8 tips for buying used bikes
It is always difficult to buy something that requires technical background knowledge. In this guide, we have tried to be comprehensive and create an understanding that does not require technical insight.
1. Marks and brands
The brand of a given bike is of minor importance. If you look at the bike's 'brand', there is a big risk that you will make wrong assumptions. Most brands have made both good and bad bikes, and have existed for many decades, and made new models every year. Models of varying quality. It is also common for a given bike brand to have sold rights to the name. Thus, today you see honored old bicycle names from the beginning of the 20th century stuck on modern bicycles in, for example, supermarkets. Two bikes with the same 'brand' can thus be very different.
When you buy one used bike, it very quickly becomes even more relevant to close your eyes to the stickers on the frame.
1) There may be several owners who had the bike before it was scrapped and it ended up with us. It is not known how well these people looked after the bike, or which elements of the bike they modified.
2) And then we get the bike. We change parts, repair and modify the bike according to what we think is best. In some cases, the only original thing on the bike is the frame and the stickers on it, and it thus bears very little resemblance to the bike that rolled out of the factory in its day.
"Well then what the hell should I go for?" Read on and get answers
2. Appearance vs. quality
You must of course have a bicycle that you think is nice and stylish. However, you must not believe that there is a connection between stains, scratches, surface rust and a given bicycle's quality as a vehicle. And then it actually doesn't matter whether by quality you mean durability or driving characteristics. Instead, ask us about the condition and quality of the brakes, gears, tires, etc. on a given bike, instead of assessing, for example, the durability of the gears based on the number of spots on the frame.
3. Size Matters - Mostly
Many of the people who have bought a bike with a bad experience have actually just bought the wrong size bike. The quality of a given bike is of course important, but it is at least as important that we find you a bike that fits you in size. We can easily help with that in the store, and you can read our size guide here .
4. Gear selection
We meet many people who believe that external gears require much more maintenance than internal gears. However, it is not that simple. When you have to choose gear, there are mainly two things you have to pay attention to.
Your needs. How far will you cycle and how often? Are there a lot of hills or a lot of wind? External gears are typically faster to shift, weigh less and involve less resistance. Generally speaking, external gears are more efficient, but it also depends a lot on which system and which setup is involved.
External gears are available in an enormously large selection, and can thus be a bit difficult to generalize about. But unless you go down the bottom of the quality spectrum, external gears are better and more expensive, while internal gears are cheaper, heavier and slower. If your cycling trips are typically long and full of hills and strong winds, choose external gears. If your trips are often short, then internal gears.
That said, the very best thing is typically to try bikes with each type of gear, compare and choose the one you like best!
Maintenance. The biggest factor on your maintenance costs is always a matter of how many km you ride the bike. Regardless of gear type. The weather also has a lot to say, not least if you park the bike outdoors.
External gears are probably more vulnerable to the effects of the weather, so if you always park your bike outside, then here is an argument for internal gears - Or just 1 gear, often referred to as singlespeed. But if you park the bike a little protected and remember to lubricate the chain every now and then, this is not a significant argument for either one or the other type of gear.
Generally speaking, you can expect a greater need for ongoing adjustments the more gears a given bike has. The reason why many people have bad experiences with external gears often lies here.;. That you have bought a bicycle with 28 gears - of very low quality. Then you get an advanced system, but at a quality level with the worst chance of meeting the advanced requirements. Here, it is somewhat more reliable to have fewer (external) gears and of a slightly better quality.
But as I said - if you don't need the advantages of an external gear system, buy a bike with internal gears. If you need external gears and commute a bit far, we will probably have to make sure that it will also be reliable.
5. Selection of brakes
Brakes can be divided into 3 general categories: Rim brakes, internal brakes and disc brakes.
Rim brakes have in common that they work by a brake pad clamping onto the rim and this thus creates braking power. The advantage is that these are often cheap and that they have a strong braking effect. The downside is that they wear on your rim and their braking performance is typically impaired in rainy weather.
Internal brakes are either roller brakes or drum brakes, where the braking mechanism itself is enclosed. The advantage of these is that they require significantly less maintenance than other brakes and they neither wear out rims nor have a frequent need to change brake pads. The downside is that they are heavier and more expensive. They also have a softer braking effect, which can be a problem if you can experience very hard braking.
Disc brakes work by brake pads clamping onto a disc that sits on the wheel. The advantage of these is that they have an unrivaled braking ability and both brake pads and brake discs last a very long time. Their braking performance is also unaffected by the weather. The disadvantage is that they are often more expensive and so they are somewhat more delicate towards common. urban use, especially if you park the bike outside. If soot and particles from the air get on the brake disc and pads themselves, they will tend to howl something so violent. This can be cleaned, but it comes back quickly if the bike spends a lot of time in the city. On the other hand, if you have a basement to park in, it's less of a problem, and certain disc brakes also have less of a tendency to howl than others (it is said, we haven't been able to prove this).
6. Warranty and Service
The right bike, in the right size at the right price is important. BUT bicycles are not the least troublesome creatures, and if you use the bicycle, you will need maintenance. It cannot be avoided. Likewise, all products may contain errors and defects. Therefore, it is very important where you choose to buy your bike. At least we think so, and therefore make a lot of it.
Many have tried to struggle with complaints and long waiting times, especially at low-cost places. Which is typically also one of the reasons why they are so cheap. Bicycles bought privately are, for example, 100% without any form of warranty or product liability, and must thus be called the riskiest, albeit also the cheapest. At least it should be. Regardless of your choice, it is important to be clear about what you want and what comes with a given purchase. We have tried to formalize our approach and describe it. You can read about that here .
7. Keep an eye on these components
There are a number of components that simply wear out when the bike is used. If you buy a bicycle where all these parts are very used, you can therefore expect a large number of repairs in the near future. If you only ride a few kilometers on your bike, this will thus be less significant than if you ride many kilometers. Pay particular attention to the parts below that typically need replacing on used bikes:
- Tires
- Chain
- Saddle
- Brake pads
- Gear cables
- Brake cables
- Handle
8. Pitfalls
We could probably make a very long list here, but we will stick to the worst pitfalls.
Corroding rust. Rust that is just on the surface is not a problem, but if it goes deep it can cause breakage, which is quite problematic if it is on the frame.
Crankcase. There are some bearings between the two pedal arms, and many may have a hard time with this sometimes expensive repair. It can also be so difficult that mechanics may find themselves giving up. And without working crank bearings, it quickly becomes impossible to ride the bike.
Biases. If the wheels or frame are crooked, it can also become a very expensive affair and this can be difficult to see without the right measuring tools.
Gears and brakes. If a bicycle does not change gears optimally, or does not brake properly, it can be difficult to assess the extent if you are not a professional. It can be small, cheap adjustment tasks, but also about repairs costing several thousand kroner.