Second-hand bikes?

[AlanPickworth]

What do we think about buying second-hand bikes? I'm always amazed at how quickly bike prices drop off after the first 1-3 years and feel like it's easy to get a great deal going second-hand. However I know that it's not a thing that many road cyclists do... thoughts?

Would you buy second hand? If yes, where do you recommend looking? If no, why no?

 

[vickster]

Yes but I’d make sure it was the sellers to sell. I have two preloved bikes in my current fleet. Both actually came from this forum. I’ve sold bikes on gumtree and eBay too. Never managed to on here though despite trying

The only issue with second hand bikes is warranties aren’t usually transferable which means I’d probably not buy carbon (not that I’m likely to ever buy carbon again)

 

[smokeysmoo]

@biggs682 is our resident purveyor of all things pre-loved, new is an evil word to him, and he's had some amazing machines pass through his hands.

My only problem with buying used is size, I very rarely find them big enough whenever I look.

 

[biggs682]

Thanks @smokeysmoo

@AlanPickworth i love 2nd hand bikes , and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of people who buy a new bike because there mate is into cycling and they need to have the same or better bike without even trying cycling first and 3 rides later its for sale at an incredibly low price as they need the money for another whim or they leave it in the garage/shed for 3 years before selling it at an even lower price .

i have lost count on the amount of sub 5 yr old bikes i have bought and sold that have covered less than 300 miles the latest one is this Carrera Tanneri cx bike 21.3" ok its not a top of the range machine but its a perfectly capable machine for any cyclist imho .

Ok a 2 - 3 yr old machine wont have the latest gizmo's or groupset but it will have a well tried and tested set up .

So yes go 2nd hand and save a few £'s

Check the seller is the owner and that there is no outstanding finance on it

 

[iluvmybike]

Be very careful - I have seen many a bike sold on ebay for example purporting to be ready to ride and they have been at best sheds at worst dangerous. People are very dishonest at times - I think they rely on selling to folk who don';t know anything about the workings of bikes. If you know what you are looking at and you can see the bike, and preferably ride it as well, before handing over your hard-earned then you can indeed get a bargain

 

[DCLane]

Like @biggs682 I buy a lot of second-hand bikes, and sell a similar amount. The last 'new' bike I bought was in 2015 but since then there's got to have been 50 bikes gone through my hands.

eBay is fine but it's worth making sure that you know what you're looking at. Gumtree/Shpock are mixed sources as I'm aware stolen bikes end up on both of those. Forums also offer bikes for sale - on here and elsewhere.

The alternative is a wanted advert on here or elsewhere, or just ask around. Lots of people will buy a bike, use it a couple of times and then it's left unused and unwanted. I like to think of myself as giving unwanted and unloved bikes new and better homes

 

[biggs682]

I like to think of myself as giving unwanted and unloved bikes new and better homes

@DCLane me and you both

 

[ADarkDraconis]

My bike was a new/used bike. Gentleman bought two bikes from our LBS, one for himself and one for his wife. She rode it around the block once and never was on it again, and it sat in their garage for 12 years with 0.5mi on the odometer. They were moving or something and having an estate sale, posted this bike on Craigs-list and I called to check it out. Brand new, a little dust and tires needed air but she was just waiting to be ridden!!! I got her for a fraction of new price, already equipped with an upgraded saddle, computer (which is 12 years old but still does everything I need), saddlebag with multitool, bell and mirror for my commute!

I took it to our LBS to get some tlc, it needed lubed and brakes adjusted and that was it. I have the original reciept, owner's manual, even the owner's manual for the computer so I knew how to set it up. I had been eyeing another bike listed about an hour's drive away if I ended up not liking this one, but I agreed to look over the bikes before handing over the cash. I don't know that I would have one shipped sight unseen. Local BST websites would be ideal, just make sure they aren't stolen!

 

[tyred]

You can buy new bikes?

Most of mine have been found in the dump.

 

[Alan O]

The 2nd-hand market is great if you're careful. I bought a couple of 2nd-hand bikes last year, including a 2006 GT Avalanche for £110 in great condition.

I'd generally only buy local so I can see the bike before I hand over the cash, and I also want to be confident it's not a stolen bike. Whether I'd buy one to be shipped to me would depend on whether I could be confident about the seller.

 

[Richard.1]

So far I have bought 5 bikes, only one was new and that was a folding bike. Bargains for used bikes is amazing, can't see myself buying a "new" bike unless circumstances change drastically. Really happy with all the bikes I have bought, especially from this forum.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I currently volunteer at a bike co-op, lots of good used bikes come through there. I also bought and sold and serviced used bikes for some time. There's nothing wrong with a used bicycle when you can have a good look at it, but eBay and some other sources used to be a bit sketchy. My used bikes often came from local police auctions in bulk, and singles came from Craigslist. In some cases, used bikes, when gone over well, can be safer than those bought from a grocery or big box store. I actually had a great deal invested in putting a good, dependable bicycle on the street, my reputation depended on its' being done up right. Now, another local fellow does this same sort of thing, on a larger scale.

 

[StuAff]

Of my current fleet, only one was bought new (the Litespeed). Viner and Trek were off eBay- the former an absolute bargain- and Chutney the Dahon was advertised over on YACF. All continuing to serve me well.

 

[Drago]

Second hand bikes can be awesome, but the risks of buying a s****er or a hookey bike are real. Stick to trustworthy sources, and examine each candidate carefully.

My second hand (sorry, pre-owned) bikes are all at least 22 years old, one was a freebie, the others very, very cheap and requiring extensive refurbishment.

 

[ChrisEyles]

I wouldn't buy a bike I couldn't drive out to see first, as mentioned above there's always the worry someone might unknowingly or dishonestly sell a bike with a problematic fault.

Three of the bikes in my garage are 2nd hand purchases and while they were all in OK condition, I did end up spending quite a lot of time and money getting each one back to tip-top condition.

Helps a lot to know what to look at in terms of mechanical issues/damage, and then to be able to rectify them as necessary, to confidently buy a 2nd hand bike.

The plus side is I don't worry much about damaging mine while riding or messing up maintenance tasks since none of them cost me much and they were all pretty battered when I got them in any case. I think I'd be much more precious about a brand new shiny bike that hadn't yet acquired any dings or scratches!