Closing out the Rock Hopper

I mentioned last month that I had picked up an 89 Specialized Rock Hopper via the Facebook Marketplace,  This the chronicle of how it got parted out.

The first thing to get sold was the drive train, Shimano Deore MT62 group.  It went for $23.50, minus the $12.50 for medium box flat rate shipping I netted $11.

The next to go was the Deore II triple crank, including alloy dust caps.  It went for $19.99 after paying for shipping I netted $7.50 on the crank.

The last component group to go was the Shimano Deore BR-MT62 Cantilever Brakeset including levers.  I was even able to fit all of it in a small flat rate box and got it sold for $16.16, after shipping I came away with $9 net.  That brought me up to $27,50,  I have been pricing the items with shipping included in the costs and listing them with free shipping, which for some reason gets more views than breaking out the cost of the item and shipping separately even though the total is the same.  The downside of this strategy is that eBay fees are based on the sale price so I paid more in fees than I thought I would.

Today I sold the frame set including the rear rack, headset, bb, and seat post, for $25 bringing my gross profit to $52.50, and after the $30 outlay that is a net of $22.50.  I do still have a mismatched wheel-set on craigslist but I think they may end up getting donated to Bikeworks.

In the end I'm not sure it was worth the trouble but it was fun to play with, and hey I have now posted in every month this year.

Breakdown of a Salvage: Trek Antelope

As you may recall I purchased an 87 Trek Antelope for $40 last month.

I was really just wanting the bike for the front wheel which matched the rear on the Ibex and the stem which is shorter than the one on the Ibex.  I figured I could recoup some of the price by parting out the bike, so how did I do?  My first lesson was I should have offered below asking to start, the bike was obviously something the seller wanted to move, it needed work and it had been on CL for a week, all indications that an offer of say $35 wouldn't have been out of line.

After cleaning up the bike I realized the paint and decals were in great shape so I threw it CL for $35. And included the; BB, Headset, quick release seat post clamp and the funky roller rear brake cable guide.  It got snapped up for full price by a guy who likes old mixtes, there are debates about what exactly makes a "mixte" but I wasn't going to split hairs with a man with cash.  I also ended up throwing in the seat post.  So at that point I had earned most of the money back and I had my parts for a total of $5.

The Sakae crank I disassembled and ran through the sonic cleaner and reassembled.  I listed it on eBay and made sure to mention that it included the metal dust covers for the crank bolts.  It ended up going for $30! must have been the dust covers.  That brought me to plus $25 over all.

The next to go were the diacompe canti brakes.  They went for $15.50 which I attribute to the cool roller cable hangers,  That brought me to $40 over what I initial paid for the bike.

The stubborn part of the salvage was the Suntour accushift drive train, I relisted it on eBay multiple times.  I finally resorted to changing it to free shipping and adjusting the price to cover that and it finally sold but I only got $7 for an entire drive-train including thumb shifters!!?  I can't ever figure this stuff out.

I am not complaining though for a $40 outlay I got a front wheel and a stem for the Ibex overhaul and $87 in sales for a net of $47 and I even have a few odds and ends to drop off at bike works.

I found the 89 Rock Hopper on Face Book market place and since it met many of the criteria I had seen for the Trek (priced to sell, lingering on the site, needs work) I offered $30 and was accepted.  It was a bit farther out than I usually go but not as far when leaving from work.  We'll see if it has the same success as the Trek in Salvage part Deux.

Ride.Recycle.Reuse.Repeat