- 2 days ago
With a big shortage on new bikes a lot of us are now looking to the second hand market to find a road bike because you'll be able to get it faster and you may actually be able to find the model you want. So, we've put together a list of things you should either check or replace when you buy a second hand bike to ensure it's going to be safe and fun to use. There's nothing worse than a bike that doesn't operate smoothly so if you follow our tips then you should be set for a hassle free bike ride.
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00:00There are so many reasons to buy a second-hand bike. The huge amount of money saved is a major
00:05one, but with the continuing constraints on availability, buying second-hand can make it
00:10that bit easier to find the model that you actually want. It's also better for the environment to use
00:15a bike someone no longer wants rather than adding in yet more demand. But whilst the brand new box
00:21fresh bike only needs a little bit of adjustment to get you rolling, a second-hand bike does require
00:26that little bit more care and attention. So we've put together five things which we'd either check
00:31or replace on any second-hand bike. Let's get into them.
00:41You probably don't need us to tell you just how important functioning brakes are. The first thing
00:46to check is how much life is left in the pads. Whether they're rim brakes or disc brakes, chances
00:52are even if you don't need to replace them immediately, you probably will in the near
00:57future. As a side note, if you've got disc brakes and they sound noisy or feel underpowered, that's
01:04a sure sign that they've been contaminated with oil. You can try sanding the surface off or you can bake
01:09the oils out in the oven, but chances are you'll have to replace the pads. Just make sure to give
01:15the rotors a proper clean with specific disc brake cleaner or isopropyl alcohol before you fit the
01:21new ones. It's also worth checking the braking surfaces for wear, whether those are the rims
01:27or the rotors. These have a longer life than the pads, so you likely won't need to replace them,
01:33but it's certainly worth checking just in case. Finally, if your cable actuated brakes are feeling
01:40spongy or the lever won't spring back as quickly as it should, that's a sure sign that the brake cables
01:45and the outer housing need replacing. It's very much worth splashing out here. Getting some top
01:51level housing and cables will transform the braking performance, making them more powerful and easier
01:57to control. Now, they may be double or triple the price of some of the cheaper sets out there, but it
02:03still comes out to less than half a tank of petrol and there aren't many upgrades of that magnitude that
02:09can be had for that kind of price. If it's hydraulic disc brakes that are feeling spongy, that's a sign
02:14that they do need to be bled. Now, if you haven't done this before, it can seem rather daunting, but in
02:19reality, it's as simple as a syringe full of oil through the brake lines. It is a lot cheaper to do
02:26yourself than taking it to a bike shop, so if money is a consideration, it's a skill worth taking up.
02:32To sum up, you probably do need to buy new pads for your second-hand bike and there's a reasonable chance
02:38you'll need to either change the cables or give them a bleed. You probably won't need to replace
02:43the braking surfaces with new rotors or rims, but it is definitely worth checking.
02:52There are a few things in life more frustrating than a bike which doesn't shift gears properly.
02:57The first port of call should always be making sure that the cable tension is set correctly
03:02and then checking whether the neck hanger is aligned. Investing in what may seem like a
03:07big metal stick might feel like a bit of an extravagance, but really, they are so useful
03:13so often. If the gears still aren't shifting right, then you're probably going to have to
03:18replace the cables. Now, if your bike is sufficiently second-hand enough that you've got external
03:22cable routing, then this might be a job that takes you about five minutes per derailleur if
03:28you're practiced, or maybe 15 minutes per derailleur if it's your first time. If the bike has internal
03:34cable routing, depending on the model, it could take a professional mechanic hours to complete. Now,
03:40if you have the money, it might be worth saving your time here. If you're looking to save money,
03:45though, then there are kits out there that you can buy to make the process a whole lot easier.
03:49Definitely worth the investment for the time saved. It's also worth getting a chain check at all to see
03:55how worn your chain is, or you can use the time-honored method of pulling the chain away from the
04:00chainring and seeing how far it will go. If you can see a lot of daylight, then it's too worn and needs
04:05to be replaced. Do bear in mind, though, if the previous owner has been riding around on an extremely
04:11worn chain, they will have also accelerated the wear on the cassette and the chainrings, to the point
04:17that the shifting could be even worse. Unfortunately, this means that you may end up needing to buy a new
04:23cassette and chainrings, but it's worth using this as an opportunity to consider your gearing. If you need
04:29something a little lower or easier, or if you wanted tighter spacing, for more even changes in cadence.
