Journal Category: Affordability

People ask us all the time why a used bike costs what it costs, and it’s a fair question. A bike sitting in a garage for three years and a bike someone rode every day are not the same bike, even if they’re the same model. Here’s exactly how we think through pricing — no mystery, no markup theater, just the actual math we do on every bike that comes through the door.

Step one: the frame

The frame is the bike. Everything else is replaceable; the frame either works or it doesn’t. We check for cracks at the welds on steel frames, near the dropout on aluminum, and around the head tube on carbon — which we basically don’t stock because carbon damage is invisible and the consequences of missing it are severe. We check for bends. We check that the frame is actually straight using a string-line on the dropouts. A bent frame is a parts bike; we’re honest about that. A clean frame in a useful size adds maybe $40–$80 of baseline value depending on material and geometry.

Step two: the drivetrain

This is where most used bikes lose money. Chains wear. Cassettes wear. Chainrings wear. They wear together, and if someone let the chain go too long they all wore together fast and now you’ve got a drivetrain that skips under load. We use a chain wear indicator on every bike. A worn chain is a $15 part. A worn cassette is $25–$60 depending on the range. We factor that in:

• Good chain, good cassette: no deduction, adds to confidence in the rest of the drivetrain
• Worn chain only: we replace it and fold the cost in, typically $15–$20
• Worn chain + cassette: bigger deduction or we replace both and price accordingly
• Worn chain + cassette + chainring: we decide if the bike is worth rebuilding or if it goes to parts

Step three: wheels

We spin every wheel in a truing stand. A slightly out-of-true wheel is a 10-minute fix; a badly taco’d wheel or one with cracked spokes is a rebuild or a replacement. We also check rim brake surfaces for wear — there’s a wear indicator groove on most rims, and a rim past it is a safety issue. Tires we assess for cracking and tread depth. All of this is labor, and labor is real.

“The honest number is: we probably spend 45 minutes to an hour on every bike before it hits the floor. That time is in the price. If you find a cheaper bike at a garage sale, that inspection wasn’t done — and you’ll find out why when something breaks on your commute.”
— Dan

Step four: the local market

This is the part most shops don’t talk about. We price for South Tucson and the surrounding neighborhoods, not for Scottsdale. The median household income in our zip code is materially different from the east side, and our prices reflect that. We could probably get $50 more for some bikes if we posted them on a different platform. We don’t, because we want the person who needs a bike to get to work to be able to buy a bike and get to work.

All of our current inventory is on the shop page. If you’ve got a bike you’re looking to trade in, read our journal post on trade-ins for the breakdown on how that math works. Questions? Give us a call.

When we tell people about Lifetime Lube they usually look at us the way people look at a sign that says “free” — like there must be something hidden. There isn’t. You pay $20 once, you get a special little bottle of Rock ‘N’ Roll chain lube, and when you run out just bring it in for a free refill! Offer is good for as long as you have your intact bottle!

Why chain lube matters more than people think

Besides a flat tire, a dry chain is the most common reason a bike develops problems it didn’t used to have. The chain wears faster. The cassette teeth catch and wear faster. The chainring wears faster. What starts as a $5 problem — a dry chain — becomes a $60–$150 problem if you let it go. Tucson is also a dusty, dry desert city, which means chains here accumulate grit in a way they don’t in wetter climates. That grit acts like a grinding compound between your chain and your cassette. Lubing regularly isn’t optional maintenance here — it’s the difference between a drivetrain that lasts two years and one that lasts six.

