 

[Napalm381]

Yeah, the 150-200 range sounds reasonable. It isn't too old. Specific price will depend on the maintenance and quality of the components and stuff.

 

[geno]

That sounds good to me! I was just curious as to what I should look for in a price, I'll be e[/b]baying it or selling it locally - thanks a lot for the info - it's a great help!

 

[RossMAN]

I'll be eGaying it or selling it locally - thanks a lot for the info - it's a great help!

I just got off the phone with a friend who's co-worker recently sold their four year old Trek 800 for $250.

Here's what they recommend doing:
1) Get it totally cleaned up, everything, wheels, spokes, chain, everything so it's sparkling clean.
2) Get a tune up at your local bike shop if it needs one for adjustments, etc.
3) Make sure both tires are fully inflated, hehe.
4) It's probably best to sell your bike locally, check out bike shops, coffee houses, college campus bulletin boards, and your Friday, Saturday or Sunday newspaper ... whichever has the largest used classifieds section, list it in that edition.
5) When posting flyers consider putting up a very simple web site with picutures of your mountain bike, the maintenance, etc and your contact information.

If you put a little elbow grease into it you could easily sell it for $250, maybe more. Fortunately Trek makes great bikes and has a good customer loyalty, so finding a new owner shouldn't be that difficult.