Selling an emtb - no warranty

[Manicm]

As the title states, e-bike warranty is only 2-3 years on most for the e-parts while the frame would have a 10-lifetime warranty..

So for example my 3 year old rail with no current issues, only 1k on the clock, selling for around half the rrp, would you buy one? Would you be Comfortable enough to sell one on to a new owner?

Non e-bikes it’s easy get them serviced or even sell as a few jobs needed, but as we all know an e-bike could be fine today and have an error code tomorrow and then it’s expensive to fix compared to other bikes.

If you can’t sell it or choose not to, what do you do with it? Looking on ebay and other selling sites e-bikes don’t seem to sell, see the same ones month in month out, is there no buyer confidence in second hand e-bikes?

 

[Doomanic]

frame would have a 10-lifetime warranty

Not even close.

Subsequent owners (second or later) are entitled to a 3-year warranty from the date of purchase from the retailer on the Trek frame and Trek fork.

 

[Manicm]

Fair enough, but more interested in the emtb bits of the bike, would buyers not be interested due to failure costs down the line.

 

[irie]

...
So for example my 3 year old rail with no current issues, only 1k on the clock, selling for around half the rrp, would you buy one?
...

No, not with new Rails with full warranty at 18-25% off

 

[Plummet]

Half retail is about right.

Would I buy one? No. You just need a motor or a battery to go south and your getting close to new, run out special pricing.

 

[irie]

Half retail is about right.

OK, I'll put my 15 month old Rail 5 500Wh back to stock and sell it to you for £2,300 (half retail £4,600).

 

[Plummet]

OK, I'll put my 15 month old Rail 5 500Wh back to stock and sell it to you for £2,300 (half retail £4,600).

Nope!.... Rail is missing 30-40mm of travel for my liking.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

In my opinon, it's not worth it buying a used e-bike unless you know the bike's history, its previous owner, service records, and fully trust the seller. And even then, lots can go wrong. Accelerated wear and tear is common place with eMTBs. Superficial modifications done by non-professional, home mechanics cannot always be detected and can lead to serious issues, including safety problems. I think you'd be better off buying a brand new bike with a warranty at a price that's heavily discounted e.g last year's models. LBS often go through great lengths and are ready to bargain to clear their inventory. I personally would not take the chance buying a used ebike. My 2 cents...

 

[Ark]

people usually sell them after they RMA the motor

If an Ebike has been going fine for a few K and the motor still sounds good then it's probably not about to blow up.
They all seem to fail kind of early around 400miles etc, the manufactures always tell us the motors are good for 10k or whatever

 

[#lazy]

You could meet the seller at a bike shop and get them to do a quick health check for a small fee rather like taking a mechanic when buying a used car .
I would also ask the seller “ if the motor goes pop can they use their after warranty discount , upto a year maybe !
BUT to be honest , if I was selling a bike today with the used market on its knees and people haggling down at crazy low prices mixed with having to spend a crazy high figure for a new one , I would think twice and just tart up the old one

 

[irie]

Nope!.... Rail is missing 30-40mm of travel for my liking.

Nice dodge avoiding answering the question

 

[Bummers]

I'd want to factor in the cost of a replacement motor if I was buying second hand.

 

[Rando_12345]

It is hard to say as the market even for second hand regular MTBs is a disaster, I just sold my enduro bike for way less than I was hoping, financially it made no sense, but I didn't have space for it any more.

Generally speaking, as a buyer of a second hand bike, you should consider the risk of having to replace the motor which will cost about €1000. After 3 years, I would expect the battery to have lost 10-20% of its range.

On top of that, MTBs typically depreciate quite fast, but a 2020 MTB is very similar if not identical in function to a 2023 MTB. On the other hand, a 2020 E-mtb for the majority of brands will have an older motor, smaller battery, potentially a massive visual redesign.

All of that to say, I think a lot of sellers are massively overvaluing their bikes. Sellers should expect higher depreciation than MTBs + a flat out 1000-1500 direct dropoff in price to account for motor and battery replacements...

The only aspect helping sellers is the massive inflation, so selling a high end 2020 bike for 3-4k when the new ones are poorly specced for over 6k might interest some people.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

selling a high end 2020 bike for 3-4k when the new ones are poorly specced for over 6k might interest some people.

