How tos »
Buying a used mountain bike
In a perfect world, everyone would be able to walk into their local bike store, pick the bike of their dreams, plunk down a bunch of cash and ride out of the store with a five mile smile on their faces. Unfortunately the real world doesn’t work like that, and cyclists looking for a decent ride often are forced to look through the classifieds for a quality used bike.
If you fall into the latter category more than you do the former, here’s a list of things you should look at (closely) when considering at a used bike:
- Cracks or dents in the frame : Fractures and cracks can turn up pretty much anywhere, although the most common locations for frame cracks are in the head tube area and on the rear end of the bike. Dents freqently appear on the front end of the bike; look carefully at the down tube and the top tube for unintentional depressions (and keep in mind that some bikes, like the Santa Cruz Bullit, have indentations that are part of the frame design). Since cracks or dents can compromise the integrity of the frame, if you find ANY such marks on the bike you’re looking at, walk away.
- Leaky fork or damaged stanchions : If you can see oil around the dust seal where the stanchions enter the lowers, it’s a sign that the fork might need a rebuild. If the stanchions are scratched, scraped, or otherwise knicked, be absolutely sure that the marks don’t affect fork performance because, in most cases, it’s cheaper to get a new fork than it is to replace the stanchions.
- Worn or dirty drivetrain : Check to see that the chain rings aren’t worn and the bike’s gears don’t skip when you pedal under load. Worn rings have ’sharper’ teeth than rings that are good to go. If the bike has a dirty drivetrain, the alarm bells should go off — if the person doesn’t care enough to keep the most important part of their bike clean, think about how they treated the rest of it.
- True wheels and decent tires : When buying a used bike, you can’t expect new equipment but you should look for straight wheels without major dents or flat spots. If you’re looking at a bike with v-brakes, be sure that the rims’ sidewalls aren’t ready to separate from the rest of the wheel. Similarly bald tires won’t do you any good on the trail and are a fairly expensive upgrade if you need to do it right away.
- Check brake pads and rotors (when applicable) : Check to see the status of the brake pads. Although pads are nowhere near as expensive as they used to be, they’re still something that you shouldn’t need to deal with right away. Similarly, be sure that the rotors on the bike aren’t worn away to paper-thickness.
- Bearing check : Check the bearings in the headset, the pedals, and at all pivot points (if you’re looking at a full suspension bike).
- Cranks / bottom bracket : Make sure the crank-bb interface is solid and there is no creaking when you pedal under load. Also make sure that the cranks arms and pedals are in good shape. If either of the items is bent, you’ll be looking at a significant expense after the fact.
- Warranty : Most frame manufacturers attach non-transferrable warranties to their products. This means that they will consider warranty claims made by the original purchaser (with a receipt) but will not do so from anyone else.
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it’s a good start and, if you’re looking at a new, used bike, you’ll get a better bike following these recommendations than you would otherwise. If you have anything you’d like me to add, drop me a line.