Just A Few Tips for buying a used Bike.

Just a few tips for those of you looking for a nice used bike.

What Should I Look For in a Used Bike?
First: choose the type of bike you need. If you’re riding in Chi-town or just to the train, you’ll do fine with a single speed or three speed “cruiser.” If you go over a bridge, your commute is probably a little longer, so you might want a bike with more gears.

Next: check the frame. If there are any dents or cracks in the frame or fork, move on.

Third: make sure it fits. No matter how good a deal a bike is, you’ll never get your money’s worth if it is too big or small. Stand straddling the top tube. If you have less than an inch of space between your body and the top tube, or if you have to lean very far over to reach the handlebars, the bike is too big. If you can’t raise the seat enough to get a nearly-but-not-quite-full extension of your legs with your feet on the pedal, it’s too small.

Fourth: the shake, rattle and roll test. Make sure the wheels and pedals and handlebar spin freely. Holding onto the brakes, rock the bike back and forth. Then try to move the pedals towards or away from the frame. If in any of these tests you feel a clicking or a grinding or a kerchunking or a wobble, find another bike. These are all things that happen in the course of a bike’s life and can be fixed, but they’re not things that you want to find in a used bike. When these parts are too worn, they show it by not staying tight and they must be replaced and the labor and parts can cost as much as the bike.

Just my two cents for those of u looking to buy...
Ride On!!!!!

Adam Kishanov
329 Cycles

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on December 19, 2008 at 5:20am
Pick up a book on bike mechanics - I have the bicycling magazine one, and It turned me from someone who could only lube a chain into someone who can build a bike 99% from the ground up (I'm not going to press headsets or anything - $$$tools).

I figure it was harder learning to ride a bike than learning to turn a screwdriver. Most maintenance and repair only needs screwdrivers, allen wrenches, pliers/adjustable wrench/vise grips, which most people have on hand or have a relative that does. There are a few specialty tools; like cone wrenches, bb tools, chain whip, etc.., but they're cheap investments or can be borrowed. I've learned they make great Hanukah/Christmas presents too.

Also, that cheap junker you pick up on craigslist makes a better platform to learn on than your other bike that "doesn't get left outside." And with the help of a maintenance book, you'll be able to know what rattles and shakes you're feeling are ones you can tackle, or ones that say keep looking.
Permalink Reply by Dubi Kaufmann on December 20, 2008 at 10:13pm
Does anyone have experience buying a bike at a police auction? Are there any bargains? How competitive is the auction?
Permalink Reply by Steve 3po on December 21, 2008 at 7:18pm
I can't agree completely with you some DB from my local bar has added to his bike collection using primarily the Chicago Police Auction, his steal of the century would have to be his Schwinn Paramount..... something like 250 out the door? I don't know paying ten percent of the msrp of a carbon bike seems like a good deal? Sorry I'm not trying to 501 you h3.

h3 said:
M.A.R.K. said:
I would have to say it depends on the auction.. Yeah, most of the bikes are gunna be crap, but you never know what you might find. A couple of my friends went to one out near me and they scored a bunch of old frames with some savagable parts for like .25 cents each. In the city, with bikes being so abundant you might find better bikes and more of them, but in the same you might find a higher price on them too.. If your looking for a complete bike id say thats not the route to go, but for frames to build with, its definately worth the shot.. And if not, at least you can then know and not take just words from the interwebs ya know..
Sorry, I should have been more specific-- my comments were in reference to the Chicago police auction held every 2 months or so at 28th and Western.
Permalink Reply by Jon on December 22, 2008 at 2:21am
This is so weird. I'm in the market for a used road bike for tri's and centuries and such, but as my budget is low I put in a request with a guy I know on a team to see if anyone was selling. $1,500 or so 2006 Cannondale Six 13 w/ about 7,000 on, ultegra groupo with a dura ace derailer. Does that sound reasonable to anyone? Never been in any crashes either, thats a biggy.
Permalink Reply by J on December 22, 2008 at 3:56am
Cannondale offers very deep discounts to sponsored teams, so he is likely breaking even or even turning a small profit. However, if it's a local crit racer -- I'd really inspect the frame and wheels closely. Two years without a crash is extremely rare and those frames are fragile. If it was a sponsored frame, also check to see if that has bearing on the warranty. Some companies sell demo/no warranty frames to teams.

Jon said:
This is so weird. I'm in the market for a used road bike for tri's and centuries and such, but as my budget is low I put in a request with a guy I know on a team to see if anyone was selling. $1,500 or so 2006 Cannondale Six 13 w/ about 7,000 on, ultegra groupo with a dura ace derailer. Does that sound reasonable to anyone? Never been in any crashes either, thats a biggy.
Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on December 22, 2008 at 5:36am
As for the police auction...

I bought two bikes from the 28th and Western one right after I had taken some clinics at West town bikes and I was still glowing with bike fixing determination.

I think that was about a year and a half ago and both are still in my basement, one in pieces. One bike probably won't be too hard to fix up and I think it would be worth it. It's a '50s cruiser with coaster brakes. The other one probably isn't worth it. It's a 70s schwinn and it probably needs new wheel sets...though it really just doesn't excite me much.

If I take a build a bike class maybe I can make some progress on either bike. We'll see.

The auction itself is a little frustrating. There is a preview session before the auction and I really recommend that you take your time to look at the bikes and assess if there is any hope of getting something decent. However, the auction itself is rather annoying as it takes FOREVER. Plus they do lots of crap walmart bikes first and you're going to be waiting 2-3 hours before they get to any decent bikes. Really, the auction moves very very slowly.
Permalink Reply by Sarah on December 22, 2008 at 5:40am
Be careful with this. Sounds like it has some nice parts, but 9/10 speed parts can wear fairly quickly depending on riding, weather, and maintenance. If you had to replace a worn out drivetrain it could be costly. I have a cracked carbon frame sitting around collecting dust. The crack in the chainstay didn't become visible until months after i crashed it. Maybe have the seller agree to meet you at a shop and pay for a good inspection by a mechanic... like in real estate. This could be a good deal for you, or a good rip off.

Jon said:
This is so weird. I'm in the market for a used road bike for tri's and centuries and such, but as my budget is low I put in a request with a guy I know on a team to see if anyone was selling. $1,500 or so 2006 Cannondale Six 13 w/ about 7,000 on, ultegra groupo with a dura ace derailer. Does that sound reasonable to anyone? Never been in any crashes either, thats a biggy.

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