Buying bikes, swapping frames and re-selling



Bradvk

New Member
Mar 29, 2017
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Hello, i didn't really know where to post this but I thought this might be the most suitable place. I was wondering if anyone has tried to buy second hand bikes that are in fairly good condition and swap the frame out with something more modern and less used. I have worked on a few bikes an found that everything is good mechically however with the old design and scratches , dents, etc. alot of people look the otherway. I think with a new frame it will bring it back to life, re purpose and re sell it to someone who is looking for a way to get into the world of bikes on a cheap budget.
Thanks guy :)
 
Are you hoping to make any money out of this?
In that case, forget it.

Full parts transplants rarely works. There are enough versions of seat posts, seat tube diameters, front derailers, forks, headsets, bars, stems, bottom brackets, brakes etc so that you "always" will have to buy/get some new parts to be able to assemble a complete bike.

Bikes don't hold on to their 2nd hand value particularly well.
And many new riders tire quickly.
Once you've bought the donor bike, the new frame, and whatever you needed to finish it off, your Frankenbike will cost a lot more than simply buying a newer, less worn used bike.

Someone more into bikes is unlikely to be interested in a bike with an old groupset on a new frame, even if it works fine. You'd have a greater chance of finding people interested in bikes with new groupset on an old frame - if it's a high-end frame.

The situation where it MIGHT work are the so-called "vintage" bikes.
Many people by them for their looks, and are willing to overpay for fairly basic bikes as long as they look the part.
So, how good are you at bike styling?
 
In some cases it can work, but I wouldn't buy a brand new frame because you may not get the money you spent on a frame back out of it, not to mention the time you put in to swap the parts. However if you found an older frame that is in nice condition but the components are wore out then you could recoup the cost and make a small amount.

This isn't a whole lot different, other then the amount of money, when backyard car restorers take on a project, finish it and have spent say $30,000 in restoring but can't sell it for more than $20,000; while you won't lose $10,000 in restoring a bike but you could lose a hundred or two.