There are two great times to buy a bicycle in order to get a rock bottom price. November is not one of them.
It became painfully obvious to us over the summer that our eldest son needed a new bike. He has had his current one for a few years, and it is just too small now. it probably should have been replaced a year ago, but being a frugal family, he was willing to stick it out for another year, figuring that if he grew some more, he might skip the next size and get more use out of the next bike.
We thought about putting a bike down on his Christmas list, but this doesn’t make sense for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he could grow before bike season starts in the spring, and secondly, it is not the time to get that rock bottom price.
When is a good time to buy a bicycle? Well, right after the holidays, bikes will be deeply discounted in order to make room for the new models that hit the stores in February and March, right before spring. There may be some good deals to be had in January. This is probably the way that we will go for purchasing a new bike.
An even better deal can be had if you are willing to wait for a police auction. Many police and fire departments hold auctions in the early spring to sell off bicycles that were never claimed (after being stolen) or confiscated. You could get as much as 90 percent off of the regular retail price for bikes in good condition.
There will also be bikes in not such good condition, so if you choose to attend a police auction with the intention to buy, you’ll want to show up as early as possible.