Not sure about this. These days you can easily find well-equipped emtb selling new for less than 4K€. No need to look for older second hand bikes in my opinion.

 

[Swissrider]

It’s not just worries about motors and batteries. The controller on my 2018 Kenevo cracked and walk mode stopped working (quite important on a 25kilo bike). My LBS said spare was out of stock and there was no date when it would be in stock. Specialized U.K. said the same thing. Eight months later my LBS got hold of one. So, an ebike can be out of action for a £30 part.

 

[BeBiker]

I see the value is somewhat like the second hand smartphone market.
Both machines have battery issues, hardware issues, still technically evolve very strong and also are kind of fashion.

About 1/2 price after 2 years, a bit higher with maintenance invoices ?
After that, continue to go down but bottoming at 1/5 price when fully working and good condition.

 

[Kingerz]

"One old lady who only drove her Corolla 3 miles to the shops once a week, fully serviced by Toyota, 939 genuine miles"

Look, any used MTB is a minefield. I am not buying your old "great" bike for anything like new price, especially if you think it is still COVID era.

eMTBs are a hundred times worse. I regard mine as 100% deprecated and I'm fine with that. My old ones are for friends to use or for me if mine break (Specialized). I never expect to resell them.

Plenty of people still think it's fine to smash their bikes with a hosepipe. "It's muddy."
If I did buy a used one, it'd have to be a model I knew and one that presented as PERFECT from a house where I personally collected the bike from the owner and looked them in the eye, and had a detailed test ride, and could bring it back, and even then, $2K on a 7K bike.

 

[irie]

"One old lady who only drove her Corolla 3 miles to the shops once a week, fully serviced by Toyota, 939 genuine miles"

Look, any used MTB is a minefield. I am not buying your old "great" bike for anything like new price, especially if you think it is still COVID era.

eMTBs are a hundred times worse. I regard mine as 100% deprecated and I'm fine with that. My old ones are for friends to use or for me if mine break (Specialized). I never expect to resell them.

Plenty of people still think it's fine to smash their bikes with a hosepipe. "It's muddy."
If I did buy a used one, it'd have to be a model I knew and one that presented as PERFECT from a house where I personally collected the bike from the owner and looked them in the eye, and had a detailed test ride, and could bring it back, and even then, $2K on a 7K bike.

Agreed, 2K on a 7K bike (30%) is realistic. Asking for anything near 50% is whistling in the wind.

 

[Paulquattro]

You lot need to start worrying when were trying to buy or sell electric cars on the second hand market if the government has there way that is ,
Pedelecs will be a drop in the ocean financially then

 

[Rando_12345]

You lot need to start worrying when were trying to buy or sell electric cars on the second hand market if the government has there way that is ,
Pedelecs will be a drop in the ocean financially then

I'm selling my old ebike and buying a used electric car... Less of these comments please, so I can sleep at night

But yeah, to show some comparison to cars, in France one of the top-selling electric cars retails for 36k in a specific trim, but you get a 5k subsidy for going green, so 31k. The same model with 2 years and less than 20k mileage goes for roughly 21k in private sales (add 1-2k from a garage with a year's warranty). Big question is how will it hold its value for another 5-10 years with respect to ICE models...

 

[#lazy]

Agreed, 2K on a 7K bike (30%) is realistic. Asking for anything near 50% is whistling in the wind.

3,5k for a 7k just over 2 year old bike is fine ‘

 

[steve_sordy]

I have only sold one emtb, the first one I had owned. It was a Focus Jam2 29er, XT kit, carbon frame. The guy (an architect) who bought it wanted it for commuting in London! He told me that he bought the bike because it was from me. He didn't know me, but he told me that he liked all the information and pics that I had provided on eBay. He also liked the fact that I had service records for the suspension and had dates and mileages for any parts fitted (tyres, chains, brake pads etc). While he was in front of me, I also sold him the TEC pack. I decided not to try and sell him the set of Rekons for his commuting instead of the set of triple compound tyres I had on the bike, to make his commuting easier.

Something that he loved was that I had arranged for the handover to take place at my LBS. I left him and the LBS guy alone for a while to allow him to ask any questions.

