Is it smart to buy used bikes? I am looking into new Tri bikes but am a college student without a ton of money, should I get a nice used bike or a junkier new bike? Is it hard to find good used bikes?
Look in the classified section. Used high quality bikes show up there all the time.
its easy to find good used bikes if you know what makes a good bike
and if you get it wrong, you had a less expensive mistake getting a used crappy bike
used bikes are not just a smart choice, its the only sane choice!
caveat emptor though.
Is it smart to buy used bikes? I am looking into new Tri bikes but am a college student without a ton of money, should I get a nice used bike or a junkier new bike? Is it hard to find good used bikes?
The major consumables on a bicycle are the tires, chain, rear cassette, cables, and brakepads. Most of those are cheap to replace, everything else lasts a long ass time.
If you’re going to get one used, get it off here if possible. Theres a lot of stuff you can’t see that may be wrong on ebay. Id trust a bike sale on here a lot more.
I bought used for my bike a year ago, got a great deal and am happy with it. ($850 shipped: litespeed orion w/ full DA) I put some T2+ bars on it and its great. My advice is to get a general idea of how much you want to spend and know a general size ( i used stand-over hight as a general cross reference since some frame sizes are deceptive (namely litespeeds)) (i had also never owned a bike or biked before except for a few times a year). Next, Shop around, shop around, and shop some more. So many bikes go up for sale over the course of 2 weeks either through here, ebay, craigslist, etc. Just keep an eye out for bargains and ones that would fit the bill.
So yes, buying used is a great option, especially if you know what to look for. Aways get pictures as well.
-andrew
eBay can be great, but know exactly what you are buying what the actual value is. I laugh when I see things going for the same or more than brand new from a LBS. That said, I’ve bought 3 bikes from eBay:
#1) Was for sale by a local professional coach. I met him beforehand, inspected and test rode the bike;
#2) Was lightly used (no evidence of use), but from a reputable bike shop, and the seller is a regular contributor to Triathlete magazine;
#3) Brand new from a bike shop looking to clear out 2008 merchandise.
All three were what I consider to be incredible bargains.
Be very cautious with craigslist. A lot of bad things happen there. Good things too, but many bad things. If you meet someone from there, bring a friend with. Bring two friends if you have them. Try to meet somewhere in public, preferrably with security cameras (inside a grocery store, Starbucks, Walmart, etc). And make notes about the person just in case (physical description, phone numbers, license plate, etc… one way is to be on your cell phone as you meet him, and just be talking to your voicemail or messages about what you see).
There are deals to be had. Just know exactly what you’re looking at and what it’s worth. Good luck!
Definitely be cautious of craigslist. Scams galore! I’m dealing with one right now, regarding a bike I am selling. I don’t understand why some people are such worthless pieces of crap…
Having said that, I bought my current ride from a guy who had it listed on craigslist. He was a local triathlete who was selling bikes for the same reason I am - too many bikes in the garage. I’ve been wrench in a shop before so I knew what to look for, and I got a tremendous deal. Definitely be cautious though.
i decided to buy a used P3-SL instead of a new mid-level carbon bike. If i had to do it all over again; I would.
last year I bought a P3-SL used, it has worked out great so far, the bike will never hold me back.
Used Yaqui rider
Best bike choice for me was used
Got it on Slowtwitch
Giant :-).
all my bikes were used…
one from Slowtwitch classifieds, one off Ebay, one via RoadbikeReview classifieds
The ST one was fine, RoadbikeReview was local in Denver so we met up, Ebay one was a bit dodgy (more rust than advertised) but it was cheap enough ($150 complete bike plus spare rear tubular) that it wasn’t too bad.
As noted, Craigslist has some black hats on it, and Ebay is very much caveat emptor. But generally buying used is a good idea.
Anyone know where to get a used Kona Africabike or similar for cheap in the Twin Cities??? I rented one in Key West and loved it, but I don’t want to pay $400 for a new one.
There are a lot of folks who think tri might be cool, spent $2500 or more on a bike and then find out it is hard work and quit. Then they sell their bikes. Their loss is definately your gain.
Chad
Yep. Buy used.
You need to be savvy enough to know what size is right for you, and I think it’s a lot more difficult and critical when buying a tri bike than a road bike. So if you are buying a used tri bike mail-order then you need to know the bike’s size and already know it’s right for you…and you may still need to swap out the stem and/or aerobars to get it right.
Yes, it’s a very smart way to go, as long as you go about it smartly.
Bikes are like cars - both have a large depreciation value. And like cars, some bike models depreciate more than others. You can save a ton of money used. Really good buys in 2-3 yr old bikes. Just make sure you know your size and know what you’re looking for.
Yeah, I’d look used. I got a p2k w/ ultegra on ebay in great shape for less than 800. It isn’t a P2c or all carbon, but for me it is enough bike. I’m happy with it.
I bought my P2C and with the money I saved I was able to buy a set of used Hed Stinger 90’s as well. They’ve worked great for me.
I’m a big fan of buying used. My bike history is:
'05 - bought a '95 Klein Aeolus for $375 with Shimano 600
'08 - bought a '06 (new) Javelin Varese for $550 with Campy Veloce (and wished I kept the Klein)
'09 - bought a '99 Litespeed Tachyon for $700 with Ultegra, very lightly used and am happy again
I think I paid $100 too much for the Litespeed, but it was the year I wanted, in excellent condition, and local. I spent a ton of time researching bike fit/position here as well as the older bike reviews on bikesportmichigon.com and anything else I could find on the older bikes.
I’m a fan of used but you really have to know your bikes or trust your seller. You have to watch the parts that wear as well. If you get a screaming deal but then have to buy new rubber, cables, pads, change stem lengths, get a shop tune up, chain, cassette and rings, you might as well baught new. I build a campy chorus bike for what I thought was going to be about 800 bucks, but after getting hosed down on a few things, I ended up 1500 into a bike that I couldn’t sell for 700.
I’ve been burned badly this last year on a couple of bikes. One was a total rip off, one was my fault and the cueernt one the seller is resolving it for me.
My personal choice is to BUILD a bike from new and used parts on ebay. If you know your stuff, you can build a TDF worthy bike for under 2 grand. now that 11sp is out and DA has finally switched cable routing, there are some sweet deals on “old” 10sp stuff.