How To Buy A Used Bike - What To Look For When Buying A Second Hand Road Bike
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.พ. 2017
- Buying a second hand, pre-owned or used bike is a great way of getting a super bike for a lower budget!
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Ex-Professional cyclist Simon Richardson explains what to look out for when buying a second hand bike. We go through a pre-owned bike that we bought online.
Simon explains what to look out for as well as how to check the for the following list of components.
We've also given some basic indications of prices for replacing any parts if needed.
Frame & Forks
Wheels, hubs, rims
Bottom Bracket
Brakes
Tyres
Headset
Drivetrain (chain, cassette, derailleurs, chainrings)
Cables (gears and brakes)
Watch more on GCN...
How To Change Bar Tape - Wrap Your Bars Like A Pro 📹 gcn.eu/1ApSjCC
How To Refurbish A Rear Derailleur | Road Bike Maintenance 📹 gcn.eu/2i22O1a
Let us know if you've bought a used bike and any tips 👇
Music
Sky Lounge, Israel Medina - John Kunkel
Photos: © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/ & ©Tim De Waele / www.tdwsport.com
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Let us know if you've bought a second-hand bike and any tips you've got for others! 👇
Global Cycling Network I've sold a few second hand bikes for friends, since I'm an avid cyclist and have many contacts. The next time a friend asks me to be the broker, Ima use this video to know if I'm making an unfair deal haha
i bought a genuine pinnarello f8 2015 model on eBay in 2015 for very cheap and 3 pairs of enves see last year nothing has went wrong since, just dont be afraid to ask the seller any questions or queries you have about the bike as some bikes are not genuine but you can get a great deal as well
I commute on a secondhand bike--that way, if it gets stolen or hit I'm not out that much money.
Global Cycling Network got all my bikes second hand. The first one was in very good condition and needed very few replacement. Mainly cables and tires. The second one was really dirty and I had to replace just about anything on it. It's hard to see a cassette needs replacing I found out later that it skipped teeth on certain sprockets. Since it was a freewheel I even replaced the wheels as well because parts were hard to find. Headset was worn out as well. Chainrings were worn out. Both were in the same price range, roughly 80-90 euros. Was it worth it? Definitely for both bikes. The first one is my commuter bike and it's really reliable. The second one has a perfect geometry for me and is now upgraded with many new components, while still being less than the price of a new bike. If you know what you're doing you might consider getting a bike even if some would consider it a lemon. Just consider how much replacing those parts will cost you when you buy it, and most importantly enjoy the ride. If a bike doesn't suit you just resell it and look for another one, it might well be that it will be the perfect bike for someone else.
Got a second hand bike from a friend. It is in pristine condition even though it is a Raleigh Brazil which comes from Matt's Racing days. Now looking for a new bike though
Being a newbie in the sport I used this video as a benchmark on what to look for. I went in fully prepared on what to look for so when I started to ask questions the seller had no idea what I was talking about. End result: Seller reduced $200 from the price tag just because they didn’t even understand what I was talking about.
Time for a GCN showdown. Each GCN presenter is given a 150 pound budget to buy a second hand bike, fix it up and then race head to head.
That would be awesome, however, I think the budget needs to be a bit higher. Maybe $50 more. I'd love to see a Scrapyard Wars type thing for bikes!
Like they used to do on Top Gear! That would be perfect...
With 150 pounds you can still buy good bikes, but you are very limited in your choice. With 250 you can buy very good bikes of different kinds.
Cough cough top gear
Jimbo Solvang Good idea, get a used 150 gbp bike, then spend 200 more to get it going :)))
This guide you can surely use for checking the condition of your own bike ha ha :-) very usefull!
Is it just me or buying that bike for 90 quid is extremely lucky? I'm looking for a decent second hand bike rn and can't find anything below 400.
I've been shopping for a bike like this for a friend lately and will say that $110 is a hug bargain. From the bikes I have looked at in the last 3 weeks, this is a $200 bike.
I KNOW WHERE ARE ALL THESE GREAT BIKES FOR CHEAP NOT IN MY STATE OR ANY WHERE IVE EVER BEEN IT MAKES ME SICK . OH I BOUGHT IT FOR A DOUGHNUT AND SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE BUT ME jEEZ
This is realistically a €150 to €200 bike in Italy.
