Is the BMX OS bubble beginning to burst or are people worried about spending?

[jimwise68]

Had a brief discussion with Flaz last night about how things aren't selling at the moment (£1400 Skyway Grafs aside).

I got a bargain PK Ripper Looptail but my redline stuff has not had much interest and nor has his 400 crankset.

is this down to Redline stuff not being wanted or a general downturn in BMX prices or are people worrying about unnecessary spending in a dodgy economic climate?

Thoughts please?

[wildwood1971]

I think its to do with a number of factors to be honest. Prices have gone through the roof lately and to me its turning into a rich man's game. I can't afford or justify the cost anymore. £250 for mx1000's is just silly.
I think also a lot of people are bracing them selves for a recession so naturally hobbies are the 1st thing to suffer in a bid to keep heads above water.

With the growing interest in old school you would expect demand to increase but i don't see that happening - i agree its harder to sell on parts than it was last year and i'm relatively new to the hobby, so i guess anyone that has have been into it for years would have noticed an even bigger change.

[munners]

I just think people are keeping their stuff at the mo. There's hardly ever any 'really' nice bits and bobs that are in the for sale section these days. Always the same sort of gear ie DC 901's etc.

I also think that Redline f+f's are a bad seller. I think that GT's are too. Not sure why?

400's were a 'wanted' item about 2 months ago as a few people had Laserlite builds and they needed them. Maybe they have them now?

If there was a  GEN 1, TA, Kuwi Laserlite, Harry Leary, Ripper, Quad etc up for sale on here they would sell instantly.

[dj_benice]

Post xmas blues still, coupled with adrenaline junkies needing their hit of powder in the winter months, all back to usual come summer I reckon

[zed4130]

I think the prices have gone stupid, and its defo a rich mans game these days, im going to stick to my nuschool now, and leave the OS bikes to the rich and famous  

[jimwise68]

I also think that Redline f+f's are a bad seller. I think that GT's are too. Not sure why?

Got to agree there. Think they are more sought after in the States, had loads of interest from American and Australia peeps on my redline stuff on the bay.

Funnily the PL20 is a lovely big frame so feels more like a cruiser than a cramped BMX. So is totally usuable as a rider. Probably why the americans like them.

[munners]

I also think that Redline f+f's are a bad seller. I think that GT's are too. Not sure why?

Got to agree there. Think they are more sought after in the States, had loads of interest from American and Australia peeps on my redline stuff on the bay.

Funnily the PL20 is a lovely big frame so feels more like a cruiser than a cramped BMX. So is totally usuable as a rider. Probably why the americans like them.

Ive just now finished my 102b and its a REALLY small f+f. I feel really cramped when im sitting on it. Not a nice riding position.

 I deffo think that the UK market are not into Redlines and GT's as much as the yanks. They are a real US brand name over there which is probably why both are still in business!!

[perry]

i hope it does fall through the floor

itl give the people that buy stuff as an "investment" a decent kick  

after all it wont effect the people who build these bikes to recapture their youth as after all they wouldnt want to sell anyway , so what if they bought something for £100 and its current "value" is only £50 , is there any loss in the fun of ownership

of course something like a ta will still get a decent price but will it be the guy who had one when they were new and wants to show their children what it was like , the guy that desperately wanted one but couldnt afford one new but now has enough disposable income to fulfill the dream or will it be the guy jumping on the bandwagon expecting it to increase in value and will just pack it away in storage never to be seen again

same thing has happened to old fords , a mk1 escort rs2000 will go for £10000 and even 4 door mk2s have reached £2000 , you couldnt give them away in the 90s lol

[RATTY]

I think that the bread and butter OS stuff is levelling out price wise, I have a load of stuff I need to sell in order to fund my racing but the first two bikes I put up didnt even attract an offer .

[munners]

i hope it does fall through the floor

itl give the people that buy stuff as an "investment" a decent kick  

after all it wont effect the people who build these bikes to recapture their youth as after all they wouldnt want to sell anyway , so what if they bought something for £100 and its current "value" is only £50 , is there any loss in the fun of ownership

of course something like a ta will still get a decent price but will it be the guy who had one when they were new and wants to show their children what it was like , the guy that desperately wanted one but couldnt afford one new but now has enough disposable income to fulfill the dream or will it be the guy jumping on the bandwagon expecting it to increase in value and will just pack it away in storage never to be seen again

same thing has happened to old fords , a mk1 escort rs2000 will go for £10000 and even 4 door mk2s have reached £2000 , you couldnt give them away in the 90s lol

I think that what you will find is that the REAL collectors bought there stuff ages ago, so even if the floor falls through they will still show a profit! i know people who bought  DC MX1000's for £6.50 a calliper! Even if they went down to £20 for a MX1000 calliper then they are still on top.  I wouldnt wish anyone bad luck when it comes to earning money. Most of us on here only do it for the hobby not for the profit.


