At 11:15 PM 09/07/2008 +0000, Stephen James wrote:
>
>I was wondering. Is it a bicycle when it isn't assembled? Or, is it actu
>ally a box of bicycle parts?
>Maybe this has been answered, but does assembly reduce or increase the va
>lue?
When it was new, assembly and setup would increase the price. There would be more examples in boxes on the shelf. I remember buying a couple of motorcycles in the box back in the 1970s and assembling them myself to save money. However, after 30+ years, an unassembled bike in a box should be worth more than when it's assembled. After all, you can't ever disassemble it and wrap it up again exactly as it was with no marks on it. Sort of the opposite of Humpty Dumpty.
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada