Five Things Your Second Hand Bike Needs
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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00:00 There are so many reasons to buy a second-hand bike. The huge amount of money saved is a major
00:05 one, but with the continuing constraints on availability, buying second-hand can make it
00:10 that bit easier to find the model that you actually want. It's also better for the environment to use
00:15 a bike someone no longer wants rather than adding in yet more demand. But whilst the brand new box
00:21 fresh bike only needs a little bit of adjustment to get you rolling, a second-hand bike does require
00:26 that little bit more care and attention. So we've put together five things which we'd either check
00:31 or replace on any second-hand bike. Let's get into them.
00:35 You probably don't need us to tell you just how important functioning brakes are. The first thing
00:46 to check is how much life is left in the pads. Whether they're rim brakes or disc brakes,
00:52 chances are even if you don't need to replace them immediately, you probably will in the near future.
00:57 As a side note, if you've got disc brakes and they sound noisy or feel underpowered,
01:03 that's a sure sign that they've been contaminated with oil. You can try sanding the surface off
01:09 or you can bake the oils out in the oven, but chances are you'll have to replace the pads.
01:14 Just make sure to give the rotors a proper clean with specific disc brake cleaner or isopropyl
01:19 alcohol before you fit the new ones. It's also worth checking the braking surfaces for wear,
01:25 whether those are the rims or the rotors. These have a longer life than the pads,
01:31 so you likely won't need to replace them, but it's certainly worth checking just in case.
01:36 Finally, if your cable actuated brakes are feeling spongy or the lever won't spring back as quickly
01:42 as it should, that's a sure sign that the brake cables and the outer housing need replacing.
01:48 It's very much worth splashing out here. Getting some top level housing and cables will transform
01:53 the braking performance, making them more powerful and easier to control. They may be double or
02:00 triple the price of some of the cheaper sets out there, but it still comes out to less than half a
02:05 tank of petrol and there aren't many upgrades of that magnitude that can be had for that kind of
02:09 price. If it's hydraulic disc brakes that are feeling spongy, that's a sign that they do need
02:15 to be bled. Now, if you haven't done this before, it can seem rather daunting, but in reality,
02:20 it's as simple as a syringe full of oil through the brake lines. It is a lot cheaper to do
02:26 yourself than taking it to a bike shop, so if money is a consideration, it's a skill worth taking up.
02:31 To sum up, you probably do need to buy new pads for your secondhand bike,
02:36 and there's a reasonable chance you'll need to either change the cables or give them a bleed.
02:41 You probably won't need to replace the braking surfaces with new rotors or rims,
02:45 but it is definitely worth checking.
02:47 There are a few things in life more frustrating than a bike which doesn't shift gears properly.
02:57 The first port of call should always be making sure that the cable tension is set correctly,
03:02 and then checking whether the neck hanger is aligned. Investing in what may seem like a big
03:08 metal stick might feel like a bit of an extravagance, but really, they are so useful so
03:14 often. If the gears still aren't shifting right, then you're probably going to have to replace the
03:18 cables. Now, if your bike is sufficiently secondhand enough that you've got external cable
03:23 routing, then this might be a job that takes you about five minutes per derailleur if you're
03:28 practiced, or maybe 15 minutes per derailleur if it's your first time. If the bike has internal
03:34 cable routing, depending on the model, it could take a professional mechanic hours to complete.
03:39 Now, if you have the money, it might be worth saving your time here. If you're looking to save
03:44 money though, then there are kits out there that you can buy to make the process a whole lot easier.
03:49 Definitely worth the investment for the time saved. It's also worth getting a chain checker
03:55 tool to see how worn your chain is, or you can use the time-monitored method of pulling the chain
04:00 away from the chainring and seeing how far it will go. If you can see a lot of daylight, then it's
04:04 too worn and needs to be replaced. Do bear in mind though, if the previous owner has been riding
04:09 around on an extremely worn chain, they will have also accelerated the wear on the cassette and the
04:16 chainrings to the point that the shifting could be even worse. Unfortunately, this means that you
04:21 may end up needing to buy a new cassette and chainrings, but it's worth using this as an
04:26 opportunity to consider your gearing. If you need something a little lower or easier, or if you want
04:32 to tie to spacing for more even changes in cadence. As chainrings are typically included when you buy
04:38 a new crankset, this could even be an opportunity to change your crank arm length. So, to sum up,
04:44 adjust your gears, but also it's probably going to be worth buying some new cables and outer housing.
04:50 And if you're doing your brakes at the same time, then it does make sense to buy these together.
04:55 Do check your chain, but you're probably going to need to buy a new one and just bear in mind
04:59 that you might need a new cassette and new chainrings.
