Buying from Gumtree

Dave-M

Has anyone ever bought a bike from Gumtree?

Lots of pictures of bikes from other websites rather than a pic of 'their' bike.

I called one guy today who didn't seem to know a lot about pedals and was suprised I'd even asked the question.

Thanks

Dave

cookiemonster

yep - its where non cyclists sell their bikes, so you may find sellers struggling to answer "what size frame is it?" and other toughies... I reckon every bike bought on a cycle to work scheme through evans or halfrauds ends up going through gumtree at some point

I bought my langster from some for peanuts - it was "unrideable" and he'd given up on it - no brake pads, wobbly rear wheel, loose head race - took 5 minutes with a spanner to put it back into fine condition.

You need a little patience though...

nferrar

Its also where a some stolen bikes end up, I'd be especially wary of a high-end bike the 'owner' doesn't know much about.

majormantra

I've bought 4 bikes on Gumtree and sold 1. If you ask sensible questions to test the seller's knowledge and ignore the too-good-to-be-true deals you should be ok.

If you go and see a bike, don't rush when you look at it. Give the cranks a tug to check for play, check the rims and drivetrain for wear and give the frame a good once over to make sure there are no cracks. I'm not brilliant at following my own rules for buying but you've got to be prepared to walk away if something's not right. Sometimes this works in your favour because the seller will offer you a much better price after a couple of days because they can't sell for their asking price.

Matthew

Sundaycyclist

If you know what you're doing you can get real bargains on there. I've bought a few Bromptons from the usual non-cyclists - bought it, rode it once then sell it for half the money. Make sure you get evidence that the people selling things are the actual owners though.

Slow Liam

I just bought a Wilier Alpe D'Huez for £370 on Gumtree, I'm happy with it. The guy selling it was a real cyclist though, he'd just upgraded to something better. And he'd kept my bike in good condition for its age.

I think there are bargains to be had, but you just have to be careful. There's no way I could have afforded a similarly spec'ed bike new.

bikerZA

As with any site like gumtree, do your research and you'll be fine. If you go in blind, you stand a much higher chance of being ripped off.

pete54

Gumtree is full of stolen bikes. This is from a user of this forum (not me):

http://www.gumtree.com/london/93/41932393.html

Steer clear of any ads with photos and specs copied and pasted from the manufacturer's website and put the phone down if the person you call wants to meet in a public place and knows nothing about the bike (usually claiming it's his 'uncle's', or similar far-fetched story).

Having said that, I bought my road bike from Gumtree. It was well looked after and I got it for a reasonable price. The owner had all the original paperwork. It took me about three months of patient effort, though.

Good luck,

Pete

procarbon

Be very carefull mate, Scumtree has alot of nicked bikes but also some little gems from genuine sellers who hate ebay fees!

Beware anyone saying they are 'out of the country' and can ship it via courier blah blah (SCAM!)

Try and get the dudes phone number if you can, good for trust.