Second Hand or not ?

[Grayduff]

Hi

My trusty 17 yr old Ridgeback 602rx has given up the ghost, been back on the bike for 3 months or so and need a decent Hybrid (scott,Boardman,Specalized etc etc).
Money is very tight and have seen a couple of the above mentioned on Gumtree/Ebay £150 to £250 is this a good way to go or can anyone else make a suggestion.

Cheers

 

[User6179]

I would only buy a second hand bike if I knew for sure it was low on mileage because if it needs say cassette ,chain,chainrings,bearings done in the near future it could end up costing more for second hand bike than for new one.

 

[sittingbull]

I've bought a couple of bikes off eBay in recent years on the basis that you get more bike for your money when buying second hand

Also, if the purchase isn't as suitable as you thought, it can be re-sold for more or less what it cost. One I have kept for 5 years and I've been very happy with it, the other I re-sold after a month and actually doubled my money

I think the current cycling euphoria has led to escalated second hand prices (good when I was selling) with some people paying more than the bikes are worth, so the re-selling bubble is likely to burst (IMHO).

Prices will inevitably fall as we move into Autumn so there will be bargains to be had. I tend to look for local ones to avoid potential problems with shipping and costs saved can be put into the bid instead

Be aware that potentially you can have to spend a lot of money on a used bike if it's had a hard life. Good ones are those where the owner has hardly used it and lost interest.

 

[biggs682]

yes some 2nd hand bikes have risen in value sharply but still some bargains out there

 

[User6179]

I've bought a couple of bikes off eBay in recent years on the basis that you get more bike for your money when buying second hand

Also, if the purchase isn't as suitable as you thought, it can be re-sold for more or less what it cost. One I have kept for 5 years and I've been very happy with it, the other I re-sold after a month and actually doubled my money

I think the current cycling euphoria has led to escalated second hand prices (good when I was selling) with some people paying more than the bikes are worth, so the re-selling bubble is likely to burst (IMHO).

Prices will inevitably fall as we move into Autumn so there will be bargains to be had. I tend to look for local ones to avoid potential problems with shipping and costs saved can be put into the bid instead

Be aware that potentially you can have to spend a lot of money on a used bike if it's had a hard life. Good ones are those where the owner has hardly used it and lost interest.

Was going to bid on a bike on ebay where the seller said he had the bike for sale elsewhere and reserved the right to remove the listing, he said the bike had very light use and was in A1 condition.
I did a quick google search to see how much it was up for sale for and found the bike on a cycle forum where looking at the guys previous posts the bike had done at least 6000 miles and he weighed over 90kg .
Needlesss to say I didnt bid .

 

[Grayduff]

Thanks for the info guys, it is a great help..

 

[KateK]

Just a note: trek hybrids have thin metal on the top tube, this may be true for others, so check for dents as there is nothing you can do about that and it weakens the bike a lot... our LBS accidentally clamped my husband's bike by the top tube for servicing and they've now got to get him a replacement frame....

 

[Frankieabbott]

I love my second hand Claud Butler. I have never had a first hand Claud Butler to compare it to.

 

[defy-one]

Was looking at a specialized sirrus the other night on ebay. It said hardly used.
This bike had rack marks where panniers had been fitted to the rack. Lights. 2 water bottles and mudguards!!!

Be careful what you bid for!

 

[vickster]

It depends on your definition of 'hardly used' surely - you could have that and still done less than 100 miles - which is hardly used I'd say ?! I've done 125 miles on my Avail so far - ok only one water bottle, but has a pump attached - and it's been hardly used

Unless I have completely misunderstood what you mean

 

[fossyant]

What do you mean 'given up the ghost' - come on, what about fixing it ?

 

[Grayduff]

What do you mean 'given up the ghost' - come on, what about fixing it ?

Yep you are right, fixing and tinkering i will do to get it back on the road , BUT an upgrade will be needed at some stage WIFE permiting

 

[Grayduff]

Was looking at a specialized sirrus the other night on ebay. It said hardly used.
This bike had rack marks where panniers had been fitted to the rack. Lights. 2 water bottles and mudguards!!!

Be careful what you bid for!

I saw that one also on ebay , also seen a couple on Gumtree but not sure,,??? maybe i will wait until Father Christmas comes

 

[boxer]

Maybe im just a snob, but dont like to buy things second hand.

Its often very difficult to tell how well the bike has been maintained.

 

[Crosstrailer]

Big help is knowing what model year you are buying. You can get some big bargains where someone has bought a bike new, ridden it a handful of times, realised cycling requires more effort than driving a car and then decided to sell it.

I don't know about other brands, but Specialized's also have a build date decal on them (presuming the original owner hasn't removed it).

If you are buying a bike thats just a few months old getting it serviced after you have bought it will save you sometimes hundreds of pounds over buying a new one........