Buying Second Hand

Jordan93

Really struggling to find a bike between £200-400 around Nottingham! Also, when vieiwing a biek what things should I check and how to check them, thanks!

chrisw12

Just as a start for you and I'm sure others will add what I've forgotten

1) make sure the bike fits (checking this could be a whole new thread tbh) make sure seatpost is able to go higher or lower as needed.

2) I wouldn't be too bothered if gears or brakes aren't working 100%'. What I mean is, it wouldn't be a deal breaker as most things can be repaired or bought new inexpensively, the one exception is the shifters as these are probably the most expensive item.

3) Check pedal threads by starting to remove pedals, check for play in bottom bracket and headset. Take an hex key and makes sure headset, stem and handlebar bolts can be removed.

To get a feel for the condition and use of the bike, there are certain parts which are a nightmare to clean. If you phone to view the bike the day before, the seller probably wont have time to give a very thorough clean, so inspect those hard to get to bits very carefully.

Also chainrings are probably the least replaced consumable part of the bike, by looking at the chain rings you can tell how much the bike has been used (obviously if they've changed them then this doesn't work.)

Ask questions of the previous owner. get a feel for what type of rider he is and how many miles he's done and how many wet miles he's done.


Over the last year I've bought two second hand frames. One was a tt bike where you could tell it was the owners pride and joy, spotless clean and had probably only done a handful of timetrial miles, so perfect. Second one was a titanium frame from a guy who was slightly over weight, did the odd sportive but you could tell the bike had been garaged for a lot of the time. in both cases, no real need to check anything (but I did anyway)

mattsy666

Is it left or right you are after?

My left hand doesn't get as much use as it should so would consier selling for a reasonable price ...

Andrew N

chrisw12 has covered it nicely.

Would add that it's worth checking thoroughly for any dents or cracks in the bike. These would indicate whether a bike has been crashed badly.

Good luck and hope you find a nice bike.

UPGRAYEDD

I recently bought Mrs UPGRAYEDD (who has never owned a roadbike before) an OCR1 with 105 groupset on ebay for a little over that amount.

Appreciate though that you'd be wise to inspect any such cycle in advance of purchasing, as you'll have problems vis-a-vis comeback if it's not fit for purpose.