“The lube costs us almost nothing. The goodwill is worth a lot more.”
— Dan

The actual math + rulez

We use a quality lube on desert bikes — around $12 a bottle, and a bottle does maybe 30 chain applications. In order to receive your free refill you MUST:

!! Only use the chain lube on actual bike chains (yours or your friends’)

!! Don’t spill the lube! Accidental spills are not eligible for free refills, only bottles emptied by properly applying lube to chains

The part that makes it make sense for us:

• You come in regularly, which means we catch other problems early
• You feel good about the shop, which means you come back for bigger purchases
• Your bike runs well, which means you keep riding it, which means you stay a cyclist
• A well-maintained bike doesn’t need expensive emergency repairs

Why we keep offering it when we could drop it

We’ve been asked this. The answer is that Lifetime Lube was one of the first things we offered when we opened, and it’s part of the promise the shop makes to the neighborhood. Our whole model is built on the idea that bikes should be accessible and maintainable without a finance plan. Dropping Lifetime Lube because it’s not a profit center would be exactly the kind of corporate logic we’re trying not to do. It’s not for sale to us. It stays.

You can add Lifetime Lube to any bike you buy from us or any bike you bring in for service. Come by or text 520-365-0754 and we’ll sort it out. It’s 30 bucks. Just do it.

How to lube it

• Prop your bike so that you can access the chain and spin the pedals backwards
• Put down a rag under the lower part of the chain. You might want a rubber glove on your left hand.
• Spin the pedals backwards with your right hand while squirting plenty o’ lube to the lower part of the chain. Hopefully that rag is catching the excess.
• Pick up that rag and wipe, wipe, wipe: the chain, the chainrings, the derailleur pulleys, any excess that got on the bike. You’re cleaning your drivetrain every time you lube your chain!! This is also done with the rag in the left hand, spinning pedals backwards with right hand. Rag will want to get caught in the chainring and pulley teeth as you spin ‘n’ wipe, but with a little practice you’ll get the hang of cleaning pretty well and very fast!

Your old bike is worth something. Maybe not as much as you think, and maybe more than the garage sale down the street offered you — but it’s worth something, and we’ll tell you exactly what and why, to your face, without making you feel bad about it. Here’s how trade-ins work at LoBall, broken down by the three options we offer.

Option one: cash

Cash is the simplest and the lowest number. When we buy a bike outright for cash, we’re taking on all the risk — that it sells, that it sells quickly, that nothing breaks during our inspection that we didn’t anticipate. So cash offers are typically 20–35% of what we expect to sell the bike for. If we think your bike will move for $200 on our floor, we’ll offer you $40–$70 cash. That sounds low, and it is, relative to the sale price — but the money is in your hand today, with no waiting, no uncertainty, no checking back in six weeks to see if it moved.

Option two: store credit

Store credit is a better deal if you’re planning to spend it here, which is probably why you’re trading in a bike in the first place. Store credit runs 40–60% of our expected sale price — so that same $200 bike gets you $80–$120 in credit. You can use it on another bike, on parts, on service, on Lifetime Lube, on anything we carry. Credit doesn’t expire. We write it down, we remember, and if you’re not sure what you want yet you can sit on it.

“People sometimes feel weird about store credit, like it’s a consolation prize. It’s not — it’s the best deal we can offer on your end. The only reason to take cash instead is if you genuinely need the cash.”
— Dan

Option three: consignment

Consignment means we sell it for you and take a cut when it sells. Here’s what that looks like:

1. We agree on a sale price together, based on condition and the current market
2. The bike lives in our shop and we do all the selling
3. When it sells, you get 70% of the sale price and we keep 30%
4. If it doesn’t sell within 60 days, we renegotiate or you take it back — your call

Consignment makes the most sense for nicer bikes — anything we’d price over $300 — where the 70% cut is meaningfully better than a cash or credit offer. It requires you to be patient and okay with uncertainty, but the upside is real.

What actually affects value

• Condition of the drivetrain (worn chains and cassettes cost money to replace)
• Frame integrity — cracks, bends, or corrosion are significant deductions
• Size — mid-range sizes (M/L on most frames) move faster in our market
• Brand and components — Shimano moves faster than no-name, but brand prestige matters less than component quality
• Tires — cracked or flat tires are a cost we factor in

Bring your bike by the shop and we’ll take a look and give you a number in person. No appointment needed, though if you’ve got something unusual or a full fleet to trade, call ahead at 520-365-0754 so we can make sure we have time to do it right.