2nd hand pitfalls

gregwari

Hey all,

Looking at getting a second hand specialized stumpjumper (fsr) or commencal meta 5.5 - in both cases my budget stretches to a 2010 bike. Does anyone have either of the above or know of any inherent issues I should look for (I know the 2009 or earlier meta's had the odd frame crack issue, but thats all I'm aware of)

Cheers

chez_m356

it isn't only structural issues, any number of things could be worn and need attention forks/shocks, drive train, linkages etc, unless you have some idea of what your looking at, it could prove very costly,i'm not trying to put you off, there's plenty of good bikes out there, but these problems can happen, just something to keep in mind

passout

My 2009 Meta had a weakness; the frame bent around the drop out area - no crash involved. It was replaced under warranty. The meta handled great but I think lots of us had problems.

Anonymous

Private sale 2nd hand or through a retailer? If the latter they can and should full service and deal with all the worn bits, and they should really provide some kind of warranty. You have some basic rights there anyway and should really still get the remains of any manufacturer warranty though some try to get out of it by saying it's non-transferable.

Ex-demo is a good way to get something 2nd hand. Will be the shop bike, perhaps barely used or may have been used a fair bit, but probably not as much as someone's regular ride. Expect about a 30% discount from new depending on condition.

IBISMojoHDamon

I read somewhere that Commencials were now made by Giant, the quality control and quality has got better and the number of failures has gone down.... ;0)

felix.london

deadkenny wrote:

Private sale 2nd hand or through a retailer? If the latter they can and should full service and deal with all the worn bits, and they should really provide some kind of warranty. You have some basic rights there anyway and should really still get the remains of any manufacturer warranty though some try to get out of it by saying it's non-transferable.

Ex-demo is a good way to get something 2nd hand. Will be the shop bike, perhaps barely used or may have been used a fair bit, but probably not as much as someone's regular ride. Expect about a 30% discount from new depending on condition.

This. Just bought 2nd hand bike from a shop (ex-rental) (ab)used for 2 months at the end of last season. €3,999 bike for €2000! They've given it a full service & told me if I do get any problems bring it back and they'll sort it out and if it gets nicked or I smash it to pieces they'll give me an invoice for the insurance company. All good.