Second hand bikes, garda auction

Spremuto

Hi there,
I am coming back to Dublin after 4 months abroad and I ll have to buy back a bike.
the last one, which i then sold, was bought on buyandsell.ie. i was planning to do the same with the new one, but i was wondering whether there could be other options.
for example, is the garda auction any good? (i went there once, and prices where crazy, but maybe it was just in that case) do you know when there is going to be another one?
i want to spend very little, is there a place where you can find scrap parts, or old bikes to be fixed for little?
(i m thinking of doing a very basic, non fancy, fixie, as i had last year.)
THANKS BRO!

PCPhoto

prices were crazy high or crazy low ?

would also be interested in Garda auctions (if prices are crazy low)

Wez

Check out Rothar.ie, or (the now empty) http://www.dublinwaste.ie/free_trade_list.php?category_id=28.. The Garda auctions aren't too frequent, if this will be your daily transport. Good luck!

Spremuto

crazy high! they probably spent more than they would have spent if they bought the same bike but new. too many people, not many bike, good auctioner...good money for them
but maybe it was just that period. (2 years ago)

Spremuto

rothar.ie is exactly the kind of thing i was looking for (the location is perfect as well!)!!
thank you very much, take care!

anywhichway69

Spremuto wrote: »

crazy high! they probably spent more than they would have spent if they bought the same bike but new. too many people, not many bike, good auctioner...good money for them
but maybe it was just that period. (2 years ago)

I don't think it was a one off, I went once as well, many years ago and the prices being paid were ridiculous. The majority of the bikes were in bits, and very few would be what I would consider a decent bike. People were paying far more than they would if they got the same bike second hand at a LBS fully serviced. Crazy stuff.

Good shout on www.dublinwaste.ie you might get something you can use for free, but you will have to collect.

Dr_Colossus

I went to one of the garda auctions about two years ago also when my last bike was stolen. My experience was similar to Spremuto's in that people were going nuts outbidding one another for crap bikes, bikes worth maybe 50 or 60 euro were being sold for 120+. On the other hand if you were looking out for a good quality bike, bikes worth maybe 500+ euro were going for considerably less. Didn't see any good road bikes there though, most of the better bikes were either hybrids or decent MTBs.
As far as I know the garda auction only occurs once a month at the station in Kevin Street. It's on a Wed during the day in what seems like a ploy to make it difficult for working people to make.

km991148

yep, went 3 years ago and agree with above, didnt know much about bikes (prob still dont) but I knew I wasnt paying 100-150 for a pile of dung!

I thought they were annually though? at the end of october, but could be wrong;

Ant

About 12 years ago, when I was on the dole and looking for a new bike and after hearing lots of recommendations, I went to the garda auction in Kevin St. station.

The bikes could theoretically be viewed the day before the auction but in reality, they were crammed so close together in the shed that it was extremely difficult to ascertain the condition of the bikes. In reality, you were evaluating the bike purely on looks and most of the bikes didn't look too good.

Then, on the day of the auction itself, the prices were ridiculously high for what was on offer. I concluded I'd be much better off going to the LBS for a second-hand bike or checking the Buy and Sell. From what I hear, things haven't changed that much since though I still come across people who don't cycle recommending the garda auction.

The auctions used to be on only twice a year (Spring and Autumn) but as far as I'm aware the auctions no longer take place in Kevin St. since the gardaí have outsourced the auctioneering to a third party.

smilingeyerish

Spremuto wrote: »

rothar.ie is exactly the kind of thing i was looking for (the location is perfect as well!)!!
thank you very much, take care!

I posted about rothar about two weeks ago here. trekked all the way to phibsboro the weekend it was really warm and they only had one bike available and they said it had a dodgy back wheel. there were only a couple of other bikes (that didnt look great) there but none of them were fixed up yet. I would advise to definitely RING before you head over there. They said there is a huge shortage of second hand bikes right now.do not get your hopes up about this place, looks great on the website ( i still think its a great idea), but its completely different when you get there!

donal_mcg

As regards the Garda auction I wouldnt bother. The last one I went to was held in Merlin Auctions near Newbridge 3-4 months ago and it was a complete waste of a drive. I was there pretty early but every bike there seemed to have been left outside and was rusted to pieces (and with the summer we just had I dont think things will have changed for the next auction) and even if they hadn't been left to rot they would still cost a bit to get into decent working order. Save yourself the journey and try to pick something up from one of the places mentioned in the thread.

Captain Havoc

WoW a cycling thread that's thread of the day.

ED E

Thread of the day appears to be "New Symbol" in the Airsoft Forum(which I frequent).