Measured from 16,929 UK listings
The same-model depreciation curve (June 2026)
Welcome to Britain's most detailed read on how bikes lose value, measured from real market prices, not modelled from RRP. For every model with enough listings across several model years, we compared the median asking price at each age against the newest model year of the same bike, roughly 323 models. Same-model comparison removes the biggest distortion in casual estimates: an older bike was usually a different spec and price when new. Asking prices run 5 to 10 percent above sold prices, so the sold curve sits slightly lower.
| Age of bike | Share of current-year used price | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| Current year | 100% | 3,713 |
| 1 year old | 85% | 2,602 |
| 2 years old | 76% | 2,572 |
| 3 years old | 70% | 2,235 |
| 4 years old | 67% | 1,633 |
| 5 years old | 57% | 1,353 |
| 6 years old | 45% | 937 |
| 7 years old | 41% | 725 |
| 8+ years old | ~28% | 1,159 |
How to read it, what bends the curve and how categories differ: Bike Depreciation UK, the full guide. For your own bike, get a free valuation priced from the same market data.
Publishing or writing about bike values? Embed this chart for free with attribution to Cyclesite.
Measured, same-model method
Which brands hold their value best (July 2026)
For each brand, the median asking price of 3-year-old bikes as a share of the same model's current-year used price. Brands need at least three models with enough listings at both ages to qualify. A figure at or near 100% means 3-year-old examples list at parity with current-year used examples, a sign of strong used demand, not a bike worth more than it cost new.
| Brand | Value held at 3 years | Models measured |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized | 101% | 9 |
| Giant | 93% | 10 |
| Santa Cruz | 90% | 5 |
| Bianchi | 85% | 6 |
| Orbea | 75% | 8 |
| Trek | 73% | 16 |
| Haibike | 67% | 3 |
| Cube | 67% | 5 |
| Pinarello | 66% | 7 |
| Cervélo | 65% | 6 |
| Scott | 58% | 5 |
| BMC | 56% | 3 |
| Cannondale | 54% | 8 |
Asking prices, not confirmed sales; sold prices typically run a little lower. Open any brand for its per-model curves: Specialized values, Giant values or Trek values.
Journalists: this table is free to reproduce with attribution and a link to Cyclesite. Custom cuts by category or price band on request via press@cyclesite.co.uk.
What will yours be worth?
Put in what your bike is worth today and how old it is. The projection runs your figure along the measured curve above, so it is a ratio of two real cohorts rather than a rule of thumb.
A £1,400 bike at 3 years old is worth about £1,340 in a year and £900 in three.
Holding onto it for another year costs you about £60, or roughly £5 a month. That is the number any reason for waiting has to beat, including waiting for a better season.
The dashed line is what it is worth. The blocks behind it are what each further year takes off. The first year is comfortably the steepest; after that the real corpus is lumpy rather than a smooth slide, and we publish it that way rather than tidying it up.
View as a table
| Age | Worth about |
|---|---|
| 3 years old | £1,400 |
| 4 years old | £1,340 |
| 5 years old | £1,140 |
| 6 years old | £900 |
| 7 years old | £820 |
| 8+ years old | £560approximate |
Projected from the measured same-model curve (2026-06-16) and, where shown, the brand retention table (2026-07-22). Both are built from asking prices; completed sales run roughly 5 to 10% lower and depreciate slightly faster, so treat these as the top of the range. Condition, spec and how well you photograph it move an individual bike more than its age does.
Market Intelligence
Cyclesite Depreciation Report
How fast do bikes lose value? Year 1, 3, and 5 depreciation curves by category and brand , the Cyclesite Depreciation Score.
Bike depreciation: common questions
- How much does a bike depreciate in the UK?
- Across 16,929 real UK used-bike listings (around 323 models), a bike is typically worth about 85% of its current-year used price after one year, 70% after three years and 57% after five years. That is roughly a 15% drop in the first year and 30% by year three. Figures are measured from real asking prices, not modelled from RRP.
- Which bikes hold their value best?
- Measured across UK listings, Specialized holds its value best at 3 years (101% of the same model's current-year used price), followed by Giant (93%) and Santa Cruz (90%). Cannondale sits lowest of the measured brands at 54%. Retention also varies widely by category and specification; open any model on its valuation page for its own measured curve.
- When is the best time to buy a used bike?
- The steepest drop happens in the first two to three years. A bike around 3 to 5 years old typically offers the best balance of price and condition, holding roughly 57% to 70% of its current-year used value while the heaviest depreciation has already been absorbed by the first owner.
- Are these depreciation figures based on real sales?
- They are measured from real UK asking-price listings using a same-model method: each age is compared against the newest model year of the same bike, not against RRP. These are last-advertised asking prices rather than confirmed sale prices; sold prices typically run about 5 to 10% lower and slightly steeper.
Related: UK bike resale report · What used bikes cost · How to value a used bike · Free bike valuation
Using this data
These figures are measured from 16,929 real UK listings, not modelled from RRP. Journalists, researchers and retailers are free to republish the chart and the headline figures under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The only condition is a visible credit linking back to this page.
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