welcome back to Berm Peak I'm Seth and today we're going to be doing something a little bit different
but kind of the same I'm playing devil's advocate again but this time with old bikes what are some
of the reasons they might be better than brand new bikes on my channel and others you've seen
new bike day videos what's the latest and greatest thing well sometimes the greatest thing you can
get is an old bike a used bike maybe even one that's a little bit outdated so we're gonna
go through a few reasons why a bike that's been around the block a couple of times might be better
than one that's brand new so you might say Seth you ride a brand new bike your bike is brand new
well yeah it was brand new three years ago and now actually rides better than it did then because
i've changed around parts i've kept it maintained and i've adjusted it exactly the way I like it yet
if I were to sell this bike today it would go for considerably less than you would have paid
for it three years ago so even if you do save up the money to buy a brand new bike it's gonna be
used pretty soon because you're gonna ride it so why bother paying that premium up front if you're
eventually gonna have to pay to maintain it in the first place even if a used bike needs a few
parts and a little work to get back up to snuff you're going to have to do that eventually with
a new bike very soon after getting it so if you're not afraid of dealing with a few unknowns a used
bike can be a really really good value of course a new bike is going to have the latest and greatest
suspension and latest and greatest linkage but the stuff that was on bikes four or five years ago was
plenty good too so seeing that only a handful of the newest developments end up sticking in
the long term there's nothing wrong with getting something that was proven four or five years ago
another benefit of used bikes especially older used bikes is that they can oftentimes be easier
to work on ninety percent of this bike can be worked on with a three-way tool any set
of metric hex wrenches is going to be enough to remove and reinstall the handlebars the wheels the
chain rings adjust the brakes I mean there's really not much on this bike that you can't
use an adjustable wrench or a three-way tool to work on by contrast on a newer bike you're going
to need one of these to remove the direct mount chain ring you're going to need one of these to
adjust the suspension and to work on the bottom bracket you're going to need one of these so
in addition to paying a premium for a new bike you're also going to need to buy a whole bunch
of specialty tools or pay for a shop to use their specialty tools to fix your bike
now for many people this is worth it because they want more modern equipment but if you're just
riding gravel paths and doing some light mountain biking you do not need a bike that's super up to
date and you can probably use tools you already have to work on it one of the things I like about
all bikes including very new bikes is you can usually figure out how to work on them
just by looking at them all the gears and chains and parts are out where you can see them
but that's even more so with older bikes you can take apart the hubs and individual
ball bearings will fall out of it it's usually not as important to get things torqued down to
the exact right amount and in the case of steel bikes if something bends you just bend it back
clearly it'll be easier to figure out these cantilever brakes than a modern set of hydraulic
disc brakes on most older bikes the cables are right outside on the frame while newer ones
almost always have internally routed cables if there's not some kind of a guide inside the frame
you're gonna have one hell of a time trying to fish one of those through so benefit number two
of older used bikes is they are oftentimes much easier and less expensive to work on
now back to the point about value on used bikes they actually hold their value better than new
bikes the second you walk out of the showroom with a new bike it plummets in value meanwhile if you
buy a used bike and ride it for a year if you take care of it you can sell it for about the same as
you bought it for so not only does it cost less in the first place but it will actually cost you
less to keep just think about our flip bike videos where we buy used bikes fix them up a little bit
and then actually sell them for more imagine if I was trying to do that with new bikes the only
way to make a profit on new bikes is to buy a whole bunch of them at a time and have some kind
of a contract with a manufacturer the second you touch one it goes down in value whereas used bikes
actually go up in value as you fix them up so if you're actually trying to buy an asset that's
going to hold its value a used older bike is going to be a better decision when I edit a video I use
a desktop computer and a linear editor I have over 15 years experience using that but I could
see a day where tablets and touch screens are how people edit videos and when that happens I'm going
to be old-fashioned and continue doing it this way because I'm going to have 15 years of experience
that I have to throw down the drain a lot of people feel that way about bikes so just like
any technology that you've been using for years you might not want to switch to something new
because you have to learn something new generally I don't think it's that big of a deal to have
