Why is it hard to sell a Second Hand Mountain Bike in SA

[LukeForce]

Ever noticed how tough it is to sell your mountain bike second-hand? You spend R60 000 or more on a decent bike, and a year or two later you’re lucky if someone offers you half of that. Most buyers want to pay next to nothing, and the shops? They won’t even consider a trade-in.

It feels like bike dealerships could boost sales if they accepted trade-ins or created a certified pre-owned program. But they don’t—probably because they also struggle to sell second-hand bikes. So now, you’re stuck with a great bike, well looked after, but no one wants to pay what it’s worth.

Then you get one or two companies that buy used bikes—but they offer you up to 60% less than what you’re asking. That stings.

So it raises the question:

Is mountain biking only for people who can afford to buy new bikes every year and take a massive financial knock when selling the old ones?

In South Africa, where the economy’s tight and many riders save up for years to get a good setup, it just doesn’t make sense. Yet, the second-hand market feels broken.

[NC_lurker]

If you bought a great bike why do you feel the need to replace it after such a short time?

 

[cadenceblur]

16 minutes ago, NC_lurker said:

If you bought a great bike why do you feel the need to replace it after such a short time?

 

That is a great question, the issue is people are chasing the next shiny piece of bling, if your steed is well specced and serves the purpose and gives you enjoyment, hold onto it. 
Some people just need to have the latest of everything, be it phones, bikes , cars etc.

[NC_lurker]

Just now, cadenceblur said:

That is a great question, the issue is people are chasing the next shiny piece of bling, if your steed is well specced and serves the purpose and gives you enjoyment, hold onto it. 
Some people just need to have the latest of everything, be it phones, bikes , cars etc.

Agreed, rampant consumerism at it's best..

[LukeForce]

NC Lurker, Perhaps if you want another bike every 4 or 5 years even 

[Bro Derek]

13 minutes ago, LukeForce said:

NC Lurker, Perhaps if you want another bike every 4 or 5 years even 

So is your bike older than 4 or 5 years?

If so, it's not worth 30k?

[LukeForce]

Perhaps have a look at the point I am trying to make 🤣

[eddy]

2 hours ago, LukeForce said:

 

So it raises the question:

Is mountain biking only for people who can afford to buy new bikes every year and take a massive financial knock when selling the old ones?

 

Nope, it is also for people who know it is not the bike holding them back, who don't care what others think of their ride and who buy a year old bike at half the price of the current model.

[Bro Derek]

5 minutes ago, LukeForce said:

Perhaps have a look at the point I am trying to make 🤣

Well it all revolves around the level of expectation and whether it aligns with where the bike sits with regards current tech AND which section/intended use it sits in.

XC bikes, especially older model steep HT/slack S/T, are worth nothing these days after the industry said you can't possibly ride anything like that.

Old model Trail/Enduro bikes are basically heavy Downcountry bikes these days without bottle cage mounts in terms of numbers, which makes them worth the proverbial nothing.

Add in the massive sales of last years bikes or 2 year old new to clear warehouses at ridiculous prices and you have a very stagnant market of used, 2nd hand bikes being sold to close to what the same or newer model NEW bike costs with warranty.

Then add in the fact that spending power for the majority of the country is way way down, living costs way way more and upgrading things is for those in a position of privilege.

The speed and degree of change (pun intended) at which MTB numbers has evolved/changed over the last 7 years is pretty extreme, so not so old bikes are incredibly outdated.

Then I'll throw in the fact that those in the same market segment all try and sell their bikes at the same time fairly often as they all want to buy from the same sales at ridiculously low prices.

I have seen 3 frames being sold on Bikehub for 2 or 3 years, the price hasn't changed, They have just been listed over and over again while similar whole bikes have sold for a couple of grand more. Sentimentality/expectation for 2nd hand goods pricing is often leading to unrealistic asking prices despite the seller thinking it is 'fair'

Take a hit, sell it for less than market value and it will go in a second, but pricing it the same as all the other models in the same bracket at a 'fair' value just floods the market and it becomes a waiting game or a lottery as to which bike is picked from the hundreds to choose from, making sales 'hard' or difficult.