Everyone download shpock then search bikes
Yes and no. Mine was about the same, though it has a non-indexed old Shimano 600. So it demands a little bit of a gentle touch when switching gears. ;-)
Still, getting those deals is not easy, mainly because most bikes on ebay are high quality vintage bike from expensive brands. Getting a Bianchi for under 100 quid ... a very rare find. A Reynolds, Puch, etc should be much easier. Still, finding on top the right size means that you are doing to spend quite some time looking and at that point just might as well just buy one of those about 300-400€ offerings.
Besides, there is a vintage trend, riding quality steel feels great, and getting new quality steel usually means a custom frame and costs between 1000€ and 2000€ for just the frame. Which actually might increase the demand for vintage steel frames on top. ^_^
Finally some real world bike advice from GCN. The consumer treadmill of constant 'innovation, with new models and graphics every 6-12 months bores me to tears. cycling is in danger of becoming more about buying than riding.
Very useful video, many thanks guys. On a side note, I was lucky enough to win a bike today; donating it to my car mechanic (a fellow cyclist) who has worked on my car at a moment's notice on more than one occasion - and did so today. Always worth giving something back.
Always, always, always check that the seat post has not fused or rusted inside the seat tube on a second hand frame but excellent guide and good to see budget buying getting some air time too.
Paul Watson A seized seatpost is a headache, but not as much as a carbon bike that can't be fixed. You can't fix carbon with some wd40 and a hammer. STEEL IS REAL.
Checking serial numbers etc to see if the bike is stolen/Checking for documentation.
No one wants to see their bike stolen and no one wants to buy a stolen ride!
Hi TheLionEric, what about specialized bikes, how to know if I'm buying a stolen bike by its serial number? On their website you can only register a new bike
Hi Diego, depends where you live! I'm Canadian so there's this from the government... app.cpic-cipc.ca/English/searchformbikes.cfm
Not sure where this one is based.. bikeindex.org/bikes?stolenness=proximity&location=null&distance=100
UK... checkthatbike.co.uk/
You would have better luck searching yourself for something local! Or even contact your police on their non-emergency line and ask what they search/record theft in.
I don't care if its stolen lol
RunFaster011 until your prized bike is stolen and sold to the next chump! People wouldn't steal things as much if they know they couldn't sell them for anything
Also, idk about bikes, but if you buy a stolen car, it might be returned to the owner (by the police) and you might be out of a significant sum of money, and no bike to show for it. probs the same for prized bikes!
My first road bike was indeed a second hand bike :) Got a Giant Cadex CFR2 for about $250 in 2012. Pretty old - 1994 frameset, but oddly enough - the top, down and seat tube are carbon. The bike came with a complete old (late 90's) Shimano 105 - old but very durable! Also had sturdy, unbreakable mavic wheels. Rode it for 4 years before switching to a brand new Canyon. I still have that Giant though - still working nicely. I use it as my "winter" or "bad weather" bike :)
So much memories, so much great rides...
If you got 4 years out of a $250 bike you did great! Congrats.
Do you still have it now?
I'd like a part 2 of this after you has fixed it all up :D
Maybe a series of videos taking old, worn out bikes and bringing them back to their former glory hmm? That'd be good :)
This was exactly the kind of video i was hoping to find, great vid dude!
Excellent job, Si (& GCN)! Another great vid; perfect for it's intended market.
Amazingly informative video man. Good work!
when is was younger i always bought second hand bikes they served me well when i stopped growing i saved up to a brand new full carbon bike and some new carbon wheels.
This was a much needed video! I buy quite a few old bikes and I'm all over the place when I try to check for issues because I'm kind of new to it, This will help me not look like an idiot. On the other hand, buying bikes with problems has made me learn a lot, mostly I come here for instructions on maintenance and repairs. Thank you GCN!
wow thanks so much , this is super helpful! Subscribed today!
If it's an old steel bike, worth checking to see if the seatpost and stem are seized.
I think so. One of the few things it's worth having a tool handy to check. I thought this would be a feature of the video.
unfortunately, i learned that the hard way :'(
Christian Morgenstern i learned from experience also. I've also bought my share of bikes with seized stems and bottom brackets.
stockton350 WD40 my friend, lots of WD40
@@TheCoomer sadly that does not work on dissimilar metals, I had an aluminium seat post which basically welded to the inside of the tube. I broke the frame trying to ream it out.
Excellent information (as usual)...I would have missed checking several things you mentioned.
Do a bike build, one episode a week and do detailed videos of what you are doing and why you bought each product. Do it like a vlog
You guys should do more videos about fixies. For example, different skills, maintenance, etc. Keep up creating awesome content guys 👍
This is a pretty neat video. Cheers for info and making it.
This was incredible knowledge and easy to understand. I was nervous to look at my first used road bike tonight and can now go with confidence.
