Used Bikes/Turbo's

[Gaz Vickers]

Does anyone know the best place to acquire a cheap (decent) 2nd hand Bike from? In or around Bury/Rochdale area. Also need a cheap turbo trainer type thingy!

 

[gbb]

It takes a fair bit of homework to find a good second hand bike, its not hard, but you need to be methodical.
A glance over isnt really good enough.
Is it the right size ?
Wheels, true and free running ?
Rims, brake wear indicator worth a check if there is one.
Gears, all shifting correctly ? A quick ride up and down the street clicking through all the gears.
Seatpost , is it free and not siezed.
Headset, any play ?
Spin the cranks, any sign of lateral play or graunchiness.
Wear in the transmission ?. I'd take a chain wear guage as a quick indicator.. Rear cassette, does it look ok, particually on the teeth.
Chainrings, look for sharks teeth. Remember, buy a bike with worn chain, cassette and chainrings, you could be looking at £70 for replacements, easily £70, plus labour if you want a shop to fit them.
A quick look round the welded joints, look for cracks.

With a methodical approach and the owners understanding, it doesnt take long to give a bike a reasonable check over.
Locally, Gumtree or Friday Ads, both online and you can search locally or a little further afield.

You might find a turbo in there too.

Ebay, local online ads, word of mouth etc etc

 

[Gaz Vickers]

It takes a fair bit of homework to find a good second hand bike, its not hard, but you need to be methodical.
A glance over isnt really good enough.
Is it the right size ?
Wheels, true and free running ?
Rims, brake wear indicator worth a check if there is one.
Gears, all shifting correctly ? A quick ride up and down the street clicking through all the gears.
Seatpost , is it free and not siezed.
Headset, any play ?
Spin the cranks, any sign of lateral play or graunchiness.
Wear in the transmission ?. I'd take a chain wear guage as a quick indicator.. Rear cassette, does it look ok, particually on the teeth.
Chainrings, look for sharks teeth. Remember, buy a bike with worn chain, cassette and chainrings, you could be looking at £70 for replacements, easily £70, plus labour if you want a shop to fit them.
A quick look round the welded joints, look for cracks.

With a methodical approach and the owners understanding, it doesnt take long to give a bike a reasonable check over.
Locally, Gumtree or Friday Ads, both online and you can search locally or a little further afield.

You might find a turbo in there too.

Ebay, local online ads, word of mouth etc etc

Cheers for that, Theres a few things i'd not considered!. Although some of what you have said, i don't really understand! haha, but i kinda know what you mean!

 

[biggs682]

preloved website quite good as well , could also try local auction houses

 

[smokeysmoo]

Turbo trainers are the work of Satan

They are mind numbingly boring, even the ones with DVD's IMO

Far better to get out and ride the roads, unless perhaps injury dictates otherwise

 

[Gaz Vickers]

preloved website quite good as well , could also try local auction houses

Thanks, i will look tomorrow.

Turbo trainers are the work of Satan

They are mind numbingly boring, even the ones with DVD's IMO

Far better to get out and ride the roads, unless perhaps injury dictates otherwise

So i understand, but i have very little spare time to get out, so been told they are the next best thing. Cheers for your opinion tho buddy.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Thanks, i will look tomorrow.
So i understand, but i have very little spare time to get out, so been told they are the next best thing. Cheers for your opinion tho buddy.

No worries. IME you have to be extraordinarily dedicated to get anything out of a turbo.

Unless you spend a fair wedge they are generally too noisy to use in the house, so this relegates you to the conservatory/garage/shed/outhouse/garden etc, and trying to motivate yourself to go and sit in one of the above is IMO extremely difficult.

I've had a couple over the years and have just actually sold the second one only last week, a Tacx Satori turbo. Good turbo to be fair, but still rather noisy. I bought it technically second hand but it had never been used, I used it once and have now sold it, (see the pattern?).

I really hope it works for you as they have obvious benefits if time is short etc, but if an indoor trainer is a necessity I do believe rollers are a better option as they engage you far more than a turbo ever can.

 

[Gaz Vickers]

No worries. IME you have to be extraordinarily dedicated to get anything out of a turbo.

Unless you spend a fair wedge they are generally too noisy to use in the house, so this relegates you to the conservatory/garage/shed/outhouse/garden etc, and trying to motivate yourself to go and sit in one of the above is IMO extremely difficult.

I've had a couple over the years and have just actually sold the second one only last week, a Tacx Satori turbo. Good turbo to be fair, but still rather noisy. I bought it technically second hand but it had never been used, I used it once and have now sold it, (see the pattern?).

I really hope it works for you as they have obvious benefits if time is short etc, but if an indoor trainer is a necessity I do believe rollers are a better option as they engage you far more than a turbo ever can.

Ah ok, well i think they are gonna be my only option at the moment. hence why i want a 'cheap' one. hahaha. cheers for sharing your experiences though, i appreciate it pal.

 

[NotthatJasonKenny]

As Smokey said although to be fair, I'm not a poster boy for motivation. I have the spin bike from decathlon, it's easier in that you can just jump on it and go without having to set your bike up. It's £220 squid though so that motivates me enough to use it! (occasionally...)

 

[Gaz Vickers]

As Smokey said although to be fair, I'm not a poster boy for motivation. I have the spin bike from decathlon, it's easier in that you can just jump on it and go without having to set your bike up. It's £220 squid though so that motivates me enough to use it! (occasionally...)

i was contemplating something similar, but now decided its one or the other, so opted to get a 'real' bike. so that i can use it indoors and out! having 2 young kids means anything i want must be cheap! haha. so need to start at the bottom and build up.