Buying Secondhand

[david1701]

Where would you buy your secondhand bikes from?

I'm watching ebay, check the local free ads and I have a shifty at adtrader every now and again. My lbs only sells s/h mtbs (which is what I'm riding while I look for the perfect fast tourer).

I'm not averse to doing some work, and I'm half and half to scratch build (but its awfully dear) but I just can't find anything good on budget.

Any inspiration?

 

[gbb]

Your local 'Friday Ads' is always worth a look. There's occasionally (very occasionally mind) something that crops up. I saw an Orbea roadbike ridiculously cheap once..phoned up straight away...gone

In principle, i wouldnt have any problem buying off ebay, but the drawback is its difficult to actually see what you're buying. A worn out chain, cassette and maybe chainrings wont show up in photos, but could cost you £100 to replace if you were unlucky and brought something on a poor description of condition.

 

[cyberknight]

Yes i have bought bikes off ebay and my current commuter i bought for £100 ( 2 year old carrera tdf ) , just needed a seat which i had and a new chain soon.

I looked for deals within reasonable distance and asked the seller if i could have a look before i made a bid , i liked it and cheekily made an offer .

You can always ask for more photos and description etc etc.
If your not happy with the condition then if you use paypal then you can put in a dispute or even refuse to pay if its cash.1 bad mark from a dodgy dealer is worth it rather than getting a lemon.

 

[david1701]

I did check friday ad and there are 2 vague potentials but up in bristol which is a 2 hour drive but I can't get there easily.

 

[biggs682]

i have used e bay no problems also used local Gumtree and preloved listings , cycling forums so why not tell us what you want you never now somebody on here might have just the thing

 

[david1701]

I'm thinking a steel framed racer/tourer ball park 21" frame to be a first road bike that I commute on, train on and tour on the first time for all of it bar the commuting which I've been doing on a full sus hybrid (my sisters) and a freecycle'd front sus mtb which is too short to use the rack on (and needs a lot of work)

I know my needs are long enough for paniers with the lugs for them

relatively low geared for the big hills and relatively fast for the long distances

I really like the look of the classic racers but thats more me being a poser

and enjoyable to ride

budget is on the floor but will be raised as needed really

happy to work on the bike in most ways and until I started costing parts I was thinking of buying a frame and building

 

[the snail]

Sounds like a proper tourer is what you want, and would be a better bet for commuting too. Lots of dawes galaxies around, claud butler dalesman is a good bike too. If you want a bargain then I think you need to look wherever you can, be patient, persistent and quick off the mark. Secondhand is always a bit of a gamble, but try to find a bike that looks like it's been well cared for.

 

[tyred]

From my own observation, I think a lot of these types of bikes are overpriced on Ebay these days.

 

[swee'pea99]

From my own observation, I think a lot of these types of bikes are overpriced on Ebay these days.

I think that's true - especially 'classics', which attract fans with money. This, for one good example, will probably end up going for a lot more than it's really 'worth'. But that doesn't mean you can't still get bargains if you look out for bad listings, do your homework, swap emails with the seller so you know they're ok, and are prepared to be patient. Being in Bude doesn't help, but quite a lot of listings offer p&p, and even if your budget's limited and you end up spending 20 of it on delivery, you should still be able to get something along the lines you're talking about with change from £100.

 

[Hacienda71]

Time of year has a bit to do with prices on eBay. Soon as the weather starts improving prices start to go up. I've bought a couple of bikes on eBay both in December and both good value, I have seen some bikes sell close to rrp in the summer despite being second hand.

 

[frank9755]

I've bought a few bikes from eBay over the last few years.


My rule is that I always ask some basic questions about the seller and their reason for sale. Ideally I look to buy a bike from the original owner, but can compromise on that. However, it has to be someone who has owned it for a while, has used it, and has a credible reason for selling.

I'd prefer not to buy from traders, even if they are genuine, and I certainly don't want to have something that has been stolen. When I have stuck to my own advice (four times) I've not been disappointed. On the couple of occasions I didn't, I was.

My preferred choice would be from an ad on a forum (here, CTC, YACF, time trialling, etc). That way you are buying from someone who is a fellow cyclist with a reputation to uphold.

 

[david1701]

aye I watched a 1989 galaxy go for 300 on ebay which to me is nuts as its 22 years old and can be had for 800 new :s

I always prefer to buy through a forum, I've bought and sold a lot on TP (>9k posts) and have a lot of confidence in it, I had a look on everything for the past 5 for sale pages and its all sold or too big

defo I want a proper tourer, I have 3 places to shop if I had a grand with 3 lovely looking bikes but I think its a matter of patience

 

[chillyuk]

Try joining your local Freecycle group and stick a wanted on. it is surprising how many people have forgotten bikes in the back of a shed. If you get a freebie that is in reasonable nick you don't mind spending a few quid doing it up.

 

[Davidc]

I've bought a couple of ebay bikes. My present tourer (Dawes Horizon) came from there. It was close to unused and a year old. I actually paid the owner what he'd paid new a year before which was half the new price by then.

The other suggestionsmade, particularly forums and local papers are also fine.

I wouldn't buy a secondhand bike without seeing it and riding it half a mile minimum to check the frame is true and there are no nasty noises etc. I'll only buy from a private seller, and at their home so I can be sure where they live.

There's still a risk, you just need to minimise it. If you can't accept that don't buy secondhand.

 

[Wobblers]

I seem to have a garage full of second hand bikes. I got one off here and one from the CTC forum. I prefer that because you can see the sellers have at least some history. My Super Galaxy came via ebay: I was lucky there as the auction was misspelled so attracted few bids! If you're after a Galaxy, the CTC forum is a better bet - they really are overpriced for what you get on ebay unless you happen to be fortunate.

Ask for the frame number beforehand and whether the seller has the receipt and check the "Stolen" listings on all the bike fora. As Davidc says, a test ride is essential to check that everything is in good working order.