We’re always reporting on the latest and greatest technology, components, bikes, and accessories in cycling. Often, we can get so focused on the next best thing, that we forget about the last best thing, even though it was essentially just as good. It’s easy to get blinded by the shiniest, newest products, when realistically, the performance gains from year to year, model to model, are typically marginal.
Is the S-Works Tarmac SL7 no longer relevant because the S-Works Tarmac SL8 is 16.6 seconds faster over 40km?
Of course not.
In many cases, the previous version (or versions) of your favorite road, gravel, or mountain bike is just as good as the latest. And since the Covid boom, the used bike market has been pretty flooded, and it has undoubtedly been a buyer’s market. Indeed, buying used can save you A LOT of money, particularly on higher-end, performance-oriented bicycles.
Cycle Limited, shopping for a new-to-you bike
Which is why I was interested to learn about Cycle Limited while chatting with an industry associate at Sea Otter last month. Cycle Limited is based in Boca Raton, Florida, and is a family-owned reseller of certified pre-owned bikes. They have a retail shop serving their local South Florida market, along with a warehouse for their online inventory.
They specialize in certified pre-owned bikes, with the goal of providing customers with “like-new” bikes at a fraction of brand-new prices. The business model seems similar to The Pro’s Closet in that the bikes have gone through a certification process.
Cycle Limited recognizes that selling your used bike can be a hassle, and buying used can be tricky as well. As such, a notable aspect of their operations is a trade-in program, where riders can bring or ship a bike in for credit towards another bike. Of course, Cycle Limited also pays cash for quality complete bikes, frames, and wheelsets.
They even have a sell/trade-in form on their website where you can get an offer on your equipment within 48 hours. And they cover shipping costs. Cycle Limited buys road, gravel, mountain, TT/Tri, cyclocross, and certain e-bikes, in good condition, of course.
How does it work?
What began as more of a local business has expanded nationwide to cast a much wider net to buy, trade, and sell bikes. In addition to individuals, they’ve begun working with certain bike shops so they can accept trade-ins without needing to deal with used inventory themselves. Cycle Limited takes care of all the logistics, with riders applying trade-in value to a new bike purchase in-store.
Likewise, I’m told they’ve also started working with brands and manufacturers to tap into more dealer networks and unsold inventory in a similar way.
While the majority of the bikes on the Cycle Limited site are certified pre-owned, there are also a few brand-new bikes from past seasons. Most of the used and new bikes are complete, but there’s a fairly sizable selection of certified pre-owned and new frames across all genres of cycling, too. They’ve also got a broad assortment of new components covering everything from tires to drivetrains, and lots in between.
Buying a used bike can be a nerve-wracking process. Unless you can see it in person and test ride it, it’s often hard to say how well it was maintained and what condition the components are in. We definitely don’t all take care of our bikes the same, which is one of the nice things about buying a certified pre-owned bike from a reputable business. Cycle Limited closely inspects and cleans the frame, fork, wheels, and components, ensuring functionality and replacing wear parts as needed. They also have a 14-day return policy so you can make sure it’s the right fit.
I’m told that in the past few years, Cycle Limited has quadrupled its trade-in submissions, while more than doubling its number of total sales. Their average sale price is in the $3,500 to $4,500 range, with 60-70% of of those purchases for bikes that originally retailed for $6,000 to $12,000.
Sounds to me like business has been good and may continue to improve as more buyers turn toward the used market in response to ever-rising prices.
Whether you’ve got a used bike (or several) collecting dust in your garage that you want to get rid of, or you’re interested in upgrading to something new-to-you, Cycle Limited is worth putting on your radar. There are some gems on the site right now, and the inventory is always changing. Check it out.
