My first “London” bike purchase was a second hand bike when I was a student. I saved a ton of money and bought a bike I would not have been able to afford first hand. The two problems I faced were making sure the bike is not stolen and getting a good deal.
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Where to buy a second hand bike in London
- GoingGoingBike is a newly launched website that sells second hand bikes
- Otherwise.. Gumtree classifieds in London and eBay are classics though be careful about stolen bikes
- In a bike shop – the LCC maintain a good list of bike shops in London that sell second hand bikes.
- In a police auction – Frank G Bowen run the London auctions
- Classified ads in newspapers and magazines
How to be sure you are not buying stolen goods
You don’t have to be a criminal detective to know when the bike you are looking at is stolen. There are obvious signs to look out for:
- See if the person who is selling the bike is suited to it.
- Look for the bicycle frame number. This is located underneath the bike. If this has been scratched off it is a tell-tale sign of a bike theft.
- Meet with the person at their house not in a location such as an underground station. If they refuse they may be selling stolen goods.
- Ask for identification
- Ask for an original receipt of when the bike was purchased. If there is no receipt then perhaps they have an original manual
Getting a good deal
It can be helpful to have someone with you who knows a thing or two about bikes. Also try and get a test ride. Here are some things you should be looking for:
- Correct frame size – if it doesn’t fit you then there is no point in buying
- Rust – on the chain and on the rest of the bike. The chain can cheaply be replaced but rust on the rest of the bike can be a problem.
- Dents – both on the frame and forks
- Tyres – Are they worn out? They will need to be replaced.
- Sprockets and gears – do the gears keep skipping, do the components look worn out? Replacing them can be a costly exercise.
- Do a full M check – check all the classic areas: bolts, buckled wheels etc should all be assessed. Some things can be fixed cheaply but can quickly raise the price of what seems like a good deal
Have you had any experiences with buying second hand bikes? Leave a comment..
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As seen on The Guardian, BBC and The Independent.
Hi,
I have never bought a second hand bike but have always where possible done a part ex with the bike shop I was buying the new bike from.
They would tell me what the cost of any repairs to it might cost and I usually got about £40 for the old bike and the person buying my old bike got a good deal on a fully serviced bike.
So a bike shop would be my advice to anyone thinking of getting a second hand bike.
Call me I want
You forgot to mention Freecycle – that’s where I got all 3 of the bikes that I currently own. All of them needed some work, but I didn’t have to pay a thing!
I brought a brilliant second hand bike for my son to use to work and it was cheap and didn’t need too much work. He has had it for about 2 years now and still loves it. I would recommend people to get a second hand bike as it is cheaper and it can also be fun to fix and do up.
Hello, thanks for the info – buying second hand bikes is daunting if you don’t have technical knowledge.
I bought a really nice second hand bike from Squeaky Chains. http://squeakychains.com
They also have 4 vital tips for checking out if a second hand bike is good to go:
http://squeakychains.com/tips-for-buying-second-hand-bikes/
Hope you find this helpful.
Go for it- first bike was second hand 3 or 4 speed Sturmey- Archer, second bike again second hand, paid a fiver, went from Newcastle to Inverness via Great Glen and back-
first trip to France was on 10 speed second hand bike.
Local papers often have a section in the back advertising pages-
Carpe- Diem!!
I might add look to see if the bike frame is postcoded the same as the seller’s address, and if not why not?
If the bike is an old or vintage bike and the chain is rusty then replacing it might not be so cheap and easy. An old chain will wear down, and the cogs at the rear will wear down with it. This means a new chain will not match up to the gear teeth on the back and the chain will skip. This means that the cassette/freewheel and possible the whole back wheel will need replacing too.
To be honest, if a chain is that rusty, it means the bike has most likely been stored outside the majority of the time.