this has made buying second a lot more scary for me. theres obviously so many things that can be broken or worn. although you can't be too fussy when buying second hand as most of the bikes online have on of the above wrong with them and thats why there so much cheaper then shops.
this has made buying second a lot more scary for me. theres obviously so many things that can be broken or worn. although you can't be too fussy when buying second hand as most of the bikes online have on of the above wrong with them and thats why there so much cheaper then shops.
If you take your time and give the bike a good once over you can usually see any problems with it,buying of the internet does have it's problems though and your basing a purchase on the sellers word.
you can usually tell if the seller is legit or not by judging his profile, see what else he sold, quality of his pictures, if he puts effort into a good picture, add and discription, also if they say what is actually wrong with it
yeah but unless its new or near new and the owner can prove that you can expect it to have a few things wrong with it.
Not true at all... maybe if you're buying from some 14 year-old yes but not alway. My oldest bike is my 7 Point and it's absolutely perfect apart from some chain slap scratches.
What you're really looking for more than anything else, isn't so much whats wrong with it as it is how well it was cared for. If you check a bike that's super clean but notice that there's a shit ton of dirt around the BB or around the backside of the spoke heads then you know it was washed just for the sale... if you look at ones thats a bit dirty but the drivetrain is spotless then you can assume the opposite.
Theres definitely lots of potential downsides but, pay attention and you'll be fine. As a general rule, if you see something a bike ask yourself how much you'd care if you already owned the bike and found that scratch or dent or whatever after coming how from a ride... if you wouldn't care if you already owned, it shouldn't be cause for concern while buying it.
you can usually tell if the seller is legit or not by judging his profile, see what else he sold, quality of his pictures, if he puts effort into a good picture, add and discription, also if they say what is actually wrong with it
Good point... if someone can't be bothered to type up a good description and list the parts spec then you damn sure they weren't bothering with bike maintenance.
if you look at ones thats a bit dirty but the drivetrain is spotless then you can assume the opposite.
sounds like my bikes
when i just sold my bmx a few weeks ago i made sure they new everything wrong with it, then they can't complain because they know what they are getting, even the small stuff like the brake pads are very worn and need replacing and showing pictures of any rust or scratches
hey im looking at a trek fuel ex8, sweet bike but has a small ding on top tube, just wondering if the frame would be compromised or if it should be ok? http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p4pb7101847/p4pb7101847.jpg, or go to wilfred18 and he is the one selling, thanks for any advice
little parts missing like rebound and compression knobs, you don´t think about it until you have to use them and it can be a pain to get new ones, user manuals, service records are welcome too.
-If you're buying a classic or project bike that's older and has been around, it's not a bad idea to take it to a shop and check the frame alignment. Get your shop to blow compressed air through carbon frames if you're wary of them. Metals fatigue, and it's been said that aluminium bikes have a "shelf life" of 15-20 years. Obviously if your ride bikes hard they'll break, but metals get weaker with time.
-Always be cautious when looking at a frame that is freshly powdercoated. You'd be shocked at the ammount of cracked frames being hidden and sold on.
-Try and get the seller to deal with you on eBay. It may cost a extra 20 bucks but you will have buyer protection and gan get a refund if anything goes wrong.
-Don't want to sound to stereotypical but take a look at the person who is selling, Is he/she is wearing a white matching shell suit or tracksuit, or has a staff terrier, sovereign ring, mobile phone hanging around their neck, trousers tucked into their socks, Baseball cap on back to front, - WALK AWAY.
It could be the cranks or pedals wobbling to, you can also check the cones by moving the wheel side to side
also if it has a front brake lock that up and rock it a bit, see if there is any wobble and what is wobbling, oh and check the cogs and chainring don't look like shark teeth, would mean they are probably worn out
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