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Buying A Used Bicycle |
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Buy the right bicycle
for your riding style |
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Tips
that will bring 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, then you need to
be sure it's not stolen or damaged.
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 friend along 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 from about £15 |
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New cassette from about £25 / £35 |
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New chain from about £10 / £20 |
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New grips from about £10 |
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New crankset or crank rings from
about £45 / 65 |
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New bars from about £15 / £30 |
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New set of tyres from about £20 / £40
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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Lubricate the parts that need it |
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