05:02 As with buying any bike, it's pretty unlikely that the stock saddle is going to be a perfect
05:13 fit for you. You might be selling your current bike to back finance the new second hand one,
05:18 in which case you can just swap the saddles over and save yourself the money. Otherwise,
05:23 you'll be having to shell out for another saddle, which you know works for you.
05:26 Now, new bar tape almost goes without saying. For something that can look and smell quite so
05:33 bad and cost so relatively little to replace, it's amazing how many people go without and how many
05:39 people will splash out on new wheels whilst keeping the tape same for the entire season.
05:44 As for your final contact point, you probably don't need reminding,
05:48 but you're probably either going to need to swap in or buy new pedals.
05:52 Upgrades
05:58 Now, we're coming to the upgrades which can potentially be left for a little longer after
06:03 the initial purchase of the bike. Definitely do check the tyres for heavy wear, but generally,
06:08 there will still be some life left in them. That said, a set of lightweight,
06:13 fast rolling tyres really does transform the feel of a bike in terms of the performance
06:18 and also just keeping your consumable components refreshed. New tyres are a great investment.
06:24 Even if you're not obsessed about speed, it's unlikely that the tyre spec'd will have the right
06:30 balance of puncture protection or be optimised precisely for the terrain that you're riding.
06:35 Should you wish, you could also take the opportunity to go tubeless if the bike isn't
06:40 already set up as such. You'd get the benefits of greater puncture protection, the ability to run
06:45 lower pressures, and a decrease in rolling resistance and weight, although the technology
06:50 does work best on those wider tyres. Bearings
07:00 Finally, your bearings. Now, they do tend to last quite a long time, but equally,
07:05 that means that it's an area that can get neglected. Now, we'll look at the bottom bracket
07:10 first, which is the bearing which allows your cranks to spin and will probably also protest
07:16 the loudest if it's worn out, especially if the frame is designed for press-fit BB cups
07:22 rather than threaded. It is worth noting that it is possible to get thread-fit bottom brackets
07:28 for press-fit frames. Now, this consists of two parts that screw into each other,
07:33 and this means that you don't need to hit them in and out of the frame, which makes maintenance a
07:38 whole lot easier. Although, you will need a specific BB tool to screw them in, as with any
07:43 threaded system. And of course, you will need to get the current BB out in the first place. Now,
07:49 a bike shop is usually best for that job. Your wheel bearings may need servicing,
07:54 especially if you can wobble the wheel from side to side. On cheaper wheels and some select high
08:00 end ones, these tend to be cup and cone bearings. Now, to service them, you'll need some degreaser,
08:05 some fresh lithium grease, and potentially some new ball bearings if the current ones are worn.
08:10 It's a little fiddly and does require some specific spanners, but the tools are cheap,
08:14 and once you've done it a few times, you do get a pretty good knack for it. Wheels with
08:18 sealed cartridge bearings will need a specific bearing puller and a drift for slamming the new
08:24 ones on. These kits tend to be rather expensive, and we wouldn't advise trying to bodge this.
08:29 If in doubt, a bike shop is definitely best here. Finally, there's the headset bearings,
08:35 which are the ones that allow your handlebars to move. These protest the least and don't have so
08:40 much of a negative impact on your speed, so they are something that are often really neglected
08:45 and can be really quite corroded by the time you get to replacing them. But it is very much worth
08:51 doing, not least so that rusty grease doesn't keep seeping down your fork. To sum this one up,
08:57 you'll know if your bottom bracket needs replacing, and if it's a press fit system,
09:01 it is worth thinking about getting a thread fit system as a replacement. Wheel bearings need
09:06 swapping if they wobble or they feel gritty when you spin them, and if they're cup and cone,
09:11 that's great because they're cheap, but they are then fiddly to work on. Whereas the sealed
09:15 cartridge ones, although nice and easy to maintain, you do need some expensive tools.
09:21 Headset bearings can get forgotten, so it's really worth checking them if you're unsure,
09:26 a bike shop is always your friend. To recap, in descending order of importance,
09:31 check and replace the parts of your brakes, then do the same for your gears. Get the contact points,
09:37 those being your saddle bars and pedals, set up as you prefer, then check the tires and bearings
09:41 for wear. They'll either need replacing immediately if so, or can be a nice little upgrade later down
09:47 the line. So there we have it. If you've bought a secondhand bike recently, did you follow any of
09:54 these tips or do you have some of your own that you'd like to share? Do drop them down below. If
09:58 you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I'll see you
10:02 again very soon. [00:06:00] [END OF AUDIO]