Second hand bike - what to look for?

supercarl

Hi, just bought a second hand 2006 Giant Rock bike for my 9 year old son, and would lke to know what I should look for re: safety etc?

I have checked the brakes, and will replace the pads as they look a little worn.

Is there anything else I should look to change? I will of course lube the chain etc.

Cheers

Andy B

check all bolts are tight, all bearings are sound & don't need adjusting (headset/Bottom Bracket/hubs) check spokes to see if the tension is roughly the same all round, check wheel rims for dings, tyres for wear (sidewalls as well), grab hold of everything & see if it's tight etc

cee

I would also have a good going over the frame looking for any cracks or damage etc. If you are unsure....pay a bike shop to look at it for ya!

A good tip for checking for even spoke tension is the sound that they make....

pluck them lightly like a guitar string.....they should all sound a similar tone.

supercarl

Hi, I'd checked the frame, only a few little chips and scuffs.

Some strange scratching on the handlebar though?

supercarl

Ahh man, I'm finding no end of problems now...!

Rear wheel is not true
Rear brake lever "fell apart" when going down a kerb
Front derailleur all over the place - only works in 2 - jams on others
Headset loose
Front brake pad below the rim

If my lad would have found these (which would have been the painful way) the seller who described it as "good condition with a few minor scratches" would have suffered a "few minor scratches". Can;t beleive that he would have let his son out on it???

supercarl

also appears to be a fair bit of movement when brakes are on between bottom of front suspension fork and the wheel? Is this normal (I don't find this on my bike)

xtremedash

Often cheap suspension forks will have a fair bit of play in them. It could also be the headset, if incorrectly tensioned.

Most of the issues mentioned there are easy enough to sort yourself and probably something you'd expect to find on a second hand bike. Let's face it most people aren't going to spend time tuning a bike when they're about to sell it, it's not like they'll get any more money for it.

bluechair84

The things you've mentioned can all be fixed. You could do them yourself if you know what you are doing but I'd whip it to a shop as they will do a good job putting it all right. If the rear wheel is out of true then the rim brake will be affected and he won't be able to do really big skids (well thats what I did when I was 9).