I guess it was about building confidence. I agree that I cannot guarantee that the motor wouldn't fail the day after the sale, but that is a risk that as a seller you can only offset by building confidence in the buyer that you are an honest seller.

 

[Sander23]

Well I bought my haibike fullnine 10 seccond hand.
Had only 220 km on the click, all parts looking brand new. Had 1 little scratch on the fork from transport.
Rrp wad 6000euro, bought it for 4300 with 1 year warranty left. Has been trouble free.

Sold my first cheap entry hardtail 1,5 year old with 2500 km for 300 euro less then the price I bought it for

 

[#lazy]

I have only sold one emtb, the first one I had owned. It was a Focus Jam2 29er, XT kit, carbon frame. The guy (an architect) who bought it wanted it for commuting in London! He told me that he bought the bike because it was from me. He didn't know me, but he told me that he liked all the information and pics that I had provided on eBay. He also liked the fact that I had service records for the suspension and had dates and mileages for any parts fitted (tyres, chains, brake pads etc). While he was in front of me, I also sold him the TEC pack. I decided not to try and sell him the set of Rekons for his commuting instead of the set of triple compound tyres I had on the bike, to make his commuting easier.

Something that he loved was that I had arranged for the handover to take place at my LBS. I left him and the LBS guy alone for a while to allow him to ask any questions.

I guess it was about building confidence. I agree that I cannot guarantee that the motor wouldn't fail the day after the sale, but that is a risk that as a seller you can only offset by building confidence in the buyer that you are an honest seller.

Nothing to do with you being 90 then

 

[cozzy]

I would only buy what I'm familiar with 2nd hand. So specialized.
If the motor failed I would try one of the motor repair companies initially, a few hundred maybe? If the battery failed I would get another used 500w for £350 or so. There are plenty about.
I don't know enough about other brands, IE Bosch or Shimano, whether they can be fixed or how easy motors are to repair or how common used batteries are.
I'm hoping I can get a kenevo sl for a song once the 2 years warranty is up.
Additionally with Berkshire bikes being local I'm quite confident he will be able to source spares.

 

[steve_sordy]

Nothing to do with you being 90 then

I sure hope that I look this good when I'm 90.
But I also look like an honest guy, honest!
No really, you can trust me!

 

[irie]

Agreed, 2K on a 7K bike (30%) is realistic. Asking for anything near 50% is whistling in the wind.

3,5k for a 7k just over 2 year old bike is fine ‘

 

[#lazy]

Show any bike for sale that’s 2years old at half price or less ?

 

[Mikerb]

If/when I buy a new bike I have no intention of ever selling it. That does mean getting the selection right! I am no slave to fashion but in most cases when something both beneficial and functional comes along later, ( e.g AXS), it is usually easy to implement. Most of any bike consists replaceable components.

I think the Bosch Smart System on a bike takes away some of the angst regarding the electrical components of a bike. Cables, controllers, screens can be bought from any Bosch dealer and it is a plug and play system other than the motor...........but any Bosch dealer can deal with motor replacements whether under warranty or not, and there a growing number of companies able to repair/refurbish Bosch motors that are out of warranty. So I am not particularly concerned a bout warranties.

Would I buy a second hand EMTB................yep I have bought 2........one for me and 1 together with my son. Mine was a month old with 50 miles on the clock (Whyte E180RS).................that was 2.5 years ago and it has now covered 1000 faultless miles. The other was a Levo Comp over a year ago. The motor went on that just recently and it was changed under warranty FOC by a local Specialized LBS (local to my son) in 2 days! Otherwise the bike has been fine. I knew the motor may be a weakness on a Levo not knowing how it had been ridden/cared for in the 600 miles it had on the clock, but also knew getting it replaced whilst still in warranty would be easy. My son has had a year to realise how best to ensure this motor gets a better chance in life ( maintain a higher cadence/ avoid pedal strikes/dont rag it in turbo in a high gear, dont flood with a hose etc). My mate has a Levo with over 3000 miles on the clock and it is as quiet and sweet as when new!!
There are brands I would not buy new or second hand!!

 

[irie]

Show any bike for sale that’s 2years old at half price or less ?

Published asking prices for used eBikes and final selling prices are two very different things, especially in current conditions where new eBikes can be substantially discounted by 30% or more ...