- If you're buying a bike,
then buying used is a great way to save money
and make your budget go further.
So in this video, we're going to give you a guide
as to what to look for so that you can avoid
getting a clunker and make sure you get a good deal.
And if you've got any friends,
who are just getting into cycling
and looking to buy a bike,
then consider sharing this video with them
as hopefully the information in it will be really useful.
The first thing to do is to summon
your inner Sherlock Holmes and approach buying a bike
like a detective looking for clues.
Ask questions, ask why the current owner is selling it,
are they a cyclist?
Ask them about where they rode the bike,
this could be really useful for building some rapport
with the seller too.
If it's apparent that they aren't a keen cyclist,
but they are selling an expensive road bike,
then this should raise further questions.
Remember though, if a deal appears to be too good
to be true, it probably is.
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We would strongly advice that you don't ever buy a bike
without seeing it first in person.
You can drop on to a good deal though,
sometimes, people buy a bike with the intention
of getting into cycling and for whatever reason they don't.
Consequently, the bike hasn't been ridden much
and they eventually decide to sell it.
Now a good way to spot this, is with the brakes.
If there isn't much wear on the pads or the rims
and there isn't much dirt inside the recesses
and nooks and cranny's on the caliper,
then it probably hasn't been used much.
And another good tell, is the bar tape.
If it's pristine and original, then again,
the bike probably hasn't seen much action.
At this point, I'm going to say that in this video,
we're not going to tell you how to determine
the right frame size you need,
as it would make this particular video too long.
But fear not, we do have a video advising you
how to do that, which we'll link at the end of this one.
It's a good idea to adjust the seatpost
to get it so that it's your size,
but this also allows you to sneakily check
a few other things as well.
So, something that's more of a problem on alloy bikes,
is that seatposts can get stuck.
Now, you'll find out if it's stuck if you can't adjust it,
they can be un-stuck but sometimes
this can be a bit of a pain.
And on carbon bikes,
it's worth knowing that it's a stress area,
so if the seat post clamp bolt is over tightened,
it can cause fractures and cracks in the seatpost,
so by adjusting it and taking it out
you'll be able to see if it's okay.
Do your homework, check what you're getting
and try and find out what the original spec of the bike was.
With bikes made in the last five years
this is relatively easy to do using the internet.
This isn't essential but it can tell you a lot
about the life of the bike,
if you engage Sherlock Holmes mode.
It will also help you establish what the bike is worth,
such as, if parts have been upgraded.
For example, if it still has the original tires
and is a couple of years old,
it probably hasn't been ridden much at all.
Tires are the most common thing that get changed
and bikes often come with budget tires.
If the bike has a different fork
to the one that it originally came with,
then this might be because the original one
was totaled in a crash, kind of a potential red flag.
So, it's a bit like mis-matched body panels on a car,
something to be aware of.
However, if the bike has different wheels and a saddle,
these are the most common parts to upgrade on a bike
and consequently, they can be better than the ones
that's the bike originally came with.
The first thing is cable rub marks,
these are cosmetic damage to the frame
but they give an idea as to how much
the bike has been ridden.
And also, careful owners will tend to put pads
and protective spots on the frame
to stop this kind of damage happening,
so it gives you an idea about the bikes history.
With regards to the cables themselves,
the general rule of thumb,
it's typical that cyclists with regular riding,
will change them every couple of years.
So it's worth asking the seller
when the cables were last changed or replaced,
so that you have an idea of when you might
need to do it in the future.
As you brake, you wear away the brake pads
and also the brake rim on the wheel.
Now, they generally last for ages
and they'll last even longer if you regularly clean them,
but they do wear out over time.
And what you don't want is a concave rim,
now this is where the metal on the wheel rim,
or the material has worm away sufficiently
that it's now become concave.
You can tell by looking at it
and also by feeling it with your finger.
If they are concave factor this in,
because it means that you probably need to buy
a new set of wheels, so that'll incur you a cost.
The same applies for disc brakes too,
but the difference here is that it's just
the disc brake rota that wears
and then potentially needs replacing if it's worn out,
which is much cheaper than having to replace
an entire wheel.
You should also look at the tires,
obviously some wear is expected
but look to see if the tread is completely worn out
and look for big cuts and holes in the tire as well,
as this will mean that they probably need replacing.
And I'd use this to renegotiate some money
off the list price of the bike.
Same applies for the bar tape as well,
if it's worn out and dirty, use it as a tool
to try and negotiate some money off.
Now, next up, we're going to look at the drive train.
The drive train refers to the chain rings,
the chain and the cassette on the bike.
Now these components wear out over time
and you can expect to periodically replace them.
A good way to check the chain, see if it's okay,
is using a simple chain checker tool.
You can pick these up in bike shops
for a couple of quid and they're a worthwhile investment.
The chain checker tells you if the chain has been stretched,
and it's really easy to use,
you just slot it in and it tells you, like that.
Opie's chain, is okay.
Now, if the drive train is worn out,
then you make get some skipping and jumping of the chain
on the cassette, and this is usually apparent
when you're putting out quite a lot of torque.
So for example, if you're cycling out of the saddle.
It's not the end of the world though, as I say,
these parts can be replaced,
it's just something to factor in to the overall cost.
And another sign that indicates wear on the drive train
is jagged or un-even teeth, that have been ground down
on the cassette or the chain rings.
Another area you should look at is the bottom bracket
area here where the crank arms are in the frame.