One thing that you have to remember (and it is relevant)..........my old TA cost my dad £360 back in 1984. What is that worth now in todays money? £1100? So financially the bmx hobby we are in isnt too ridiculous when you look at it like that!

[perry]

"Most of us on here only do it for the hobby not for the profit."

thats certainly what ive found 

i dont want people to think im against anone selling anything , after all were bmxers , we have a habit of " ooooh thats nice i want one of those " and then selling it shortly after for somethin else that catches the eye 

[virtualmeuk]

From a newbies point of view...... I was new to all this OS BMX before xmas and was trying to relive my childhood through my old bike that i uncovered in the garage at my folks house. I could'nt beleive the prices stuff was fetching so thought it was worth doing up. Now i have done it i have no more money and no more parts to buy so will only change small parts as and when i get cash or a better upgrade. For me i have seen a flurry recently of stupid prices on bits and its just to much for me to justify paying the prices so am using lower spec parts on another build i am doing to get it finished. I think that people who are new to this OS BMX get a shock at the prices and are put off a bit by them. I Have only been able to justify my spending as i have owned the bike from new and therefore has a big chunk of nostalga attached to it. I wouldnt spend the kind of silly money on a bits for a normal OS build that i had no connection with so i have therefore stopped buying bits till i can find some bargains.

I am sure that the prices like anything will peak and then drop for a while and slowly creep back up over time. They cannot keep going up as it is getting way out of most 'normal' peoples reach at the moment and untill prices start to fall into the reach of 'normal' income people i think it will stay a bit stale. Once people start to see prices within there reach i think the market will pick up and be back where they are now in a few months.

I think the biggest problem is that if somone sells a set of say mx1000's for a silly price to somone who has more money than sence and is desperate for them to finish a build or to furnish a childhood dream then everyone thinks that there mx1000's are instantly worth that amount of money or even a bit more. Trouble is that not everyone is prepared to pay sill prices for stuff.

At the end of the day there must be a 'Ceiling' price for say a set of MX 1000's that no one in there right mind will pay any more for and i think that we are about there at the moment.

[Swivel]

Definately agree with you here Nick. People are hording the good stuff that's for sure and nothing cheap enough and minty ever comes up on the for sale section anymore, either it's very used or the same NOS stuff i.e. Seat clamps/901's etc...

Stuff is definately getting harder to source now, I've been requesting a freestyle stem for about 3 weeks on the wanted bit and still no luck getting a minty one... people just ain't parting with the good stuff anymore 

I have a few unfinished bikes and would love to see them done and its getting harder and harder to get the parts now without spending a fortune and I really cannot justify that to myself anymore, i'd much rather put the money towards a holiday for me and the wife instead of buying two sets of MX1000's! Just ticks me off that something so readily available like a freestyle stem, which 6 months ago would have been very easy to find, now takes weeks and weeks and even then they are used and need work. This old school game is getting very tough!

I just think people are keeping their stuff at the mo. There's hardly ever any 'really' nice bits and bobs that are in the for sale section these days. Always the same sort of gear ie DC 901's etc.

I also think that Redline f+f's are a bad seller. I think that GT's are too. Not sure why?

400's were a 'wanted' item about 2 months ago as a few people had Laserlite builds and they needed them. Maybe they have them now?

If there was a  GEN 1, TA, Kuwi Laserlite, Harry Leary, Ripper, Quad etc up for sale on here they would sell instantly.

[jimwise68]

I definitely am not in it for the money. I enjoy sourcing the parts and building the bikes that I used to love when I was younger and some that have caught my eye this time round.

But been watching ebay and sale stuff on here and it is either not selling or selling at a far reduced rate to what it was a few months back.
i know at this time of year it slows down but it seems to have gone a bit beyond that.

Fair play that a TA or Gen 1 will always demand a premium but have seen rare stems and even MX1000s go for a ridiculously cheap price. its obviously good that prices have come down some degree. But just wondered the reasons behind it.