04:35As chainrings are typically included when you buy a new crankset, this could even be an opportunity
04:41to change your crank arm length. So, to sum up, adjust your gears, but also it's probably going to be
04:47worth buying some new cables and outer housing. And if you're doing your brakes at the same time,
04:52then it does make sense to buy these together. Do check your chain, but you're probably going to need
04:57to buy a new one. And just bear in mind that you might need a new cassette and new chainrings.
05:08As with buying any bike, it's pretty unlikely that the stock saddle is going to be a perfect fit for
05:14you. You might be selling your current bike to back finance the new secondhand one, in which case
05:19you can just swap the saddles over and save yourself the money. Otherwise, you'll be having
05:24to shell out for another saddle, which you know works for you. Now, new bar tape almost goes without
05:29saying. For something that can look and smell quite so bad and cost so relatively little to replace,
05:36it's amazing how many people go without and how many people will splash out on new wheels whilst
05:42keeping the tape same for the entire season. As for your final contact point, you probably don't need
05:48to swap in or buy new pedals. Now, we're coming to the upgrades, which can potentially be left for a
06:02little longer after the initial purchase of the bike. Definitely do check the tyres for heavy wear,
06:07but generally there will still be some life left in them. That said, a set of lightweight,
06:13fast rolling tyres really does transform the feel of a bike in terms of the performance and also just
06:19keeping your consumable components refreshed. New tyres are a great investment. But even if you're
06:25not obsessed about speed, it's unlikely that the tyre spec'd will have the right balance of puncture
06:31protection or be optimised precisely for the terrain that you're riding. Should you wish, you could also
06:37take the opportunity to go tubeless if the bike isn't already set up as such. You'd get the
06:42benefits of greater puncture protection, the ability to run lower pressures and a decrease in rolling
06:48resistance and weight, although the technology does work best on those wider tyres.
07:00Finally, your bearings. Now, they do tend to last quite a long time, but equally that means that it's an
07:06area that can get neglected. Now, we'll look at the bottom bracket first, which is the bearing which allows
07:12your cranks to spin and will probably also protest the loudest if it's worn out, especially if the
07:19frame is designed for press fit BB cups rather than threaded. It is worth noting that it is possible
07:26to get thread fit bottom brackets for press fit frames. Now, this consists of two parts that screw
07:32into each other and this means that you don't need to hit them in and out of the frame, which makes
07:37maintenance a whole lot easier. Although, you will need a specific BB tool to screw them in,
07:43as with any threaded system. And, of course, you will need to get the current BB out in the first
07:48place. Now, a bike shop is usually best for that job. Your wheel bearings may need servicing,
07:54especially if you can wobble the wheel from side to side. On cheaper wheels and some select high-end ones,
08:00these tend to be cup and cone bearings. Now, to service them, you'll need some degreaser,
08:05some fresh lithium grease and potentially some new ball bearings if the current ones are worn.
08:10It's a little fiddly and does require some specific spanners, but the tools are cheap
08:14and once you've done it a few times, you do get a pretty good knack for it. Wheels with sealed cartridge
08:19bearings will need a specific bearing puller and a drift for slamming the new ones on. These kits tend
08:25to be rather expensive and we wouldn't advise trying to bodge this. If in doubt, a bike shop is definitely
08:31best here. Finally, there's the headset bearings, which are the ones that allow your handlebars to
08:37move. These protest the least and don't have so much of a negative impact on your speed, so they are
08:43something that are often really neglected and can be really quite corroded by the time you get to
08:48replacing them. But it is very much worth doing, not least so that rusty grease doesn't keep seeping
08:55down your fork. To sum this one up, you'll know if your bottom bracket needs replacing and if it's a
09:00press fit system, it is worth thinking about getting a thread fit system as a replacement.
09:05Wool bearings need swapping if they wobble or they feel gritty when you spin them and if they're cup
09:11and cone that's great because they're cheap, but they are then fiddly to work on. Whereas the sealed
09:15cartridge ones, although nice and easy to maintain, you do need some expensive tools. Headset bearings can get
09:22forgotten so it's really worth checking them. If you're unsure, a bike shop is always your friend.
09:28To recap, in descending order of importance, check and replace the parts of your brakes,
09:34then do the same for your gears. Get the contact points, those being your saddle bars and pedals,
09:39set up as you prefer, then check the tyres and bearings for wear. They'll either need replacing
09:43immediately if so, or can be a nice little upgrade later down the line.
09:48So there we have it. If you've bought a second-hand bike recently, did you follow any of these tips or
09:55do you have some of your own that you'd like to share? Do drop them down below. If you enjoyed the
09:59video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very soon.
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