Buying used bikes is something we’re pretty familiar with here at Box Dog. We believe in recycling and re-use, and believe that you can often get a lot more for your dollar with a used bike. These days Ebay and Craigslist are great resources for getting a good deal, however, there are some major pit-falls that you should be aware of when purchasing a used bike. Here’s a few basic tips for folks looking to get a good used bike for commuting:
Frames: Obviously check for any dents or cracks in the frame. Some dents aren’t a big deal, but if you don’t feel confident then its best to pass on anything that has dents in it. Check the top tube (bar on top) and downtube (diagonal one running from headtube in front down to your cranks) at the points where they meet the headtube. It is common for frames to crack at the points where tubes are welded together. Look at the tubes and make sure they don’t look bent; feel around with your fingers for any bulging, cracking or rippling. If there’s anything like that the bike may have had a collision and could be seriously damaged. Here’s a pic of an extreme example where the top tube and down tube are totally bent:
Take a look at the fork too. The blades should continue on a straight line from the headtube before sweeping out. If they are curved back at all or there is any cracking of paint or rippling, stay away. Another common place for bikes to get damaged is on the right side chain stay, that’s the tube that runs from your dropout, (where the wheel bolts on), to your cranks. These tubes can crack or totally separate, so take a peak before you buy.
As far as quality goes there’s a lot of research you can do about frames and manufacturers… here’s one quick tip as far as spotting a cheap bike likely not worth it vs. a bike that’s worth it. Cheap bikes have stamped dropouts pictured left. They are thin. Worthwhile bikes have forged drops pictured right. They are thicker.
One last oddball problem you run into once in a blue moon is the seatpost. A few bike frames like the Kabuki and this Schwinn don’t have a pinch bolt that holds the seat post, instead there’s an internal wedge system in the seatpost that holds it up. These special seatposts are just about impossible to find. This isn’t a big deal if the bike has a seatpost, seatposts are pretty sturdy and don’t wear out, but if it’s just a frame its gonna be a big problem finding a post. You can spot them because, like I said, there’s no pinch bolt in the frame, it’s smooth all the way around where the post goes in.
Wheels and Drivetrain: Wheels are about the priciest thing on the frame. First rule is to avoid steel rims. Steel is great for frames but terrible for wheels. Steel wheels are heavy, get big dents easily, and are hard to true. Steel rims are shinier than aluminum but if you aren’t sure, bring a magnet. Magnets will stick to steel but not aluminum.
There’s a couple other things to watch out for with wheels; one is the Helicomatic hub by Maillard.
They come on lots of old French bikes and some old Treks, but may have been installed on any bike after market. They take a special gear cluster long ago obsolete. That’s a big deal because the teeth on your gear cluster wear out with your chain. On an inexpensive to mid price bike a chain and gear cluster will wear out in a year to year and a half of everyday riding. If you were riding on a Helicomatic, at that point you would have to buy a new wheel, new chain, new gear cluster, and possibly new cranks and that can run as much as you paid for the bike in the first place! Same thing goes for Shimano’s Uniglide hubs. They came in five six and seven speeds and where an early cassette effort that is also no longer available. On these hubs the last cog screws on top, instead of having a lockring.
Top two pics are Uniglide, the top cog screws off. If it looks like there’s room in there to fit a tool you are ok. like in the bottom pics. If not stay away! If it’s a Uniglide the bike may still be worth it, just keep in mind you might have to spend $100+ on a new wheel at some point. Its a tough thing to spot and we wind up with Uniglide wheels all the time, its not the end of the world, just a pain in the ass. For more information on different types of hubs, please visit Sheldon Brown’s page on Shimano Freehubs.
Cranks: Watch out for cotter-pin cranks! Its an older system where the crank is held on by a bolt running through the crank arm like so:
These are really hard to work on because nobody makes a tool to fix them anymore! They are really heavy, prone to problems and replacement parts are almost impossible to find. A bike with cottered cranks is never worth it! I don’t know how to stress that enough.
Other: There’s a million more things to check on a bike, but lots of them are pretty self evident. Tires, tubes, cables, brake pads, and chains often need to be replaced but you can usually tell by looking.
Whatever you do avoid at all costs the following brands. Firenze-These were given away free with purchase of a television. They are not a bike, they are a marketing gimmick and they will never be reliable efficient transportation. Motive, Pacific, Next, Quasar, Huffy, Murray- These are bikes are sold at department stores, toy stores and the like. They are meant to be used as toys, not transportation. Peugeot- They made tons and tons of inexpensive bikes in the 70’s with cottered cranks, steel wheels, and plastic simplex derailleurs all of which will break and be impossible to replace. The parts for Peugeots are sized to a specific French-only system, meaning no modern part will be compatible with the Peugeot. In the days before the metric system countries had their own measurements and much like the US has insisted on using the English System long beyond its usefulness, (the U.S. Liberia and Myanmar are the only countries in the world that don’t use the metric system) Peugeot held on to the French system longer than just about anyone. Now I know lots of people like Peugeot for sentimental or aesthetic reasons, but as a general rule of thumb their parts break easily and there are no available replacements. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to avoid any and all old French bicycles. If you are not sure, Wiki the name of the bicycle. Viscount- Some Viscount frames were built to be relatively light, and often these bikes came with nice components. Unfortunately, the frames were matched with a fork that was glued and pinned aluminum. These forks will fail randomly and catastrophically. At some point, they will just break in two. Lastly, the bottom brackets were also a weird press in cartridge bearing that’s hard to deal with, so its best to just stay away.
Last Notes:
The most important thing about buying a used bike is getting something you like. Being comfortable on the bike is the most important thing, whether that means riding in a comfortable position or looking good, or whatever. Swing by shops and chat with the folks who work there, test rides are free and nobody’s gonna get mad if you don’t buy. See what’s out there and find what feels good for you.