Advice on buying second hand bike

[adelahunty]

Hi all,

First post, I have just stumbled on this website whilst looking for a bike and thought I might ask for some help. I've been looking to buy an entry-level road bike second hand for around the £300 mark and I have stumbled on two great deals.

First is a 2014 Giant Defy 1 in immaculate condition for £350, might even be possible to get down further. Second is a Boardman Elite 9.2 Carbon with Dura Ace groupset for £500. This one is a little out of my price range but its a seriously good bike at a great price.

But here's the problem - both of these bikes are large frame and I am on the larger side of a medium frame at just under 5'9". Doing the proper calculation using inseam for a road bike my perfect frame size is 55cm and the Giant Defy frame size is 57.5 cm. Does anyone know if I will be able to use the large frame? Or should I avoid?

Thanks!

 

[vickster]

Don’t buy a roadbike that is too big. L is 2 sizes up from a M as there’s an ML too. Keep looking.

The Boardman sounds suspiciously cheap, ask the seller to provide a copy of the receipt! That bike would have been well north of 2k!!
(You should do this for any used bike as there are a lot of hooky ones out there)

Keep looking for a bike that is the right size. I’m about your height (5’9.5) with 33” inseam (female, long legged) and all my bikes have a 54-55cm top tube with a 100mm stem (bike manufacturers use different measurements to size their bikes, so look at the full geo to compare)

 

[CanucksTraveller]

A bigger size bike feels uncomfortable, you're always reaching / feeling stretched.

I'm 6 foot, and I'm a M/L on my Giant TCR; My wife is 5 foot 10 and has the Defy in M, and even that feels comfortable to me. I think at 5 foot 9 the L will always feel much too big for you.

 

[vickster]

Too big uncomfortable as best, can cause injury at worst (certainly for me, a too big bike contributed to tennis elbow which needed 2 operations!)

I did a lot of miles on a medium Avail, which I bought because the Defy at that time felt too big (possibly because it had too wide bars and long stem), so no you’re not on the edge of the M, it might even need adaptations

 

[adelahunty]

Thanks everyone, I think I just saw a few good deals and was trying to find an excuse to buy. I'll be patient and wait to find the right bike for my size.

 

[vickster]

Thanks everyone, I think I just saw a few good deals and was trying to find an excuse to buy. I'll be patient and wait to find the right bike for my size.

The best thing

 

[Ralphy9207]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124152770148

Does anyone know if this is a good bike and what be the price for this? I hardly have any knowledge about bikes so not sure if I should go second hand

 

[vickster]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124152770148

Does anyone know if this is a good bike and what be the price for this? I hardly have any knowledge about bikes so not sure if I should go second hand

Yes, decent bike and good price assuming good condition

 

[Gunk]

It sold for £231, I sold a higher spec later Boardman Team Hybrid for about that last year, so if you shop around you may do a bit better.

 

[Notafettler]

I always use Ebay.
I do search for specific bikes and then save.
Ebay then send me emails when my requirements are met.
I never bid myself I use a bid sniper site (gixen is the best I have found). Set a price and how many seconds before the end of the auction for the bid to go through.
Eventually you will get what you want at very reasonable price.
Alas some people simply renege.
But over the years picked up lots of things cheap enough to resell at a decent profit.As an aside buying "out of season " is always best. Bikes midwinter. Obviously you have missed that so good luck anyway.