Ben’s Top Tips for Buying Used Gear (Ballin’ on a Budget)

I’ve been buying used well before I ever did my first triathlon. In high school I got into building custom PCs, another expensive hobby with a prolific used market. When I moved to NYC for college I was in a thrifter’s paradise. With 9 million people in a 10 mile radius of myself, Craigslist was the most glorious assortment of unwanted technology a broke college boy could ever dream of. I spent my first two years at school buying used and partially broken computers and parts on Craigslist, upgrading or fixing them, then selling them for a profit a few weeks later. In this time, I met a huge number of people, some more friendly than others, and learned a ton about navigating the used markets.

When I discovered triathlon I immediately put my PC building skills to use in scouting the world of used cycling equipment. My first bike purchase was a 62cm Focus XC bike I picked up off Craigslist for $500 in Richmond, VA, about an hour from me at the time. In retrospect, I believe I got incredibly lucky; while a ton of research went into that purchase, I was still brand new to the scene. That bike is still my roadie, commuter, and gravel grinder. I taught myself the basics of maintenance on it and it is still the only bike I own aside from my TT bike. Since then, I have bought and sold at least my net worth’s worth (okay maybe not the best gauge, stupid student loans) in cycling gear over a number of markets. By far, my two best used purchases are my wife’s and my tri bikes (pictured below): a 2012 Cervelo p3c, 61cm, 7900 dura ace ($550 shipped in 2016) and a 2012 Felt B14, 58cm, 7900 Dura ace and 60/90 Flo wheels ($800 in 2017).

Here are my top tips for successfully navigating the world of used cycling gear:

1. Patience is a virtue (aka don’t expect a great deal if you can’t afford to wait)

This is a huge one when you’re looking to buy a big ticket item like a full bike or frame. When buying anything, used or new, there will almost always be buyers regret when a similar quality product appears in the classifieds for 20% less than you paid a week ago. While this is mostly unavoidable, on the two biggest used cycling purchases I’ve ever made (the two bikes listed above), I’ve had zero buyers regret. This was made possible only by planting the seed of a purchase months or even a year before I needed the item. I had been browsing classifieds all across the country for six or seven months before hopping on a deal that I knew was unbeatable. Not only did the patience of the purchase give me time to find the best deal, but it also helped me learn the ins and outs of the items I was looking for on a much more detailed level. What I thought was a deal two months into that search (a Giant Trinity Composite for $1100) turned out to be a fairly standard discount on an entry level bike. When it comes down to it, the closer you are to truly needing the item means you’ll be more willing to compromise on what you truly want; therefore, more likely to end up with buyer’s remorse in the near future. Do yourself a favor and don’t rush into a purchase. Future you will thank you.

2. Widen your search (and don’t be afraid to go out of your way)

If you’re lucky enough to live around a big city, you may not have to look further than a short drive to find the specific item you’re looking for; but, for many, limiting your market means you’ll almost never find the perfect deal. Even though Craigslist is intended for local meet-ups, I’ve occasionally had success messaging an out of state Craigslist post and asking, “Any chance you’ll be driving through ___ in the next month?”, or offering to pay for shipping. Most people know about Facebook marketplaces; but, there are a number of very specific pages that can yield great results (I’m looking at you fellow tall people). Despite a personal preference to avoid Ebay in recent years, it is still a good place to browse as a buyer. When they release their monthly-ish 15% off coupons, give a quick look and see if you can find a product you can push from a good to a great value. As such, my general order of attack when looking for an item looks like this:

Craigslist (low % of finding, good value) > Slowtwitch Classifieds (medium %, good value) > Facebook (Online Swap Meet, Tri N Sell It) (high %, medium value) > Ebay (low %, mixed value) > Expanded Craigslist search (low %, good value)

3. Shoot for the floor (but don’t be rude about it)

One of the big perks of buying used is the ability to haggle; but, if you’re not careful you might completely shut yourself off as a buyer. When someone posts “no lowball offers”, take it seriously. If you undershoot what you’re willing to pay for something and they take offence to it, you may miss out on a good deal. I’ve often had success with an approach closer to the following,

“Hello [Seller],

I’m super interested in your bike, but unfortunately it’s a bit out of my price range. I’ve got a strict budget of [$1000] at the moment. Any chance you could work with that? I completely understand if not!

Thanks,

Ben

It’s casual, doesn’t come across as demanding, and it’s short. If you’re dealing with a thrifty college student, you probably won’t get it but there is no skin off your back. However, on the chance you’re dealing with a guy who just bought a brand new $10k super bike, and it’s not so much about the money, you may just have stumbled onto the greatest value purchase of your life.

  4. Buying bundles (to do or not to do, that is the question)

On many occasions, although more so with computer equipment than with bikes, you may have the opportunity to purchase more items than you need at an especially great discount. I’ve done this more than a few times with a plan to sell everything I don’t need. The biggest piece of advice I can give here is, DO THE MATH. Figure out the probability of actually selling those items in a reasonable time frame, work out the lowest price you can expect to get for each item, factor in shipping costs, consider the time you’re spending without that money, and consider if your optimistic plans to profit while buying an item are as practical as you think. Sometimes they are, and sometimes you end up with an old, worthless, 105 group-set sitting in your closet for three years…

  5. REI garage sales (used prices without the hassle)

This one is relatively new to me but I was blown away after going to my first one. These are good, especially for a few items such as shoes and trainers. Get there early and check out the trainer selection. Once my wife and I picked up a Cycleops Fluid 2 for $40 after showing up an hour before close. As fun as it can be to haggle, sometimes you just want to walk up to a place, buy something, and walk away knowing you got a good deal.

  6. When used doesn’t cut it (underwear and other no-nos)

Alright, so underwear may be obvious (then again who am I to judge?), but there are a number of items that either aren’t worth it to buy used or are so rarely found on the used market that the only option is new. I tend to stay away from any type of disposable items: tires, tubes, chains, cassettes, etc… Not that you couldn’t get these items reasonably discounted, but the value saved simply isn’t worth the peace of mind and convenience of walking into a shop or ordering from amazon.

In the intimidating world of MSRP prices, many of the same principles apply. Be patient, keeping an eye on Ebay (especially with the aforementioned 15% off coupon). While a controversial opinion, I am a big proponent of Chinese carbon, specifically wheels as I have no experience with frames yet. I’ve been riding my 88mm Carbon Clinchers for two years now, and I only paid $380 for them. While those were ordered direct for Aliexpress, there are plenty of established, seemingly reliable, dealers on eBay selling branded wheels identical to both name brands and unbranded carbon alike. Approach cautiously but as long as you know what you’re paying for, you can end up with race worthy gear for a fraction of the price.

  7. If its too good to be true, it probably is (but mistakes are inevitable)

I once sent a prepaid code to someone I had never met before on the promise of an absurd deal on a CPU processor. Never saw any part of that deal again… While I did my due diligence in making sure I had a time-stamped picture and a few other protective measures, when it comes down to it, I got greedy. This is a harder mistake to make when meeting in person but still carefully inspect each item before you buy it. If the seller gets offended, you know something is up. Legitimate sellers expect you to carefully examine a product before you buy it. Just because one or both of you drove to the meeting doesn’t mean you have to follow through. Keep your best interest in mind.

When you do make that mistake though, you can take heart knowing you’ve saved more money than you lost with all the other great deals you’ve found, or that you will make up for it with smart purchases in the future. It hurts at the time, but stuff happens buying new as well.

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Buying used isn’t rocket science, but it does take more effort and time than buying new. Go in with a healthy skepticism and realistic expectations and soon you too could be crushing on your (budget) dream bike and accessories.