Anyway, you asked, hopefully My very humble and I'm sure not complete answer can start a discussion.

Basically it's a rubbish time to be trying to make money or recover 'fair' money on used mountain bikes

 

[NC_lurker]

1 hour ago, LukeForce said:

NC Lurker, Perhaps if you want another bike every 4 or 5 years even 

Sure, then the volume of bikes on the 2nd hand market at any time might be lower, leading to more competitive pricing.

[LukeForce]

Hi Bro Derek, 

you are 100% right 

[Sid the Sloth]

I think you’d be even more disappointed if you look at the price of second hand bikes overseas in first world countries where the bike prices are fairly consistent with the prices here but it’s a much smaller portion of your income. From what I’ve seen the second hand prices drop even more drastically. So to a degree, yes I do think it is a sport limited to those with the finances to look after their bike. 
 

If you’re training a lot (15+ hours per week), you’re going to wear through components quickly. You’ll need new chains every few months, and if it’s a mtb you’ll need shock services every couple of weeks which will really ad up. have a look at this; 

Front Suspension:

50 ride hours - lower leg service

100 ride hours - lower leg, air/coil spring, damper service - model year dependent*

200 ride hours - lower leg, air coil spring, damper service - model year dependent*

Rear Suspension:

50 ride hours - air can service

100 ride hours - air can and damper service - Monarch/Monarch Plus, Vivid, Kage

200 ride hours - air can and damper service - Deluxe/Super Deluxe

Reverb:

50 ride hours - lower post service

200 ride hours - lower pose and bushing service

400 ride hours - lower post and internals service for A1, A2, and B1 chassis Reverb

600 ride hours - lower post and interval service for C1 chassis and AXS and Reverb AXS XPLR
 

At the end of the day it’s hard to tell if these things have actually been looked after on a used mtb, so naturally the price will reflect the risk you’re taking on. Luckily I have 3 bikes in rotation, and the road and gravel take a lot less beating so I tend to use those most of the time and use the indoor in bad conditions when the roads are wet. This setup isn’t cheap either. 
 

That being said, I would say breaking into high performance cycling isn’t a cheap exercise - at least you can buy a second hand bike at a lower value that will only hold you back marginally in the beginning when you have other physiological limitations. 

[love2fly]

The hidden benefit is there's never been a better time to buy a used bike......

I ride a 10 year old XC bike with less than up to date suspension and I'm pretty sure I can hold my own against most riders my age on new shiny stuff, and my road bike is a Super Six Evo but with 10 Speed and rim brakes and I'm enjoying my riding more than ever!

I can't afford to upgrade so I'm comfortable riding what I brung.

[JoeMerida]

The Brand New Price is Too High to Start with. There is also the VAT Included.

[DJR]

The value of a second hand anything is what a willing buyer is prepared to pay for it. Nothing more complicated than that.

[Zebra]

I am ‘out’ of the regular ‘spread’ of cyclists, but JUST to give you an idea of what is possible; my kit e-Bike - recently stolen - was 20+ years old; my 29”er is a 2014 model - yup, 11-odd years old, my Eroica bike is 1982/1983, so around 42 years old, and my B-U-D-G-E-T Gravel bike is a 2023 model, bought new in 2025 for silly (low) money… I LOVE it. Just R25k, all in!

ZERO bragging about being a tight-ass, just i do not drink the ‘Koolaid’, and ‘last years hot thing’ is M-O-R-E than sufficient, for MANY of us…

Not really getting why people sell 1 (or2…) year old bikes, to get the next big thing…?

Ride-what-you-got, unless you MUST change…
Chris

Edited July 14, 2025 by Zebra
clarity