Buying a second-hand bike can be an awesome experience where you can obtain the bike of your dreams from a careful, caring owner at a fraction of the retail price. But, to arrive at this optimal outcome, you must first navigate an array of hidden pitfalls. If you don’t do your due diligence on your purchase, you could end up with something sub-par for your money, downright dangerous or on rare occasions, even nothing at all! Ollie’s got the deer stalker out to do some sleuthing to bring you up to speed on being confident in your purchase.
00:00 – Introduction
00:23 – Look For The Right Size Bike
01:20 – Research The Seller
02:06 – Beware Of Scammers
02:43 – Check For Worn Out Components
04:57 – Inspect The Bike For Damage
07:25 – Test Ride The Bike
08:11 – Avoid Being Scammed
09:29 – Learn More About What You Are Buying
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Do you have any fantastic or nightmarish stories about buying a second-hand bike? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments
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28 Comments
Do you have any fantastic or nightmarish stories about buying a second-hand bike? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments
the first rule is dont get scam
As far as bike fit, I just make sure it clears my crotch, and do the zombie lean over test.
As Russian bot myself I am a bit insulted at 2:15
Fair play GCN, a few points I had not considered, especially when I'm interested in purchasing a early 1980s classic road bike.
My question is, would you guys be able to do a video on best trackers and anti theft devices including the DNA tag for bikes? Pros and cons, including what your team would recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Tony
I've just bought a 'Peugeot race bike' off eBay. I studied the photos and identified the frame. £120.
Got the bike home and stripped it down to frame, forks without any fittings. The frame is Reynolds 753. The group was Shim 600.
Frame and forks off to the Powder coaters, sparkly white. Sent for ANC-Halfords decals.
In the store room , there is a Campag groupset, Athena square taper with Ergo-shift levers. That'll do nicely. Pair of Campag Khamsin hoops. 8 speed.
Not a bad bike for £120 and a load of old stuff doing nothing. Powder coating £75. Decals £25. All up < £300.
I would never trust a used carbon fork without having it internally inspected.
Suggesting a bike fit is so shady go to a bike shop test ride the bikes your interested in but it's pretty easy to tell if it fits or not
5:08 Thankfully, as the owner of a 45kg aero bike, I never have to worry about bar strikes since my frame has steering limiters! 😂
This is a handy video. I cant afford a new race bike, only chance i have is to buy 2nd hand but too afraid to incase i get a dud
Anyone else see the thumbnail for this video and laugh their bottom off?
Ollie looking just like Sir Digby Chicken Caesar!
Save your money , buy a demo bike from a good custom shop. There you go.
I love it when Sherlock Bridgewood makes an appearance
9:50 Pardon?! 😅
These times most of the used bikes are much to expensive. I tell my customers always to put 20% for changing parts / maintaining on top of the used price and think about if it’s still a good deal.
"Virtually unused bike in like new condition" has pictures showing corrosion on aluminum parts from use in winter, well worn small chainring (big is OK as chum had no power to mash it) and filthy chain. Then there are pictures of 105 rear derailleur like it's most important part in bike and brand new Lugano tires to prove seller's statement about condition.
Hi GCN,
Great video! 👍 the only thing I would add in regards to a loose headset is if the bike has been ridden over hundreds of miles with a loose headset it can cause the ring of death. This can result in the bars snapping off when riding which is obviously very dangerous. If buying a used bike, the fork should be dropped out and inspected for safety. (Especially if ridden with a loose headset) Not alot of people know this but plenty of videos on YouTube about it.
Dan
3:09 nice to see you still have that excellent 2nd hand Pinarello. We should see it out more often 🙂
Crafty sellers often remove the pedals and this scuppers a potential test ride. I now always bring a set of pedals as well as pedal spanner and multi tool.
The most important thing: common sense, USE IT!
Who in their right mind would deliberately lock the front wheel?!
test ride it yee sure ,, so you will trust a stranger too test ride your bike , what if hi damage it , or just ride off with it , so you expect a stranger to let you test ride his bike ,
bike fits are about $500 in nyc lol
Also a good sign when buying a bike is to have passport from it and/or repeceipt. In Russia I've seen cases where police stopped cyclist because the model of the bike they're looking for got stolen – by matching serial number from frame and passport you'll be able to proof ownership.
Nice hair Ollie
Great video. How about a video on how to sell a bike?
That’s a powerful thatch of hair.
There was a big shift recently to disc brakes and through axles. What do you think is a better buy for the same price, a newer alu bike with disc brakes and through axles, or an older carbon bike with rim brakes, QR axles and slightly better albeit older components??