How to Sell Your Secondhand Mountain Bike

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The mountain bike market is pretty saturated, with brands pulling BOGO sales, huge discounts, and bike shops trying to offload stagnant inventory, so what are you supposed to do when you’re trying to do away with the old for something new? Most likely there is someone out there looking to take it off your hands, hopefully, this can be of some help.

Over the years, I have bought and sold countless bikes on the secondhand market. I love combing the marketplaces for deals, projects, and cool shit, and I like to think it has earned me a bit of authority on buying and selling bikes secondhand. But why do this? Aren't there plenty of places to buy/sell secondhand bikes? Yes, but these sites will often take a decent cut to compensate for the ease of offloading your old bike. While it makes the process much easier, it does cut into your bottom line, which is fine, if you prefer ease over the yield. Companies like Buycycle and The Pro’s Closet are excellent options if you want to take this route.

For those who don’t want to take the easy road, let's discuss the best way to let go of your old rig and find it a new, happy home, and how to look at this from the holistic perspective of buyer and seller so that everyone walks away happy. You have cash to put towards a new rig, and the buyer feels like they are set up to ride on a new-to-them bike.

Clean that thing

A clean bike is not just a courtesy to the new buyer, but also boosts the appearance of the bike in photos. Having a used bike presented as clean as possible reassures the new owner that it has been well taken care of, and if there are any dings or bumps, they are easily visible when they inspect the frame and components. Cleaning should be the first step in this process, if the bike isn't clean already, and there are a few things that get overlooked that can really elevate the appearance, such as tire sidewalls and tread, hubs, and beneath the saddle. An attention to detail shows that you went a step further and are not trying to pull one over on the next owner.

Tune it up

It might not be totally essential, but something as small as replacing sealant in the tires or replacing a chain or brake pads can really make a prospective buyer feel much better. A lot of us have these spares laying around and it doesn’t hurt your case when selling. This is especially true for touchpoints. New grips make the bike feel new, and are cheap.

If the bike really needs it, a tune up at a local shop is a really impressive way to add the cherry on top. It doesn’t need to be anything major, but ensuring everything shifts, and the suspension and brakes work should be the essentials to address before the bike heads out to its new home. If you aren't comfortable with making sure everything is in working order, make this known to the buyer so they aren’t walking into a project bike. Be honest.

More often than not, it is well worth the coin to have a shop give it a tune up. Consider the actual cost of ensuring everything is shifting and riding correctly when the buyer takes it for a spin, or unboxes the bike after shipping. Unless the bike is totally mangled, this shouldn't run up a very large bill, and having a shop give it the thumbs up is good peace of mind.

Glamour Shots

This step should come after things are cleaned up and ideally post tune up, to show the detail and attention that was put into the presentation. These photos should serve as a supplement to viewing the bike in person, especially if you plan on listing this on a marketplace where the purchaser may require you to ship the bike. Take time and document everything, show the condition of the frame, especially in points that often see rub or contact with a tailgate pad or shuttle rack. Clearly show the wear of consumable components, such as chain, cassette, chainring, and tires. Detail shots as well as pictures of the entire bike are essential, and please, for all that is holy, don’t post the ad with only one image and prompt interested parties to “contact for more images.”

Put it all out there

Make sure you go into detail; you cannot give too much here. Brand, model, model year, frame size, and how long you have owned it should be non-negotiable details you include in the listing. Details, including component specs and any changes you have made from the stock configuration, should also be mentioned in the post. I like to look at it from the buyer's perspective and consider all the information I would like to know to make an educated decision. When selling a bike, I always try to give all the information that would be available on the manufacturer's website, especially geometry charts and sizing information. One of the most commonly asked questions is “will this fit me? I’m X’X’’, and usually ride X size.” Something as simple as adding the recommended rider height can save you and interested buyers a lot of back and forth.

Now, there are plenty of places to actually post a listing, some of the most common and successful are the old FB marketplace, or craigslist, with the former being my preferred classifieds at this point. With a plethora of marketplaces, there are likely groups full of individuals that are looking for exactly what you’re selling. Do a bit of research on the make and model of your bike, and you will likely find a group of like-minded individuals interested in your secondhand ride. There is no shortage of groups out there, you just have to do a bit of digging. Another aspect to consider is if you are trying to sell your bike locally or shipping it to the buyer, a choice that is entirely up to you. Depending on where you live, the latter may be the best option if you are hoping for a quick sale.

Pricing

Keep things realistic here. You aren't selling a brand new bike, and whoever is buying it would not be looking on the secondhand market if they had the funds to drop for something fresh off the sales floor. You might love the bike, there might be lots of sentiment attached, but don’t let this sentiment inflate the price you list the bike at. We often see used bikes, a few years old, listed a couple hundred, even thousands of dollars more than they are realistically worth. Keep in mind that unless you have something truly special on your hands you are likely not going to fund the entirety of a new bike just by selling your old one. You set the price and you decide what you’re willing to take for your machine, but the more realistic you price it, the easier it will be to sell, thus offsetting the cost of purchasing that new bike, with much less waiting on your end.

Ultimately, consider how you would like to see a bike presented on the secondhand market if you were looking to buy it. What considerations would you like to see to make you more comfortable with a purchase? Remember: details matter, and being able to see from both perspectives is essential when engaging in an honest transaction. If you have taken the steps to make sure everything is honest on your end, then you can be a bit pickier with the buyer. And, of course, GLWS!