Super informative! Thanks a lot for this.
Thanks for the tips GCN !
I bought a second hand bike for £40 and rebuilt it using Maintenance Monday videos. At some point I'll do a video of my journey. I painted it matt black with red cable housing. It looks great. First time I've done anything like this. Thanks GCN.
Great video, just brought a bike and could have used this earlier. Luckily she still checks out now that i know what im looking at.
Always good to buy from a friend you trust. If you're new to cycling, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is....example; 1yr old $2000 bike for $500, good chance something isn't right.
To the point and very clearly explained. Respect
Thank you!
totally appreciate this vid. I want to get my kid on a nice bike and this helps!
Another excellent and necessary video. Thanks.
Thank you for this video. Very helpful. Subscribed.
Thank you for this! I'm checking out a bike tomorrow and it's my first time buying second hand 😊
Very Helpful and can be used as well for Bike Maintenance. Thanks
The prices quoted for replacement parts seem WAY too low
second hand bike, second hand parts
The price of that bike is between 1/2 and 1/3 of what it would be in my area. I would buy that bike every month if i could get it for $100.
littlegoobie - this bike is a very bottom of the range Raleigh with a steel fork (that is rusting nicely due to UK weather no doubt)
Way too low. In the US you would be lucky to get used parts for twice the stated price. New tires for $20? Nice ones maybe $40; better ones $60.
Prices are perfect if not too high...
It says 15$ per tire, not for both.
In Germany you get a Schwalbe Lugano for 8€. What is the price in the US?
I've bought most of my bikes second hand. I'm particular and patient. it's worked well for me.
This was a great video! Very informative. Even though they were mentioned briefly here, do you think a rim specific video will be done as well? Thanks for being a great cycling channel!
I scored a very lightly used well maintained Trek 5200 oclv for $250.00 gentleman had all the original books, purchase receipt, and maintenance receipts as well. I had a set of 1500 grams wheels from my other bike. Scored Bonti XXX lite carbon bars,stem, and seat post off ebay for $125.00 all in prestine condition, just scored a Reynolds ultra light fork for $150.00. I will have a 17lb Ultegra equipped machine for $525.00, a pretty smoking deal I think.
I visually inspected every inch of the frame with a magnifying glass looking for any paint ripples for indication of fibre cracking also did all inspections GCN recommended. A cool story to this find to me is, I was traveling (as I always am) happened to peak at Craigslist in Lacrosse, Wi and as most of us know the U.S.A made Treks are made in Waterloo, Wi. This bike spent it's most of it's life only 144 miles from where it was manufactured, now it is traveling the country with me inside my 18 wheeler (yes it does get out to play). It has now been ridden in 15 to 18 different states I lose count.
Thanks for the video GCN, very helpful. Can you make one about buying used wheels/wheelsets?
Very very usefull thank you so much!
I bought a tdf 7005 t6 carrera road bike second hand on fb market place great bike everything works great had it abt 2 years now and still works perfect
A year ago I bought a used 2013 specialized tarmac with the 105 groupset. I got it for around 750 dollars, and it also came with a whole bunch of accessories. A tip I have for anyone looking to buy a used bike is that you should look at those that are usually priced a bit higher but not extremely high and try to negotiate down... Better chance the bike is in good condition if the seller was trying to get a grand for it.
I got an old raleigh road bike from the 80s to replace my stolen bike. It cost 60 quid and needed tlc. My experience is that older bikes that survive tend to be very good, the components often just need complete disassembly and cleaning. The steel frame is nice because of how repairable it was, slight bends can be worked out. And the vintage look is beautiful. One thing to look out for is seaposts that have seized in the frame. I broke another raleigh trying to remove an aluminium seat post from the steel frame, so my two cents is : as long as everything moves and isn't cracked, it can be fixed up quite cheaply and nicely.
Works like a charm!
I was given a Gary Fisher (China) MTB. Lot of problems, but I am enjoying the heck out of it. I haven't ridden in years. I will be buying a few good used bikes soon. Simon is a great presenter BTW.
I would ALWAYS check the chainstays just behind and under bottom bracket shell for stress fractures, as its a common area for cracks to appear on an overly stressed frame and COULD save your life in the long run.
This video made me want to buy a second-hand bike as my daily work horse. I did just that. It cost me about £160. I got a bike with a carbon fork, aluminium frame and full Ultegra (minus the pedals). The only issues were a few scuff marks on of the hoods and some slight chip marks on the back of the frame, nothing bad. Other than that it just needed a new chain and some new bar tape. I might get some new cables as well :)
Saint Cupcake that's a good deal
Great video!
