I bought my first bike off someone on marketplace today for $35. The seat post is stuck and won’t budge, the right side gear indicator is broken (the little orange bit), the front and rear tires are flat and need to be replaced, and eventually a new seat since someone took a bite out of it. It’s sort of rusty in some spots also but hoping I can clean it up with a wash. After research I noticed the front fork should move but is stuck and won’t move up or down. But that’s just the things that I could figure out are wrong with it with some googling. I’ll be washing it in the AM, then tackling things from there. Any and all tips are appreciated, or if you notice something else wrong please lmk because I wouldn’t know. I can take more pictures if need be. I’ll post before and afters. Also, do you think this was worth the $35, would you have bought it?
TLDR; 1st bike. Stuck seat post, flat tires, some rust, stuck front fork. Looking for repair tips.
by iisGavin
10 Comments
I wouldnt have bought it, but 35$ isn’t ripped off either, unless sold as 100% ok! but not sure it’s worth dumping money into.. what are your plans with it? cheap suspension is never worth it, a rigid fork and frame bike would yield you a better cheap bike.
35 dollars for any working bike is incredible. Good find. You’d almost get more than that at the tip I reckon. Minus fees. Enjoy it mate
It looks like a solid bike. And if it rides well like you said then I think it’s a good purchase.
I wouldn’t say ripped off, the frame alone would be worth more than 35$. But you certainly have a few things that should/can be replaced. For one I would replace the entire groupset + chain if it stood in the rain for a long time.
My approach would be: Spray everything with WD40. Brush things off with an old dish brush. Buy some multi purpose bike oil. Put it in all moving parts excluding the brakes. See how it goes.
For $35 it’s a good deal, however the geometry is definitely horrible. However you can’t just get as much movement out of the rear shock and it will be much better. You should be able to rotate one side (above or below the spring) to make it more compressed, I’d go as tight as you can get it. Aside from that with some basic maintenance you should be good to go
If you want it as a daily ride (for getting to work for example) it’s probably it pretty decent deal, since it wouldn’t need to perform and the main concern would be that it’s actually moving when you pedal. But if you want to actually have fun with it or get some performance out of it.. In the end, it all depends on how much time, effort, and money you’re willing to spend.
Even if you would have some repair skills (which I’m presuming you don’t have at this point?), the cost of the parts alone will AT LEAST be twice the amount of money you already spent to put into it at some point. Chain + cassette are dead, take a look at the Break pads too.
Honestly, your best bet is probably to just find another cheap bike and merge them. I just found an MTB for 50 bucks on our second hand platform that doesn’t look to worn down. Other than that, have fun with it!
someone is getting High right now!!!
First I would do is check all moving parts like freehub, bottom brackets, suspension, or anything that is moving. Then next is making sure you would be able to stop when needed so check the brakes. Afterwhich, I would thoroughly clean the entire bike and replace the cables and other consumable parts.
Paid 35$ and put like 50 more and you will have a reliable commuter. Just make sure everything works and youre good to go.
If you’re gonna use it as a cheap beater bike, it’s fine. Stuff will break, based on its price point. This is where you start to learn about upgrades, repair etc etc. find your local bike shop and see what spares they have, you might be able to slowly upgrade stuff.