Forum rules
nicklouse
Posts: 50,675
The Classified Pages is a free service offered by BikeRadar. They are NOT responsible for any issues relating to goods not received or money not paid, you are using this section of the forum to sell and buy items, should any problems arise the forumites will be happy to help but you buy and sell at your own risk.
So what is your Post? Please put it in the heading.
Be specific. A bad post is "I need a fork". A better post is "I need a 100mm travel XC fork, and I have £200 to spend".
Please do not 'bump' your posts back to the top of the board. This is very inconsiderate towards other users who are advertising. If you bump, we will just delete your post.
Tips on buying second-hand bikes/stuff:
1. If there’s no frame number anywhere on the secondhand steed, beware. It may have been stolen and filed off.
2. Look for crash damage. If a frame is bent, forget it. It’ll be severely weakened. The most common damage area is just behind the head tube, on the top and down tubes. Look for paint and/or metal distortion. If the headset cups move in the frame, it may be evidence of a frontal impact.
3. Check the fork isn’t bent. If the legs are pushed back from the steerer angle, the bike has been ridden into something. Turn the steering to see if there are loose and tight spots in the headset. If it locks or loosens, there has probably been impact damage. Make sure the suspension fork compresses and rebounds smoothly.
4. Line up the front and rear wheels by eye from the back. If the wheels aren’t in line, the frame has been hit from the side or is badly built. And check the wheels are central in the frame and not off to one side.
5. Inspect the rear mech gear hanger and dropouts for damage. You can have a new gear hanger fitted to a steel frame, but alu frames have a replaceable hanger as there are less people able to repair them.
6. Spin the wheels. Are they straight and true? Minor sideways buckles are easy to true but big ups and downs often mean a new wheel. Factor this in to the price.
7. Check the tyres and sidewalls for wear and damage. Proper MTB tyres are costly to replace (£20-£35).
8. Check everything that has bearings. Have the bearings got play or are they stiff? Pay particular attention to hubs, bottom bracket, pedals and headsets. They may just need servicing but if they’ve been that way for a while, they may be beyond the re-greasing solution.
9. Check the brakes. Are the pads worn down? Do they work smoothly without grabbing? If not, look for buckled rims or wonky or damaged disc rotors.
10. Check the drivetrain. If a chain doesn’t sit snugly on the teeth, it’ll may need replacing. Unfortunately, if a chain has been ridden while worn out, it may also have worn out the sprockets. A new chain will often slip on old worn sprockets, as an old chain will slip on new sprockets.
11. Make sure stems and seat posts aren’t seized. This is a common problem on old bikes. Take an Allen key with you and when everything is tight and set, go for a test ride.
Spam and Scammers
Flag the post. and the spam will get deleted.
If you decide that you really need to reply and say something, the whole topic will be deleted as you are making more work than is needed.
IE the Mods now have two posts to delete rather than one. Guess what to remove the whole topic is easier.
So please think.
We've also been getting some scammers on the forum recently (and this is the main reason we've turned off the edit post function in classifieds). They're fairly easy to spot, and so easy to avoid. They will generally use poor English, and their post will ask for details which are already included in your advert. For example, they will enquire about the condition and most recent price of the item, but will not actually say what the item specifically is, preferring to just say 'the bike'.
Have a look through their post history in their profile. If all of their posts are replies to adverts, and all identical, chances are very good that they're trying to pull a scam. If you do end up emailing these people, they will email you back offering to send you a cheque for many times the value of the bike or part in question, and you then give the remainder to their 'shipping company'. Their first cheque will bounce after appearing to clear, and you'll be left without your bike/part and be thousands of pounds out of pocket.
As always, if in doubt, report the post and we'll sort it out.
So what is your Post? Please put it in the heading.
Be specific. A bad post is "I need a fork". A better post is "I need a 100mm travel XC fork, and I have £200 to spend".
Please do not 'bump' your posts back to the top of the board. This is very inconsiderate towards other users who are advertising. If you bump, we will just delete your post.
Tips on buying second-hand bikes/stuff:
1. If there’s no frame number anywhere on the secondhand steed, beware. It may have been stolen and filed off.
2. Look for crash damage. If a frame is bent, forget it. It’ll be severely weakened. The most common damage area is just behind the head tube, on the top and down tubes. Look for paint and/or metal distortion. If the headset cups move in the frame, it may be evidence of a frontal impact.
3. Check the fork isn’t bent. If the legs are pushed back from the steerer angle, the bike has been ridden into something. Turn the steering to see if there are loose and tight spots in the headset. If it locks or loosens, there has probably been impact damage. Make sure the suspension fork compresses and rebounds smoothly.
4. Line up the front and rear wheels by eye from the back. If the wheels aren’t in line, the frame has been hit from the side or is badly built. And check the wheels are central in the frame and not off to one side.
5. Inspect the rear mech gear hanger and dropouts for damage. You can have a new gear hanger fitted to a steel frame, but alu frames have a replaceable hanger as there are less people able to repair them.
6. Spin the wheels. Are they straight and true? Minor sideways buckles are easy to true but big ups and downs often mean a new wheel. Factor this in to the price.
7. Check the tyres and sidewalls for wear and damage. Proper MTB tyres are costly to replace (£20-£35).
8. Check everything that has bearings. Have the bearings got play or are they stiff? Pay particular attention to hubs, bottom bracket, pedals and headsets. They may just need servicing but if they’ve been that way for a while, they may be beyond the re-greasing solution.
9. Check the brakes. Are the pads worn down? Do they work smoothly without grabbing? If not, look for buckled rims or wonky or damaged disc rotors.
10. Check the drivetrain. If a chain doesn’t sit snugly on the teeth, it’ll may need replacing. Unfortunately, if a chain has been ridden while worn out, it may also have worn out the sprockets. A new chain will often slip on old worn sprockets, as an old chain will slip on new sprockets.
11. Make sure stems and seat posts aren’t seized. This is a common problem on old bikes. Take an Allen key with you and when everything is tight and set, go for a test ride.
Spam and Scammers
Flag the post. and the spam will get deleted.
If you decide that you really need to reply and say something, the whole topic will be deleted as you are making more work than is needed.
IE the Mods now have two posts to delete rather than one. Guess what to remove the whole topic is easier.
So please think.
We've also been getting some scammers on the forum recently (and this is the main reason we've turned off the edit post function in classifieds). They're fairly easy to spot, and so easy to avoid. They will generally use poor English, and their post will ask for details which are already included in your advert. For example, they will enquire about the condition and most recent price of the item, but will not actually say what the item specifically is, preferring to just say 'the bike'.
Have a look through their post history in their profile. If all of their posts are replies to adverts, and all identical, chances are very good that they're trying to pull a scam. If you do end up emailing these people, they will email you back offering to send you a cheque for many times the value of the bike or part in question, and you then give the remainder to their 'shipping company'. Their first cheque will bounce after appearing to clear, and you'll be left without your bike/part and be thousands of pounds out of pocket.
As always, if in doubt, report the post and we'll sort it out.
"Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
0
This discussion has been closed.