I've bought a pretty bad second hand bike. Hope the tips from this video will help find a better bike next time:)
Nice video! Would be very useful to also have a written checklist to share with it!
GCN will soon reach a million subs !!!!!
June 2022
Looking for my first gravel bike. Thank you for helping
Can you do a video on how you should go about cleaning/prepping a recently purchased used bike?
Good stuff!!
Just bought my first modern road bike. It is a second-hand Fuji Team. Not the fanciest of bikes but I can make some long controlled HR trainings with it better than with my mtb.
One note about filthy bar-tape: it could mean the owner wasn’t changing bar tape often enough and as a result it could be masking corrosion from sweat on the handlebars.
I would definitely check the seat post isn't seized. Also Check the saddle isn't bent to one side. Also remove all the dead weight when you get it. Spoke protector and reflectors.
I love your channel its great
i have bought a bike from giant shimano (giant tcr advanced sl dura ace di2) and i absolutely love it, very good bike and i am going to test is this year at races.
Derailleur hanger , something that you can eye ball if the derailleur us out and the cable has the correct tension. Also on older steal frames this is part of the frame so , if that is out and needs realignment you might want to check its condition to see if it can stand it.
Thank you, Great video. It should be noted thought that chainring teeth are not even by design around the ring, so it's very difficult by your description to judge their condition...
I got a 1984 Raleigh Pulsar Aerospace Contour for free, it had been sitting in a family members shed for 20 years. They kept on insisting that I take it to the scrap yard. I restored it for less than £50 and now it looks and feels great
this is soooooo damn helpful these days thank you very much ^_^
Another one to check is the seat pillar. I’ve come across a few seizes seat pillars, especially aluminium ones in steel frames. I had to turn down a very lovely bargain Reynolds 753 frame because it had a seized seat pillar.
"0ughta" understand how a few drops of petroleum , and ATF agent works together to dis lock seized seat-post . Add to it some time frame .
Querosene, benzine , petrol , is also fine ! Hot something ,,, fine !
ATF = automatic transmission fluid !
So help me Lord !
Have a look at the mech hanger and try to see if it was bent and got fixed. If it is replaceable, it's okay, as long as you can get new ones. If there is no mech hanger, i.e. if it is part of the frame, and has some traces of being bent beforehand, be careful...
As far as the wheel bearings go, if there is any knocking from side to side, if it's minimal, you can often adjust without any problem. If it is major, then new wheel bearings won't fix the problem, as it's only one third of the problem.... you also have the cups (which are in intrinsic part of the hub) and the cones, to consider, the parts which the bearings run on....
also I like the way you specify a rear derailleur is £30, when an entry level Shimano is £12.99, and some of the high-end stuff is well over £100......
Thank you so much
Bought a city bike 1 month ago, had to do a little bit of fixing, but now i have double handlebars, 21 gears, 2 good brakes, 2 lights ( with in frame dynamo) total price 65 euro :)
Chapeau to Si for checking the bike after buying it...do as
I say and not as I do?
Awesome! Actually I didn't finished the video, but I couldn't resist commenting that early...
LOL
I'm about to check out a cheap Schwinn bike from a local listing. Great video, this really helped a lot! Plus if I sound like I know what I'm talking about they might even lower the price lol
my first bike was a 2nd hand Raleigh. with Reynolds 501 tubing. great bike. The challenge is to show the minimum spec bike that you could safely race on. I think $500 second hand is possible.
You got a really nice deal there for $110, probably worth about twice that. Were those the old 7 or 8 speed Sora shifters with the thumb button for up shifts, they worked well but were very uncomfortable on the hands as they were short and curved back to a point that dug into your palms.
I got my GT R Series 4 at Cash Converters for $400 Australian dollars. It's done about 40 000 kms so far. Every moving part has been replaced a number of times of course. I love that piece of crap.
great video, could have mentioned volunteer run community bike shops, we one sell cheap used bike shop quality bikes plus we help people with all the maintenance you talked about. im going to watch the conditioning a derailuer now as im not sure what that is.
Another great video from GCN! This bike seems like a bargain for £90 but at that price range you are probably looking at a pretty old and worn bike which requires quite a bit of knowledge about bikes. You can save a lot by buying a used bike that is just a year or two old without any need to do any maintenance, more like 30-40% off than £90 total though :-)
just a second hand bike from a shop, didnt see this video. i drove it for 5min and it seemed ok, hadnt eaten and had a slight headache so i didnt think of the lack of speed. but after riding it the next day it was slow and with a lot of rolling brakes friction. luckily the shop took it back with full cash return. moral of the story, shops are safer if you regret the purchase.
yes GCN!! you do listen!! :)
Would be interesting to see one of you ride this bike or similar and compare it to your current bikes. Could use it to explain what parts made which difference?
