Parts value of bike vs running value?

[CorriganJ]

I have a project in mind, and don't know if it's cheaper to buy just the parts I need, or get a or a full donor bike and sell what I don't need.

Can anyone think of a place where I can work out what a bike would be worth in parts to help me with the decision? So far I've just been looking at the price of the valuable parts on ebay and trying to add it all up.
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1991 RD04

[WD Forte]

I'd say in general its always much more expensive to buy and build from parts than rob them from a donor bike.
Even second hand parts tend to be over priced nowadays IMO.
I've seen sellers asking more for SH then Fowlers want for a new part at times so you have to do your research.


On some bikes new but aftermarket parts can be cheaper but quality may vary so you need to assess the importance.
if its a tail light bulb who cares? but if it's a critical part it may be better to get and pay for original stuff.

I often start with Fowlers for part numbers and a guide (full)price then check say Wemoto and other places to see what they have to offer and compare and consider the pros and cons before spending.
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bikers smell of wee

[Bhud]

Depending on which bike it is (rare parts?) and how complete or how bad your project is, it might be worth having a donor bike. The closest I've had to having a donor bike was in breaking an existing (crap) break to build a new one from it, with some new parts. There are some things you won't want to scavenge from a donor bike, e.g. seals and bearings, chains, control cables, etc. It's one of those cases where if you find, for example, an expensive part (such as a carburettor) is beyond repair, then you'll use the one from the donor. On the other hand, if a part is reparable and renewable with new wear parts at the same time, then you have no use for the donor bike's part. It's not an approach I would take. Keeping a tally might be of some use to keep track of how much you're spending. A donor bike is a significant outlay but it may (in the long run) be worth more (or at least recoverable) in parts. From my experience, parts tend to sit there on Ebay for months until someone snaps them up, and valuations for those parts are unreliable because breakers often set a high price and sit on them for years and years. Therefore, can't make a decision on the financial implications without more information.

[CorriganJ]