As a pal of mine, as recently reported, had two bad experiences
with Halfords with not one, but two brand new bikes from them, I would avoid said retailer like the plague - ! 
Used or New - Not sure which bike to buy?
- Thread starter londoncyclist007
- Start date
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with Halfords with not one, but two brand new bikes from them, I would avoid said retailer like the plague - ! 
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
One of the problems buying second hand is you might get a good one...but it can be easy to buy one with problems, such as transmission wear that isn't that easy to assess quickly.
Worn chain and cassette can easily knock you back £50 , a test ride might highlight it but generally, you dont get that much time for a test ride. Worn shifters can easily be missed.
If I were to buy a s/h bike, I'd take a wear gauge, that will assess the chain instantly.
A good but quick visual inspection including...
Welds, any signs of cracking, around the BB as well.
Wheels, do the spin freely and run true. Any hub wear, bearings need adjusting ?
Chainrings, any sign of sharks teeth that indicate their worn out. Any slop in the cranks indicating BB wear.
Hold the front brake and try to push the bike back and forth, any wear or adjustment needed in the forks/stem area.
Test ride including...
Put some power down as you set off, this can help identify freehub problems, chainring wear etc.
Do the gears change smoothly and accurately across the whole range of gears, this will tell you if anything needs adjusting and if the shifters are working well.
LBS services cost if you need to rectify any of the above...unless you're capable yourself.
It's just an indication of what you need yo think about when buying s/h...and you need to do it quite quickly unless the seller is relaxed and has enough time.
Get it wrong and you can easily face spending a fair but more rectifying things you missed.
Worn chain and cassette can easily knock you back £50 , a test ride might highlight it but generally, you dont get that much time for a test ride. Worn shifters can easily be missed.
If I were to buy a s/h bike, I'd take a wear gauge, that will assess the chain instantly.
A good but quick visual inspection including...
Welds, any signs of cracking, around the BB as well.
Wheels, do the spin freely and run true. Any hub wear, bearings need adjusting ?
Chainrings, any sign of sharks teeth that indicate their worn out. Any slop in the cranks indicating BB wear.
Hold the front brake and try to push the bike back and forth, any wear or adjustment needed in the forks/stem area.
Test ride including...
Put some power down as you set off, this can help identify freehub problems, chainring wear etc.
Do the gears change smoothly and accurately across the whole range of gears, this will tell you if anything needs adjusting and if the shifters are working well.
LBS services cost if you need to rectify any of the above...unless you're capable yourself.
It's just an indication of what you need yo think about when buying s/h...and you need to do it quite quickly unless the seller is relaxed and has enough time.
Get it wrong and you can easily face spending a fair but more rectifying things you missed.