I bought a secondhand bike trek domane 2 years ago, the frame had a dent in it, the owner sold it to me (6 months old) for 450 euro, about the price of the parts. I fixed the alu frame, and since then rode about 5k kms with it, no problems whatsoever, even downhilling at 65km/h (while braking fully) with 30kg luggage on the back (used it to go trekking in Scotland). Now bought a carbon frame from a falling for 450 euro.
Totaly worth it! Now I have a full time trekking bike and a carbon bike for fancy rides.
trek's alu domanes had rack mounts, so i had 2 panniers on the sides and one big bag on top of the rack, and in the front i had a bag mounted on my steering wheel with my camera/phone/money :) It was a sight to be seen xD but I wouldn't change a thing if I had to do it again!
After my 2012 Specialized Allez got stolen in broad daylight in front of my college, I was stuck in a void. I worked at my LBS in hopes to save money to buy a newer and better bike. Didn't work out so well but I strolled through Craigslist for bikes one day and I saw it, a 2007 Roubaix Comp for $560 in a Chicago suburb. This was a $2200 bike when it was new. My heart told me to go for it. So I made the 1 hr and 20 min drive to meet with the seller and test rode the bike. It ran without a flaw. I bought it then and there, took it to my LBS for a basic tune up and the rest is history. It rides so comfortably although the Allez had snappier handling. Its easily at home on a fine gravel trail or a silky smooth road. It just eats up the miles when I'm really cranking it out. As of this writing the front derailleur either snapped in two or was tampered with (I had it locked up in Downtown Chicago at the time so I don't know) but other than that, this has been the most reliable bike I've ever owned. I don't remember the last time I had a flat and I still have the 28c Espoir Sports that came with the bike on Fulcrum Racing 3s that I bought. Fantastic bike for the money.
Insurance really is your friend with bikes. household contents insurance usually covers your bikes as well.
Great! now fix the bar tape and clean it up, then let Si do a comparison with his own bike!
Si being the powerhouse of gcn of course
Would be cool to put a powermeter on both and see how much energy is lost from top end to this end,
2001 LeMond Maillot Jaune w/ Dura Ace. 600 USD at my local pawn shop. Not too bad being my first bike back into cycling after a 22 year hiatus.
Ben Wright I just got a 2000 Lemond Zurich as my first road bike and I am so proud of my purchase. Found it for $350
@Global Cycling Network.
Guys you could do a video where you put top end componentry on that frame and compare bikes with high spec and slightly lower quality frame vs High quality frame and lower components !
I actually found a second hand java fouco 4 which comes with the 105 and only 6 months old and used 1 once or twice which is in my budget so I'm going to get it
I think you guys forgot to check for a seized seat post. Great video though 😀
Another thing to check on the frame is if the seat post is seized or not
Dude , you forgot about one very important check : always check that the seatpost isn't seized up inside the downtube !
at this time of year pro teams are issuing their riders new bikes for the season and often enough the riders sell off their old steeds for good deals. I've gotten a couple bikes this way, including a Jelly Belly edition Argon 18 that I'll pick up this week, and as a junior I picked up a Battaglin from the Carerra team (1984).
Always make sure to check that Dan hasn't put one of his stickers on the bike your looking at.
I've only ever bought my bikes used and have gotten some pretty food deals
Bout to (hopefully) buy a cube agree gtc with aero bars and seattube and ultegra. 650 quid i reckon its a great deal
Always check that the seatpost moves!
i didn't bye one but i did fix one recently and for tips just watch other GCN vids or parktool vids
Please make a video: "How to steal an expensive bike"
I just look at the buyer. If he looks at his bike like he's giving away a child, I know I'm getting a good, cared-for bike. If he's indifferent, stoic and/or appears nervous, inspect carefully.
The seat post, some folks tighten to strip point, on a carbon ufff, much more delicate...
I have one of those chain stretch tools that checks length
How to buy a used bike:
1. Spend 200 quid on a used bike.
2. Spend another 200 quid to make it rideable again.
3. Ponder why you thought buying used will save you money.
What's a quid?
@@patcarey5266 1 pound, basically the UK slang equivalent of a "buck"
the white bar tape of that bike though😂
Werner van der meer I'm having nightmares...