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10 tips
on
Bringing
a used bicycle
to life
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 You nearly always
get a better bike for less money if you buy second-hand.
First you'll have
to track down a suitable bike in your size, you'll need to be
sure it's not stolen.
Try local
newspapers or e-Bay for a second-hand bike, the bulk of them are
cheap.
You may have to
wait for a good one to come up some local bike shops have
second-hand bikes too.
When you find what your
looking for, take a mate with you if your technical knowledge is
lacking.
Check the bike is in working
order.
If it's not & it needs work
doing to it that should reflect in the final price. |
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1.
~ Crash Damage ~
Rippled paint on
the top & bottom tube where they meet the head tube suggests
crash damage.
Do not buy it
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2.
~ Frame Alignment ~
Try riding the bike
hands off, if you are able to on the test ride.
If the bike
consistently veers to one side the frame could be out of line.
(Cannondale Lefty's all veer to the eerrr ... left!)
Do not buy it
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3.
~ Are The Wheels True? ~
Lift the front and
back wheels off the ground and spin them.
Any side to side
movement & the wheels may need truing.
Bulges or cracks in
the rims will require a wheel re-build.
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4.
~ Bent Forks ~
Check the forks are not bent
inwards towards the down tube.
Check the tops to see if
they are aligned.
Look at the forks head on to
see if the wheel sits equally between the legs.
Check to see if any oil,
dents, or broken seals are visible.
Check the value attachments
are in good order.
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5.
~ Rear Wheel Alignment ~
Check the seat-stay are not
bent and the wheel sits equally between them.
Check the rear mech hangers
not bent too.
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6.
~ Worn Gear Sets ~
Check for hooked teeth on
the chain-ring & sprockets, they are a sign of wear.
Generally to replace these
items could cost you anywhere from £40 - £100 depending on the
quality. |
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7.
~ Worn Head Sets ~
Check the bars, apply the
front brake and rock the bike.
If it feels loose, the
headset is either too loose or worn.
Lift the bars to get the
wheel in the air, and turn left and right. Any sticking?.
The headset is too tight, or
worn.
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8.
~ Bent Pedals Or Crank ~
Check the pedals for damage,
spin the pedals to see if they rotate freely and are not seized
up.
Look at the crankarm, make
sure it's tight and feel the crank or free-play.
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9.
~ General Wear ~
Check-out for frayed cables
and end caps, ripped saddle, worn out bar ends.
They are signs that a
bicycle has had some heavy use.
Look out for worn tyres &
brake blocks too, if the bike has disc brakes check the pads for
wear.
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10.
~ Worn Disc Brakes / Rotors ~
Check the system works, pull
on the levers and see if the brake pads bit and hold fast.
Look for contamination of
the pads.
Check to see how much
braking material is left on the pads too.
Look for any signs of
leakage from the connections and see if the rotors are in good
order.
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11.
~ Worn Spokes / Nipples ~
Check for bent or snapped
spokes, if there are any it will need a wheel re-build.
Loose spokes can be
re-trued. Check the rim has no splits or major dents. |
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1 |
4 new brake blocks or discs from about £15 / £30 |
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New cassette from about £25 / £45 |
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New chain from about £10 / £25 |
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New grips from about £10 / £15 |
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New crankset or crank rings from about £45 / 165 |
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New handle-bars from about £15 / £130 |
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New set of tyres from about £20 / £70 a pair |
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Worth stripping the bicycle down, de-grease and
cleaning then re-build |
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A new set of brake and gear cables from about £ 15 /
£25 |
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10 |
Lubricate the parts that need it |
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Bicyclemania.co.uk
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g r a s s r o o t t r a i l
& m o u n t a i n b i k e
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