Maximising the resale potential of second hand bikes.

Maximising the resale potential of second hand bikes.

Aug 04, 2015Josh Hobbs

Keeping your bike in tip top condition is important not only for mechanical reasons but also to ensure it keeps best value possible. Marks, cracks, chips or just paint wear dramatically impact the second hand or trade in value. A bike that looks unloved and unclean becomes much much harder to sell on, thus reducing the price it can fetch.

Here are the RCE top five things to do to make sure you bike holds it value

  1. Keep your bike clean- Cleaning your bike is the most obvious way to keep it in tip top condition and looking and riding like your pride of joy should. Giving it a clean down and a drop of chain lube after every ride will make sure that your bike runs smoothly and lasts longer. See our blog on how to clean your bike. (http://roadcycleexchange.com/blogs/news/15145893-cleaning-your-bike)

 

  1. Don’t ride in adverse conditions- Other than getting very wet, riding in the rain can cause damage to your bike. With the water gathering up debris and mud from the road, it can get stuck in parts of the bike and scratch paintwork. This becomes much worse in winter when there is salt spread on the road. The ideal situation for this is to have a winter bike, one that you don’t mind getting a few scratches on. Give us a shout if you need a cheap winter bike, we often get trade in’s that are well used bargains and ideal for keeping your pride and joy warm and dry.
  1. Storage- Try to store you bike in an area where it won’t get knocked or need to be moved. There are so many neat storage solutions if you are tight on space. Here’s a decent article from bike radar on indoor storage. (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/buyers-guide-to-indoor-bike-storage-43715/). Don’t lean up against other bikes, we see so many marks on bikes from people piling their collections in to the garage. Remember to be careful at those coffee stops – a gust of wind or the ignoramus who just leans their bike against yours. Make sure your bike is clear of surrounding obstacles and be careful of those heavy locks – we’ve seen frames cracked and £1000’s lost due to those being dropped !

 

  1. Replace chains and cassettes regularly- Keep your bike in good running order by making sure that the chain and cassette isn’t worn out. A chain snapping, or gears slipping, could cause damage to the frame from parts flying off or getting stuck. We’ve seen the dreaded ‘chain suck’ reduce grown men to tears.
  1. Frame wrapping- For those who really want to keep there frame in the best condition possible - go for the helitape wrapping. A clear layer of protection on your bike, best applied in the most prone areas to damage such as the downtube and drive side chain stay. It is also very affective for protecting your top tube from general paint wear from stand over.

 

Do drop us a line if you have any questions or want a valuation for your bike.

 

The RCE Team



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