a cushier bike that rides better and goes faster but maybe you're older and you have an entire shop
full of specialty tools for your older bikes and you've been riding the same trails for the last
15-20 years and you don't need something newer that's gonna do more things you might actually be
happier just getting an old bike that runs exactly the way you're used to you might like the older
geometry you might like the way that they run or look mountain biking is a leisure activity so
whatever aspects of it bring a smile to your face are totally legitimate as far as I'm concerned
another reason you might want a used bike specifically a very old bike is
that oftentimes times it's lower maintenance in recent years we've been able to make things
way lighter and way higher performance but that has not always come with longevity an aluminum
chainring doesn't last as long as a steel one a coil fork requires less service than an air
fork and an alloy bike doesn't really have a life expectancy whereas a carbon bike oftentimes does
cable pull brakes do not need to be bled and tires with inner tubes do not need to be
refilled with sealants now if you're riding through rock gardens at 35 miles per hour
a newer bike is going to last longer and require less maintenance however if that's not the type
of riding that you're doing there are many cases where an older bike will actually last a longer
time and require less tinkering to keep running so in some cases depending on your riding style
and particular situation older bikes can last longer and require less maintenance
it's also a fact that a used bike is almost always more environmentally friendly than a new bike so
if that's a priority to you fixing up an old bike is going to be better for the environment
than buying a new one it doesn't come with a box it doesn't use additional fuel to get to you
it's not going to be yet another bike that is sat on a shelf in a store or in a warehouse
it's not going to come with yet again all the costs and resources that it took
to bring it to market in the first place it's also true that most old bikes don't
have lithium-ion batteries in the shifters and fluid in the brakes and shocks so if
you're happier with something simpler and analog it is more environmentally friendly
i'd be a hypocrite if I said i'd do that since I have like 15 new bikes but it's the facts
another cool benefit about used bikes even one that's one or two years old
is that it comes with the scratches included for free in fact because of those scratches
you're gonna pay less for it and you're not gonna get the anxiety that comes with a brand
new shiny bike just like when you get a brand new shiny car that first scratch really really hurts
and you might dial back your riding because of it inevitably you're gonna get those scratches
the value is gonna go down and then you're gonna ride it like you would any other bike
not really caring if it gets another scuff on it you could just let the previous owner
deal with that pain and anxiety and get a bike that's one or two years old with scuffs included
I kind of like how the scuffs and scratches tell a story it gives them character in fact many people
list old cars and bikes with patina as an actual selling point so you're going to scratch it anyway
why deal with the anxiety you can get something that works just as good and maybe doesn't look it
so another great thing about a used bike is you just don't have to worry about it as much
so if it's a bike you're leaving on the back of your pickup truck or even commuting with
there's less of a chance of it getting stolen and if it does you're not going to incur as much
of a liability to a thief an older bike is less attractive because it's harder to sell it's not
going to sell for as much money in fact it might even just be perceived as less valuable because
it's a little older and has scratches on it I know we're talking about mountain bikes here but if you
were to go into new york city and look at any bike rack you're going to see bikes that purposely look
terrible some people will wrap the entire frames in tape just so you can't see what brand they are
so even if you need a secondary bike that you use to get places or you know you're gonna have to
leave in sketchy places because you travel with it sometimes a used older bike can actually be a more
sensible option so look I get why new bikes are exciting I get them all the time I love new bikes
I ride for a company that sells new bikes you get that new paint job you get all new shiny parts
they don't need any work and oftentimes you get to try out a technology that's new and exciting
but the simple fact remains that older bikes even outdated bikes have a lot of advantages
and when I see a bike on the trails that's a little bit outdated and the rider is rocking
it proudly shredding with everyone else I find something very admirable about that so if you're
riding an older bike and you're doing it proudly tell me what bike you have what you paid for it
and what it would have run you new and on that note if you bought your bike new 10 years ago
and you're still riding it tell me what you saved by not buying a brand new bike every three years
I hope you enjoyed this video I hope you learned something or at least found it entertaining
thanks for riding with me today and i'll see you next time