This is particularity important on carbon fiber bikes
and you should be looking for any cracks or signs of damage.
Don't be afraid to lift up the bike and look underneath.
Also, check the drive-side chain stay,
often there's only cosmetic damage here
but it's worth having a look at.
If the chain falls off or gets dropped,
it can chip the frame here and also the chain
can sometimes slap against this chain stay
when you're going over rough ground.
And again, this can cause chips and scratches to the frame,
it's usually only cosmetic but worth having a look at
and also, just check that the frames
not been completely destroyed.
The next thing we're going to look at is the bearings,
to see if there's any play in them.
If there is play in the bearings,
then it means that they usually need replacing.
First, the headset bearing,
so the way that you test this is you put the front brake on,
stand over the bike like I'm doing now
and rock it forwards and backwards.
Now if there's play, you'll feel it moving
against the steerer tube, against the frame here
and you can usually see it.
Fortunately, there's no play in this one.
To see if there's any play in the bottom bracket bearing,
the axle of the bike, then put your hand on the crank arm
and try and move it in this direction.
And if there's play, you'll feel it,
fortunately again, no play in this one.
And lastly, look to see if there's play
in the wheel bearings,
the way to do this is to grab hold of the wheel,
both the front and the back one
and just try and pull it from side to side.
And if there's loads of lateral movement,
if the wheel moves like this loads
then there's play in the bearing
that might need to be addressed.
Now if you just quickly engage,
Sherlock Holmes mode,
and if you consider someone who's been riding around
on a bike, despite the fact
that there's play in the bearings
then they probably haven't taken very good care of it
and they probably don't know what they're doing.
Elementary.
You should always check if the wheels are true
and by true, we mean straight.
Now if the bike has been crashed,
or has plowed into a large pothole,
it can cause the wheels to become wonky
and you can check this by simply spinning the wheel
and watching how the brake track moves
relative to the brake pad.
And you look down the length of it like that,
now this wheel's nicely true,
but if it's not, it's really easy to tell,
you'll see the wonky-ness in the wheel
as it moves like that.
If the wheel is slightly out of true,
it's not the end of the world,
it's something that can easily be fixed
in your local bike shop for around £10,
or whatever your local currency is.
Although, it is something that you should factor in
to the list price, the bike
and use as a negotiating tool.
The same applies for disc breaks,
when you spin the wheel,
the disc rota shouldn't rub against the caliper
and if it does it can suggest that the disc
is actually slightly bent and wonky.
Again, this is something that can be fixed
for not too much money,
but factor it in.
If the disc is slightly warped,
then you'll be hear it going (makes ticking noises)
every time it tracks past the pad.
How can you tell if a bike's been crashed?
Well I'm going to tell you about the signs of crash damage.
Now it might be obvious if a bike's been crashed
if it's in a million pieces,
but I'm talking about the more subtle things.
So firstly, the rear mech, this is a classic right,
if you've got a big scrape on the rear mech here,
well it's a good sign of a crash.
Now, bikes are a bit like buttered toast,
they tend to land business side down, weird!
But keep an eye out for that,
another one is on the saddle,
on the edge of the saddle here if there's a scuff
then that can also be a good sign
that the bikes come down.
And also, on the shifters here and the bar tape,
if the bar tape is ripped on the edge
and there's scratches on the shifter,
that suggests the bike has had an impact.
Scuffs of the shifters, saddle and even the rear mech
are usually just cosmetic though
so, if you filter through the gears
and there's no skipping or jumping
and it's all working correctly
then it's probably nothing to worry about
apart from the fact it's a little bit unsightly.
Other things to be more concerned about
are to do with the frame.
So a classic thing is a top tube strike,
now this is caused, when you crash,
that the handle bars swing round quickly
and strike the top tube, like that.
Now, what you can do is actually turn the bars
so that they touch the top tube
and then look at that particular point on the top tube
and see if there's any damage there,
if there is, it could be something to be worried about.
Another thing, and this is more common
on alloy or steel frames,
is if the frame has actually been warped or bent.
Grab a tape measure,
or if you don't have a tape measure you can use some string
and what you want to do is measure
from the rear drop out here,
to the top tube on the same place on each side of the bike.
The two distances should be the same,
if they're not, it can suggest that the frame
is warped or twisted.
And if it is, it's best just to walk away.
Try and take the bike out for a quick ride,
just down the road should be sufficient.
Get out the saddle and stamp on the peddles,
listen for sounds of creaking,
particularly in the bottom bracket.
It may mean that the bottom bracket bearings need replacing,
also check the brakes work,
they should feel positive and be able to lock the wheels.
Also, siphon through the gears
and check that you can get into each sprocket
and there is no clicking or skipping.
Overall, if a deal seems too good to be true,
it probably is.
And if a bike has loads of issues,
then it may be more trouble than it's worth.
The used bike market is buoyant, it's a buyers market
and there are loads of great deals to be found out there.
So don't ever be afraid to be
like Craig David..
And walk away.
However, in my experience of buying used bikes,
if a bike does have a few niggles
such as some of the things we've talked about in the video,
these can be great ammunition
for negotiating the price down.
So, get haggling.
Right, I hope you've found this video
useful and informative.
And please share it with your friends,
especially if they're looking to buy a bike
and don't have much experience.
I'm sure they'll find it useful.
And, if you'd like to watch more videos,
well you can click down here and also subscribe to GCN,
it's free!
Now, good luck in your search,
there's loads of great deals out there,
all the best finding a new bike,
I'm going to go now, bye!