Just out of curiosity more than anything.
I see a fair amount of posts selling nice bikes on FB marketplace etc - usually with a listed price and also "would consider swapping for (___) bike" or similar.
To me - rightly or snobbishly - this is a bit of a red flag. Most of these listings do kind of scream "stolen bike" to me.
However - I am considering putting the feelers out there for selling my bike and replacing it, despite the incredibly hostile marketplace for doing so at the moment.
I do kind of like the idea that someone may be looking for just what I have: a slightly too small for me well-specced trail bike, and not wanting their slightly too big for them well-specced trail bike. Has anyone had any luck with this, ever? or is this a bit of a pipedream by lots of people.
Several times. There's a company called Snazzy Bikes who'll trade, but I've also done it privately in pinkbike too. All came with invoices
Hmm - curious! I'll bookmark that, few nice bikes on there but not quite what I'm looking for at the moment.
My bike is a 2021 Trek Fuel EX8 Size Medium with a few upgrades (brakes being the best upgrade). I wonder if they would offer a p/x on something a bit larger as I doubt I would get a great deal for it anywhere. Worth asking. Thanks!
Yeah, I swapped a Vitus CRS gravel bike for a Scott Scale 910, awesome bit of business.
Some people seem to like it (including Weeksy)
My thoughts are
1 - its hard enough (with sizes, spec levels, personal preference on components etc) to find the bike you want second hand. why further dilute an already small pool of potential with the added criterea that they need to want your bike?
2 - this is harder to quantify, but if you exchange bike for currency, both people can "win" at the deal. Person who has money wanting a bike gets one, person wanting fewer bikes and more money gets money. If you've swapped, someone is getting an inferior product, and someone is getting a better one compared to what they had.
Both points are void in the very specific situation of "I just bought a medium when it turns out I need a large, anyone got a nearly new large they want to trade"
No, as ajay says above I'm too much of a fusspot about geometry and stuff.
It's a nice idea, but I think you'd have to link up with just the right person. Possibly via a stealth ad on a popular MTB website 😉
I’d do it as a part ex with a shop, but unlikely to do swaps with a random off of the internet.
Why Tom?
A bloke had a Status for sale when I wanted one, all the manuals, Tredz bag etc. I pinged him a message, he threw me a decent chunk of cash and the bike. It was as it said, brand new and unridden.
If you look on pinkbike adverts, they have options for 'bike related trade' you can filter by.
When swapping my Fuel I messaged about 10 people until this fella had the deal with me. I didn't particularly want/need a Status, it could've been a Privateer, SC or even a Yeti.
Maybe, I got stung once buying an XC bike off someone who wanted a swap for a DH bike, it was knackered. Sold a few parts off it and kept a few bits for a singlespeed to minimize the loss.
If someone had an XC hardtail and wanted a gravel bike I might be tempted. Anything more gnarly then unless it was very new I'd be bothered that I was just swapping my well maintained bike for someone's problem.
I swapped my gravel bike for an Orange Crush last year with some lad off Marketplace. He had just moved further away from work so had along canal stint twice a day and I wanted a winter hardtail. Everyones a winner.
Swaps can work pretty well, first one I did was my On-One Gimp for @WYSIWYG (from here)’s Haro Backtrail 24 in about 2003. That one worked well, I met him in the car park at the NEC during the Bike Show and we both went away happyx
Since then I’ve swapped all sorts, most recent was my SC Hightower with moderate spec that was too small for me for a much better spec Giant Reign in the right size. That was during the middle of winter so the market was on its arse and selling was very difficult.
If you both know what you’re getting into then it’s all good, obviously it’s not going to work if you want a like for like swap and someone else wants to give you a shopping bike and a PS3 with a broken disc reader.
Swapped a frame for a set of forks a couple of weeks ago. No problems.
2003! Bejesus.
I have a bike for sale, I also state I’ll consider a swap for the right alternative (given the state of the market), however at the moment I’ve just been offered swaps for a variation of what I’m looking to sell rather than actually an alternative type of bike I state I want.
At the moment I’m hanging onto it and taking it on holiday unless I get a decent offer rather than selling for peanuts. The market will come back eventually once Chiggle shifts its cheap stock and the post Covid overstock has gone.
Yes i swapped a gen 1 Spesh Kenevo for an Orbea Rallon M team a few years ago
The Kenevo wasnt selling and the guy who had the Orbea Rallon had won it in the dream bike competition 6 months earlier and now really wanted a Kenevo
We swapped bikes and i parted out the Rallon and made back what i wanted for the Kenevo and got to keep the DT Swiss EX1501 wheels with 240 hubs off the Rallon (still have them on another bike)
Yes, a long time ago. Had a Fuel EX but was racing more so wanted to swap it for a more 'XC' full-suss. Can't remember where I posted - possibly on here - and ended up finding a successful swap for a Top Fuel a year older but slightly higher spec.