I personally was thinking that it was simply because of the economic climate being a bit unstable.

[OrgasmDonor]

ive gone off the boil for os stuff n moved onto midschool stuff as its a whole new world to me basically and i like to ride my bikes into the ground. the prices did hit a high recently i reckon and now peeps want top dollar for everything, but those peaks are peaks so when the prices fall no one seems to want to part with stuff, which is understandable, hense no real bargains anymore. also the want for the big gun bikes, TA's n SE's etc has deemed GT's and the like as undesirable, there are loads n loads of underated frames out there, all victims of fashion at the mo, IMO

[Rombloke]

all it is jim is flaz wants too much for his cranks....simple....

thats why they aint selling

jeez he only had em up for sale for a few days anyway...lol



Dave

[jimwise68]

all it is jim is flaz wants too much for his cranks....simple....

thats why they aint selling

jeez he only had em up for sale for a few days anyway...lol



Dave

[etriedes]

I've found it better buying from the states lately, ( i'd rather buy from here ) parts are more available and cheaper with the exchange rate .. even with the postage cost it can still work out cheaper than buying from here .. ideally i'd like to trade parts but your lucky to even get any trades on here lately .. so it looks like i'm stuck with long waits for deliverys from the states ..

[Zippy]

If things don't sell it's because either they're too expnsive or that nobody is after that particular item at that particular time.

[stuntmaster]

If things don't sell it's because either they're too expnsive or that nobody is after that particular item at that particular time.

exactly and with the credit crunch watch out for stuff to drop as the bubble will burst soon and stuff will sell cheaper as it`s spare income this game is and what with other things taking priority bmx will take a back step

[jackel]

If things don't sell it's because either they're too expnsive or that nobody is after that particular item at that particular time.

exactly and with the credit crunch watch out for stuff to drop as the bubble will burst soon and stuff will sell cheaper as it`s spare income this game is and what with other things taking priority bmx will take a back step

wish it would hurry up i,m waiting to do another build

[PHIPPSIO]

Another short timers perspective, when a rare part goes up for sale at a silly price, people justify the cost cos they know somenone is going to need it pretty bad and it wont hang around. The problem is that then becomes the market rate to anybody selling a similar part a week later or in some cases they want a bit more cos theres is black or blue whatever. Also when biagio runs out of something its generally time to make hay if you have rare stuff. I bought a nos green master from him last June for £200. Alans has just flogged one on the bay for over £400 today....thats not a bad rate of inflation

Mx1000's are also a good example though, every time a set came up it seemded to be a little bit dearer than the last set, never settled down that cost........... have no fear though, just look around your houses, lofts and garages, spare bedrooms , we wouldnt all have ended up with so much stuff if it was so easy to resist buying those bits, maybe just another couple of minutes considering it

[Trev]

i'm not an old school collector and i don't really watch the prices of stuff too much. sometimes read about it on here, that's about it.
the way i look at it, those with lots of disposable cash who decide to build old school bikes will raise the price of certain parts. if they want it and can afford it, they pay the stupid prices that everyone else can't afford. i don't know how many really rich collectors there are (i'm talking millionaire status here). but say there were 10 of them. once they've all got what they want, then the prices of that particular item will drop.

buying stuff now to make a profit would be very risky. yeah prices are silly now. but will they go up even more? who knows. i'm sure if you try to remember back a couple of years ago, you may have thought the same thing. with everything, there has got to be a limit. whether we have reached that limit or not, don't know...

[ron burgundy]

Most Redlines don't make big money...  only the special ones

You've got 4 days to go Jim, loads of time for last minute bidding...

[thebigdog]

I think you also have to take in to account that places like Vert Ego do not have that much left, Ruewheels has pretty much gone, there is not that much worth having at Alans and as far as I know its not like they will be getting that much more good stuff from Shiners.
You only have to go back a year to be able to get pretty much any colour Tyre you wanted from any of the above. Seats were easy to get, clamps, chains, headsets and brakes were all available in pretty much any colour. Haro frames were still about in boxes and so to were Beats, Trickstars and the odd Quad.

Its all pretty much gone and that has a big impact on new people coming in to the scene. It is very hard to build a nice bike from scratch now and you have to be prepared to sit and watch all the ebay listings and get lucky on forums like Rad to get the bits you need.

If people are getting pi$$ed with paying the high prices they will lose interest and if nobody new is coming in then parts will begin to come down in price as the market gets smaller.