So, first off, apologies for the lack of content in the past month. Anyone that follows me on Facebook or Twitter will have heard the news, I broke my femur in 2 places mid-May, so I’ve been laid up since then. The most annoying thing? It was on the commuter bike – I wasn’t even having fun on the trails at the time…
But, I’ve decided to use the free time to start on a project I’ve been planning for a while.
And that project is creating a book all about making money in second hand mountain bikes.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this – whether it’s something you might be interested in buying or whether you’d like to be part of the initial feedback group. I’ll give this away for free to the first 10 people to comment on this post on the condition that those people read the book and provide a bit of feedback. Anyway, enough of that – here’s part of the first chapter, explaining the concept. Let me know what you think!
Introduction
I’ve been riding bikes for a long time.
Mountain bikes first, road bikes second, and now even time trial and tri-bikes – I’ll take anything with two wheels. There are a whole bunch of things about the sport that have kept me interested over the years, probably similar to bikers across the country:
- The Adrenaline – can’t deny the rush of nailing a downhill trail or hitting 40mph on the road
- The Sights – you don’t half see some amazing places when exploring the countryside
- The Training – I’ve never found a more fun way to stay fit
But, possibly the biggest reason I and thousands of bikers out there love this sport…
Lance was wrong.
It’s ALL about The Bike.
There aren’t many other sports out there that boast the sheer depth and breadth of kit that you can buy for biking. The range of bike brands is breathtaking, a maze of shiny frames and gleaming wheels. Then, once you’ve purchased your steed, upgrades for your bike can run you anything from £10 for a set of handlebar grips to thousands of pounds for a top end set of new wheels.
This is because cyclists are the magpies of the sporting world. We can’t resist the latest shiny object, so bike companies can keep putting out more new kit, safe in the knowledge that we’ll buy it. Put us in a bike shop with an array of glittering components in front of us and you’ll almost feel the pain in your OWN wallet, a hundred miles away.
The Aim of This Book
So, to our purpose. It all stems from that pain in the wallet. The amount of bikes that sell every year, and the amount of biking kit that goes along with it, creates a HUGE second hand market. I haven’t bought a brand new bike in over 10 years, all because I know how to find a good steed second hand, and save at least 50% of the cost in doing so.
But saving money isn’t enough – I’m going to show you:
- How to get free high quality components
- How to build top-end bike for free
- How to MAKE GOOD MONEY with second hand bikes.
And you’ll achieve all of this through trading in second hand bikes.
Who Is This Book For
This book is for two types of people.
The first of those is anyone that’s into cycling, whether mountain biking or road, and who wants to be able to get good kit without going bankrupt.
Bikes are expensive. Upgrades even more so. If you have a family, a mortgage, a life, then you can’t afford to own the bike you really, really want. This book is for anyone who’s finances put their dream bike just out of reach.
The second type of person this book is for is anyone who wants to make money out of trading in second hand bikes.
It’s easily possible to make a good side income in trading bike parts, and it’s even possible to make a full-time income for those that have the time to invest. If you’re looking for either a little extra pocket money, or you’re looking for a new job, working for yourself, then this book is for you.
Please leave me some feedback – I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Good idea Colin. I could do with some guidance along those lines.
I would be interested in reading this. As a student it can be very difficult affording necessary upgrades or shiny new parts!
Sounds like a great idea, do you currently make any money doing this? Or just do it to get the kit for your own bike? I’m after rotors, brake pads and cranks right now but just can’t afford all at once. Sounds like a really interesting project
I’d be interested in reading that and giving you some feedback. If I found it in a bookshop I would certainly take a look and would probably buy it.
I’d love a copy to review please
As a young rider myself I always push the limits but within my comfortable zone, I’m 18 have been riding all my life & I graduated last June barely.. My dad took me too the bike shop & said” if I graduate I can have any bike here” that was my motivation.
850$bike & I do such a good job riding it , I feel like a professional or atleast I could be!! But I reside in a Winnipeg Manitoba & I really wanna bike for a living not work@ mcdonalds.
Hi yes I’m really interested in reading a book on this subject and more than happy to provide feedback.
Hi yes as a spare time builder enthusiast with growing boys who always need upgrades and adjustments I.would love to read more on your ideas. I’ve often wondered about making money stripping bikes and selling components or building high end bikes from diner bikes. I’m more than happy to.provide feedback.
Thanks
Damian
Was wondering if this ever got published?
Hi Damien, Ryan,
I’m wondering what to do about it just now actually. I got a fair bit of the guide written, but didn’t collect all the data I wanted to to show examples of how the process works. So I have the guidance, but not as much of the proof as I’d like. This was just through laziness more than anything else – I went through it with 3 bikes back then, 2 years ago, but then didn’t record all of the sales data before eBay took it off the site (you can only see your sales for 90 days). Anyway, I might try and put it together later this year. Do you think the example data is a big deal? Would you find it useful anyway?