Someone local is selling a Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie with SRAM Force AXS 1x and Zipp 30 Course wheels. Firm asking price of $3k. Frame was made about 2019 / 2020 so its of recent vintage. As best I can tell this is a pretty decent deal on a very capable bike. I’m tempted to take it for a spin and see if I can find any faults and buy it if its as good as it looks.
I’m a long time roadie looking to get dirty. The frame geo is in line with my CAAD10. The groupset is pretty nice considering the total price for the bike. The wheels are solid, set up tubeless.
Does it sound like a good deal?
Seems kinda pricey, IMO…especially with the secondary market coming down i pricing across the board.
Theyre great bikes but I agree thats a bit pricey. Thats the cost of a brand new ultegra level boogie. If you like the bike and it fits, its not offensively overpriced, but you can probably do better. Ive had surprisingly decent success sending folks a note that says “hey Im interested in your bike but not at that price, if it doesnt sell and youre open to offers, lets chat”. Its a nice way of not lowballing them and letting the market talk.
Should be no issue finding that frameset for under 1000. I just saw an ad for a force axs complete drivetrain for $999 at bike closet. Add the wheels of your choice and youre on a new bike for the cost of a 3-4 year old bike.
Just for comparisons sake, I race a Boone in cx. Just saw a damn near new one pop up locally for $3200. Less than a year old bike thats being raced in the UCI pro field (Curtis White won Nats on that bike last year)
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A lot of people price items they want to sell by how much they want to get and feel good rather than look at the market first. They might also still be under the impression it is 2 years ago and are not aware that the supply-demand imbalance has completely tilted to the other side.
According to Van Dessel’s website a brand new Full Tilt Boogie with Rival eTap AXS costs $3k. Yes, it is not Force, perhaps the Zipp wheelset is better, but on the other hand, it is brand new. I don’t know if the Zipp aluminum wheels are that much better than the wheels on the $3k Rival AXS build. Even if they are a bit better, it isn’t that much. Ditto for the groupset, I don’t think a used 3-year-old Force groupset is worth as much as a new Rival groupset, especially in the current market. Moreover, condition of the bike also matters. How new are chain, cassette and chainring? Is the BB on the way out? Does the frame have a lot of dings and scratches. Even purely cosmetic imperfections can impact the price depending on where you are. (E. g. the clear coat on my Force cranks turned a bit milky and crackly from my supremely corrosive sweat, and the finish on the right crankarm of my XTR cranks is polished through to the bare metal. None of this makes the bike worse to ride, but it would impact its value if they were on sale.)
So unless the other bike e. g. comes with a Quarq power meter or has fancy carbon handlebars, I’d get in touch with the seller and let him know that he is asking essentially the same money as a brand new bike, and try to re-negotiate or to contact you if he changes his mind. (Yes, I have read that the seller claimed the price was firm, but I doubt he’ll be able to sell the bike easily.) Ideally, you should have a price in mind. I’d add $100–$200 for a refresh of your bike: anticipate to get a new chain, new brake pads, a bleed, etc.
Keep in mind that some sellers will cut corners and e. g. put a super cheap saddle on it. Or, in case of mountain bikes, even change brakes. (Ask me how I know 
)
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Obviously the wrong time of year for this, but if you go to any cx race, walk around the team tents. Theres always bikes with For Sale signs on them. Ive seen prices ranging from “youve got to be kidding me, high” all the way down to “is this thing stolen, low?!”
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Some good advice in this thread. I think my first stop will be to a Van Dessel dealer. I kind of suspect that the $3k price on a new complete bike was a closeout price. The shop will at least help me figure out my options.
Oh, I ride a 52cm if anyone knows of any particular deals out there for CX bikes.
That is not unlikely: there is an oversupply of bikes right now and many dealers and companies are trying their hardest to get rid of old stock. Plus, the bike was only available on the manufacturer’s website in size 56 if memory serves.
Still, if you are selling a used bike, you (and the seller) need to take that into account, me thinks. IMHO it is a very good time to buy a bike.
40mm tire clearance says go for it. That super tall seat tube says it’ll never be comfortable enough to do a long gravel race without destroying your back.
I ended up with -
Parlee Chebacco xd
Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37V wheels
Rival AXS groupset including powermeter
I’m at about $3400 on the build. Bought it used. There are some scrapes on the wheels but they still have a lot of miles in them. The bike itself was $3,100 shipped but then I needed a seatpost with a setback and a saddle that fits my butt. Its a great ride but I’m taking my time dialing in the fit - mostly because I want to make sure my butt is in the right place before adjusting the bars.
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…aaaaand finally, a pic -
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Sweet bike! May wanna go with a smaller cassette though. Lots of useless low end on there!
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