- Buying a second hand bike can be a great way
to save some money.
Auction sites and forums,
you can find some bargains.
Make sure you don't get stung.
This is how to check out a secondhand bike
before you buy it.
There's a few major components I check every time.
But actually a really good indicator
of how well-looked after that bike is,
is just by checking how clean it is when you first show up.
That might give you an idea
about the sort of person that's had it before.
And if they look after their bike or not.
Hopefully you've worked out the bike size you need
before you show up.
The frame is a correct size for you.
There's a few other important things
like the steerer tube.
If someone slammed their stem right down
and then cut the steerer tube off,
and you like a really high bar,
you might have to get a new steerer,
should be really expensive.
Unless you can really make the difference up
with putting higher rise bars on.
So check that.
I've got space on top and below,
there's plenty of movement around there.
I've got a dropper post on this.
But if you had a fixed seatpost,
it may or may not have cut down that seatpost.
Look at a few things on the body.
You can change to make sure it'll fit you.
Let's start with probably the most expensive component
of the bike: the frame.
Mine's carbon fibre.
On those bikes I'll be looking for any damage.
Right around the frame.
Under here is a really common place
to find stone chips, things like that.
Luckily the Scott Genius's got some of these
sort of foam protectors underneath that.
That stops anything from damaging the bike.
I would definitely check under there,
underneath the bottom bracket where stones flick up.
Go around the full frame,
front to back,
and check there's no damage.
On an aluminium or steel frame,
I would check in all the wells.
Check the one underneath the head tube carefully
'cause bikes can break there.
Check all of them.
Then less important than on a carbon frame,
I would check the bike over.
If you do find any damage,
scratches, things like that,
you can maybe negotiate on the price.
But I wouldn't buy the bike if it was cracked at all.
I would also check over the paint work.
Somewhere it's really common to get some damage
is on the chainstay,
where the chain slaps around.
Double-check there's no serious damage on those.
This will also tell you if that person
has protected their bike,
and if they care about their bike.
This bike comes with one of these protectors
on the chainstay,
so there's no damage under there.
But you want to check if someone's maybe made their own one
that'll tell you that they looked after their bike.
On a bike with suspension,
I'll start off with the fork.
Again I check the whole thing for any damage.
The lows quite often get scratched.
But really the most important part
are the stanchions.
These have got this expensive kashima coating on,
just check all the way around for any markings,
for any scratching,
any dents in there.
But also that can get worn off
if these seals haven't been kept clean.
That could be expensive to repair.
Just check around.
Make sure there aren't any vertical scoring marks on there.
Same on the shock.
Make sure that is really nice and clean,
no marks on there.
I would also cycle them over.
Push on the fork and on the shock.
Check there's no play in there.
Grab the front brake, give the fork push,
make sure it feels nice and smooth.
Also push and pick the front wheel up.
Check they're not topping out
and there's no damage inside those forks.
Also the front break on,
just rock the bike back and forth.
Feel for any movement in there.
If you feel if the headset's loose,
but also I'm gonna check the bushes and the fork.
If there's any movement in that fork,
in that's sort of flopping around a little bit,
that can also be a bit of an expensive fix.
Go with the shock,
give that a push.
Make sure it's working as you'd expect.
Also pick the back wheel up.
Check those bushes aren't damaged or worn.
They're not the most expensive thing to fix.
It's not the end of the world as long as it's those.
If the bearings on the suspension need doing,
that can be a bit more expensive.
Have a feel all around the bearings.
Also just try to flex that back wheel
and have a look down at the back of the bike.
If that's all moving around,
if the link is all moving around
that's not a great sign.
That probably means the bearings are on the way out.
So that is something to factor into the price.
Check the wheels.
Give them a rock to see if the bearings
are on the way out.
Pick them up.
Carefully give them a spin.
Hold your finger next to them.
Look for any buckles side to side
and also up and down on the rim.
If there are any,
and if they're not over sort of three or five mil,
moving probably isn't gonna be fixed that easily.
Also that's probably gonna show if there are any
rings or dents in that rim.
Spinning the wheels.
Check the brake rotors.
They're running nice and straight
and through the calliper.
Keep your fingers away from them.
Can't take them off.
They're nice and straight.
Give the brakes a pull.
With these brakes they want to feel nice and consistent
and a light action on there.
You can also ask the owner when he last bled the brakes.
Again it's gonna give you another indicator
of how well looked after that bike is.
And how component the previous owner is
in looking after it.
I would also check the drive train.
If the chain is worn that might mean
that the chain, cassette, and chainring
all need replacing.
That can be expensive.
If you have one,
one of these chain wear indicators is great.
That shows me that my chain is pretty much worn out now.
It's about time I change that.
If you don't have one of these
I'll just check by sight
to really have a good look at the chain ring.
Make sure they're not bent over at all
looking like shark fins.
Also running the chain through your hands a little bit
bending it side to side,
can give you a little bit of an indication.
If it's really, really floppy,
probably means that chain's worn
and it might be time to change the whole thing.
Check out the gearing on the bike as well.
Definitely worth checking
if it's a one by system like this.
I've got a 34 tooth chainring on the front,
which is kind of average.
Sometimes they go down to about 30,
which doesn't give you very high gears.
Check that out,
make sure it suits you before you buy the bike.
There are some things that are consumable.
You might expect to be slightly worn out like grips,
tyres,
and even gear cables.
I would definitely check them,
but just remember it's not the end of the world.
They probably will need replacing at some point anyway.
Just try and factor those things in.
Tyres aren't the cheapest things to replace,
so that might help you negotiate a price.
Next thing I would do is check all the bearings on the bike.
Headset, give it a spin,
have a feel on the side of that head tube
for any grinding,
or any movement at all front to back.
Same with the wheels, give them a spin and have a feel.
Give them a wobble side to side.
Pedals, spin wildly.
See if there's a bit of grease still in there.
Really nice and smooth.
Bottom bracket,
give the cranks a wobble side to side.
Rear wheel again, give it a wobble.
Give it a spin.
All nice and smooth on my bike,
so I wouldn't be worried about those bearings.
The seatpost is definitely worth checking
especially if you've got a dropper post.
Just cycle that through.
Make sure it's working
and there's not too much wobble in there.
If you've got a normal fixed seatpost,
I would make sure it's not seized inside the frame.
That can happen on metal frames.
That can be really hard to try and get loose
if you need to try and move that seatpost.
If possible, it's always great to have a quick ride
of the bike.
It doesn't have to be on a trail,
just give it a quick spin down the road.
Change into the gears,
put a little bit of power down.
Make sure that chain isn't slipping.
It's also a good chance to test those brakes,
make sure they're working.
If you've already checked the bike over,
you might find some bits,
like the seat might be a little bit tight,
or the tyres might need replacing,
why don't you try and do your best
and negotiate the price a little bit?
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That might be good for those sellers out there
that wanna make their bike look good.
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